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The Deadly Honesty Necklace #shortmax
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I was born a liar. That's the label my mom gave me. It all started because my mom, a firm
00:05believer
00:06in scientific parenting, put honesty necklaces on me and my twin sister the day we were born.
00:11Whenever you lied, the pendant on the necklace would glow red, and mom would press a remote
00:16to send an electric current as punishment. My sister's necklace was always green, even when
00:21she cut mom's dress and blamed it on the cat. The necklace just blinked gently with a green light.
00:26But me, just saying mom, I'm hungry, would make my necklace flash red instantly, followed
00:32by a jolt of electricity straight to my skin. At first, I tried to defend myself, but mom
00:38said, machines don't lie. The pain will teach you a lesson. Mom's doing this for your own
00:44good. After thousands of electric shocks, I started to believe it too. Maybe I really
00:49was born a liar. On New Year's Eve, mom was taking my sister to see the fireworks. A sharp
00:54pain tore through my stomach. I curled up on the floor, begging,
00:58Mom, my stomach hurts so bad. Please help me.
01:02But my necklace flashed red like crazy. Mom looked down at me, drenched in sweat, and
01:07turned the current to Max. You're faking sick just to come with us to the fireworks? You're
01:12hopeless. She turned and walked out the door with
01:14my sister. I couldn't help but think, Mom must be right. The necklace is red, so I must not
01:20really be in pain. I'm just lying for attention again. I'm sorry, Mom. In my next life, I'll
01:26learn to be an honest kid.
01:28It hurts so much. It hurts so much.
01:34Mom was back. Mom's a doctor. She must have realized something was wrong. She came to save
01:41me.
01:41Are you done yet? The fireworks are about to start, and Jenny's getting impatient.
01:44Mom! Mom, it really hurts. It feels like my intestines are twisting.
01:51How long are you going to keep this up? You're such a liar. You can just stay home and reflect
01:58on yourself.
01:59Honey, come on. Hurry up. The fireworks show is about to start. If she don't want to go,
02:03fine. Should we save her some food?
02:05Save her food? She has a bunch of snacks in her closet, which she buy with the money she
02:09stole last time. She won't starve. Lock the door. We'll let her out. Only her necklace turns
02:14green. But what? Spare the rod and spoil the child. Look how honest Jenny is. Her necklace
02:21is always green. Stella's just a bad egg, and she needs to be corrected.
02:26But my closet was empty. That time, my sister took the money. She ate all the snacks, too.
02:32My sister just stood there, her necklace glowing soft green.
02:36I know one of you took the money. Who did it?
02:39It wasn't me.
02:40And Mom believed her. When I tried to say I didn't take it either,
02:44my necklace turned red, and I got another shock.
02:47No, Mommy! I did it!
02:55Bye-bye, sister. We're going to see the pretty fireworks.
03:02It hurts so much!
03:09I'm not in pain. I'm really not in pain. I'm not in pain. I'm really not in pain.
03:17Tears streaming down my face. I hypnotized myself. I don't know how long passed. It didn't hurt quite
03:23as much anymore. With my last bit of strength, I crawled to my desk. I had to write a self
03:28-criticism.
03:29That was the rule. Whenever the red light came on, I had to write a thousand words of I am
03:34a liar.
03:34My hands shaking. I opened that crumpled, worn-out diary. It was filled with self-criticisms from
03:40before. But this time, I wanted to write the truth.
03:43Mom, I really love you.
03:46It really hurts so much. Why won't you believe me? Mom, please just believe me. Just once.
03:54Everything was getting blurry. Tears streaming. I used my last bit of strength to write.
03:59After I wrote the last word, the sharp pain in my stomach suddenly vanished.
04:03In its place was a lightness I'd never felt before. My body grew light. I floated up.
04:08I looked down and saw myself slumped over the desk, my hand hanging limply in the air. On my neck,
04:15the necklace was still blinking red like crazy. So this is what it's like to die? I still haven't
04:21learned to be an honest kid. I'm sorry, Mom.
04:25I was woken up by laughter. It was Mom, Dad, and my sister. Mom's voice held a tenderness I'd never
04:32heard before. I floated in midair, watching the front door open. Even though I was a soul now,
04:37I instinctively floated over to greet them, wanting to get their slippers like I always did.
04:42It was a habit carved into my bones, the need to please. Mom, I'm not in pain anymore.
