sunk in yesterday

With the invitation issued, warm applause sounded again.

Guan Yuzhou turned over the seat, and said to Jiecheng, who was thinking about the possibility of cutting off the puppet's head, "You go to the door."

The black shadows surged towards this side like a tide, and it was almost impossible to drive them all out.

A few of the dolls were dressed in costumes, and some of them hadn't shown their faces on stage before, so they should be actors in the play who haven't had time to appear on stage.

This is a story I read several years ago, and I can't remember some of the plots.The picked up script was pushed and left on the seat, Guan Yuzhou frowned, trying to recall the details of the original text in the shortest time, but Xia Zhuo yelled in one direction, as if there was something attractive there .

In the crowded pile of logs, a man dressed in black and holding a birdcage stood motionless, his head bowed down by a heavy hat.

Guan Yuzhou followed without hesitation, and the puppet in black turned around slowly, hiding somewhere in the blink of an eye.

"Where are you going?!" Jiecheng was restrained, watching him go towards the backstage opposite to the door.

"You go first and close the door." Guan Yuzhou didn't look back, "Leave us alone."

"Then how will you come out then?" Jiecheng howled, watching Guan Yuzhou disappear into the dark.He was dumbfounded for a few seconds, kicked away the puppet holding his wrist, and chased after him while cursing.

The backstage was much neater than expected. There were no cobwebs in the corners, and the brackets were neatly arranged against the wall. The smooth wooden floor reflected the light of the flashlight, faintly showing Guan Yuzhou's figure.

It is clear that the inside and outside are connected, but the noise from under the stage is not transmitted at all, and the ears are so clean that it makes people feel cold all over.

It's not a big place, so it gets to the end quickly.

Abandoned curtains hang from the ceiling, and ropes hang a meter above the ground, within easy reach.

Guan Yuzhou looked at the human form behind the curtain, grabbed the rope and pulled it lightly, and the curtain slowly opened upwards.The puppet in black sat in the corner, with a small table in front of it, the bird cage in his hand was placed on it, and his fingers of different lengths flicked the cage door back and forth mechanically, turning a deaf ear to their arrival.

Xia Zhuo thought for a while, and wrote on the palm of his open hand: Looking for a cabinet?

"There are no lockers here."

Not to mention the cabinet, I can't even see a decent piece of furniture. The only thing that seems to be able to play a role is the two-square-meter space where the doll is.

Guan Yuzhou took a step back. He was very close, and he couldn't see the situation under the table clearly from this angle.While staggering away, a few clumps of colorful paper exposed the corners, which turned out to be more than a dozen folded origami cranes.

He was in a trance for a moment.

He seemed to see the bright light in the library again, the dust dancing on the table, the little boy with a book spread out in front of him, and the blue origami that was pushed onto his test paper with a ruler.

Guan Yuzhou was not interested in the things these little girls liked to tinker with, so he still put it into a pencil case and put it in his bag.That night, he and the boy went for a walk on the playground for the first time. It was a summer evening when the wind was blowing. Xia Zhuo tried hard but clumsily to find a topic with him. What he talked about was the fairy tale that hadn’t been turned over a few pages all afternoon. Book.

Even if he was absent-minded, Xia Zhuo was still fluent in telling the story. He hooked his fingers a little carefully, touched him and retracted quickly, like a thief.It was clear that he hadn't been dragged, and even the touch between the arms was not counted, but his ears were red and he fled to the shadow under the tree.

At the end of the story, Xia Zhuo said that all of this was a dream of Giovanni. In fact, Camberella did not die. It was just a dream that Giovanni was afraid of. To be best friends in the world.

They bid farewell at the school gate, with the sound of cicadas chirping, and Guan Yuzhou's shirt was soaked in sweat.Xia Zhuo stood by the side of the road, holding the brand new book in his hand, when he looked up, the flickering light in his eyes seemed to cover the clear starry sky.

Guan Yuzhou was not good at words, so he could only say goodbye in a hurry. Before leaving, he heard the boy in front of him say: "Maybe it was a day when nothing happened, or maybe everything happened. Either way, I don't think it will end. Too bad... Good night, I'm leaving, I'll be back tomorrow."

Guan Yuzhou has never read so many fairy tale books, and he feels that he has no time and no hobby.He thought about graduating as soon as possible, thinking about getting a stable job, thinking about starting an ordinary family, and gaining a foothold like the expectations of his elders.

