"Help me!" Suddenly, everything around me turned dark, and the chilly wind blew past me. Underneath my feet, there was only emptiness. I was falling, faster and faster, overwhelmed by an uncontrollable fear. At that moment, I thought of people who commit suicide by jumping off buildings. I couldn't imagine what they feel before they die, but I'm sure it's not pleasant. Suicide comes in many forms, but jumping off a building seems to be a popular choice. I think the reason for this is that once you jump, there's no turning back. Even if you regret it midway, there's no stopping it. You can only watch the ground getting closer and closer, until finally, with a loud bang, your body hits the hard ground. Bones shatter, organs rupture, and for some unlucky ones, their head hits the ground first, causing their brains to spill out. It's a surefire way to die. That's exactly how I felt at that moment, falling into a seemingly bottomless well. I was terrified, screaming and flailing my arms and legs, desperately trying to find something to grab onto. But I couldn't find anything. Just as I thought I was about to become a pile of minced meat, someone shook my shoulder and woke me up. It was all just a dream! But wait, wasn't I already awake? I was confused and scared, panting heavily and wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. My mom and grandma were both looking at me with concern, asking me what happened. "I fell asleep, but I thought I was awake," I said.
They told me that I had fallen asleep at the old doctor's house and they had brought me back. It seemed like I had been dreaming, but how could I have dreamt such a strange dream? Who was that little girl in ancient costume? Why did she hit Little Huzi and then pull me into the well? At that moment, my mother and grandmother asked me what I had dreamt about. So I told them about the scenes from my dream. After hearing it, their faces turned pale, especially my mother. Her legs gave out and she sat on the ground, exclaiming, "Oh no, the old one hasn't gone away, and a new one has come. It seems like the thing in our well has latched onto us. What should we do?" Upon hearing my mother's words, my grandmother felt a bit embarrassed and immediately asked me how I was feeling and if there was anything uncomfortable. Strangely enough, at that moment, I felt much better. My head no longer hurt, and I had broken out in a sweat, feeling comfortable all over. Perhaps it was the medicine given to me by the old doctor that had taken effect. I told my grandmother that I was fine and feeling good, and asked if it was already daytime. Their house only had a small window, so it was very dim inside, and I could only see a dim light outside, indicating that it was still not yet bright out. Upon hearing my response, my grandmother was relieved and told me to go back to sleep. She said it was still not yet bright outside and then took my mother out with her. After they left, I lay down and slept again. This time, I slept soundly, and when I woke up, it was almost noon. I washed up and had lunch. While washing up, I plucked up the courage to look into the well again, but this time, I didn't see anything unusual. My heart felt a little relieved.
To my horror, just as I had relaxed my guard, while washing my hands, I suddenly saw a small white handprint on the back of my left hand. The handprint was perfectly symmetrical with the black one on my right hand, and was stretching and shrinking in a very eerie manner.
At this point, I couldn't hold back anymore. I felt like I had turned into a monster, with four hands extending outwards. I quickly told my mother and grandmother about the situation. My mother was at a loss for what to do, but my grandmother remained calm and said, "This is a sign of good fortune, not misfortune. Don't worry, I'll think of a solution for you. You can stay here with me."
My mother asked what kind of solution she had in mind, but my grandmother just scoffed and said, "How can you forget what I've been doing all these years? Ever since your father passed away, didn't I convert the back room into a Buddhist shrine? I've been eating vegetarian and chanting sutras all year round. Let me teach you how to chant, and I guarantee you'll have no taboo and nothing to fear."
At this point, we had no choice but to try my grandmother's suggestion. After dinner, my grandmother opened the door to the back room, which was decorated like a proper Buddhist shrine, complete with a wooden fish, a Guanyin statue, and cushions.
My grandmother instructed me to kneel in front of the Guanyin statue, and then took out a book with an image of the Buddha to teach me how to chant the Diamond Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra. She said that these two sutras were beneficial, with one being pure yang energy that could dispel evil spirits, and the other being a way to save souls and transcend suffering.
I followed her instructions and chanted the sutras, but found the text very difficult to pronounce as it had been translated from Sanskrit, with many words having no practical meaning.
But I have to say, chanting in the Buddhist temple, looking at the statue of Guanyin, surrounded by silence, really calms the mind unconsciously. I even found myself absorbed in it without realizing it. By the time dinner came around, I had already memorized two sets of scriptures, and even memorized the Diamond Sutra.
When my grandma saw that I could recite the Diamond Sutra, she instructed me that if I ever had a nightmare again, I should silently recite the Diamond Sutra in my heart, and she guaranteed that those bad things wouldn't dare to come near me.
I believed it wholeheartedly and felt very happy, thinking that I had finally found a way to save myself. So my mood was good.
After dinner and washing up, I went to bed early and slept soundly without any burden on my mind. But in the middle of the night, I felt chilly all over while in a daze. When I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting on the stone platform by the well in the yard, not knowing when I had come out there. In front of me were two small figures confronting each other.
It goes without saying that those two figures were the little girl in ancient costume and Little Confused. However, Little Confused was different from before. She was surrounded by black mist and her eyes were emitting green light, which was extremely terrifying. I didn't know what had happened to her.
Just as I was watching the two of them in confusion, they both screamed and pounced on each other like two wild cats. Then they fell to the ground, fiercely fighting each other.