Samantha sighs in relief that it's just some silly video and not Edward. She somehow doesn't realize that her phone is now operating by itself based on instructions embedded in the video, overriding her manual operation.
Samantha tries to shut the distracting video but her phone will not react to her tapping onto the screen. The group of Japanese children in red and blue costumes hold hands, rocking sideways rhythmically as they serenade a children's tune in Japanese, which sounded a lot like 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'.
Not understanding a single word, her eyes automatically pulls focus to the English subtitle at the bottom of the video. Her hands turn ice cold as she stares at what the creepy subtitles are translating:
~Looking for the camera~
~It has been there since forever~
~Your secret I have removed~
~Before little Ed could look~
~Do me a favor~
~And you will be free forever~
The message repeated over and over for three times until the whole video is over. It then shut off automatically, allowing Samantha to manually operate her phone again.
Samantha desperately tries to search for the sender but there is no sender in her log once again. The video has been downloaded to her somehow 'magically'.
"Fucking shit!" she curses to herself feeling a shiver run through her body making her legs wobbly. It is the creepiest thing that has ever happened to her.
Things would have felt more comforting if someone had called her and demanded for money or something. But this 'person' right now is almost invisible like a ghost and the wizardry stunts he is pulling off, like that nerve tingling video she has just watched makes her want to puke. She feels sick and worried at the same time making her nauseous.
Someone is blackmailing her but instead of money, he asks for a ‘favor'. What kind of favor this person wants is what's worrying her. Samantha sits on the edge of her bed and stares down at the green carpet between her shiny leather boots.
Her eyes seem to be looking at the horizontal patterns of the woolen carpet but in actual, her mind has wandered away considering the options she has - which is none. She can only wait for him or them to contact her again, as Edward is her only way of life.
Chapter 6
Malaysia: Thursday, 13th November 11:55 a.m.
Though still too distraught to talk, Yuna is a lot calmer than yesterday. The funeral, held for only one day is almost over. They are now at the last stage of sending Mei off into the afterworld.
The environment inside the crematorium is extremely solemn, with none of the few attending visitors talking. Like a dark cloud, Yuna's presence has cast a shadow over the occasion, making it a far darker one.
Yuna watches as the coffin burns in the cremator, with quiet tears streaming down her cheeks; bidding her final farewell to Mei in her heart.
As the metal door of the cremator closes separating them into two worlds forever, Yuna's silent cry explodes into a choking sob. It is more than devastating to see her sister physically disintegrate from this world. Yen hugs her as they sob together.
It didn't even take half an hour for all of what remains of Mei to be reduced to fit inside a white marble urn, now sitting snugly within John's arms together with her picture. Yuna's gaze lowers to the urn. It is over. Everything is over. The world is short of one person but things will go on fine without her. And soon everyone will forget the place Mei held in this world.
Yen opens the car door to the back passenger seat for the both of them to enter her white Suzuki subcompact. John climbs in followed by Yuna, both not saying a word to each other since yesterday's break down. Both Yuna and John stayed overnight at the mortuary, neither leaving the deceased side to go home for a rest. They mourned through the night not sleeping a wink, each drowning in their own thoughts of the dead.
Yen turns the radio on to ease the tension in the car as she drives away from the crematorium.
"Where are you going to keep her ashes?" Yuna asks, keeping her gaze out the window, finally breaking the icy silence in the car.
"I've bought a space at the memorial hall -," John answers and immediately gets cut off.
"For single or double urns?" Yuna snaps.
John takes a deep breath. He knows where this is going to lead to. "Single urn -," he replies and gets cut off again.
"Where are you going lay when you die?" she continues to snap.
"Does that even matter?" John snaps back. Yuna is getting too hard to bear, especially at a time when he has just lost his most beloved.
"I'm not going to let you leave her alone at some strange place," she argues.
"Do you know how much all these costs?? That is all I can afford!" he defends trying to hold back tears. The memorial service, getting the monks to come for prayers, the crematory band and the memorial hall space for a single urn, everything the Taoist funeral had required has sucked his savings dry. He isn't lying. It is really all he could afford for her.
"Then just take her home! She loved you more than anyone else in her life!" Yuna insists.
"I'm moving back to my parents' tomorrow..." he sniffs, "...They will not allow her ashes."
"Because it's a shame?" Yuna continues to bark at him but John isn't angry this time. In fact he is more of ashamed as he knows her words are true. They didn't even care to attend her funeral, putting tradition as reason, saying that the old cannot send the young off or bad luck will befall them.
"Yuna, please calm down," Yen starts persuading from the driver's seat, looking at them through the rear view mirror.
"I'll keep her ashes," Yuna finally announces flatly after John's silent acknowledgment.
Silence falls onto the three of them again for a minute or two before the radio starts playing some noisy rock and roll music. Yen immediately switches the channel.
