With a catching of my breath, I wake up from the dream, that dream again. Even after all these years, I'm still having that dream. I got up from my bed, drinking a glass of water that was on the table. The cooling water calms my mind.
All these years I have been having this same dream over and over again; I still can't forget that face.
I walk towards my wardrobe mirror and put my hand on the mirror, activating the mechanism and entering the hidden room. I walk towards the same paintings that I have drawn hundreds of times.
One was of that horrifying creature and another one of you, Grandmother.
I can't help but blame myself for not saving you in time. By the time the ambulance reached you, your body was gone. It's been twelve years, but I haven't found you yet.
They searched for you, but it was like you never existed in this world.
"Why? What? and How?"
These were the only questions that were going through my mind all the time. Now I also want to believe that you are dead.
As I was thinking all this to myself, I heard a knock on my door. I exit the secret room, closing the entrance to the secret room, and walk to open the door.
Standing in front was my maid, "Miss Lin."
"Good morning."
I nod.
"Sorry for the disturbance, but you do remember that today is the gathering for all the elders of the respective families, and your grandfather has requested your audience there."
I nod with my same calm and poker face expression.
Miss. Lin sighed and looked at me with her eyes that were filled with care and tension for me. She spoke again with a more gentle voice.
"Just try to speak a few words at the gathering, I will take my leave. Breakfast has been ready and put on the table."
After getting ready and eating my breakfast, I take my leave for the gathering. I knew something was waiting for me there.
As soon as I enter the venue, I can feel the tension in the air, but it wasn't because of me. It was because a game which was happening between two elders, and as expected, one of them was my own "Grandfather."
They were playing chess here like they always do, even after getting old, they all still play this game like small children. All of their skills were unmatched. The old man in front took a moment to think over his next move and then stretched his hand to make his move. He was two points ahead.
I glanced towards my grandfather. A small smirk was on his lips that was hard for anyone to notice.
"Let's make a bet, you say?" Sure enough he was plotting something.
"What bet?" the old man in front asked as he raised his one eyebrow.
"If I win, I will have that abandoned land of yours that is near the sea."
"What will I get?"
"What do you want?"
"You have to invest in my son's new project with only 2% of profit."
"Deal," the fish was caught; the old man walked straight into the den of lions. They are tricking him into playing this game. Like they always do.
The game starts, the rules are simple: five chances, whoever gets more points will win. They all started, the old man with the long white beard was leading. He had more points and started to get cocky.
"Hey! What happened? Can't win? It's alright; better luck next time, my friend!"
I knew who was going to win. I glanced at my old grandmother and then left the room. I walked through the hallway and entered the usual room I always go to.
Sitting on a coach and reading a book, waiting for the "trouble" to come themselves. After two minutes later, two old men enter, laughing and chatting.
One was "Qingzhi," and another "Yuanzhou," my old grandfather.
As soon as they saw me, they stopped laughing and took their respective seats.
"Why did you call me here?" I ask, with no room for any other discussion.
They both take their seats, and their expression becomes calm. Mr. Yuanzhou takes a sip of his tea and then looks at me and then asks, "How have you been?"
"Fine," as he heard me, he smiled and put down the cup.
"Let's get to the point then," he took a pause; his expression became serious, "don't investigate further, the further you go, the more you get sucked in it."
"I don't care."
"Even when we tear all you apart, you guys still manage to investigate it."
"I don't know what you are talking about." I stood up, clearly knowing what he meant by it. "Looks like there is nothing interesting here, so I will take my leave."
"YuYu, think again before you leave this room. The answer you are looking for can be dangerous." The way the old man looked at me, I could tell things were not just how they looked.
"I will make sure to keep everyone safe...but I still need to choose this path."
"Just take care of yourself, and if you are going to choose this path, I will not stop you any further." The old man stood up and put his hand gently on my head. "Just ask for help whenever you need, your grandfather will always be here."
I left the room after the conversation ended. I wandered around the area in my car until it started getting dark. My car eventually stopped at a familiar place. I stepped out, trying to remember the events. I walked near the place of the accident, my steps getting heavier as I got closer until my steps stopped. I crouched down. My hand slowly reached the incident spot, and I can still remember the scattered pieces of glass laying around here.
The whole picture of that incident was still vivid in my mind, my mind surrounded by that incident.
"Don't touch it, it's dirty." A familiar voice rang in my ears, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Lizhen."
"Hey! I am older than you, you should call me older sister."
"Ten days older."
"That still counts as older, whatever. What are you doing here?"
I looked at her for a few seconds; she is still the same, always happy and cheerful, but still a deadhead.
"Sneeze," "Did you just curse me in your mind?" She wiped her nose with a tissue and asked.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
She sighed and with a helpless smile said, "Always on the topic, they are near the tree. Let's go."
"Hmmm," she put her arm around my neck and dragged me towards the destination, I didn't mind it. Only with a few people.
As we reached near the tree, I saw two figures standing. "WenYu" and "Yifan." Wenyu is my big brother, two years older than me, more mature and a scholar, and Yifan is Lizhen's older brother, the same age as my brother. He has a cheerful and playful personality but is still a little responsible.
"You guys are here," Wen said as he was writing something in a notebook.
"Did you find anything?" Lili said as she looked up at the tree.
""No, we still need Zheng's help for this," Wen said as all three of them turned their heads towards my direction. We have been investigating this matter for years, and now we have finally gotten some leads that have taken us to this tree.
How many times have I come here? I have even forgotten the count, just trying to remember that incident thoroughly.
Everything I have come to remember are from my dreams. I walked straight to the tree and touched it. "I don't remember where I have put that 'thing'."
"Ok, let's just search for it together," Lili said as she started searching for it, and the other two also started searching for it. I also started looking for it.
I walk toward the wall where I was thrown by that beast. I clearly see some old scratches. I put my hand on the wall, a sharp pain throbbing in my head, but I don't move my hand away.
"Zheng Zheng!... YuYu!"
Suddenly, the voice snaps me from my thoughts. I took a deep breath, then frantically started searching at the wall. After noticing something, I quickly crouch down and, without thinking, put my hand inside a hole in the wall. The space was narrow, but it was big enough for my hand to move around.
"What are you doing?"
"Shhh."
I put all my concentration on my hand, searching for something in the hole, until my hand touched some object. I quickly grab it and start to take my hand out, but suddenly something grabs my wrist, pulling my hand inside. "Something is inside."
Everyone starts to pull my hand out. With a count, we manage to pull my hand out, but there were some strange red marks on my wrist. I open my palm. "This...is that 'thing'."