- 14 hours ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I dumped the pills into the toilet, one flush, and they were gone.
00:03Mom rushed in, shaking with anger, and grabbed my shoulders hard enough to hurt.
00:08Her fingers dug into my skin. I clenched my teeth and didn't cry.
00:11I had to act worse than I was, so when I died, they wouldn't hurt as much.
00:15That morning, I saw the ultrasound report. Twins, how nice.
00:19Our family could only afford two kids, not three. I was the extra one.
00:24The medicine's too bitter! I hate it! I hate you!
00:27I shouted, shoved Mom away, and crawled into bed.
00:30I pressed my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't make a sound.
00:33It hurt again. Something inside me was chewing me alive, and I couldn't stop it.
00:37It was okay. In a few days, they only had those two babies to raise.
00:42Good night, Daddy. Good night, Mommy. This is the last time I make you angry.
00:49Do you know how much this medicine costs? 200 bucks!
00:54Mom's hand flew up, but she stopped herself, her whole body shaking.
00:57Your father works at the construction site and even sells plasma!
01:04No lie! All just to keep you alive!
01:07She gave me a push that made me stagger.
01:09Dad was home. I flushed all the pills.
01:12400 milliliters. That bought the medicine.
01:15The last bottle they could afford all poured away.
01:18I said it tasted awful.
01:21Fiona, I sold plasma today.
01:23400 milliliters. That bought the medicine.
01:26The last bottle we could afford.
01:28And you flushed it?
01:29Yeah, I did.
01:31I don't want to take the medicine bought with plasma money.
01:34Go! Go to your room! Don't let me see you right now!
01:37I curled up under the blanket, tears flowing into my mouth.
01:40It was salty. That was exactly what I wanted.
01:43I wanted them to hate me and despise me.
01:45This child is ruined.
01:47We can't raise her right.
01:48We still have two babies coming.
01:50We have to raise them right.
01:51We can't...
01:52We can't do this again!
01:55And when I died, they wouldn't be sorry.
01:58Three days left.
01:59In these three days, I had to make them completely give up on me.
02:05Fiona.
02:09Fiona.
02:12Fiona, three days left.
02:15I know.
02:16Can you make it faster?
02:18I want to leave tonight.
02:20No.
02:21The time hasn't come yet.
02:24The next morning, breakfast was too slick split between two bowls.
02:28I finished my toast quickly, stared at Mom's share, and shouted that I wanted more.
02:32I want Mom!
02:32Dad put down his chopsticks, frowned, and said Mom needed nutrition.
02:34The little brother in her belly is the priority.
02:36But I wouldn't listen.
02:37I stood up directly and reached out to grab the toast, and stuffed it into my mouth.
02:42On purpose, I tried to knock the bowl to the floor.
02:45Mom reacted quickly and caught the bowl, but some eggs spilled all over the table, and
02:49she burst into tears from anger.
02:51Dad stood up, grabbed me by the collar, and asked me to...
02:56You run it in my cry, fuck you is!
02:58Beat me to death, and you won't have to waste money on my medicine!
03:01Then you can raise those two brats!
03:03Dad's hands trembled with rage, and he threw me to the ground.
03:06But I got up at once, brushed the dust off my clothes, ran out.
03:10Dad roared behind me to stop, asking where I got the money.
03:13As soon as the door closed, I heard the sound of dishes shattering inside,
03:17followed by Dad's desperate roar, I must have sinned in my past life.
03:22I actually had no money in my pocket, only that crumpled copy of my medical diagnosis.
03:26I tore it up and threw it in the trash.
03:28The reaper drifted back to my side and said,
03:33Why bother doing this?
03:35Making them hate you, you won't feel at peace when you go.
03:39When I got home in the evening, there was a thick stack of money on the table.
03:43Dad's wages for the day and money he had borrowed.
03:45Dad said while smoking that...
03:47We'll go to a big hospital tomorrow.
03:50Let's get you checked again.