As Xia Zhuo said, it was clearly a night when nothing happened, but something seemed to have changed quietly.Love is like the paper crane carried in the backpack, following a gust of wind without a trace, it crashed into his heart silently.

"I remembered." Guan Yuzhou bent down, picked up all the paper cranes and put them into the cage on the table.He remembered that the two separated three years ago. After he took back those books and reviewed the plot, he realized that the perfect ending of the story was fabricated by Xia Zhuo for him.

As soon as the cage door was closed, the candles on the table lit up with a bang, making the pale paper birds a little more lively.The sitting puppet also "lived", it slowly got up, carrying the cage with one hand, and took off the high hat on its head with the other.

Under the flickering light, its facial features changed like flowing water, and the face belonging to Mr. W was revealed in front of the two of them.

The smell of the rain rushed into his nostrils, Mr. W raised the paper birds, they soared into the air, and then flew away under the control of the silk thread.

"No one has ever been here," said Mr. W.

The paper birds fluttered against the wall, like headless flies that couldn't find a way out. Their fragile wings were creased, and a few wrinkled ones fell to the ground. After a symbolic flutter, they never moved again.

Guan Yuzhou bent down to pick up one of them, and the original colorful card turned into a gray-and-white arrest warrant in his hand, and the news of a famous stage actor poisoning his predecessors was all over a thin page.

Countless pieces of dull paper fell like snowflakes, swirled and hit the candle flame on the table, and the combustibles that quickly piled up turned into a raging fire by the wall.

As if Mr. W couldn't feel the scorching heat, he put one hand in his pocket and turned the top hat with the other, and said leisurely, "Welcome, my lovely guest who always runs around."

Xia Zhuo smelled the burning smell in the air and coughed repeatedly.He glanced at the direction he came from, the place was flooded by darkness, and he didn't know what was going on.

"I remember you." Mr. W put his hat back on with a smile, and said the words towards Guan Yuzhou's chest, gritted his teeth and said, "The little waste raised by that damned night watchman."

"If it wasn't for him, if it wasn't for him... I could have left here! Why am I here? I didn't do anything, why am I here!" Mr. W became emotional, and he walked over in two or three steps, Fingering with hands and feet: "It's all you! You little trash, I should have strangled your neck, cut off your nose, and poked your eyes blind!"

The flame broke the rope and made a "pop" sound.The curtain fell to the ground, and black smoke rose.

"It's this kind of temperature..." Mr. W murmured and stepped back. He stepped on the cloth, and the firelight made his face red and bright.With his fingers on his collar, he unbuttoned his coat and took off his shirt.

Half of his scrawny body was covered with brand marks, and his scorched skin was wrinkled into balls and balls, making him look terrifying and hideous.

"Look, these are 'tickets'." Mr. W caressed one of the scars, felt the uneven texture on it, and counted the numbers slowly in his mouth.

"One, two... 32, 33, 34."

At the end of the count, he laughed loudly: "34, see? 34! They forced me to perform for them once a month, and every time I finished, they took out the soldering iron from the stove and covered me! 34 games, they tortured me, Keep me here for three full years! When the marks on my body are full, they will kill me, because they have lost interest in me, and they only want animals that can make fun of them!"

The flames burned his shiny clothes to pieces, tore open the old and new scabs, and the back that was waiting to heal instantly changed beyond recognition.

"It's not just me. Too many people have died here, and this island has been cursed long ago. Bodies of all ages are buried underground, and unnamed graves are waiting for righteous people to avenge their grievances... It turns out that there are no psychopaths here, don't you You know? This island can’t go back to the mainland without ships! I want to save them, I should maintain this justice, but I don’t have a chance, I don’t have time, it’s the third time, I can’t save everyone... ..."

Mr. W grabbed his hair on both sides, he squatted down and hugged his head, and his roar was filled with tears: "They are all crazy, and I am going crazy, I am going crazy, if you don't leave, I will be ruined, my wealth, my I have achieved my family, and I have a daughter who was just born when I was taken away! I...I want to leave, I want to clarify everything, I want to sue them, and I want to return to a normal life!"

Do you still want a normal life?Guan Yuzhou covered Xia Zhuo's mouth and nose, and half-closed his eyes in the smoke.The aborigine's mental state is indeed very poor, as if there is only one thread hanging, and if he is not careful, it will be broken and destroyed.

