13 十三
The eighth mirror shows the real father of Feather. He was a rich middle-aged guy who livedby selling antiques. He was pushing and pulling on a young woman while his beer belly was shaking.
Maybe selling antiques had brought him negative karma; all the children born from his women were not his children. Fortunately, he didn't know this yet.
'If you want, he will know you immediately and you will live a rich life. Everything in your life will be changed.'
'Great, next please.'
Feather is not interested in her real father.
He is just a stranger to her. He is not even as important as the woman who sells Chinese savior crepe near Feather's home. At least her Chinese savior crepe comforts her stomach every morning.
The ninth mirror shows a popular idol.
He has lots of female fans and is rich.
He used to be Feather's classmate and promised to marry her in the future.
'Isn't he Aiguo Li?'
'He has changed his name to Yao Yin after he became an idol. He has been looking for you.'
'He must have had plastic surgery. He looks sissy.'
Feather picks at him.
The mirror ghost doesn't know what else it can say.
The tenth mirror.
Feather was still little and the Whites just moved to the big city. They lived in a poor neighborhood just like rural families who came to a big city unobtrusively.
Mr. White sold fresh vegetables on the street while Mrs. White worked as a cashier in a nearby supermarket.
Feather was either in kindergarten or playing with other kids in the neighborhood.
The Whites didn't know much about raising a child. Feather was skinny and looked unhealthy when she was around 5 and 6. She didn't like to eat and looked sallow. Only her eyes were attractive, black and shiny.
She was a bit slow and the other girls didn't like to play with her.
A boy around grade 1 or 2 lived in the upper floor of her home. He seldom played with other kids.
He was always the No.1 student in his class and had full score on tests. He was the typical model for other kids.
Feather didn't want to be a follower of other girls either. Yet she didn't want to tell her troubles to her parents.
She also wanted to save her face that she refused to tell anyone about being isolated.
In order to solve this dilemma, she began to observe him secretly.
Every afternoon, he went back to his home and never came out again until the next morning.
He didn't play with the other kids either.
Finally, one day, Feather stopped him and asked him what it was like to go to an elementary school, about teachers and homework load.
He didn't like to talk and had no friends, but he was polite. He answered her questions patiently and invited Feather to eat fruits with him at home.
They became friends.
Feather didn't like to study and her handwriting was bullshit. She had terrible performance on tests and he worried about her.
He decided to lure her with games.
Every time Feather finished a page of problems, he would play with her for half an hour.
The problems were easy math's problems within number 10. Feather couldn't calculate these in her mind, she had to use her fingers and count for a long time.
If he gave numbers over 10, she couldn't count with her two hands and would cry.
They played silly child games which were learned from other kids. Sometimes he taught Feather to play Five-in-a-row.
Feather was too dumb. He won every time within ten chess pieces.
He would let her win sometimes so that she was happy.
He had more patience and was more used to her.
Feather was polite and called him brother.
He called her Feather but his parents called her little Feather and usually asked her to stay for dinner.
When Feather went to elementary school, he would go back home with her after school.
It's been so long that she hasn't gained weight. Her school backpack has a few textbooks, workbooks, homework, a bowl, a water bottle, a metal pencil case, colorful pens and other stuff. It is quite heavy for her.
He weighed her pink Barbie backpack in his hands and carried it on his chest.
He had two backpacks. One on the chest and one on the back, just like a turtle in a cartoon.
Some called him turtle at school and he didn't mind it. He still helped Feather carry her backpack no matter what.
Sometimes they would play on an empty playground nearby after dinner.
There was an abandoned building with no doors or windows. It was their secret base.
Rock, paper, scissors was their favorite game. The person who won could go up one stair step further.
They would also draw pictures on the wall with chalks and write words like Feather and XX are friends forever.
His parents joked that he didn't need to worry about his future marriage that he had found a child bride at this young age.
He didn't get mad and still tutored Feather how to do homework.
On the other hand, Feather kept asking him what a child bride was. Since she was called his child bride, he shall be her child bride too.
Feather asked that and was struck by a paper roll.
She felt wronged and tried to touch her own head. Then she just kept on working on the problems.
It was a normal cloudy day. Feather was playing rock, paper, scissors with him in the abandoned building.
This building has four floors. They seldom reached the top and usually stopped at the third floor and went back to their homes.
It suddenly rained heavily.
A fierce gale sprang up.
They decided to wait until the rain abated and played here for a while longer.
This building had been abandoned for decades.
No one moved in and it just corroded over time. The doors and the windows were stolen by random recyclers.
