Chapter 4: Face In The Water (4)
"Ah, you young people won't know, but back in my times, going to the psychiatrist was consider a madman. Whoever has such a person in the family can only be left locked up, tied up, or left outside. There wasn't any other way. My mom heard what my brother said and she started to yell and hit him, yelling at him what is wrong with him. My brother just stood there saying that he needed to see a therapist. The doctors and nurses came and try to persuade my mom. And that opthamologist came out to give my mom an explanation, it was probably a psychological problem, so my brother saw that illusion and that this illness does not mean he's a madman."
"Yes, so he went to see the therapist later?"
"Yes, he went to see the therapist later. The hospital's psychiatric department only had two doctors, one is an old doctor who's drank ink before and the other was a young doctor who was assigned to the department. The psychiatric patients weren't little, a lot of people were referred to the older doctor and because my mom cried a lot, the ophthalmologist accompanied us to go see the psychiatrist and introduced them to us and let the old doctor see my brother first. They all thought that he had a small problem and could be cured very quickly, no need for medicine or anything. *hu*——"
"What happened later?"
"*hu*—— My brother went inside to talk with the old doctor, not long after, the old doctor told the young doctor to go outside and get some leaves. I was scared. I wanted to tell that doctor to not go in, but my body wouldn't move and I wasn't able to speak what's on my mind. I just watched the doctor with a fresh leaf in hand go in and then… and then I heard my brother's yell. My brother yelled like a madman, it didn't sound like something a human could make. The door wasn't closed and I walked past the door to see my brother in the corner and waving his hand nonstop like he was hitting something. He screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes wide, his face pale, it was so scary. All of a sudden my mom couldn't breathe and sat still on the ground. All the doctors and nurses also got scared by it, too. The old doctor shouted for people to go out, but the young doctor stood still and let go of his hand, letting the two leaves fall down to the floor…"
*zz, zz*
*sound of a lighter being lit*
"*sucks in air*—— *hu*—— I don't know if it's a coincidence, or if that ghost did something. That time, the window was opened a little bit, I didn't feel the wind, and the leaves floated up as if blown by the wind and drifted towards my brother. My brother yelled even worse than before, but he wasn't waving his hand anymore, he was holding his head, and drilling it towards the wall. That look, I don't know how to tell you. *hu*—— I couldn't take it anymore, so I went inside and took the leaves and tore them up. The old doctor comforted my brother like he was trying to calm a child. My mom was just there crying. There were other patients, I don't know if my brother provoked them, but they all went crazy, it was a mess. Ha… I holded the broken leaves in my hand and stood inside the room, my head was such a mess I was about to explode. At that time, I just thought that this a whole thing was just so strange, how could there be such a thing…"
"Things can just happen like that."
"Yeah, it happened just like that and it happened to my brother! *hu*—— At that time, that hospital didn't even have a psychiatric ward, we went back home eventually. What a day, scaring my brother like that without any gains. When my grandpa came to pick us up, he almost beaten up the old doctor. It was a bit of trouble… ai… that old doctor was pretty responsible and even said how to give my brother a rehab treatment. The old doctor and my dad didn't believe in the ghost that my brother saw and thought that he was just scared. My dad was angry and vowed to find whoever scared my brother. I… I stayed with my brother and listened to him talking to himself, laughing and crying, saying that was a ghost."
"Do you believe it was a ghost?"
"I couldn't say I didn't believe it. My brother had a big guts, there was no way he couldn't distinguish between reality and imagination. Moreover, not long after someone in the factory claimed that he saw a ghost, too."
"Well, we have had some understanding of this. After, your brother, was there two or three more cases of people seeing a ghost?"
"Yes, two people. One fatty and Xiao Xu. Both were about my brother's age and also his friends. When leaving the woods at the park, they both saw the same ghost. Well probably… I can't really say they were the same…"
"What was the difference?"
"When my brother sees leaves, he gets scared. They didn't seem to be, I'm not too sure myself."
"Did your father's investigation not have any results?"
"No. My mom took care of my brother and gave him a bath with citron leaves and prayed to Buddha. But my brother is good and bad, sometimes he sees it and sometimes he doesn't and gradually he doesn't go out anymore. He just locks himself from the outside world. At that time, the factory was already closed and it was not long till it was demolished. My brother stayed in his room, my mom saw it and cried. My dad risked his life, smoking. I… I soon found a new job and didn't want to stay home."
"Your brother committed suicide later, how did that happen?"
"*hu*——"
"Mr. Li? Is there a problem with it? If you can say it, it would be a big help for us."
"Oh… *hu*—— my brother… he died because of me."
"Uh huh."
"My brother at that time always stayed home, not going out and couldn't see the leaves… For so many years, I've been thinking that he would have to stay at home for the rest of his life. Never see leaves for the rest of his life. Maybe he could've stayed healthy and be alive now. He is my biological older brother and my only one, me being the younger one wasn't a problem. But I… I…"
"Mr. Li, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. *hu*—— I… that day, I went home after work… it was autumn and all the leaves were yellow. My mother the other day, told me that when all the leaves were gone, my brother might come out and take a walk. Whether it was to go see the old doctor or to pray in a temple, anything, maybe next year he will be better… but that day when I got home, I didn't pay attention, I just went to my room, took off my coat and went to bed. My brother was taking a shower and wasn't in the room. I went to the kitchen to help my mom with dinner and waited for it to finish, and went to tell my brother to come and eat dinner. I saw that the bathroom door was still closed and thought that my grandpa was using it. I went to the room and saw that he wasn't there and went back out and saw that he went out of my grandparent's room. *hu*—— I didn't know why that time, probably a intuition, and went back to the room. My coat was spread out on the bed. I've slept with my brother on a bunk bed, I slept on the bottom and there was a shadow on the bed, I didn't see it, but when I returned, I saw it. On my coat… on the back… there was a leaf hanging…"
"Mr. Li…"
"Ha… I brought home a leaf… I went home with a leaf… I… I killed my brother… it's all my fault… it's all my fault…"
"Mr. Li, this isn't your fault. It was an accident, you…"
"Perhaps it wasn't."
"What… did… you say?"
"Mr. Li, your brother met a ghost, many things aren't by accident or not, only after the investigation then we will know the answer. Can you tell me from the day he saw the ghost and to his death, how many times did he see it? What was the frequency of him seeing the ghost?"
"I… I don't remember."
"Then, as far as you know, is the first person in the factory to see the ghost, your brother?"
"...Yes."
"Has your brother done anything before? Or is there any change in the factory before this?"
"No… should be… no… right? I really don't remember."
"The fatty and Xiao Xu you said, do you still remember their name and contact details?"
"I remember the names, the contact information is gone though. After they had this situation, they left."
Just finished translating the whole face in the water, wow.
next chapter - coming soon