Serpent Sarcophagus

Listening to the crackling upstairs, I went up uneasily with something occupying my mind, and I knocked on the door.

It was David, the renter’s son who opened the door. The moment the door was open, a smell of alcohol spread out.

Instantaneously, I sensed something ominous. David looked at me with his drunk eyes, “Oh, Aurora, what do you want?”

There was something wrong with his eyes. I tried to look away in order to gain some sight of the inside. “Are you drinking the snake liquor?”

“Sure, why don’t you come to join us for a cup or two? Your father was selling it cheap today. Drink some, won’t you?” David smirked and looked down my neck.

I was uncomfortable with the way he looked at me. I took a shower just now, so I grasped the bath towel on me and said, “my father just told me that the snake died in the bottle. Maybe I can offer you the double price to buy it back, all right?”

The sound of the snake's tail against the glass was even louder when I stood at his door. I didn’t know whether it was an illusion.

“But it isn't dead! See, it's quite alive!” David grinned, pulled the door open, and stretched out his hand to pull me. “Come on in and have a drink.”

The door opened, I saw a big glass bottle on the tea table in the living room, which was exactly the kind of my father's snake liquor. Inside, a thick snake was swimming slowly with its eyes open.

David's father, Fletcher Russell, seemed to be very happy, holding his chopsticks and poking at the glass to keep the snake swimming.

But no matter how the snake swam, its head was always facing me. Lights in the living room were reflected on the glass, making the snake’s eyes flickering with the light of what seems to be hatred that was cast on me.

I was scared. So, I took a step back and swallowed air, “I will double the offer, please let me buy it back!”

“I won’t sell! Look, they're alive, they're all alive!” As David spoke, it seemed as if his tongue had grown too big and kept sticking it out, and his wide tongue seemed to have split at the front.

With his tongue stuck out, his head was slowly stretching forward. Though his shoulder did not move, his neck was able to lean forward in a weird way. In the misted eyes of his, the pupil seemed to be shrinking.

The smirk on his face became eerier and eerier, with malicious attempts hidden inside.

I turned my head to observe that snake soaked in the liquor. It snapped the bottle more fiercely with its tails when it kept swimming inside the liquor flicking its tongue, as if it had been annoyed by Fletcher’s constant poking.

Across the distance from where I was standing, there shouldn’t be any sound noticeable to the ear. But strangely, I heard a hissing voice calling, “Aurora, Aurora.”

I flinched away for I was apparently frightened. Regardless of this bottle of snake liquor, I hurried downstairs.

hey...” David was laughing oddly

proved to be a challenge after I got downstairs, so I packed up my clothes for tomorrow, took my schoolbag, and called my father, saying that I had some difficulties with my homework and would go to Pearl Chang's home to spend the night.

you and Pearl to school together.”

is my daughter, see what a good girl she is! I never need to worry about her grade. My only daughter as she is, she

the phone, I went directly downstairs

waiting for the bus, I felt vague that something was watching me

around, I spotted David standing on the balcony of

bent over the bar that was shielding the balcony. His upper body was leaning down, a pose

gaze, and he shouted immediately upward, “Hey, bro, mind if you fall down!”

instantly with a

David was still standing on the balcony, looking at me, the dim light of the road reflected in

motorcycle, I phoned Pearl, who was on good terms with me.

in the town. He usually made money by conducting religious rites for people. And he would also host some dharma activities on the first and fifteenth

Taoist temple. Upon my entrance into the temple, I heard

wild cats.” Pearl took a

Master Chang, while having an evening

startled by him, I flinched. He, however, immediately grabbed that one liter of

of rice hit my face

Pearl Chang cried out loud.

if I had worn several heavy coats on the way over here, and now they were stripped off as the rice hit

over with a brazier and looked at my back. “Is something wrong with your house? Why are so

I saw the rice spilling all over the ground, but in the middle of it, a few thin snake-shaped lines were swimming from my heels to the outside, as if something on my body were flying away through the rice line

paper in the brazier, “you jump

over the fire, the paper that was burning inside suddenly rolled up with a crackle, I seemed to have heard

the paper even curled around me while still burning,

crossed the brazier that the paper slowly turned to

Chang squinted at me and said, “All right, the problem is fixed. You can sleep

relieved

well. She looked at Master Chang

tonight. You girls go to sleep.” Master Chang frowned seriously and looked at me, as if he was

There was always either a peach-wood sword hanging on the wall, or some other evil-proof articles placed in her house, which

one who knew about the black snake in