See You in the Underworld
The note was in Simon Gabriel's handwriting, crookedly scrawling Owe Wendy 300, will return it next week, with a small star drawn at the end.
That happened last winter.
Simon Gabriel had a high fever, his face flushed, but he insisted on going to class.
I dragged him to the school hospital.
The doctor said he needed an IV, but clutching his pocket, he shook his head, saying, "I have no money."
Back then, I was working part-time at a milk tea shop, standing for eight hours a day. I had saved 300, originally planning to buy myself winter cotton shoes.
But seeing his hand trembling with fever, I pressed the money into his palm anyway.
"Get medical attention first; I'm not in a hurry for the money." I remember saying that.
He stared at me, his eyes as bright as fallen stars, and said, "Wendy, I'll definitely pay you back, and I'll buy you an extra cup of milk tea."
Later, we got together.
He would wait for me outside the milk tea shop after my part-time job, holding a warm baked sweet potato.
He would secretly slip me a piece of fruit candy when I was up late studying for finals, saying, "Something sweet to perk you up."
He would put my hand in his pocket when I complained about the cold in winter, saying, "My hands are warm; I'll warm you up."
Back then, I thought we would continue like this forever, from campus to a wedding dress.
Then, this spring, he suddenly broke up with me.
The wind was fierce that day. He stood beneath a cherry blossom tree, avoiding my gaze, and said, "Wendy, we're not right for each other."
I pressed him for a reason, but he only said, "My brother is sick. I have to take care of him; I don't have the energy for a relationship right now."
I wanted to ask more, but he turned and left, his back to me, resolute as if he'd never known me at all.
Later, I sent him a message, only to see a red exclamation point appear. He'd blocked me, I realized.
I went to look for him several times.
His house was always locked. A neighbor said, "That Gabriel family boy is busy taking care of his brother. He doesn't have time to see you."
I went to the hospital where his brother had stayed, only to find Simon Gabriel's parents guarding the ward. Seeing me, they lashed out, "You jinx, don't you dare come near our Simon."
I couldn't understand it; how could someone who was just planning our future with me a few days prior suddenly change so drastically?
It wasn't until last Saturday that I saw a car accident report on the news.
"A car accident occurred on a local road, resulting in the immediate death of the entire Gabriel family. They were reportedly on their way to the cemetery of their son, Yale Gabriel."
The license plate number shown in the news belonged to Simon Gabriel's family.
The cup in my hand fell to the ground with a "clang," water spilled everywhere, like my unstoppable tears.
I can't understand it. How could he just die? He still owes me 300. How dare he die?
I sought out the senior master in the suburbs.
The senior master saw my eyes, red and swollen from crying, sighed, and gave me a yellow token, saying, "Hold it, and recite Simon Gabriel's name three times, and you can enter the underworld."
I clenched the yellow token, my fingertips white from the force, and said, "I'm going to find him, either to make him pay back the money, or to make him come back with me."
After reciting Simon Gabriel's name the third time, the sky suddenly darkened.
The icy wind, sharp with frost, burrowed into my bones, and the scene before me slowly shifted—dark cyan city walls loomed, etched with the characters for "underworld," and two guards stood at the gate, their iron chains clanking.
"You've got some nerve, trespassing into the underworld." The guard said.
I handed over the yellow token, saying, "I'm looking for Simon Gabriel. He owes me money, and I want him to pay it back."
Once inside, I spotted Simon Gabriel immediately.
He stood in the center, wearing the blue hoodie he always wore in life, his parents at his side.
The underworld king sat on the high platform, his voice booming, "Simon Gabriel, in your past and present lives you've done good and accumulated virtue; in your next life, you'll be reborn into a wealthy family, your parents by your side, enjoying all the glory and riches."
Simon Gabriel's parents beamed, their smiles almost splitting their faces. Simon Gabriel smiled too, but it was a smile that felt utterly foreign to me.
He used to get a little dimple when he smiled, but this man didn't have one.
"Simon Gabriel!" I yelled, rushing over and grabbing his wrist.