04:49I'll be good. Please don't be mad. I opened my arms, wanting to hug the woman still carrying the
04:56winter chill. But my hands passed right through her, like wind through nothing. Why is it so cold
05:01in here? Is the heater off? I froze, staring at my own transparent hands. Yeah, I'm dead.
05:09Dead people can't hug the living. Go check on Stella. She hasn't come out to eat. Maybe she's
05:15really hungry. Good old Dad. I looked hopefully at Mom. If she found out I was dead, would she be
05:20sad?
05:21Would she regret it? Mom snorted and walked toward my room.
05:26She pushed my door open. She didn't turn on the light. In the glow from the living room,
05:31she saw me slumped over the desk, not moving, like I was asleep.
05:36Oh, still lying there?
05:39You think lying that will make me carry you to bed?
05:43Stella, you're ten years old, not five.
05:46Mom! I'm not pretending to sleep!
05:49I'm dead!
05:51Look at me! Touch me!
05:56I'm cold!
05:58But she couldn't hear me. She only believed what she could see.
06:02Sister's a big sleepy head. Look, my necklace is green, but Sister's is still red. Sister's
06:09always lying. She's even lying in her dreams.
06:14Our Jenny's such a good girl. Don't mind this liar. Let her lie there. See how long she can
06:22keep it up. Maybe we should put her in bed. It's cold out.
06:26Put her in bed? The experts in scientific parenting say you have to be cold in moments
06:30like this. She has to realize her own mistake. Look at that red light. It means her mental
06:36state is still extreme resistance. She hasn't repented at all.
06:39Alright, time for bed. We're going to Grandma's tomorrow for New Year's.
06:44Mom turned sharply and closed the door again. I floated beside my body, staring at that single
06:49point of red light in the darkness. The sadness in my heart was colder than death itself.
06:54Mom, if you had taken just one step closer, if you had just touched my hand you would have
07:00known I was dead. But you didn't. You only believed that cold, lifeless machine, not the
07:06daughter you carried for ten months.
07:07Late at night, a mouse crept out of my empty closet. I used to be terrified of mice. I'd
07:14scream every time I saw one. But now, I could only float on the ceiling, watching it crawl
07:19all over my body, I whispered weakly. But no sound came out, the mouse spit through my
07:23toe. A little blackish purple blood oozed out. I couldn't feel it anymore, good. It finally
07:30didn't hurt. I said to the pitiful shell below me. It's okay. You can't feel it anymore. It'll be over
07:38soon. The next morning, sunlight fell on my body, but it brought no warmth. From the kitchen came the
07:44clatter of pots and pans. Mom was making breakfast. The smell of fried eggs drifted through the crack in
07:49my door. Usually, that was the smell I craved most. But all I ever got was boiled vegetables,
07:56because mom said, liars didn't deserve meat. Today, she banged the spatula extra loud on purpose.
08:02I knew what she was doing. She was trying to tempt me. She wanted me to give in, come out,
08:09and admit I was wrong. If this were before, maybe I would have confessed to things I didn't do,
08:14just for one fried egg. But now, I didn't need to eat anymore. Stella still hasn't come out?
08:23Nope. Stubborn as a mule. Spoiled brat. Fine. Don't eat. See if I care. My sister drank her milk,
08:32her eyes darting around. She ran up to my door on purpose and took a big sniff. Then,
08:37with a dramatic yell. Mom! What? Sister's room stinks. Did she poop in there? The heater was too
08:46strong. After just one night, I was starting to smell. Mom would hate me even more. Stella!
08:56The bathroom's right there! Did your legs break? You actually pooped in your room? You're hopeless!
09:03You'd rather lose all self-respect than admit you're wrong?
09:06I remembered once, when I was little. I had acute gastroenteritis. I couldn't make it to the
09:13bathroom and messed up my pants. Mom not only refused to wash me, she made me stand in the yard
09:18as a punishment. She pointed at me and told the neighbors I was as dirty as a pig. Now,
09:23she thought I was dirty again. Leave her alone! Let her sit in her own stink! Let it choke her!
09:29The smell's pretty strong. Let me check it out. Maybe there's a dead mouse or something.
09:34Dad stood up and walked toward my door. My heart leaped. Dad! Open the door! Look at me! I'm right
09:41here! Just turn the handle and you'll see I'm not moving! You'll see my face already turning black!
09:52What? The server crashed? Okay, okay, I'm coming right now. Honey, emergency at work. I gotta go.
