Library
Search
Short
A Mother's Bond

A Mother's Bond

Short Story · Imagination
By:  Blah BlahCompleted
Language: English
goodnovel4goodnovel
12Chapters
8views
Read
Add to library

Share:  

Report
Overview
Catalog
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

Synopsis

Face Slapping

Bias

After Death

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

Whenever my son, Ethan Shaw, cried, my mother-in-law, Jacqueline, would pat his back and call his name. She said it was to keep his soul from leaving his body when he got scared. I thought she was just being superstitious until one day, an old woman stared at my son and her face went pale. "Why are his pupils so dilated? He only has one-tenth of his soul left! Has anyone tried to summon his soul?" A chill ran down my back and I told her about his grandmother. She said, "She isn't calling his soul back. She's calling it out of his body! I'll give you the candles. Take it home and light it, or your son will die." I was a little wary. Was I really going to suspect my son's own grandmother of hurting him just because some stranger said so? But my son had become easily lost and slow to respond, and even the doctors didn't know how to help him. "Don't worry," the old woman said. "I'm not asking for money. I just want to save him." She pressed the candles into my hand and left. Back home, I lit one of the candles with my hands trembling. The tip had barely begun to glow red when Jacqueline called. "That's a Soul Severing Candle! Put it out now, or Ethan will die!"

View More

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I got home, I stared at the candles in my hand, my heart pounding nonstop. Could I really trust what that old woman had told me?

But Ethan Shaw was Jacqueline's only grandson, and she had always doted on him. Why would she want to hurt him?

I kept hearing the old woman's warning in my head. "You have to light the candles from today, or your son will be dead within three days!"

I held one of the candles tightly, knowing I was running out of time. But what if the old woman was a fraud?

I was still contemplating it when my husband Jasper Shaw came home. His eyes went straight to the candle in my hand.

"What's that?"

My hand trembled. I felt guilty for doubting his mother.

Jacqueline had always treated me well. She wouldn't even let me wash a dish when we visited her home. If I told Jasper a stranger had made me suspicious of his mother, he would probably think I was crazy.

He noticed how pale I looked and helped me sit on the couch.

"What's wrong, Lynn? You look like something scared you."

I thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously. "I met a strange old woman today. She said your mom was driving Ethan's soul out of his body every time she patted him on his back. She gave me these candles and said it could save him. I know it sounds ridiculous, but Ethan really hasn't been well..."

Jasper took the candle from me, his expression growing stern.

I forced a smile. "Maybe Jacqueline didn't realize what she was doing. Maybe it was an accident..."

"No," he cut in, his voice full of anguish. "She might have... done it on purpose."

He sat beside me with his head in his hands, struggling to get the words out. "There's something you don't know. My mom has a distant cousin, and when they were young..."

"They got back in touch after my dad died. He was in a car accident recently and ended up in a vegetative state. The last time I visited her, I heard her on the phone. She said people in vegetative states had lost their souls, and all it took to help them was to replace what was missing."

His eyes reddened as he took my hand. "My mom is hurting Ethan. She has to be! Light the candle. Hurry! We can't let anything happen to him!"

Expand
Next Chapter
Download

Latest chapter

More Chapters

You may also like

Related Novels

New Release Novels

To Readers

Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.