03:51Even if we have to sell everything, we'll treat you.
03:53I was so scared I could barely breathe.
03:56I couldn't go.
03:57If I did, the money would be wasted.
03:59That money should be saved from my little brother and sister
04:02to buy them milk powder and help them survive.
04:05I walked to the table and grabbed the stack of money.
04:08Dad rushed over to stop me.
04:10I stuffed the money into my pocket, stepped back and...
04:12I'm taking this money!
04:14I want the newest phone!
04:16Other kids have one!
04:17Dad turned pale with anger, clenched his trembling fists.
04:20I refused, turned around and ran.
04:22He grabbed my arm and in our struggle, the bills flew everywhere.
04:27Dad gasped for breath, gripping my arm so hard it hurt.
04:30Then he suddenly let go, staggered back as if all his strength had been drained
04:35and collapsed onto the sofa, burying his face in his hands and crying.
04:39I had never seen Dad cry like that.
04:42I quickly picked up the money from the floor and put it back on the table,
04:45then ran back to my room, pressing my back against the door as tears streamed down my face.
04:49Dad, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
04:50Dad, I'm sorry. Truly sorry.
04:53What's the use of peace?
04:55If they love me, they'll cry sadly when I die.
04:58If they hate me, when I die, they'll just curse me and then go on with their lives.
05:04On the third day, Dad was going to take me to the hospital, but I knew I couldn't go.
05:08I hid in the tiny bathroom and locked the door.
05:11Fiona! Come out!
05:13I'm not going! I hate hospitals!
05:17Don't make me break down his door!
05:20I sat on the cold floor, hugging my knees, my stomach convulsing with pain.
05:24Blood kept seeping from the corner of my mouth.
05:27I wiped it away with toilet paper over and over.
05:30Suddenly, the bathroom door was kicked open.
05:34Dad stood in the doorway, panting, his eyes red.
05:37He saw the blood-stained tissues in the trash and froze.
05:40He said my name, his voice shaking.
05:43Fiona!
05:44I quickly hid my hands behind my back, trying to wipe the blood from my lips.
05:48I lied that I had bitten my tongue by accident.
05:51Dad didn't say anything.
05:53He slowly walked over and pulled my hand out.
05:56My palm was covered in blood.
05:57He stared at my hand for a long time, then suddenly fell to his knees.
06:02Why didn't you tell me?
06:05Why are you bearing this alone?
06:08Because you're annoying.
06:10Always forcing me to take medicine.
06:12Always making me go to the hospital.
06:14Fiona, I'm your father.
06:17Even if you hate me.
06:19Even if you despise me.
06:21I will never give up on you.
06:25Dad.
06:27I'm going to die.
06:31I finally said it.
06:33Dad.
06:34I'm going to die.
06:36The doctor said I only have a few days left.
06:39I don't want you and mom to be sad.
06:41I want you to save money for my little brother and sister.
06:44No, no, no.
06:45You won't die.
06:46I won't let you die.
06:48But I knew.
06:49I really was going to die.
06:53I really was going to die.
06:57That night, I fell into a coma.
06:59I heard dad's voice in my days.
07:02Fiona?
07:04Fiona!
07:05I wanted to respond, but I couldn't make a sound.
07:08Call an ambulance!
07:09My daughter!
07:09My daughter!
07:10She...
07:10Fiona, hold on!
07:12The ambulance is coming!
07:18In the darkness, the reaper appeared again.
07:21Time's up.
07:22He reached out to me.
07:23I held his hand, and my soul left my body.
07:26I looked back and saw dad holding my lifeless body, crying out in despair.
07:31Fiona!
07:32Mom sat on the floor, holding her belly, crying uncontrollably.
07:37I'm sorry, dad.
07:38Mom, I really tried.
07:44The funeral was very simple.
07:46Dad sold everything he could sell and bought me a small white casket and a red dress.
07:51That was the dress I'd wanted for so long.
07:53Red, bright, and beautiful.
07:55He didn't wipe them away.