09:59Might not be back for a few days. But what about Stella?
10:02Mom didn't even finish before Dad slammed the door shut behind him. I was stunned. So close.
10:08Just one second. If that call had come a moment later, I'd have been found. Maybe then I wouldn't
10:14have to rot any longer. That afternoon, Mom took my sister out shopping. The house was empty except
10:20for my body. At night, they came back loaded with fancy seafood and gifts. The smell hit them the
10:25second they walked in. Mom covered her nose, even gagging. Stella! Does this place have to look like
10:33a lamb stilt? She wouldn't even open the door to yell at me, like looking at that room would somehow
10:38dirty her eyes. She grabbed wide packing tape, crouched down, and viciously sealed the bottom crack of my
10:43door. You like the smell so much? Fine! Rot in there by yourself! Just don't let it stink up the
10:50rest of us! Ah, peace and quiet. I stared at that sealed door. The last bit of hope in my
11:02heart
11:02suffocated along with the tape. Turns out, in Mom's heart, my life or death mattered less than a fancy
11:08seafood dinner. She'd rather seal me and then look to see if I'd died in there. Mom, you win.
11:18I'll never bother you again.
11:23The third morning, winter sunlight streamed into the living room, but it couldn't dispel the gloom
11:28hanging over the house. The underfloor heating was cranked up. 26 degrees. The tape couldn't hold
11:34back the smell anymore. It was a nauseating, greasy stench of decay. Mom was trimming freshly
11:40bought flowers, but no amount of floral scent could cover the reek of death. Mom cut a rose viciously,
11:45the thorns piercing her hand. She'd finally had enough. In her mind, I hadn't bathed. I'd pooped
11:52in my room. I'd probably hidden a dead mouse in there, all just to spite her, to defy her authority.
11:57Stella, you've gone too far. If you don't repent, I won't let you off easily. It seems that gentle
12:04remindings don't work for you. I must use hard ARBAP to teach you Jalfigwin. I floated in front
12:09of Mom, watching her twisted face, waving my arms desperately. Even though she didn't love me,
12:15I didn't want her to see me like that. But she passed right through me.
12:18I'm ugly. I'm rotten. You'll be scared.
12:32Stella! What have you done?
12:38She looked up and saw me, still slumped over the desk just like three days ago, my back to her,
12:43not moving. To her, it was silent defiance. The ultimate disrespect. I'm talking to you!
12:50You hear me? Still playing dead? Blind with rage, Mom charged in, raising the rolling pin. But she
12:56didn't strike. She wanted to grab me first, to see my defiant face. Her hand grabbed the back of my
13:01collar, touched the skin of my neck. Then she froze. No warmth of life at all. She blinked. But inertia
13:08kept her pulling. My body fell backward. Chair and all crashed to the floor.
13:13The chair slammed against the ground. My body, stiff as a statue, toppled over. My face was finally
13:19visible. It wasn't the shy little girl she knew anymore. My face was purple-black, my eyes bulging.
13:28My features twisted from the death throes. Dried white foam and black-red blood caked at the
13:33corners of my mouth. And around my blackened neck, pressed against the rotting flesh. That honesty
13:39necklace Mom was so proud of. Hanging there, lifeless. The skin on my neck was burnt black by
13:45the constant current, fused with the metal pendant. No more red light. No more green light. Just dead
13:52silence. Thump. A soft sound. The diary that had been pinned under my arm slid out as my body fell.
13:58It landed at Mom's feet. Open. Facing her. On that page, crooked handwriting stabbed into her
14:05eyes like knives. Mom, my stomach really hurts. The necklace is broken. I'm not lying. Please don't
14:13shock me. Mom stumbled back, her lower back slamming into the bookshelf behind her. Faces shattered on
14:21the floor. But she didn't feel the pain. Her eyes were wide. Fixed on me on the ground.
14:32No. It's a trick. Makeup. Special effects. Stella, get up. Mom's not mad anymore.
14:39Don't scare me. That feeling. It was too real. It was the temperature of death.
14:47Aunt Shelly called the police. She'd come running at Mom's screams and collapsed at the door when she
14:52saw the scene. Sirens soon filled the neighborhood. Police came. Forensics came. Yellow tape went up.
14:59I watched them come and go. Watched flashlights flicker over my body. Mom was pulled onto the
15:04living room sofa by a female officer. Officer, she was faking sick. She's lied since she was little.
