"Fang's been targeted..."
"You little brats! How many times have I told you not to go over there? Not to go over there!"
"Waaah..."
"Ugh..."
It was dark all around me, and I couldn't see a thing. I could only hear the jumble of voices.
The voices weren't even speaking in sequence. Everyone seemed to be talking to themselves, and many of the words overlapped. Yet strangely, I could make out what each sentence meant, and even distinguish the different voices.
"Haa..."
A long exhale drowned out all the other sounds, leaving me able to hear only that one voice. At the same time, I smelled the harsh stench of cheap tobacco.
"Xiaoqu, it's not that the village won't help. We just can't. You know how it is. Once a pretty girl gets there and the ghost inside takes a liking to her, she won't survive. If you want to save your daughter, this is the only way." The voice that had just exhaled the smoke spoke up. It was the weathered voice of an old man, and his words carried weariness and helplessness.
As his words faded, I began to see things around me. The surroundings shifted from dark to bright, from blurry to clear.
The girl sat on the kang, looking frightened. The woman's face was streaked with tears, and she held a small bowl in her hand. She smeared red paint on the girl's face, soothing her as she did. Slowly, the girl calmed down.
"Mom, if I do this, the ghost won't come after me anymore?" the girl asked hopefully. She clasped her right hand with her left. Her right hand still bore a bright red handprint and streaks of blood.
The girl looked a little different from the one I'd seen earlier. It seemed like