No Comments
12 Chapters
Chapter 1
When I got home, I stared at the candles in my hand, my heart pounding nonstop. Could I really trust what that old woman had told me? But Ethan Shaw was Jacqueline's only grandson, and she had always doted on him. Why would she want to hurt him? I kept hearing the old woman's warning in my head. "You have to light the candles from today, or your son will be dead within three days!" I held one of the candles tightly, knowing I was running out of time. But what if the old woman was a fraud? I was still contemplating it when my husband Jasper Shaw came home. His eyes went straight to the candle in my hand. "What's that?" My hand trembled. I felt guilty for doubting his mother. Jacqueline had always treated me well. She wouldn't even let me wash a dish when we visited her home. If I told Jasper a stranger had made me suspicious of his mother, he would probably think I was crazy. He noticed how pale I looked and helped me sit on the couch. "What's wrong, Lynn? You look lik
Read more
Chapter 2
I still felt uneasy. "But Jacqueline is Ethan's grandmother... Should we really trust that old woman? She didn't ask for money, but what if she's after something else?" Jasper thought it over. "It's Wednesday today. That's when my mom usually goes to see her cousin in the hospital. Let's follow her and see what's going on before we decide. We still have time." Jasper drove me to the entrance of Central City Hospital. Ten minutes later, we saw his mother get out of a taxi and go to the inpatient wing immediately. We followed her quietly. She clearly was familiar with the layout and went straight to a room in the special care unit. Through the window in the door, I saw an elderly man lying with his eyes closed, hooked up to all kinds of medical equipment. Jacqueline picked up a towel and began wiping and cleaning his body, murmuring as she worked. "I've found a way to save you. Just hold on a little longer. You'll be better soon. You'll be just like you were before..." I bi
Read more
Chapter 3
As the last wisp of smoke faded, Ethan suddenly sat up in bed. Some of the light had returned to his eyes as he smiled at me. "I'm so hungry, Mommy. I want some of your pasta." I stumbled over to him and hugged him tight. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was scared to death." As I made Ethan's pasta in the kitchen, I felt at ease for the first time in six months. It had been a long time since he had spoken a full sentence like that. Jasper still had a slight frown, however. "We can't relax yet. We still have to burn the other six candles for six more days. If my mom finds out and tries something, Ethan could... Be careful. Don't let anything slip, and don't lose your temper and confront her. Once Ethan's better, we'll reveal everything to her." I nodded firmly. Watching Ethan devour his pasta, I worked out a schedule in my head. Jacqueline spent every morning shopping for groceries and cleaning. She never contacted me then. Morning would be the safest time to light the candle.
Read more
Chapter 4
Jacqueline's voice almost cracked on the other side of the call. "He's my grandson! Why would I hurt him? Did an old woman give you those candles? Hair down to her shoulders and a mole on the left side of her face? You can't trust her!" She even knew who had given me the candle. Fear slowly grew inside me. I held my phone tightly, my voice shaking but firm. "Don't try to fool me. Ethan's been getting better these past few days." "That's just a last burst of energy before he dies! Lynn, listen to me. Put the candle out right now! I'll be there any minute. There's still time to save him! If you don't, you'll regret it!" Before I could answer, Ethan let out a terrible scream. He shot upright in bed, the color slowly draining from his face as his eyes went empty again. Jacqueline heard him over the phone. "Something's wrong with Ethan, isn't it? Put the candle out! Hurry!" Panicking, I ended the call and rushed to his bedside, calling his name over and over. He sat rigidly on the
Read more
Chapter 5
I immediately turned around and grabbed the candle again before Jasper or the old woman could react. Jasper grabbed my arm. "What are you doing? Are you trying to kill my son?!" The old woman rushed over and tried to snatch what was left of the candle from my hand too. I could not move my arm. Desperate, I clenched the candle in my fist. It went out against my palm and broke into several pieces. The burn left a blister that stung fiercely. Ethan fell backward onto the bed, his whole body convulsing as if he were having a seizure. Jasper grabbed my collar, his eyes red. "Lynn, what the hell is wrong with you? Look what you've done!" It was at this time that Jacqueline rushed in with a pill in her hand and headed straight for Ethan. The old woman stepped into her path but Jacqueline simply shoved her to the floor with all her strength. The old woman's lower back hit the edge of a table and she lay there crying out in pain, unable to move at all. Jasper let go of me and walk
Read more
Chapter 6