15:11The necklace was red. Machines don't lie. I was just disciplining her. I did it for her own good.
15:18No one listened. Everyone looked at her like she was a monster. When the coroner moved my body,
15:23they ran into a problem. The necklace. Because of the prolonged high voltage current,
15:28the heat had fused the metal to my skin, like it had grown into my flesh.
15:32Damn it.
15:34He had to get tools. Force the necklace off. Rip. The sound of skin tearing.
15:39An officer picked up the diary from the floor. Wearing gloves, he flipped through it. His face
15:46grew darker and darker. Mom stared at that diary, eyes locked on it. Suddenly, she lunged like a
15:52madwoman, trying to grab it. That's her self-criticism. She admitted it. She admitted
15:57she lied. Look, she wrote it. We'll find out if she lie.
16:00That's when Dad arrived. He saw the black body bag being carried out. That long zipper,
16:05sealing my whole life shut. Dad's legs gave out. He collapsed on the spot, wetting himself.
16:12My little sister was crying, terrified. She didn't understand what was happening.
16:17She just pointed at the blood-stained necklace on the table and asked,
16:21Mom, why is sister's necklace black? Mine's still green.
16:25She held up the pendant on her neck. The green light blinked innocently. Like a giant,
16:30cruel joke. The police started a temporary inquiry in the living room. Mom clutched at her last straw.
16:37She pointed at the bloody necklace, her voice shrill.
16:41Officers, check that necklace. That necklace proved she was lying. Red means lying. I only
16:47shocked her when it was red. I didn't abuse her. The machine showed it. I was just disciplining her.
16:53The officer frowned at her like she was insane.
16:56Ma'am, the deceased has multiple old electrical burns.
16:59That was discipline. Education. Mom screamed, cutting him off. To prove she was innocent.
17:06To prove she wasn't a murderer. She made a crazy demand. She lunged for the table,
17:12grabbing the necklace still covered in my flesh and blood. Ignoring the gore. Hands shaking,
17:17she forced it onto her own neck. I'll prove it. I'm innocent. As long as it's green,
17:24it means I'm telling the truth. She clicked the necklace around her own neck. Click. It locked.
17:30The cold metal touched her skin, sticky with my blood. Mom took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
17:37She held up the pendant for the officers to see, her eyes wild with certainty. Watch closely. I'm Clara.
17:43I'm Stella's mother. That was the truth. Absolutely true. But...
17:54A piercing shriek erupted. The dormant red light blazed to life. Red as blood. Red as evil. In the dim
18:01living room, it was like a bloodshot eye snapping open. Mom froze. The confident expression on her
18:07face locked in place. She slapped the pendant, like fixing a glitching TV. What's wrong? It's broken?
18:14I told the truth. I'm Clara. Panic crept into her voice, her words tumbling out faster. It must be
18:21broken. That coroner broke it. Let me try again. One more time. It didn't abuse my child. I did it
18:28for
18:28her own good. I love her. The red light flashed even faster, a continuous strobe of red. Sensing her
18:34extreme heart rate, the necklace automatically released the leaf current. Mom jolted, her neck
18:40spasming, hands flying to her throat as she doubled over. It hurt. Even that tiny current made her neck
18:46cramp, goosebumps rising over her skin. And suddenly she remembered. Ten years old. Me. The current at
18:54maximum. Curled on the floor, biting through my lip, afraid to even cry out. So this is what it felt
19:01like. Mom completely lost it. She screamed at the necklace, spittle flying. Why is it red? Why? I'm
19:09telling the truth. Why? I'm telling the truth. Turn green. You. No matter how she screamed, the red
19:15light kept flashing, mocking her silently. You're a liar. You're a liar. Enough. Stopping doesn't detect
19:23lies. He grabbed the instruction manual found during the search and slammed it on the coffee table.
19:28It's just a simple galvanic skin response and heart rate monitor. It works like this. When you're
19:33nervous, anxious, scared, or in pain, your heart rate goes up, your galvanic skin response increases,
19:38and the light turns red. Right now, you're terrified, anxious, tachycardic. Of course it's
19:43all red. He stepped closer to mom. Your daughter had a perforated appendix. She was writhling on the
19:49floor in agony. The pain of internal perforation. How fast do you think her heart was beating? How
19:55terrified was she? In your eyes, the more it hurt. The faster her heart raced, the brighter the red
20:01light. And you thought that meant she was lying harder, so you cranked up the current.