The reason why it was abandoned was because that someone had died here.
Its original residents had either died here or moved out. Not many remembered this building and wouldn't talk about it.
People thought that children had great Yang (阳, the opposite of Yin; Yang means light/white/fire/positive) in their bodies that they could oppress the Yin here.
A lot of kids played here so it wouldn't be a thing. Some parents worried but they only told their kids not to come here.
The Whites had no base in the city and didn't chat with other families here. They didn't know such rumors.
When playing rock, paper, scissors, Feather would unconsciously make a scissors.
He would make a rock because he knew it.
In the next run, Feather would make a paper.
He would keep his rock.
It was their secret agreement.
Feather thought he was dumb that he always made a rock.
He knew what she was thinking all the time, so he let her win every time.
Feather felt satisfied when she won a lot.
She would make a scissors when she wanted him to win.
He would keep his rock as always.
Feather felt accomplished and would feel she was giving him mercy.
Brother is dumb when playing rock, paper, scissors. He only uses rock.
It is boring to always win and stand ahead. I shall let him win and catch upto me.
Feather was a head shorter than him.
She liked to stand two steps ahead so that she could look at his cowlicks.
She heard that people with two cowlicks were smart and she tried to make herself cowlicks as well. But no matter how hard she messed with her hair, she could only get one cowlick.
Feather was disappointed and gave up trying to be smarter.
At the end of the stairs, there was a wall.
An old door was on the wall with no lock as if it could be opened by just a push.
The building had no rooftop.
Why would there be a door at the end of the stairs?
What was behind the door?
It was the only door in this building.
Dark and wet.
The color was amazingly attractive.
'The winner can open the door first!'
The stair difference wasn't big.
Usually Feather would win first and he would win after. They were getting closer to the door.
Every floor had only twelve steps, but the fourth floor had thirteen steps.
Why was there an additional step?
The sky had got dark. It was quiet. The sound of rain had disappeared.
'Let's go back home.'
He went up one stair and stood with Feather.
'Okay.'
Feather didn't contradict him. They held hands together and walked downstairs. They had walked more than 40 steps but they couldn't reach the first floor.
Feather looked back and saw the door right behind her.
'Brother.'
She clenched her hands.
'Don't be afraid.'
They walked and walked faster and began to run. But every time they looked back, the door was right behind them.
'Close your eyes.'
He held Feather with one hand and touched the wall with the other hand, walking down slowly.
If sight was cheating them, then the touch shall not lie to them.
Feather closed her eyes as well.
She was not afraid as long as he was here.
He reached a woman's face.
It was probably a head only.
It was still warm.
It had curly hair, open eyes, stopped breath, a pretty lip shape, and a stream of some liquid flowing from her mouth.
Sticky and hot.
'Brother, what smell is this?'
'Nothing. Don't open your eyes.'
He paused, and then kept on walking.
This time, he reached a human leg. It shall be a man's leg.
It had thick body hair. The cut was made from the groin area.
The muscle had turned hard and rigid.
'Brother, when can we get home?'
'Soon.'
He had touched a lot of things.
He felt the liquid on his hand had solidified but he didn't stop walking down.
He finally touched on Feather; Feather whose eyes closed and was quiet
His feeling would not cheat him.
This corpse was Feather.
Her eyes, nose, mouth, face shape were exactly the same as Feather's.
Even the mosquito bites were the same.
He opened his eyes.
The red wooden door was in front of him.
The bright-red color on it was brighter. A small puddle of blood gushed out.
'Brother?'
Feather's perturbed voice came to his ears.
At the same time, he heard another voice.
'Come, and open the door.'
'One dies or both die here.'
'There is not much time left.'
'Come.'
'Let her open the door, and you can leave here.'
The blood by the door was sticky and slow. Yet, it overflowed from the door, coming down, going to reach Feather.
'Little Feather, let's play rock, paper, scissors once more.'
Feather opened her eyes and looked at him. She squinted a smile like a kitten to him.
She didn't realize that they were still by the door.
He didn't understand what death was. It was just a word in the dictionary.
He decided to make it fair for both that they shall have a 50/50 chance for it.
'The winner can leave.'
Feather nodded.
He knew her inside and out.
If she wanted to lose, she would make a scissors.
If she wanted to win, she would make a paper.
Feather thought she knew him as well that he only used rock. That was the only thing Feather knew.
The game started.
He made a paper.
Feather made a scissors.
How did she win?
She looked confused.
'Brother?'
Boundless blood had drowned the sight.
