A patient who was bedridden and a child who lacked supervision. The two who should be unrelated found a common language in haunted houses. Gao Ming still didn’t understand why he’d blurt out the words, haunted houses. The boy’s building block houses were colourful and pretty.
The boy lifted his head to look at Gao Ming for the first time. He was nervous and curious, as if his secret had been discovered.
His small hands rubbed his clothes, and the boy said timidly, “When my parents had me, they were living in a very small rental. Even though the place was not perfect, they wanted to give me a warm home. That’s why my name has the word Fang.”
“Is that the only reason?” Gao Ming was shocked.
“I’ve answered your question, so can you answer mine now?” The boy cared about fairness. He was very polite. He only dared to ask Gao Ming a question after he answered one of Gao Ming’s. “How can you tell… that I was building homes for the dead?”
Gao Ming had an awkward smile on his face. Probably even God couldn’t tell those building blocks were bricks for haunted houses.
“I don’t really know why. I opened my mouth, and the words tumbled out. Have we met each other before? Did you mention something related to that around me when I was unconscious?” Gaoi Ming didn’t think he’d get any useful clues from the boy, but to his surprise, the boy nodded seriously.
“My dad often works late. That night, mom was very uncomfortable, but she was worried about leaving me alone at home. Therefore, she brought me to the hospital with her,” The boy’s mood dampened. “When mom and I were waiting for the Doctor, we heard noises coming from downstairs. When we saw you being wheeled into the surgical room, that was our first meeting. After that, when mom was hospitalised, I often played in the corridor alone. Sometimes, I’d lean on the window to look at you, wondering when you’d wake up.”
“Did you enter this hospital on the same day as I do?” Other than the haunted houses, Gao Ming found another similarity, which he shared with Ah Fang.
“Gao Ming, you’re awake!” The man looked so happy. His eyes narrowed subconsciously whenever he talked.
“Who are you? Do we know each other?” Gao Ming tried his best to remember, but he had no impression of this man. The man looked like a high-school art teacher.
“This should be your first time meeting me, but Little Fang and I see you all the time,” The man was older than Gao Ming. He spoke slowly and melodiously, “I’m your neighbour. We were hospitalised on the same day. However, Doctor Xuan gave me my last check this morning and told me I can leave the hospital today.”
Staring at the man, Gao Ming had an indescribable feeling in his heart, “Did we enter the hospital on the same day?”
“You were too busy racing against death, so naturally, you wouldn’t know about that.” The man entered the room, “I just finished my discharge process. I heard from the nurse who had a crush on you that you had woken up. That’s why I came here to say goodbye to you.”
“Why did you get hospitalised? You don’t seem to suffer from any serious injuries.” Gao Ming instinctively didn’t trust this man. He seemed to have seen him before in his dream, but his memory of that was blurry.
“I failed my suicide attempt.” The man revealed a light smile. The sun shone on his face, giving him a saintly aura. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal the horrifying wounds on his arm. The man didn’t seem to mind it. “Don’t need to be alarmed. I’m fully healed now, both mentally and physically.”
Ah Fang silently retreated to the corner. The boy didn’t want to get close to Gao Ming, but he was scared of the other man.
“Speaking of, it was so dangerous that night. So many incidents happened. The ambulance hurried back and forth. The footsteps in the emergency room never stopped. I heard the hospital lost a lot of supplies in the blood bank.” The man pulled down his sleeve. He stood in the light. “Thankfully, we’re blessed. Everyone is so lucky. All of the patients who were sent to the emergency room that night were saved. A lot of them have already been discharged. Now, only the two of us remain.”
“How did you remember all that?”
“How can I forget? I had the lightest injury, but the hospital didn’t want to discharge me on the fear that I’d harm myself again.” The man said gently, even though the content was gory, “You should be the last to leave this hospital from our batch.”
“Yes.” The man placed the easel on Gao Ming’s bedside table, “Even though you don’t remember me anymore, considering how long we’ve been neighbours, I’ve prepared a present for you to congratulate you for waking up.”
Gao Ming turned to the easel. It was a very abstract painting.
A birthday cake was placed on a dining table. A young man closed his eyes to make a wish. He was surrounded by monsters with helpless expressions. Some of them looked humanoid, and others were completely mutated.
“What is this?” Gao Ming was confused.
The man held his forehead, “Is my drawing that bad? This child is you. You were celebrating your birthday.”
“What about the things around me?”
“They are your family.” The man explained patiently, “No one came to visit you despite your severe injuries. The doctor said that the best way to help you is to find your family and friends to remind you of what has happened in the past to stimulate your brain.”
“How is that related to your painting? My family can’t possibly have three mouths on their faces, right?” Gao Ming stared at that painting. For some reason, his brain did feel more active.
“Didn’t the doctor say the best way is to stimulate your brain?” The man was embarrassed. “I’m your neighbour. The nurse tells you about your past in the morning. After the nurse leaves at night, I can’t sleep, and sometimes, I’ll come over to tell you about my painful past. Occasionally, I’d regale you with some ghost stories.”
Even Ah Fang thought there was something wrong with this man.
“Everything I do is to help you recover.”