20:07Your younger daughter-less has been set to green since it left the factory.
20:11No matter what she says or does, even if she murders someone, it stays green.
20:16Your scientific parenting? It's a complete biased joke.
20:21Mom's world collapsed. She sat there, staring blankly at the red light flashing on her neck.
20:27Finally understanding. For 10 years. Every time my red light came on, it was because I was afraid.
20:35Afraid mom would be mad. Afraid of being misunderstood. Afraid of the food I hated on the table.
20:41I was in pain. Pain made my heart race. Made me sweat with fear. I was longing. Longing for her
20:48hug.
20:49Longing for her to hold me like she held my sister. Every signal of a beating heart, she'd read as
20:54evidence of a lie. A wail erupted from mom. She clawed at the necklace around her neck.
21:02But the necklace's clasp, damaged by her violent struggle earlier, was jammed. Stuck tight around
21:09her neck. She couldn't pry it off. Can't get it off. Can't get it off. Stella, take the necklace.
21:17Mommy was wrong. It hurts. Can't handle this little bit of pain, mom? I took it for 10 years.
21:24To confirm the details of the abuse and build the case. The police opened the diary, the key piece
21:30of evidence, in front of mom and dad. That diary I'd kept for 10 years, filled with humiliation and
21:35blood and tears. The female officer's voice was soft, but every word cut deep.
21:40February 14th, Sunny. Mom gave me celery. I'm allergic to celery. It makes my throat swell up.
21:47I can't breathe. I said I didn't want it, that it would make me sick. Because I was scared of
21:53making mom mad. My heart was racing. The red light came on. Mom said I was a picky eater and
21:59a liar,
22:00and made me eat the whole plate. That night, I coughed up blood. My throat burned like fire.
22:05Mom saw it and said I drank tomato juice and was faking it. She shocked me for another 10 minute.
22:11Mom covered her mouth, her whole body shaking violently. That night, she really had thought it
22:17was tomato juice. She hadn't even looked closely at my vomit before turning away to tell my sister a
22:22story. It was blood. Blood from a throat swollen and torn. The officer turned the page and continued.
22:29June 1st. Children's Day. Sister cut mom's dress. Sister's heartbeat was slow. Her necklace was green.
22:36I tried to explain, because I was scared of getting hit. All red lights. Mom shocked me for 10 minutes.
22:42Current at level 5. It hurt so much, but I didn't dare cry. Because if I cried, my heart would
22:49race
22:49faster, and mom would think I was defiant, and shock me harder. I had to hold my breath. Pretend it
22:55didn't hurt. Mom said, see? She's not even screaming. That means it doesn't hurt. She's faking.
23:03Dad couldn't take it anymore. This man, invisible in this family for so long,
23:08we turned a blind eye to my suffering. We just wanted peace and quiet. He lunged forward.
23:13You monster! You monster! Look what you've done! That was your own daughter! You raised her like an
23:25animal! Mom's mouth bled. She fell to the floor, but she didn't fight back. She didn't cry. She just
23:33stared blankly, muttering. Not me. It wasn't my fault. Suddenly, she pointed at my sister,
23:41cowering in the corner. It was her! Jenny! Sister's necklace was always green. Sister was the honest
23:48one. She misled me. If it weren't for that green light, I wouldn't have trusted the red one so much.
23:55The little princess who'd always been cherished. An officer walked over. He unclasped the green
24:01necklace from my sister's neck. Got a screwdriver. Pride opened the pendant.
24:10There were no complex sensor chips. No heart rate monitor. Just two cheap LEDs and a few button
24:16batteries. The circuit was hardwired. Permanently set to green. This is a $2 plastic toy. The officer
24:24tossed the broken pieces onto the table with a clatter. Your younger daughter-less has been set
24:29to green since it left the factory. No matter what she says or does, even if she murders someone,
24:35it stays green. Your scientific parenting? It's a complete, biased joke. Mom stared at the plastic
24:43fragments. The truth she'd believed for 10 years. The evidence that had sentenced me to death. Just a toy.
24:50A toy controlled my fate for 10 years? A game where only I was in hell, and my sister in
24:56heaven?
24:56So I wasn't a liar. I wasn't a bad kid. What were all those years of suffering for? I laughed.