His hand was cold, devoid of warmth, nothing like the warmth I remembered when he'd hold my hands in winter.
He paused, stunned, then frowned, regarding me like a stranger. "Who are you?"
His parents immediately swarmed me, pointing and yelling, "You crazy woman! Our Simon is dead; why are you still bothering him!"
I stared at the "Simon Gabriel" before me, my doubts deepening. "You aren't Simon Gabriel. Who are you?"
His face flickered, then he sneered. "You'd do anything for money."
The surrounding other spirits began to murmur, their voices a buzzing drone, like flies.
"This woman is so greedy, chasing debts all the way to the underworld."
"Exactly, he's about to be reincarnated, and she's still causing trouble. Doesn't she have any conscience?"
The underworld king roared, and everyone immediately fell silent.
"Debts are cleared upon death. Your are being unreasonable." The underworld king's gaze fell upon me, filled with authority.
I straightened my back, looking at the underworld king on the high platform: "Debts are cleared upon death? But what he owes me isn't just money. He owes me an explanation, a goodbye."
"Simon Gabriel" grew anxious and stepped forward: "I broke up with you because my brother was sick, and I needed to take care of him. Isn't that enough? Do you have to be so unreasonable?"
Mr. Gabriel also chimed in, "Exactly! Our Simon Gabriel is loyal and affectionate, yet you're here trying to stir up trouble. I think you're doing this on purpose!"
The underworld king frowned and said to the underworld man beside him, "Bring the mirror of the past; let her see Simon Gabriel's true feelings."
The mirror of the past slowly unfolded, images shimmering to life on its surface.
Within the mirror, "Simon Gabriel" was caring for Yale Gabriel in the hospital: feeding him water, wiping his brow, his eyes filled with worry.
Within the mirror, "Simon Gabriel" broke up with me, secretly wiping away tears as he turned, looking so very reluctant.
In the scene, "Simon Gabriel" was murmuring, "I hope my brother is doing okay down there," just before the car accident.
The other spirits began to gossip again, saying I was "ungrateful" and that "Simon Gabriel" was a "kind and honorable person."
"Simon Gabriel" looked at me, a hint of triumph in his eyes. "Now do you see? I didn't break up with you on purpose; I had no choice."
But I laughed, laughed until tears streamed down my face.
"You acted so convincingly." I pointed to the mirror of the past. "But you forgot, when Simon Gabriel took care of his brother, he had a scar on his left wrist from when he fell as a child helping me get my kite. Do you have it?”
He subconsciously covered his left wrist, his face instantly paling.
The whispers around us ceased, and the underworld king sat up straight, his gaze fixed on his left hand.
"You... you're talking nonsense!" he said frantically. "How could I have a scar? You must be mistaken!"
"I'm not mistaken." I walked closer to him, step by step. "Simon Gabriel's favorite drink was milk tea, with 30% sugar and no pearls. Do *you* like it?"
"I..." He couldn't answer, his eyes growing more panicked by the second.
"The day Simon Gabriel broke up with me, I brought him the Strawberry cake he loved. He said, 'Wendy, once my brother is doing better, we'll get back together.' Did *you* ever say that?"
He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Mrs. Gabriel suddenly rushed towards me, trying to strike me. "You b*tch! Don't spread your lies here!"
I dodged her hand and turned to the underworld king. "Your Majesty, he's not Simon Gabriel, he's Yale Gabriel! The real Simon Gabriel must still be somewhere in the underworld, hidden by him with a trick!"
"You're lying!" Yale screamed, his voice cracking. "My brother died long ago! He committed suicide! Don't you dare slander me!"
"Suicide?" I sneered, "How could he commit suicide? He'd feel guilty for days just for stepping on an ant. How could he possibly kill himself?"
The underworld king pondered for a moment, then said to the underworld man, "Bring Yale Gabriel here."
Yale Gabriel's face went deathly pale, like paper. He grabbed Mrs. Gabriel's hand. "Mom, tell the underworld king quickly, I'm not Yale Gabriel, I'm Simon!"