"Do what you want. I only want one thing," John finally says.
"What do you want?" Yuna asks sharply.
"I will keep our wedding photos. That's all. You can have everything else including her ashes," John replies calmly and waits for Yuna to respond but she only remains silent.
Presuming Yuna's silence as a yes, John proceeds to say, "You can come back to stay if you want. Mei has maintained your room as it is since the day you left. I'll pack my stuff by tonight and move out tomorrow."
Yen is glad to see Yuna maintaining her silence. And for the rest of the journey back to their home, everyone remains silent in their own thoughts, drowning the radio out of their minds.
About an hour later they are there. Yen parks her car at a visitor's parking lot of Greenville condos and they all exit the car with John leading the way to the elevator. Nosy neighbors stand watch and whisper to one another as they enter the elevator.
The place hasn't changed much from when Yuna left, only a new coat of paint.
The elevator stops at the top floor and they exit the elevator with John leading them to the place she has called home for her first thirty years of life. John passes the keys back to Yuna and once again she becomes the owner to this cursed unit where three of its owners have died young. Maybe that's why John is moving out so quickly, Yuna thinks to herself.
The lock clicks open and she pushes the door open. Not much has changed in there too. Only the sofas are different. Instead of clumsy leather sofas, there is now a set of modern and compact light blue foldable sofa beds. The rest of the living room looks pretty much like how it used to be two years ago.
John enters after Yuna with Yen entering last. Without saying a word, John goes over to the altar and places Mei beside the deity statue of Kuan Yin. It is the closure Yuna needed - to feel her sister's presence home again, with her. Yuna is starting to come to terms with her sister's departure, the emotional turmoil is still there but acceptance is gradually seeping in.
"I think you both need some rest," Yen said to them after bowing in respect to Mei's ashes.
"Thanks for everything Yen," John utters to her gratefully.
&nbs
p; "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me and Mei," Yuna says, referring to the past two years.
"Don't mention it. The both of you will be okay right?" Yen asks before she leaves.
"Of course. I won't do anything to him," Yuna let's out her first joke with a forced smile since arriving.
"Okay, I'll be going then," Yen smiles at them. John walks over and shows her out the door.
After seeing Yen enter the elevator, he gently closes the front door and walks over to the sofa. He lets himself collapse onto it, his mind like his lifeless eyes, staring faraway into the distant at nothing.
It does feel awkward to be alone in her house with a stranger she hates but who is supposed to be family. As John remains morbid, Yuna can see that his sorrow is not any much less than hers, but if anyone is to be blamed it has to be John. He stole Mei away from her in the first place. If it wasn't for him, she might have still been alive in Australia pursuing a degree.
The thought of that makes her hate him even more and she storms back to her room. The moment she opens the door it feels like she has traveled two years back to when the good times were still there. Her room has been maintained in tip top condition. Not a speck of dust or moving of the furniture.
Yuna feels excruciating pain slice through her heart knowing that her sister had hoped for her return for the past two years. Now she regrets being stubborn. How could she not come back even once, especially when Mei had a miscarriage five months into her pregnancy. Mei could have gotten into depression since then. Yuna would have noticed the symptoms and got her help. Then things wouldn't have spiraled down to this.
Yuna stares at the room and instead of entering she closes the door. She moves to the door next to her room. It was Mei's room before she got married. Yuna turns the knob to open the door and sees that some of the unused furniture from their parent's room had been moved into it. Almost instinctively, she walks over to the corner of the single bed and slips her hand under the heavy mattress. Her fingers find what she is looking for.
Yuna pulls out a black leather covered notebook. It is Mei's diary. Yuna knows it will be there as it was Mei's habit since young to hide her diary under the corner of her mattress. She bet even John doesn't know about the diary.
Yuna holds the diary between her hands hesitating whether to read or not. Even when she knows where to find it since they were kids, Yuna has never once read Mei's diary. But this time she decides she will as she wants to know what had caused her sister to kill herself. Everyone is telling her it is a manifestation of her 'sudden' depression. Mei used to be a cheerful kid, even as a teenager. How could she have gotten depressed?
Yuna takes the diary and goes back to her room. Behind closed doors, she flips the book open to its last written page.
Dear Jie,
Goodbye Jie. Farewell John. I miss you especially Jie - just in case you find this one day. You're the only one who knows right?
I am deeply sorry to have broken your heart but John has never let me down. The past two years were some of the happiest days in my life even though I missed you terribly. I know, I'm ridiculous and a coward - the things I do. But that's just me, your silly little sister and I know despite everything you will still love me.
Don't be hard on yourself. You wouldn't have been able to change my mind. I'm doing this as there's no other way. It's me or John. I rather it is me. This is not yours or John's fault. Don't be sad. I'm finally meeting my little Olive! I've always dreamt of what she'd look like if she had been born. Love you always and will be watching over you with mom, dad and my little girl from Heaven.