Jasper forced himself to his feet as he listened to my question. "I'm not unhappy. I was just scared. I was afraid you'd kill my son..." I smiled bitterly. "My son... You sure know how to choose your words, Jasper. Which son were you afraid I would kill?" He avoided my eyes. "What are you talking about? Ethan's fine now, so I have to go. I'm busy at work..." I blocked his path. "You're in a hurry to see your other son, aren't you?" He shook me off impatiently. "Lynn, have you lost your mind? Ethan's finally better and now you're the one acting crazy? My son is right here. What other son would I be going to see?" I picked up my phone and held up a photo. In it, Jasper had his arm affectionately around the shoulders of his childhood friend, Amanda Smith. She held a little boy. He was only about three, but his eyes, eyebrows, and expressions were already almost identical to Jasper's. I gently tapped the boy's image on the screen. "You were going to use Ethan's soul to save t
Read more
Chapter 7
Amanda's name flashed on the screen of Jasper's phone. Jasper scowled and tried to push me out of his way from entering the door. "Lynn, are you done? Just because I married you, I can't even take a call from another woman anymore?" I tilted my head. "Of course you can. So why won't you answer it in front of me? What are you afraid of?" "What would I be afraid of..." Before he could finish, Jacqueline rushed over and snatched his phone. She picked it up and put it on speaker. Amanda's desperate sobs came through. "Honey, Oliver suddenly passed out, and the doctor said... Said he's dead! "Why weren't you answering my calls? What are you and my mom doing? Didn't you say our son would be saved once the last stick of candle burned out? "Couldn't you bring yourself to sacrifice that witch Lynn's son? Did you change your mind? Say something!" Jasper snapped out of it and snatched the phone back, hanging up. He grabbed Jacqueline by the arms and shook her violently, like a cra
Read more
Chapter 8
When the police came in, I handed over the footage from the bedroom security camera. "They just admitted they tried to kill my son." Jasper came to his senses and grabbed my arm. "Lynn... No, Honey, I just wasn't thinking straight! Don't do this. Ethan's fine, isn't he? Tell them that! Please!" It was quite ironic to hear him call me honey, there was a mockery inside of me. When I first agreed to date him, he would call me honey all day, every day. After we got married, he stopped. He even refused to let me call him honey. "It's too cheesy. Why not just use our names? We both have nice names," he said. Only when Amanda called him "honey" on the phone did I understand. He had never thought it was too cheesy. He had simply saved the endearment for someone else. I pulled my hand free, my face blank. I did not want to say a word. He and Amanda's mother, Celia, cried and shouted as the police took them away. Jacqueline's eyes reddened as she fell to her knees in front of me. "
Read more
Chapter 9
Seeing how exhausted Amanda looked softened Jasper's heart. He figured that since he had already married me, I would still have a family even if Ethan died. Amanda had nothing but Oliver. He believed I owed Amanda and should be the one to pay her back. So, he made Ethan drink the water with the talisman dissolved in it. When Jacqueline came to visit, she sensed the problem at once. She secretly cast a protective circle in our home to keep his soul in his body. While she searched for a solution, she patted Ethan's back to call back the fragments of his soul as they began to leave his body. Her patting kept and protected the very last fragment inside him. But Oliver couldn't wait any longer. That was why they had Celia pose as a kind stranger to stop me and give me those seven candles. It was called Mother's Bond Candle, and it would only work if I lit it myself. Once all seven candles burned out, the last fragment of Ethan's soul would leave his body for good. He had onl
Read more
Chapter 10
Ethan climbed out of bed, rubbing his eyes. "Mommy, why are you and Grandma crying? Where did Daddy go?" I pulled him into my arms, thrilled to hear him speaking so clearly again. "I'm so sorry, Ethan. I almost hurt you… I almost lost you." He patted my back. "I'll always be with you, Mommy. You'll never lose me." Jacqueline wiped away her tears. "Take him to the hospital for a checkup. We need to make sure this doesn't leave him with any lasting problems." I drove her and Ethan to the hospital. While he was being examined, something occurred to me. "Jacqueline, is one of your cousins a patient here?" She looked startled. "How did you know?" "Jasper told me. He said you and your cousin used to be involved, and you were stealing Ethan's soul to save him." I watched her face as I spoke. After everything that had happened over the past few days, I couldn't trust anyone completely. I knew Jasper and the others had tried to hurt Ethan. But what about his mother? What if they
Read more
View More
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status