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