25:04And as
25:04I laughed, I cried. Turns out, souls can cry too. The last page of the diary was opened. The female
25:12officer's voice cracked. The handwriting is shaky. Probably written right before she died. Mom, if I die,
25:19will the necklace stop glowing? Will you hold me then? I wasn't lying. My stomach hurt so bad,
25:24like a knife twisting inside. Ma, in my next life, please don't make me wear a necklace. I'm begging
25:31you. I just want to be a normal kid. I want to eat the braid pork you make. Mom stared
25:36at the pile
25:37of plastic junk. The honest green light she trusted so blindly. Just a cheap toy. Because of it,
25:43she doted on my sister for 10 years. Because of that damned red light, she tortured me for 10 years.
25:51Fake. It's all fake. I killed my most honest child and raised a liar.
25:58My death became a city-wide sensation. Aunt Shelly, our neighbor, was a kind soul but a big
26:04mouth. She posted everything she'd seen online. The headline was shocking. Girl electrocuted by
26:09pseudoscience honesty necklace. The article detailed my corpse's condition, and the necklace fused into my
26:14flesh. It exploded. Online fury ignited instantly. Mom's personal information was doxed. Electrocution
26:21demon. Murderer. She doesn't deserve to be a mom. Insults rained down like snow. Our front door was
26:28splashed with red paint, scrawled with the word death. Dad was also taken in for investigation,
26:34failure to prevent abuse, neglect of parental duties. Though he wasn't heavily sentenced due to lack
26:39direct involvement, he lost his job. His reputation was ruined. His company fired him immediately to
26:45avoid association. The family went bankrupt. Pay compensation and legal fees, the house and car
26:51were sold. Dad couldn't handle the madwoman anymore. He took what little money was left and left with my
26:57sister. Even if my sister was a bad seed, she was still his only remaining child. Before leaving,
27:03my sister tried to take the green necklace. Dad crushed it under his foot. What the hell do you
27:09need that piece of junk for? My sister left, crying. Mom was released on bail pending trial.
27:15Psychological evaluation showed severe schizophrenia and PTSD. She was left in that rented room,
27:21filled with the memory of my stench. Completely isolated, her mental state deteriorated. She always
27:29felt I was still in the house. That red necklace, she refused to take it off. In fact, she became
27:35dependent on it because she found that wearing it, feeling that faint stain, eased her guilt just a
27:41little. It was her own self-inflicted punishment. I floated in the room, watching her daily descent into
27:47madness. She'd cook a whole table of food, calling out to empty air. Stella, dinner's ready. No celery
27:53today. All braised pork, your favorite. Then she'd pick up a piece of meat, hands shaking. From
27:59anxiety, the necklace turned red. She'd laugh, a nervous laugh.
28:03The heart is racing. Mommy's lying. Mommy doesn't deserve to be. Liars must be punished.
28:13She'd put down her chopsticks, pick up the remote, point it at her own neck. Even though the battery
28:19was nearly dead, she'd found new ones somewhere. The strong current made her convulse, foam at the
28:24mouth, and a liquid balloon across her face.
28:37It hurts. It hurts just like, was this how much it hurt for Stella? I'm sorry, mommy taste it now.
28:44She started punishing herself according to my diary entries. I was shocked for refusing celery,
28:49so she forced herself to eat rotten food. Until she vomited blood, she forced it down.
28:54I was locked in my room, so she locked herself in there without light. In the darkness, she
29:00cowed out to my memorial photo. Her forehead bled. Bloodstains covered the floor. Late at night,
29:09she'd watch the red light from the necklace cast shadows on the wall. Like my bloody eyes staring
29:14at her. On the back page of my diary, she scribbled frantically in red pen.
29:18I'm sorry. Mommy was wrong. Red light is pain. Red light is love. Please come back. Just say it hurts
29:26one more time. Mommy will save you this time. I promise.
29:30Too bad. I'm already dead. Dead people can't say it hurts. Mom was eventually committed to a psychiatric
29:37hospital. Her self-harm had gotten so bad she nearly electrocuted herself at home. Community services
29:42intervened and sent her in. She was the strangest patient there. She found some red plastic ring
29:47somewhere and wore it around her neck. A homemade necklace. If anyone tried to take it off,
29:53she'd bite like a rabid dog. Don't touch my light! Stella's watching! If you take it off,
30:00she'll get mad! She developed a terrible conditioned reflex. Whenever a nurse asked,
30:05Clara, have you eaten? She'd touch her neck first, then convulse and scream.
