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墨書 Inktalez
The scarecrow hanging in Huaiyin Town loomed like an ominous omen, shattering my singular speculation about the eerie origins of the old house. Someone was lurking in the shadows, unwilling for me to delve deeper.
That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Clutching a tattered yellow paper inscribed with the word "Substitute," I was filled with unease. If it was indeed human-made, then what about the "presence" in the attic... what could it be? A captive? Or something else serving as bait?
In the latter half of the night, I heard that faint, scraping sound against the window frame again. This time, I didn’t turn on the light. Instead, I quietly got up, held my breath, and crept to the window, peering through a gap in the paper.
The moonlight was dim, and the courtyard lay still. The old huai tree stood like a massive ghostly figure, its branches clawing at the night.
Suddenly, my pupils constricted!
In the shadow at the hall's entrance stood a figure… no, it was a paper figurine on the altar table—the old man paper figure dressed in blue—was actually… moving on its own!
It wasn’t floating or jumping; it moved in an extremely stiff and eerie manner, inching forward like a marionette, its movements awkward yet purposeful—heading straight towards my room!
My heart nearly leaped out of my throat! The paper figurine was truly alive! What Grandfather Wang referred to as "suppression," and what the grocery store owner called "recognizing the master," could it all be real?!
Fear engulfed me instantly. But just then, from the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something far behind the paper figurine—a vague shadow that flickered past!
It moved too quickly and was too dimly lit for me to see clearly. But in that moment, it felt more like a small figure dressed in dark clothing!
My mind raced. Was it that person hiding in the shadows controlling the paper figurine?! Using some method I didn’t understand? Strings? Or something else?
This realization calmed me somewhat. If it was human-made, there would be traces to follow—much better than facing incomprehensible ghosts.
The old man paper figure continued to creep closer, making faint scraping sounds. It drew nearer to my window, its rigid smile appearing even more sinister under the moonlight.
I couldn’t let it in!
I suddenly flung open the window and hurled the piece of yellow paper out with all my might while shouting, “Who’s there?!”
My voice echoed sharply in the stillness of the night.
The thrown piece of paper floated down gently before the paper figurine. Almost simultaneously, the old man paper figure abruptly halted its movement, standing frozen in place. The vague shadow in the distance seemed startled by my sudden action and vanished without a trace!
Everything returned to silence once more. Only that old man paper figure stood alone in the courtyard, just a few steps away from my window.
I was shaken and my heart raced.
It was human! It had to be human! That person hid in the dark, using these paper figurines and tales of the old house to frighten me and stop me! Stop me from what? Opening that lacquer box? Or… discovering the secrets of the attic?
And that piece of yellow paper inscribed with "Substitute" seemed to have some sort of deterrent effect on either the controller or the paper figurine itself?
This night’s discovery marked a clear turning point. The so-called "haunted house" was at least partially a manufactured panic! So were the sobbing sounds from the attic and the scarecrow in Huaiyin Town… all orchestrated by that person hiding in darkness?
But what was their motive? Was Granduncle San's death also connected to them?
The clouds of suspicion had not dissipated; instead, they grew thicker. The Lacquer Box in my hand seemed to be the key to unraveling it all. No matter what, I had to find a way to open it.
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