07:57He just kept looking at me, as if trying to memorize every detail.
08:03Fiona, you look so pretty.
08:06His tears fell on my face.
08:08He didn't wipe them away.
08:11Such a young child.
08:12What a pity.
08:13But dad didn't hear any of it.
08:15He just sat beside my casket, motionless, until the staff came to take me.
08:20Don't take her!
08:21She's my daughter!
08:25Nick, let go.
08:26We have to let her go.
08:28I haven't taken her to an amusement park yet!
08:30I haven't bought her new shoes yet!
08:32I haven't watched her grow up yet!
08:34I haven't watched her to Ryan up me!
08:37I haven't!
08:38Finally, he was pulled away.
08:40He watched as I was taken into the cremation room.
08:42No!
08:43I stood beside him in spirit, crying too.
08:46Fiona!
08:47Daddy's baby!
08:51Dad, don't cry.
08:54I'm right here.
08:59After I died, dad became a different person.
09:02He quit his construction job and started drinking every day.
09:06He sat in front of my urn, talking to me.
09:09Fiona, dad misses you.
09:11Why did you leave so early?
09:19Mom tried to persuade him, but he wouldn't listen.
09:25He just kept drinking, day after day.
09:29Until one night, he drank so much he passed out and hit his head on the corner of the table.
09:34Blood gushed out.
09:50Nick!
09:51Nick!
09:55Hello, help me.
09:57Mom screamed and called an ambulance.
10:05In the hospital, dad lay unconscious.
10:09The doctor said he might not wake up.
10:16Mom sat beside his bed, crying while holding her belly.
10:19Nick, please wake up.
10:22Our babies need you.
10:23But dad didn't respond.
10:25He seemed to be trapped in some distant place.
10:29I stood beside him, watching his pale face.
10:34Dad, wake up.
10:35You can't leave Mom and the babies.
10:47Dad, wake up.
10:49You can't leave Mom and the babies.
10:51Just then, the reaper appeared.
10:55Fiona, your father is dying.
10:58His will to live is gone.
11:01His soul is about to leave his body.
11:03I looked at him in shock.
11:07I grabbed the reaper's cloak.
11:10Can you save him?
11:12He looked at me silent for a long time.
11:15There is a way.
11:38The reaper led me to a strange place.
11:41Fog hung in the air.
11:42The light was dim, and a kind of indescribable silence filled the atmosphere.
11:47The reaper's figure flickered in and out of the mist.
11:50It was neither heaven nor earth, but somewhere in between.
11:53The Hall of Souls.
11:54A vast place filled with countless spirits, all waiting to be judged.
11:59At the end of the hall sat a figure wrapped in darkness, the lord of the underworld.
12:03Hades, the darkness moved like a living cloak, flowing slowly around him.
12:11Fiona, Hades's voice echoed, ancient and cold.
12:15The voice seemed to rise from the depths of the earth, or perhaps from a time so distant
12:20it had traveled across millennia.
12:22Why have you come?
12:23I knelt down.
12:25My knees hit the ground with a dull thud, but I felt no pain.
12:30Please save my father.
12:32My voice was small, yet unwavering.
12:34Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back.
12:37Not wanting to seem weak before the lord of the underworld, he's dying because of me.
12:42Then a massive mirror appeared before me, the soul mirror.
12:46Its frame was black, carved with twisted vines and skulls.
12:50The surface was like stagnant water, dark and bottomless.
12:54This mirror shows the truth inside a person's heart.
12:57His voice carried no emotion, yet each word struck me like a hammer.
13:01Look, the mirror's surface rippled, and scenes began to play.
13:05I saw dad working at the construction site, sweat pouring down his face.
13:09I saw him at the plasma center, rolling up his sleeve despite his fear of needles.
13:14He turned his head away, unable to look at the needle, his lips pressed white.
13:19I saw him kneeling before the foreman, begging for an advance on his wages.
13:23His knees hit the concrete floor hard.
