Chapter 50
“The thing outside your door isn’t your friend Agnes. She originally tried to swap lives with you. But it failed. The rib soup was eaten by the pig and now the Bone–Face Life Exchange ritual is halfway complete. Three minds are fighting over one body, your friend, the pig and the spellcaster. And now they’re trying to drag you in!“}
My hands trembled as I typed a reply: [Who are you? How do you know what’s happening to me?]}
The person replied: [No time to explain. Listen to me, don’t open the door under any circumstances. Get out of the hotel and go find Uncle Joe at the pig farm. He should know a lot more. Hurry!]
Outside the door, that thing, not human, not pig, was now ramming its head against the door frantically, made a banging sound.
I forced myself to stay calm, picked up a chair and smashed it at the figure outside the window.
Since that anonymous person said the one at the window was still human, then I had nothing to fear. Sure enough, as the glass shattered, the figure fell.§
I seized the moment, climbed onto the windowsill and scrambled down the fire escape.”
In the dark, soaked by the storm, I flagged down a taxi and rushed to the pig farm.}
When I showed up dripping wet at the farm, Uncle Joe looked grim. He brought me into the office, wrapped me in a blanket and handed me a cup of hot water.
After a moment, I finally managed to ask, shivering, “Uncle Joe… the pig … where is it?“}
Uncle Joe sighed, “I locked it in the storage room. It’s just too frightening. Like a human wearing a pig’s skin. Even the police were freaked Uncle
out. They said they’d return with backup …“}
Then, his tone shifted, “Selina, there’s something I never told you. Your grandmother… she wasn’t an ordinary person …”
He pulled out a faded old photo album from the drawer and handed it to me. The very first picture caught my eye.”
It showed my young grandmother standing before a Southeast Asian–style shrine, holding the bones of some animal, looking solemn and devout.
–
Uncle Joe pointed at the photo, his face dark with memory, “Your grandmother lived a strange life. She came from an ancient land and practiced some … dark arts.“}
“Before she died, she gave me a few things. She said if anyone in the family ever showed abnormal bone features… these would be useful.” He opened the safe and pulled out a cloth–wrapped bundle. Inside was a necklace made of bones and a yellowed notebook.
I opened the notebook. Scrawled across the top were the words: “Bone–Face Life Exchange. The Most Vicious Life–Swapping Curse.“} Uncle Joe glanced around nervously, then lowered his voice, “Has Agnes been acting strange lately? Afraid of light? Craving anything odd?“}
I suddenly remembered. Two months ago, the last time I saw her, even indoors, she wore sunglasses and a hat. Like she couldn’t stand the light.
And she ordered three cups of extra–strong iced Americanos. I clearly remembered, she used to hate iced coffee. She said it messed up her sleep.
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