I slammed the ice cabinet shut and fumbled with my phone to call Edward Cullen. It took a few tries before I got a signal, and when I finally reached him, I could barely articulate the words. "Edward... I found them," I managed to say, my voice trembling.
"Found what?" Edwards voice was calm, but I could sense the concern beneath his words.
"The old mans fingers... they were in his mouth the whole time." I didnt know how else to explain the situation, but Edward didnt question me further. He simply told me to stay put and that he would come over right away.
As I waited, I couldnt help but reflect on the bizarre events that had transpired. The old mans appearances were always linked to his severed hand, and the final clue was "Sew Hand." The missing fingers from the examination had vanished only to reappear in the old mans mouth. It was as if everything was interconnected, with the fingers being the key.
Each time the old man provided a clue, it centered around the fingers. Perhaps there was something off about them or they held the key to the case. Since the old man had sought me out repeatedly, he likely needed something from me, which meant he probably wouldnt harm me. I had to take the risk to find out the truth!
I took a deep breath and opened the ice cabinet where the old man was stored. Inside, the old mans face was still contorted, made even more terrifying by the stitches that held him together. His half-open mouth revealed the two fingers that had been missing. Without gloves, I had to suppress my unease and reach into the old mans mouth to retrieve the fingers.
As my fingers touched the old mans fingers, the previously restless lights began to flicker again, signaling the start of another terrifying sequence of events. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay calm.
Clutching the two severed fingers, I retreated to the wall to observe. The lights flickered twice, and the environment began to warp. The ice cabinet where the old man was stored slowly opened outward, and with another flash of light, the old man appeared right in front of me. He looked at me, and I stared back, my mouth tightly shut.
The old man extended his tattered left hand, and I understood, placing the two severed fingers into his palm. From those fingers, the old man pulled out two identical bone needles, pale in color and gleaming with a cold light.
I watched in horror, immediately recalling how I had been pierced with the same bone needles under my nails by him before. I started to panic, fearing that it would happen again.
Sure enough, I was unable to move, and the bone needles were driven into my index and thumb, the pain of which made me break out in a cold sweat.
The old man then pointed to the table beside us, where a scroll lay. To my amazement, the scroll opened on its own, and golden characters seemed to float above the bamboo surface. The words were jumbled and nonsensical, with no clear order.
Seeing that my attention was captured by the book, the old mans face showed satisfaction. He brushed his hand over the scroll, and many characters receded like a retreating tide, leaving a few words on the bamboo – "Pledge yourself to me as an apprentice!"
My mind went blank. An apprentice? This turn of events was too bizarre for me to process immediately.
"Why should I take you as my master?" I asked.
"Blood as a vow, bone needles as a pact."
The golden characters on the scroll formed a sentence that sent a chill down my spine.
"Ive never made a blood oath with you, sir. Theres been a mistake. I just accidentally cut my finger," I explained to the ghost, admiring my own ability to reason with a spirit.
"Your injury to the middle finger is the evidence of our blood pact. Heaven will not abandon me, and my lineage of Ghost Hands will have a successor," the characters rearranged on the scroll.
I recalled the day I had sewn up the old mans body, and I indeed had accidentally pricked my finger.
"Sir, it was an accident, I really cant become your apprentice," I pleaded. "My brother has died, and all I want now is to deal with my brothers affairs."
"I know a bit about your brothers matters," the characters shifted again on the scroll. "Tonight, in your dream, I will guide you a little."
Hearing that he might also help me uncover the truth about my brothers death, I immediately became more attentive.
"Sir, can you really help me find out the truth about my brothers death?" I asked eagerly.
"The lineage of Ghost Hands will be of great benefit to you as you navigate the realms of the living and the dead. Foolish child, whether to take me as your master or not, go home and consider it," the characters on the scroll faded away, leaving a blank scroll lying quietly on the table.
I knew that everything I had experienced was not a dream, but a reality. As for my brothers death, perhaps it also involved circumstances that science could not explain.
The old man had told me on the scroll that he would guide me in my dream tonight. So, I decided to go home and wait for any information the old man might provide. After all, if he could help me understand what happened to my brother, I would willingly do anything, even if it meant calling him my master or godfather!
"Sir, Ill have someone take your fingers away. Ill apply to my superiors to sew them back on for you. How does that sound?" As soon as my voice fell, there was a click from the ice cabinet, and the two fingers fell to the ground. I walked over, wrapped the fingers in a tissue, and called Edward again. He arrived shortly after.
Seeing how tired I was, he didnt press me with questions and simply let me go home.
Back at my house, I collapsed in exhaustion. I hurried to the master bedroom to offer incense to my parents and brother, then sat on the floor against the wall, flipping through our photos. My finger traced my brothers smiling face, so similar to my own, and an endless sorrow welled up inside me. Looking at the wall, a family of four, I was the only one missing. "Among the brocade bags, one is missing," that described me perfectly.
On a whim, I took out my own photo and hung it next to my brothers portrait, laughing and saying, "Mom and Dad, Jamie, look, we are finally reunited."
I wiped away my tears and apologized to the portraits on the wall, "Im sorry, I failed to take good care of Jamie, now you all have left me behind."
I tightly covered my mouth, as if that could stop the sobs in my chest. Exhausted from crying, I gradually fell asleep. The pain in my chest made my dreams far from peaceful.
In my dream, I walked on a mountain that seemed forgotten by the city. Halfway up the mountain, the gate to an abandoned park was desolately open. Mist lingered within the park, and a massive banyan tree grew beneath it, blocking out all sunlight.
Stepping through the gate, a broken wooden hut beside it had a box of spoiled rice noodles on the windowsill. Above the frame, the blackened red paint had peeled off, revealing the words "Ticket Booth" in a mottled pattern. The half-window without glass hung loosely,There is endless darkness in the gap.
Past the ticket booth, the rusty iron swing under the banyan tree moved without wind, creaking eerily.
I felt scared and wanted to back out, but something in the distant fog seemed to be calling out to me.
"Sister..." My brothers voice echoed from the fog, and I followed the sound into a path covered with withered branches and fallen leaves, climbing upwards.
The fog grew denser, and as the path under my feet was about to disappear from sight, a large pit appeared at my feet.
I looked down and saw my brothers face, half-exposed and covered in blood and mud, identical to my own.
I woke up with a start, my brothers photo Scattered on the ground. I had slept the entire night.
In the dream, I was acutely aware that I was dreaming. Could this be the guidance the old man provided me?
I took out my phone and called Edward. He answered quickly, "Claire, whats wrong?"
"Edward, have the examination results for Jamie come out yet?"
"Some doubts have been found, but the inspection report hasnt come out yet. The key is still to find the head."
"I dreamed of Jamie. He was in a big pit."
"Dont think about it too much. Ill be free soon and come to see you."
"No need, Edward..."
"Claire, how long are you going to call me Mr. Edward? You are no longer the girl who needs tutoring, and I am no longer the student working his way through school. And now, you need me."
Edwards sudden outburst left me even more confused than before.
I didnt refuse; after all, as he said, I desperately needed any information I could get about my brothers death.