13:25That quiet, reserved man had set aside all his pride for his daughter.
13:30Please, my daughter is dying.
13:34I saw him selling our TV, our microwave, everything of value.
13:39I saw him being turned away by loan sharks because he had nothing left to offer as collateral.
13:44What do you have to pay back with?
13:46Every scene was like a knife stabbing my heart.
13:48Dad, I couldn't stop crying.
13:50In a flash of light, I found myself in dad's hospital room.
13:54But I wasn't alone.
13:56Dad stood there too, his soul, separated from his body.
14:00He looked confused, staring at his own unconscious form on the bed.
14:06Where, where am I?
14:07Then he saw me, his eyes widened.
14:10Fiona, I ran to him and threw my arms around him.
14:13Dad, he held me tightly, as if afraid I would disappear.
14:17Is this a dream?
14:18No, I said, tears streaming down my face.
14:22It's real, I'm really here.
14:24He pulled back to look at me, his hands cupping my face.
14:27But you, you die.
14:30I know, I grabbed his hands.
14:33Dad, I have to tell you something.
14:44I lied to you.
14:45I didn't hate you.
14:47I never hated you.
14:48I just, I just wanted to make you hate me, so you wouldn't be sad when I die.
14:54Oh, Fiona, you foolish child.
14:57You foolish, precious child.
15:00Did you really think I could ever hate you?
15:04We cried together for a long time.
15:07Then dad pulled away, his expression changing to panic.
15:11Wait, if we're both here.
15:13He looked at his body on the bed.
15:15Am I dying too?
15:16I nodded.
15:17The reaper said you gave up on life.
15:20But dad, you can't give up.
15:22Mom needs you.
15:23The babies need you.
15:25Dad shook his head.
15:26How can I go on without you?
15:28Every time I close my eyes, I see your face.
15:32Every time I hear a child laugh, I think of you.
15:35Dad, listen to me.
15:37The pain means you loved me.
15:39That's a beautiful thing.
15:41Live for mom.
15:42Live for the babies.
15:43And live for me.
15:45Because I'll always be watching over you.
15:48Dad looked at me, tears streaming down his face.
15:51Will you?
15:52I promise.
15:54I squeezed his hands.
15:55I'll find a way.
15:57I don't know how, but I will.
15:59Just then, Hades of the dead materialized in the room.
16:04Dad instinctively stepped in front of me.
16:07Who are you?
16:09I am Hades, the lord of the underworld, the voice boomed.
16:13I judged the souls of the departed.
16:16Hades turned his gaze to me.
16:18Fiona, you have seen the truth in the soul mirror.
16:21You understand now the depth of your father's love.
16:24And you, Nick.
16:26Hades addressed my father.
16:28You have heard your daughter's confession.
16:30She never hated you.
16:32She only wanted to spare you pain.
16:34Then he spoke.
16:35Nick, you stand at a crossroads.
16:38You can choose to stay here, in this liminal space, and join your daughter in death.
16:44Or you can choose to return to your body and live.
16:47Dad looked at me, anguish written across his face.
16:50Fiona, I can't lose you again.
16:52I smiled through my tears.
16:55Dad, you're not losing me.
16:57I'll always be in your heart.
16:58But your family needs you alive.
17:01Please, go back.
17:02Dad pulled me into one last embrace.
17:05When he released me, he turned to Hades.
17:08I choose to live.
17:10A golden light enveloped him.
17:12His soul was pulled back into his body.
17:15In the hospital bed, dad's eyes flew open.
17:18He gasped.
17:19Fiona, but I was no longer visible to him.
17:22Mom rushed to his side, crying.
17:25Nick, dad grabbed her hand.
17:27She was here.
17:28I saw her.
17:30Fiona, she told me everything.
17:32She never hated us.
17:34I turned to Hades.
17:37He regarded me with ancient eyes.
17:39Your father has found his will to live.
17:41But now you must face your judgment.
17:44He raised his hand.
17:45The soul mirror appeared, showing my life, the good moments and the painful ones.