30:10Red light! Don't shock me! I'll eat! I'll eat! Even if the porridge was scalding hot,
30:16she'd gulp it down, burning her esophagus, too scared to spit it out. She was imitating me,
30:21right before I died. Reliving my hell, over and over. Years passed. My sister grew up. And she grew up
30:29twisted. With no discipline and that reputation hanging over her, she ended up at the bottom of
30:34society. Broke, she remembered the mom still in the psych ward. She went to visit. Not for family
30:41love. For money. Old crazy lady! Dad's dead! Give me the secret stash you hid! My sister wore heavy
30:48makeup, her face full of malice. She looked at mom's pathetic state and spat in disgust. Just like your
30:54delvis daughter. If you don't give me money, I'll pull your plug and let you join her.
31:00At those words, mom, who'd been in a daze, suddenly looked up. Her clotted eyes focused on my sister for
31:06a moment, sharp and clear. She remembered the always green toy necklace. The green that had fooled her
31:12for ten years. You tricked me! Your green light was fake! You killed Stella! Give her back! Give her back!
31:24Die! You die! You're the one who should die! Help!
31:32Doctors rushed in, sedated mom, and pulled her off. My sister fled in panic.
31:43She ran blindly out of the hospital gate. Crazy! All of you are crazy!
31:48A speeding truck couldn't stop in time. My sister flew through the air. She survived, but her legs were
31:55crushed. She'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Completely broken. And mom, strapped to
32:01a restraint bed, stared at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. In her dreams, she finally saw me.
32:07I was still ten years old. No necklace. Wearing a white dress. Smiling, I ran to her. She opened her
32:15arms joyfully. Then she saw her own hands, crackling with electricity. The moment she touched me, my body
32:23burned up like paper. Turned to ashes. She woke screaming.
32:30No!
32:34Heart rate spiking.
32:38If she still wore that necklace, it would have been blazing red. The eternal pain.
32:43I stood in the void, watching it all. Watching mom suffer in the psych ward. Watching my sister
32:48begging with broken legs. Watching dad, broken, drunk, dying young. In my heart, there was
32:53no satisfaction in revenge. Just stillness. Still as death. Beside me stood an old dog.
32:59Shao Bai. The dog I raised as a child, until mom threw him out. He'd been waiting for me in
33:04the spirit
33:05world. Shao Bai rubbed against my leg and barked softly. Like he was saying. Come on. Stop watching.
33:11Yeah. Time to go. This life was too bitter. Nothing worth holding onto. I floated to the window of mom's
33:17room.
33:17One last goodbye. Mom lay in bed, withered, hair completely white. She seemed to sense something.
33:23Stella? Is that you? Mom smashed the necklace. Mom doesn't believe in it anymore. Please come back.
33:32Mom will cook for you. No celery. Mom will buy you new dresses. Not for your sister.
33:38Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling on the pillow. Sighed softly. I reached out. My cold
33:44finger touched her forehead. The last mercy I could give her. Let her sleep. Sleep. And it won't hurt
33:50anymore. She calmed instantly. Her eyelids grew heavy. She fell into a deep sleep. A breeze blew
33:56through. The worn diary on her bedside table flipped open. The police had returned it to her as a personal
34:02effect. On the last page, below my dying words, were a few shaky new lines, written by mom in her
34:08lucid
34:09moments. In the next life, let mommy wear the necklace. Let mommy be the liar. You punish me. Just don't
34:20leave me.
34:22Mommy will do anything. I looked at those words. Felt nothing. Too late. All the regret in the world,
34:29in the face of death, is pale and meaningless. Mom, I don't hate you anymore. But I don't love you
34:35either. Mom, let's don't meet again the next life. I turned away. Took Xiao Bai's leash. In the distance,
34:43a door of light appeared. The entrance to the next cycle. I raised my hand to my neck. The necklace
34:48that
34:49had always been there in spirit form. The nightmare that had bound me my whole life. I grabbed it.
34:53Pulled. Snap. It shattered. Dissolved into specks of light. Vanished into the air. I felt lighter than
35:00I'd ever felt. No red light. No electricity. No lies. Just freedom. I walked toward the door of light.
35:07Didn't look back. Morning sunlight streamed in. A nurse opened the door for rounds.
35:12Clara, time for your meds. No answer. The figure on the bed didn't move. The nurse stepped closer.
35:19Clara clutched the tattered diary tightly in her hand. At the corner of her eye,
35:23one last crystalline tear. On the heart monitor beside her,
35:26the line that represented life had gone perfectly flat.
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