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墨書 Inktalez
I stepped onto the balcony, a gentle mountain breeze brushing against my face, invigorating my spirit. Below the balcony was a small patch of green grass, where two or three students were sitting, painting the mountains with their brushes. I looked around and noticed a small cement flower stand built into the wall to the east, not far from the balcony, within reach. The flower pot on the stand was long dead, its original form unrecognizable.
I pondered to myself, "This pot must have been placed here by the previous owner of the house. The window of the neighboring room is only an arm's length away from this flower stand, so it’s possible that someone tall could have put it there." However, I quickly dismissed this latter thought; a woman like Jiang Ping would never leave a wilted flower on display.
"Hey!" I suddenly felt something was off. I pulled Gao Jun over and pointed at the flower stand. "There's a design flaw with this stand! Look, someone could easily climb over from that window and get onto our balcony. Isn’t that a bit unsafe?"
Gao Jun scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Yeah, it does seem a bit problematic. Maybe back then people were more trusting and didn't worry as much about safety like we do now." After a pause, he added, "But you don’t need to worry; do you think Teacher Zhao and the others would sneak over here to do something bad?"
"That's true," I felt somewhat reassured. "And look at that window; it's slightly ajar. Aren't they worried someone might crawl over from this side to steal something?"
"This is a school; the security is generally very good. Just relax!" Gao Jun said with a smile as he gently pinched my nose.
"Stop it!" I turned my head away to dodge him but couldn't help stealing another glance at that window.
Since I got up this morning, the sky had been overcast, but just as I cast my last glance at that moment, a ray of sunlight stubbornly broke through the clouds and slanted onto that window, revealing a horrifying scene hidden behind it.
I gasped softly and tightly grasped Gao Jun's arm, leaning weakly against him.
"Xiaoyun! What's wrong?" Gao Jun supported me in confusion.
"Over there... inside the window..." My hand trembled, too overwhelmed with emotion to speak.
Gao Jun followed my pointing finger but saw only darkness as the clouds obscured the sunlight again. He anxiously pressed on, "What’s inside the window? I can’t see anything!"
"A little girl... there’s a little girl hiding in the corner behind the window, and she’s watching us!"
Upon hearing my words, Gao Jun let out a sigh of relief. He stretched his neck skeptically to look and chuckled, "A little girl scared you this much? We haven’t done anything shameful. Let her see; maybe she just likes looking at pretty big sisters."
"No, you can’t see her now!" I ignored his teasing. "That little girl, she’s locked in a dark room, and she’s so scared!" At this point, tears were about to spill from my eyes.
Gao Jun paused for a moment, gently sighed, and pulled me into his embrace, stroking my long hair while softly comforting me. "You’re thinking about the past again, aren’t you? Don’t be afraid; Teacher Zhao and the others just stepped out for a bit. When they come back, the little girl will get to see her mom and dad."
I shook my head, unsure how to clearly describe the scene I had just witnessed to Gao Jun. In that moment when the sunlight streamed in, I had clearly seen the little girl’s big eyes staring intently at me from behind the window. I would never forget the bone-chilling sorrow and fear reflected in her gaze.
If looks could make sounds, I would have heard the most heartbreaking cries in the world at that moment. That gaze gripped my heart tightly and transported me back to that dark night twenty years ago.
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