My Perfect Grades Came From Mom's Murder

My head suddenly started pounding. My hand went slack, and the merit ledger fell to the floor.

"You still haven't found it?" My mom, Susan Lane, called from outside. "Any bottle will do. Your uncle and the others are eager for a drink."

I hurriedly picked up the ledger, shoved it back in between the bottles, and carried a bottle of liquor outside.

By the time I returned to the yard, everyone was already a little drunk.

"Lindsay has always been a smart kid!" My uncle, Benny Stone, said. His face was bright red, and he slurred when he spoke. "I always said our town would produce a top student one day!"

"Exactly!" Our neighbor, Martha Greene, chimed in with a smile.

"Susan has had it so hard all these years. Now her hard work has finally paid off!"

Mom smiled and shook her head. "She did it all herself. I wasn't of much help."

What everyone said was true. My dad died in an accident when I was three years old, and Mom raised me all by herself.

However, I couldn't stop thinking about the merit ledger I had just found.

I remembered getting a terrible fever when I was six years old. My temperature reached 104 degrees and wouldn't come down.

Then Mom suddenly ran out into the pouring rain and didn't come home until midnight.

The next day, my fever was finally gone, and I suddenly felt much smarter.

From then on, it was like something clicked. My grades shot up, and I was always at the top of my class.

Could it be just like the ledger said? Had Mom killed someone to gain blessings for me?

But as far as I could recall, Mom had always been a frail woman who couldn't even handle farm work. How could she have killed someone?

"What are you staring into space for?" Mom interrupted my thoughts and gently put a bowl of beef stew in front of me.

"It's your favorite, so have some more. You're leaving for college soon. I don't know if you'll be able to take care of yourself."

I lowered my head and shoveled down my food, afraid to look at Mom again.

Maybe the cellar had been too dark, and I had misread it.

The celebrations lasted until evening. People gradually started heading home after the sun went down.

I went back to my room and started packing, planning to leave that night.

I didn't care whether that merit ledger was real anymore. I just wanted to leave and start my new life.

Around midnight, I quietly took my acceptance letter and headed for the edge of town.

But once I got there, my legs suddenly felt bound. I couldn't take another step!

It felt like something was gripping my ankles from below, keeping me from moving.

Sweat trickled down my back. The moonlight was pale, and only one thought filled my mind.

Was that merit ledger keeping me trapped in town?