Yuna's tears steam down her face as she tries to swallow her sobs. She cannot believe her eyes. Mei has actually left her a suicide note in her diary, knowing that Yuna will find it.
How can she be so ready to die? Those are the questions that keep spinning inside her head as she flips the page backwards to read the last entry of her diary.
She needs to know WHY.
Mon, 10th Nov 3:45 p.m.
The ghost called again. This time giving me a new time and location to finish my task. Says that if I disobeyed again, I will loose the one I love most. I know it meant John. I have only one choice. You can't force me if I am dead. Then John will be useless to you.
Yuna doesn't understand at all. Task? What task? And who is this
ghost? Who was going to hurt John?
Yuna flips the page backwards to the previous entry in Mei's diary.
Sun, 9 Nov 11:50 p.m.
The ghost called again in a different voice warning me that tomorrow is my last chance to obey. To show me what they can do a motorcyclist had driven onto the pedestrian walk nearly killing John. John was lucky he jumped away in time. I feel so angry and helpless! I'm not going to let them touch John! But how?
Reading the entry makes Yuna feel angry. Why is this ghost blackmailing her? She needs answers. Yuna continues to flip the page backwards to read the entry for the day before.
Sat 8th Nov, 11:40 p.m.
Today I finally received my instructions. I did try but I failed. I was supposed to step on the gas pedal when someone pushed this man off the sidewalk. But I stopped. I wasn't brave enough. I can't do it. I'm not a murderer! He hasn't done anything to me. This is crazy!
When I came home, I found this mutilated rat in my wok. Tied to the rat's neck was John's name card. I called John immediately and sent him a picture of the rat. John didn't say it but I can tell that he thinks I was the one who did it. Just now he called to say he is staying over at his mom's for a couple of days because she's sick but I know he is just afraid of me. How can I protect him if he wouldn't believe me?
Yuna couldn't believe what she is reading. She needs to get to the bottom of this. Someone forced Mei to participate in murder? Yuna flips the page back and reads the previous entry.
Fri 7th Nov, 10:52 p.m.
This psychological battering is killing me. They got John dashing home midday like some mad man. I don't even know how this ghost can use my voice and number to fake a suicide call to him. With the ketchup incident, John now thinks I am going crazy. Just let me know what I'm supposed to do to make you stop. I can't take it anymore. I'm so frightened at what's going to happen to us.
What ketchup incident? Yuna can't help but wonder why Mei didn't report all these to the police as she flips to another previous entry.
Thurs, 6th Nov 11:20 p.m.
John came home late yesterday night after attending a bachelor's party. He was so drunk he fell asleep on the couch immediately. I cleaned him up and put a blanket over him. John woke up at 4:30 am shouting from the living room. I hurried out and got the fright of my life. His neck was covered with what looked like blood. I thought he was dead for sure. I was so scared I had forgotten how to scream. What a relief when John said its ketchup. After that he got so mad at me, thinking I played a prank on him for coming home late. He wouldn't believe me that someone had broken into our home. I am terrified. Someone had entered our home in the middle of the night, did all these and left without us even knowing. I know it was a warning. They could come and slit John's throat and that would have been it. I complained to the security office and they told me that there were no records of visitors in their registrar the night before. They said I could view the CCTV footages if I want to. I suspect it's someone who stays here but who? If this ghost could enter my home yesterday, he can do it again. I'm frightened to even sleep or leave the house.
Reading the entry, Yuna can feel how much fright and pressure Mei must have been under. Since young Mei had been protected by Yuna like a princess. She would never be able to take all these sudden, intense battering. Yuna's fingers flips for the previous page.
Wed, 5th Nov 10:56 p.m.
Received an untraceable video. It shows a man telling the woman to shoot someone or he will shoot her husband. She hesitates and he shoots her husband dead. Is this ghost threatening me? What does he want from me? And at the supermarket this Thai woman with a dragon
tattoo around her right wrist grabbed my hand really tight telling me to "Read the note". Then she ran off. Does she know something? What is happening? My heart feels so uneasy and frightened at the same time. And this note she put into my bag says: Come alone. No phone - Shark Palace.
Should I go see the woman?
The more Yuna reads the entries in Mei's diary, the more Yuna becomes inclined to investigate the death of her sister. Who is this woman she wrote about? Was she trying to help Mei?
Yuna immediately flips the page backwards and reads the previous entry.
Tues, 4th Nov 11:35 p.m.
Today I've received another call in a child's voice. I asked who he is and he says he is a ghost. I told him to stop disturbing me and he says he will haunt me until I finish a task for him. I told him I will report to the police and he told me to try. He said no one will believe me. Like the picture there is no traceable caller. He said he will contact me again tomorrow after I lodge a police report. I told John. He believes me and we lodged a police report.
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