Mrs. Gabriel panicked too, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to the underworld king. "Great underworld king, he really is our Simon. Don't listen to this woman's nonsense!"
But the underworld man had already escorted a soul inside.
That soul was so weak, nearly shattered, with a gaping hole in its chest still dripping black blood.
He kept his head down, his face hidden by his hair, but I recognized him instantly.
It was Simon Gabriel.
I rushed to him, pulling him into my arms.
His soul was ice cold, and I could feel him trembling.
"Simon, I'm here." I whispered in his ear, tears falling onto his hair, "I'm here to take you away."
He slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and when he saw me, tears streamed down his face. "Wendy... I thought... I'd never see you again."
"What's going on here?" The underworld king pointed at Simon Gabriel and roared at Yale Gabriel.
Yale Gabriel collapsed on the ground, unable to keep up the charade any longer.
He cried, "It was me... I swapped his body! I have AIDS and won't live long. I didn't want to die, so I found a Taoist priest and used a trick to trap his soul in my body, making him suffer in my place!"
The mirror of the past lit up again, revealing Yale Gabriel's true face.
In the image, Yale Gabriel held a bowl of water and forcibly poured it into Simon Gabriel's mouth.
Simon Gabriel struggled, but Yale Gabriel was too strong; he could only watch helplessly as he was forced to drink the water.
In the vision, Yale Gabriel locked Simon Gabriel's soul in a black box, then staged a suicide scene, making everyone believe that he was the one who had died.
In the vision, Simon Gabriel's soul struggled in the black box, crying out, "Mom and Dad, save me!"
But Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel stood by, pretending not to see.
The other spirits were enraged, pointing at Yale Gabriel and his parents and cursing, "So cruel! To treat your own brother with such malice!"
"And his parents... how could they be so biased! They're both their sons; how could they just watch one suffer?"
"That kind of person shall never to be reborn!"
Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel knelt on the ground, not daring to look up.
Simon Gabriel looked at them, his voice hoarse. "Mom and Dad, from childhood until now, I've never asked you for anything. I wore Yale's hand-me-down clothes, ate his leftovers, and helped with chores around the house every day, yet you still disliked me."
"Whatever Yale wanted, you'd buy it for him. If he wanted designer shoes, you'd buy them right away; if he wanted a game console, you wouldn't even hesitate. But when I wanted a workbook, you said it was a 'waste of money'."
"I had a fever of 39 degrees and wanted you to take me to the hospital, but you told me to tough it out. "But when Yale just coughed, you became so anxious and immediately took him to the best hospital."
"I thought if I was obedient, if I worked hard enough, you'd eventually treat me a little better. But I never expected you to stand by and watch Yale hurt me."
Mrs. Gabriel cried, "Simon, I was wrong. Yale deceived me back then. He said you volunteered, that's why..."
Simon Gabriel laughed, a terribly desolate laugh. "How could I voluntarily give my body to him? How could I voluntarily choose to die?"
The underworld king slammed the gavel, his voice stern. "Yale Gabriel, seizing another's body and taking a life – your sins are heinous! The Gabriel parents, favoring one son and disregarding the other's life, are equally unforgivable! I now sentence you three to The Eighteen Levels of Hell, to suffer endless tortures, and never to be reincarnated!"
The underworld man stepped forward, locking their souls with iron chains.
Yale Gabriel screamed, "I don't want to go to hell! Simon, I'm your brother, please save me!"
Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel cried, begging Simon Gabriel, "Simon, for the sake of giving birth to you, please plead with the underworld king!"
Simon Gabriel closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't save you, nor do I want to. This is the path you chose."
Watching them being dragged away, I finally breathed a sigh of relief, hugging Simon Gabriel tightly. "It's okay, Simon; they won't hurt you anymore."
Simon Gabriel leaned against me, like a wronged child. "Wendy, I miss you so much."
Download the SnackShort app, Search 【 899611 】reads the whole book.
My Fiction
SnackShort
Booklite« Previous Post
I Have Returned with the Truth
Next Post »
All For My Children