17:50When it finished, he spoke.
17:53You chose to cause pain to those you loved most.
17:56For this, you should be punished.
17:58I offer you a choice.
18:00You may be reborn with no memories.
18:02Or, an image appeared, a small ragdoll cat.
18:06You may return in this form for three years, unable to speak but able to watch over your family.
18:12I didn't hesitate.
18:13The cat, Hades, nodded.
18:15Go home, Fiona.
18:18After being discharged and returning home, the cramped trailer was frighteningly empty.
18:25Dad placed my urn in the most visible spot in the living room, beside it were all my favorite snacks
18:31from when I was alive, and that red dress.
18:34He mended what was left.
18:36Days passed, and winter came.
18:38Dad stopped drinking and smoking.
18:41Every day after work he came straight home and talked to the urn.
18:44Fiona, the construction salary came in today.
18:48Fiona, your mom's belly is bigger.
18:51The twins are really lively.
18:53Fiona, it's cold now.
18:55Are you cold there?
18:57The next spring, the twins were born, a boy and a girl.
19:01At last, the trailer had crying and laughter again.
19:07That day, as a cat, I finally followed the scent of memory and saw that familiar window.
19:13I crouched beneath it and let out a soft cry.
19:16The door opened.
19:18Dad stood there, much more worn down.
19:21When he saw me, a flicker of light flashed in his hollow eyes.
19:25He slowly squatted down.
19:29His voice trembling beyond control.
19:32Fie.
19:33Fiona.
19:34I walked to his feet and rubbed my head against his pant leg.
19:38Tears slid down his face at once.
19:40It's you.
19:41You're back.
19:42I meowed twice, then jumped beside the cradle and looked at the two little babies.
19:47They were my brother and sister.
19:49Mom walked in, saw this scene, and covered her mouth.
19:53It.
19:53It is Fiona.
19:54Dad wiped his tears and finally showed a long lost smile.
19:58She's finally back.
20:00I thought to myself, yes, Dad and Mom, I'm home.
20:04My new home was still my old room.
20:06Dad laid a soft mat where I used to sleep.
20:09Every time we ate, Dad specially set aside a small dish for me, with canned tuna and a
20:15little bowl of fresh water.
20:17At night, I became the family guard, chasing away any mice that tried to steal food.
20:22When my brother and sister cried, I jumped onto the cradle and brushed their faces with
20:28my tail until they were soothed.
20:30Once, because work at the site went bad, Dad reached for the bottle again.
20:34Just as he picked up the glass, I jumped onto the table and angrily knocked it over.
20:40He remembered the night before I died, when he was also drinking.
20:45Dad threw the bottle into the trash.
20:47I will listen to you.
20:49Only then did I jump back into his arms, gently licking his hand.
20:53Their beloved daughter.
20:55Even after becoming a cat, I was still helping my family.
20:58In the blink of an eye, three years passed.
21:01My brother and sister grew up, able to run and jump.
21:05What they loved most was playing with me, but happiness is always short-lived.
21:09The time Hades gave me was only three years.
21:13On a windy night, I knew my time had come.
21:16Dad held me in his arms and wrapped me in that red dress.
21:19His tears fell onto my fur, burning hot.
21:24Dad dug a small pit under the big tree in the yard.
21:27He put me into a box, lined with flower petals and a family photo.
21:32In the photo, Dad and Mom held my brother and sister, and at their feet was a little kitten.
21:37A beam of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone upon it.
21:41In the light, I seemed to turn back into a little girl,
21:45wearing that clean red dress with no pain left in my body.
21:48I waved at them with all my strength, smiling brightly.
21:52Daddy!
21:53Mommy!
21:54Goodbye!
21:55Dad smiled too, waved back, and shouted loudly,
21:58Go!
21:59Go far!
22:00Don't look back!
22:01The light carried me away.
22:03I took one last look.
22:05I knew my parents could finally live well again.
22:08And I was finally free.
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