My House of Horrors

Red and black were still the only colors on the paper; Fan Yu’s style had not changed.

“This is the room we’re living in, and your sister was lying there at the time.” Fan Yu’s finger moved on the painting. It passed several black people before stopping at a black window. The nurse looked at Fan Yu’s drawing, and she was confused. She was standing near the window, so if Fan Yu was right, the spider-like humanoid monster was just above her head.

“Ling Ling, let’s go back to the room to play, okay?” The nurse squatted down and moved her gaze away from Fan Yu’s drawing. Her rational mind told her that Fan Yu was drawing those thing from his imagination, but the more she looked at it, the more unsettled she became, as if there was a real monster beside her.

No wonder many mental doctors fall ill with psychological issues. After extended interaction with these abnormal patients, their worldview will slowly be twisted as well.

The nurse told herself that the source of her fear was her brain playing tricks on her. She tried to hug the little girl away, but the girl struggled; she did not want to leave Fan Yu’s side.

“Let me, you should not be so rough with kids.” Chen Ge placed the toys and snacks on the table before reaching for Jiang Ling’s small hand.

“I’m rough‽” The nurse stood to the side with a speechless expression. “I just think daily exposure to these scary drawings will have a negative effect on Jiang Ling’s growth, so I’m trying to lead her away.”

“Understood. Taking care of children is not easy.” Chen Ge looked confident and mature. There was an indescribable warmth in his smile. The nurse glanced at him before turning her head away with a harrumph. Even so, her gaze would drift back to Chen Ge occasionally.

“Jiang Ling, I’ve met your sister,” Chen Ge said directly. He did not treat Jiang Ling as a little kid. “I just came back from Lin Guan Village, and I’ve gained a new understanding of what happened to you and your sister. After some time, I’ll go deep into the mountains to Coffin Village to investigate the truth!”

The girl stopped crying when she heard the terms Lin Guan Village and Coffin Village. Her watery eyes seemed to be conveying a special emotion; it appeared like fear and shock. Neither of them spoke, and the room suddenly turned quiet. The nurse grumbled to herself, “What is this man doing? Coffin? Investigation? Why did he start playing along? There has to be a limit; don’t lie to children!”

To the nurse’s surprise, Jiang Ling, who had been crying, suddenly reached out her hand to grab Chen Ge’s collar. “Don’t go.”

“Is it very dangerous there?” Based on what Master Bai had said, Jiang Ling also had some slight abnormality. Similar to her big sister, Jiang Ling was that village’s ‘seed’ and probably knew some secrets about it.

“Yes.” The girl nodded obediently. “My mother said that the village has many things similar to big sister, but they’re very bad.”

“Similar to your sister? What else did your mother say?”

“Don’t touch the coffin.” Jiang Ling’s left hand tightened, and her right hand held onto Chen Ge’s collar tightly. “Don’t go. You won’t return if you go.”

“I know.” Chen Ge tussled Jiang Ling’s head. He picked her up from the floor and placed her on the chair. The girl did not resist.

“What are you two talking about?” Afraid that Chen Ge would say more weird things, the nurse immediately snatched Jiang Ling away. This time, Jiang Ling did not make a fuss, but before they left, she kept her eyes on Chen Ge.

Don’t touch the coffin—this is quite crucial information. Chen Ge closed the door and sat beside Fan Yu. Fan Yu had started his second picture. There was a black man who stood in the middle, and around him were plenty flying red shadows.

“Fan Yu, would you like to move to my Haunted House?” Chen Ge peeled open the bag of snacks and started eating. Fan Yu put his pencil down and turned to look at Chen Ge before nodding seriously.

“After I deal with this issue, I’ll come and fetch you, but I need you to promise me a few things.” Chen Ge leaned closer to Fan Yu. “I know that you have no psychological issue, and the reason you’re acting so strange is because you have an ability that others don’t. Actually, in comparison, you’re much smarter and more mature than people your age. I will not force you to go seek psychiatric help or medication. I just need you to do one thing for me.”

“What?” Fan Yu raised his head.

“I will enroll you into a normal school and give you a life similar to other children. I don’t ask that you score in class, but I hope you can make a friend your own age and walk out of the enclosed world that you’ve built for yourself.” Chen Ge was being sincere.

When he made this decision, he had already prepared the money required to start Fan Yu’s schooling. He was not one to splurge, but some expenses were necessary. Fan Yu did not reply. He lowered his head and started on his third drawing.

“Think about it.” Chen Ge looked at Fan Yu’s drawings but did not force him to decide. “Also, one last piece of advice. Stop looking like the world owes you money. You have to learn how to smile, like me. Do you know why I’m so popular? It’s because of my winning smile.”

The expressionless Fan Yu finally got tired of Chen Ge’s blabbering. He shoved his latest drawing into Chen Ge’s hands. He then lay down in bed and used the quilt to cover his face.

“This kid…” Chen Ge shook his head and looked at the drawing. He had thought that Fan Yu was just doodling, but Chen Ge could not move his eyes away when he saw what the drawing was.

There was a little girl drawn in black standing in the middle of the drawing. Behind the girl was a large red spider monster. This was similar to what Fan Yu had drawn earlier, but after a closer look, Chen Ge realized that there was a pair of crying red shadows twined around the girl’s left and right hands. They appeared to be her parents.

Is this a warning from Fan Yu?”

Chen Ge pocketed the drawing. He looked at the boy who hid himself under the quilt and sighed. He picked up his backpack and left the Children’s Home.

The girl is not as she appears. Chen Ge called for a taxi and gave the address on the rental notice. After taking this drawer, I’ll need to rest for the night.

He called the phone number given by the notice, but the number had already been disconnected. Since he could not contact the person who issued the flyer, he had to visit the place personally. Third Hospital’s Staff Residence was part of the old city. The place had low population, and the buildings were generally low.

Chen Ge found the place at around 9 pm. The area was quiet, and most of the streetlights were not functioning.