I heard a woman gasping for breath. I heard her heartbeat.
A very high ceiling filled my vision, a ceiling that looked somewhat familiar.
It wasn't the ceiling in my bedroom.
I moved, separating myself from the woman.
It was a dream.
That had been a dream too.
The woman was asleep on the sofa.
The sound of the news came from the television. It was a local news channel, reporting on rising vegetable prices.
The woman turned her head and glanced at the clock on the wall.
She sat up on the sofa and went into the kitchen.
Qiu Ming didn't need to eat or drink. She did.
When Qiu Ming was alive, he spent his days working, studying, and making things like protective talismans. At night, they would cook together.
The woman wondered if she should settle Qiu Ming downstairs. Then she could talk to him while she cooked. He wasn't actually a patient who needed to rest.
The soup bubbled away in the pot. The woman chopped vegetables on the cutting board, the steady thock, thock of her knife filling the room.
In the middle of those peaceful, quiet sounds, a loud click shattered the atmosphere.
The woman stopped chopping.
Clang!
That was the sound of the front door unlocking.
The woman turned around and gripped the kitchen knife in her hand.
The village was very safe. The neighbors all knew one another. Many had grown up together and lived there their whole lives, while many others had moved there specifically to retire.
Clang!
This time, it was the sound of someone opening the front door of the house.
Footsteps came from the entryway.
Step, step, step...
The woman held her breath and gripped the knife even tighter, raising it in front of her chest.
Rustle...
Someone