"What curse?" he asked.

Mr. W covered his face, remained silent for a moment, and stood up straight again as if nothing had happened.He wiped the blood off his body two or three times, as casually as if he was dusting off his body.

"The people they killed crawled out of the soil." Mr. W mocked: "They were afraid, fearful, and prayed day and night. The corpses were tied up, burned with fire, and stabbed with knives. It's a pity, a pity , Even so, it can’t stop the resurrection again and again. The eyes can’t see things, the skin can’t stand the sun, they wander in the depths of the forest, and once someone enters, they will be eaten alive.”

Guan Yuzhou said: "The freezers are all hung with the original guards."

Mr. W nodded and admitted: "No one is innocent."

Guan Yuzhou chuckled: "Including you."

"No! I'm innocent, I want to save them! I will save them! How could I be guilty? I was innocent from the beginning! It's them, it's all them! For their own self-interest, slander me and frame me!"

Mr. W looked at the indifferent face through the smoke, and his face gradually distorted.

"Ha, sure enough, you are here to stop us. Since this is the case, I have nothing to say to you. No one has ever been here, and no one can leave alive. The savior will guide us, and tomorrow we can leave here and restore the original Live normally while you wait to sink with this filthy island!"

He flicked his hands and walked straight through the sea of ​​flames, the flesh on his body was sizzling.

The wooden frame above the head allowed the fire to spread rapidly, and the heat wave made it difficult for people to move.Xia Zhuo struggled to open his eyes wide, but the hand covering his face covered his face tightly, and only the sound of the puppet falling to the ground could be heard in his ears.

Mr. W seemed certain that the fire would burn them to ashes, and he left first.

Xia Zhuo couldn't breathe, hummed and pushed Guan Yuzhou, telling him to run where he came and went.Guan Yuzhou lowered his head unhurriedly to give him a sigh of relief, then raised his legs and walked towards the corner where the fire was fiercest.

There was actually a low wooden door on the cement wall, which was painted gray-black, and there was nothing unusual in the dim environment.

Now the fire revealed its true colors, and at the same time illuminated the narrow aisle behind. If it really went back the same way, it would probably have been suffocated to death by now.

The body was already damp from the rain, and only the coat was damaged.Guan Yuzhou lost his clothes and went to the other side of the aisle, and the two of them finally arrived at the office.

The flashlight was destroyed by fire, so he exchanged a new one.The facilities here are very old, the rainy weather makes the tables and chairs have a lingering sticky feeling, and there is also a faint musty smell in the breath.

Xia Zhuo was finally free, turned his head to look at the sea of ​​flames that had been blocked, heaved a sigh of relief, turned around and complained to the man.

——He called me trash just now!

Guan Yuzhou took a long time to distinguish before he recognized the invisible words in his heart one by one.He couldn't help laughing and crying along with Xia Zhuo's fur: "He wasn't talking about you."

— No matter, he just scolded me by pointing at me!

Guan Yuzhou coaxed the child like: "He is a waste, I will scold you back for you."

"..." Xia Zhuo raised her paw, not knowing what to write.

Guan Yuzhou rubbed his ears: "Still angry?"

——Let's just force it, who will let me be tolerant.

"Okay, let's find medicine for the tolerant Xia Xiaoying."

——…

It sounded like he was out of his mind and should take medicine to cure him.

Now that the plot has been clarified, what they can do is also laid out in front of them—find the lighthouse to send a signal to the General Administration to prevent these lunatics from leaving; or agree with their pity to let them go and let them Go back to society and try to "live a normal life".

No matter which one, Xia Zhuo felt that it was not the best choice.

Mr. W is thoughtful, and he probably guessed the use of graffiti.Those "monsters" wandering in the woods can only see people with eye marks on their bodies, and Mr. W wants all sane people to return to the land to live as staff, so naturally he will not let these "lunatics" "The airborne aroused social doubts, and he wanted to cut off all their roads.

Noah's Ark also screened in this way, eliminating some to kill, and selecting some to survive.

No one is innocent, including him.It's pitiful and hateful, and it's the best way to make people don't know how to deal with it.

——What should we do next?

Guan Yuzhou said seriously: "The most important thing is to cure your illness."

——…

I'm not sick!

Xia Zhuo bit him unhappily.

