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Chapter 5
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After the Countdown Chapter 8
There was very little left of Dad's compensation money after the funerals.Mom earned $400 a month selling vegetables, but there was not much left after expenses.They had to borrow money.They borrowed from all our relatives. My aunt lent them $4,000, my uncle lent them $2,000...After scraping around, they were still $20,000 short.That evening, Dad sat at the dining table, smoking one cigarette after another.Mom cried next to him. "Why don't we... sell the house? We've already let Brandon down, we can't let Heidi down too...""Where will we live if we sell the house?""It doesn't matter where we live. Let's cure Heidi's leg first."Dad stayed silent for a long time. He put out the cigarette on the table, leaving a black burn mark."Tomorrow I'll go find Lester. He has work. It's tiring, but it pays well."Lester was a foreman at a construction site.I floated in mid-air, looking at Dad's hunched back. I suddenly recalled when he carried me on his back when I was a kid,
After the Countdown Chapter 7
In the days that followed, they lived with both remorse and fear.When Mom was cleaning the house one day, she suddenly stopped.She held an old piece of clothing in her hand. It was my favorite shirt. After the countdown ended and I didn't die, Mom resized it for my sister out of anger.She pressed the shirt to her face, took a deep breath, and her shoulders started to shake. The fabric quickly became wet.Sometimes, when Dad got drunk, he would stagger to the storage room door and press his face against it."Brandon," he would say to the door, "It's my fault. Please come out."Suddenly, Mom recalled something, and her face turned pale.Trembling, she said, "On the night Brandon was locked in there, he was calling out in pain. I heard him."She placed her hand on the door. "I heard him, but I ignored him… He must have been in so much pain back then… Brandon, did it hurt really badly? Did you resent Mom and Dad back then?"Of course, no one answered her.She crouched down, ho
After the Countdown Chapter 6
Dad was visibly distraught. The villagers helped to arrange a simple funeral for Grandma.It was rare to see a grandmother and a grandson die at the same time."Brandon!" Mom hugged my skinny body. She hugged me so tightly it felt as if she wanted to squeeze me into her bones."I made a mistake... I made a mistake... Open your eyes and look at me..."But I would never respond anymore."Mom, there's a piece of paper here!" My sister had sharp eyes and found the letter under the old pillow.Dad wiped away his tears and unfolded the paper with trembling hands."Mom, Dad, and Heidi. By the time you see this letter, the countdown should have ended. I'm so happy I get to live with all of you. Thank you for your hard work in the last 18 years. I hope we can still be a family in my next life! Oh, right, use the money in the piggy bank to buy a toy for Heidi! Consider it an early birthday gift."The time of writing was the night of my 18th birthday, after I blew out the birthday candles
After the Countdown Chapter 5
My family desperately rushed home.Bang!The door to the storage room was flung open.Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the room.Dad's legs went weak and he almost dropped to his knees.I floated in mid-air, looking down at my body which was curled up on the bed in the storage room.I was scarily skinny, but my cheek was still swollen. My messy hair stuck to my face.I was so quiet, even quieter than when I was alive."What happened?" Mom finally arrived too, panting heavily.When she saw my dry, stiff body, she screamed in terror."Aah! Brandon!"Dad reached out a trembling hand to check my breathing, and a look of despair washed over his face."How did this happen? How did this happen?!"Mom dropped to the floor and shook Dad frantically.Dad stood frozen, his mind blank, but Grandma's weak words echoed in his ears like thunder."Mom said..." He swallowed hard. "She said we were destined to have no children, so she used her lifespan to trade for Brandon... The countd
After the Countdown Chapter 4
The moment my consciousness left my body, I felt very, very light.I floated in mid-air. Seeing the stiff body on the bed, I sighed.So the soul really does leave the body after death.I passed through the wall and finally left the small room.Lunch was set on the table, with three sets of tableware.My mother had cooked the food, my father was serving it, and my sister was sitting at the table, waiting.I also sat in my seat.I waited for them to ask, "Where's Brandon?"But that didn't happen.After the meal, my sister limped towards the storage room. My eyes lit up.I shouted in a voice no one could hear, "Heidi, open the door! I won't be a bother to you guys anymore!"But before her hand could touch the door, my mother scolded her."Heidi, what are you doing?! Stay away from that room! Does your leg not hurt anymore?!"My sister was frightened and quickly left.That afternoon, our neighbor, Auntie Mary, came to borrow salt. She asked, "Where's Brandon? I haven't seen h
After the Countdown Chapter 3
I was locked up, not given any food or water.I could hear the sounds outside. I could hear my mother cooking in the kitchen. I could hear my father's footsteps when he returned from work. I could hear my sister complaining loudly that her leg hurt.No one mentioned me.I curled up on the cold bed, shivering, my cheek swollen high. My body was burning with a high fever that wouldn't go down. My consciousness was slowly fading.This time, I really thought I was going to die.Death didn't sound so bad. It would be a relief to die.18 years of memories flashed through my hazy mind like a movie.Ever since I could remember, I could tell that my parents looked at me differently.At first, I didn't understand the meaning of this look. It felt like they were looking at a porcelain doll that would break at any moment. Their gazes were cautious and immensely complicated.Later, I understood that it was a mix of pity, helplessness, and grief.They never mentioned my future.Our family
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