After going around half a circle, Guan Yuzhou finally found a white medicine box on a cabinet.There are some small instruments of torture hanging behind the glass window, and the soldering iron stick W mentioned in his mouth is hanging in the center, with burnt pieces of flesh still stained on it.

He was not interested in looking at them one by one. He opened the medicine box and rummaged through it, and found that it was filled with exactly the same blue and white capsules.

Xia Zhuo had consciously opened her mouth long ago, waiting for him to feed her.Guan Yuzhou picked one at random and put it in the props warehouse, loaded it on the light watch for a few seconds, and displayed its description: This cold medicine has expired.

After trying several times in a row with the same reminder, Guan Yuzhou closed the lid of the box again and said, "Don't take it for now. Take the medicine box out, we'll talk about it after we get out of here."

Xia Zhuo nodded, dazed and hid back in his collar.

The iron door of the room opened, revealing a long, narrow and damp corridor.Maybe it was because the fire was too hot just now, and the wet sweat on my body touched the icy air, as if the whole person fell into an ice hole in an instant.

There was a loud bang, and Chu Jin cursed from under his feet, and kept complaining to the people next to him that his hands hurt.

His voice was still sticky when no one else was around, and even Yu Ziang's answer was much softer than before.

The raised dust rolled up the stairs, and Xia Zhuo sneezed loudly.The movement downstairs stopped for a while, Chu Jin looked at the corner with his head hooked, and heaved a sigh of relief, "You finally came out, the wall suddenly collapsed, and the brick hit me, which scared me."

He looked around, "Where's that idiot named Jie?"

Guan Yuzhou asked back: "He didn't come out?"

"No." Looking at the two rows of closed doors in the corridor, Chu Jin casually grabbed a doorknob and shook it, "What have you been doing up there for so long? This door is still locked."

Guan Yuzhou turned around and went back to the office. He shone the flashlight on the wall and couldn't help but frown.The passage to the backstage and the performance hall was gone, as if it had never been there.

"This door can be opened." Yu Ziang walked to the end of the corridor.

Chu Jin followed and shouted: "Don't walk around, besides, they have checked everything here."

Guan Yuzhou said: "I didn't check, we just arrived."

"Where is Jie Chengcheng?"

"Here." Yu Ziang didn't enter the room, closed the door again when Chu Jin was about to approach, and looked at Guan Yuzhou without saying a word.

"Where?" Chu Jin raised his hand and patted the door, "Hello, Jie Chengcheng!"

There was no answer at the door.

"You're kidding me." Chu Jin gave Yu Ziang a look, then waved his hand and opened the door by himself.

This is a washroom, down the hallway.The toilet is connected to the sink for washing and washing. There is no mirror on the wall, but an old slogan of "conserve water" is posted.

The sound of ticking water came from the direction of the faucet, and a small puddle of stagnant water had gathered under people's feet.

Jiecheng bent over and lowered his head, his whole face was submerged in the plastic basin.His hands were hanging by his sides and his legs were straight.

He didn't answer after calling, Chu Jin felt weird and wanted to go up and give him a pat.In his haste, his foot seemed to have tripped over something, the upwardly extending silk thread snapped, and the person standing in front of the pool suddenly fell to the ground.

"...Hey, get up and stop touching me." Chu Jin went up and kicked the back of his hand.

"Shh, stop arguing." Yu Ziang stopped him.

Chu Jin was stunned for a while, then retracted his feet, "Oh."

There was no trace of struggle nearby, and no one would have guessed that Jie Cheng was really drowned, suffocated in a washbasin that was only half filled with water.

"That's fine." Chu Jin said, "It's rare for so many people here to ask for a whole body. Then I can be clean too, who made him scold me all the time."

"You can't say that." Yu Ziang shook his head: "No one here wants to die."

Chu Jin also realized that what he said was inappropriate, so he withdrew without saying a word.

The three of them laid Jiecheng flat on the ground, and found a towel hanging on the wall to cover his face.After avoiding Chu Jin, Yu Ziang asked more directly: "Did you kill it?"

Guan Yuzhou sneered and pulled the corner of his mouth.

"It's fine if it's not." Yu Ziang brushed past him: "After all, our position is the same as his... Chu Jin quite likes playing with him, it's a pity."

"Yes." Guan Yuzhou shook his head and closed the bathroom door again, "It's a pity."

The author says:

Woohoo, I’ve been on a business trip for more than half a month and haven’t come home yet