00:00Mom, please let me in! I'm so cold!
00:04It was a snowy night, minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:08I was locked outside, wearing only thin pajamas, slowly turning into a snowman.
00:14Inside, the fireplace was roaring.
00:16My mom sat on the couch, sipping hot mulled wine,
00:19while my twin brother, Jacob, wrapped in a wool blanket, curled up in her lap, watching cartoons.
00:25Mom said Jacob had suffered from the freezing wind for 20 minutes during the parade, and he was traumatized.
00:32So, just for fairness, I had to stand in the cold for 20 minutes, too.
00:37Then, we were even.
00:38Jacob and I are twins, so Mom insists on fairness and everything.
00:43When he ate ice cream from the food stall and got diarrhea, my mom knew that I was lactose intolerant,
00:50so she forced me to drink milk and suffer just like him, just for fairness.
00:55As I curled up on the bathroom floor, pale and completely drained, Jacob stood at the door, sobbing.
01:02Mom, I'm sorry! I'll never eat street food again!
01:06Mom was satisfied, just smiled, and stroked his hair.
01:10Meanwhile, under Mom's disgusted glare, I had to choke down cold oatmeal and spent two days in bed just trying
01:16to recover.
01:17When Jacob failed to finish his homework and got detention, Mom dragged me to school and forced me to rip
01:24my own homework right in front of the teacher, just for fairness.
01:28Seeing me burst into tears, ripping my hard work page by page, Jacob started bawling.
01:33Mom, I promise I'll do my homework!
01:36Please don't do this to Helen!
01:39Even my teacher just stared at me with pure pity, unable to say a word.
01:43And today, during the Thanksgiving parade, Jacob got separated from the crowd and was lost for 20 minutes.
01:50When we got home, Mom's face was dark.
01:53Helen, your brother was lost for 20 minutes.
01:56He was terrified out there.
01:57To be fair, you need to feel exactly what he felt.
02:00She dragged me to the front door and slammed it shut.
02:04It was minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was wearing thin cotton pajamas, standing barefoot outside.
02:11It was freezing.
02:13I curled up in the corner of the porch steps.
02:16The wind sliced through the wooden cracks like needles, piercing my skin.
02:20I picked up a twig with numb fingers.
02:22I scraped it for a bit of warmth, just like Little Match Girl.
02:25But no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't light.
02:29I was so tired.
02:31I just wanted to sleep.
02:32I reached into my pocket and felt the drawing I did in art class.
02:36In the drawing, Mom was sitting by my bedside, holding a fairy tale book, smiling gently as she read me
02:42a bedtime story.
02:44I pressed the drawing tightly against my chest and closed my eyes.
02:47In a daze, I felt myself sinking back into that warm, soft bed.
02:52Mom was whispering gently, and I could smell the faint, lingering scent from her.
02:57Go to sleep, sweetie.
02:59Mommy will always be here with you.
03:01The snow kept falling, but suddenly, I felt warm.
03:06Mom, I'm falling asleep now.
03:08Maybe when I wake up, you'll open the door and get me back inside.
03:11You'll read me a gentle bedtime story, just like in my drawing.
03:15Snowflakes drifted down, landing on my hair, my eyelashes, and the drawing in my arms.
03:21And finally, I couldn't feel cold anymore.
03:25I was jolted awake by Mom's screeching voice.
03:28Opening my heavy eyes, I realized I was floating in midair, hovering beside the chandelier in the living room.
03:35I tried to scream, tried to rush down and grab them, but my fingertips passed right through Jacob's hair without
03:42stirring a whisper of wind.
03:47Mom, where's Sissy?
03:49Mom was busy packing.
03:51Two massive suitcases were stuffed with clothes, toys, and snacks.
03:55Hearing his question, she didn't even look up.
03:58Her?
03:59That ungrateful brat.
04:01I made her stay outside to reflect for fairness last night.
04:03This morning, she was gone.
04:05Probably ran off to Grandma's to complain about me.
04:07Complain?
04:08Mom, no, I didn't.
04:10I hovered in the air, opening my mouth to explain, but the air just slipped through my throat.
04:16Not a single sound.
04:20Complain?
04:22Yeah.
04:23She was acting out yesterday, thought it wasn't fair, and ran off at night.
04:29Well, she went to Grandma's to have fun.
04:31Then I'm taking you to the Fairyland theme park for three days, just to be fair.
04:36My dead body was just outside the door, huddled in the corner, buried under the heavy snow like an abandoned
04:42snowman.
04:43My soul drifted upon the ceiling, while Mom, just to be fair, was taking my brother out to a theme
04:49park.
04:50Mom, what about me?
04:52You haven't even found me yet.
04:54But Sissy has never been to Fairyland.
04:57Are we really not bringing her?
05:00Jacob, remember, she left us first.
05:03She only cared about herself and went Grandma's, leaving you here all frightened.
05:07Just to be fair, she will get punished, and you deserve to go have a good time.
05:11Outside that door, my body had already gone stiff.
05:15The last thing I remembered was the bone-chilling cold and endless despair.
05:19I had wanted to strike a twig, wanted to wait for Mom to come and get me.
05:25But until I froze to death, that door never opened.
05:34The snow is so heavy, the roads must be bad.
05:37Maybe we should call and check if Helen arrived okay?
05:40Call her?
05:42For what?
05:43If she's got the nerve to run away, then she can look after herself.
05:46If you call her now, you're giving in to her!
05:50You want her to behave like this all the time?
05:53If we want our children to grow up into leets, we must use fair discipline.
05:58And give them cold treatment if necessary.
06:01Just wait for it.
06:02She will come back crying for forgiveness!
06:05In this house, Mom's fairness was the law.
06:08I stared at Dad's back.
06:10Strangely, I didn't feel any hate, but just sad for him.
06:14Turned out, in their eyes, my leaving was just a solo drama they needed to handle.
06:20They finished packing, laughing, and chatting as they walked out the door.
06:24Mom, look!
06:25There's a snowman!
06:26I think Helen made it!
06:28The mound trembled slightly, but it didn't collapse.
06:31My body was just inside, frozen stiff in a curled position.
06:36Don't touch that.
06:37It's dirty.
06:39Must be that little brat making a mess at the doorstep.
06:42Let's go.
06:44The fireworks are about to start.
06:45They got into the car.
06:47The exhaust fumes blasted against the mound, instantly melting a tiny patch of snow to reveal a corner of my
06:54gray pajamas.
06:55But no one noticed.
06:58It wasn't until the tires rolled over the edge of the mound that the car jolted.
07:03Dad glanced at the rearview mirror.
07:05That tiny flash of gray pajamas caught his attention.
07:08Sarah, I need to get out and look.
07:09I think I just saw.
07:11Come on, we're going to be late for fairyland.
07:13It's just a rock in the snow.
07:17I'm sure it's from your baby girl.
07:18Just to be fair, when she comes back, I'm making her shovel every last spot of snow from the driveway.
07:23In fact, she's going to clear the roads for the entire neighborhood.
07:27She should be doing this while we are out, right?
07:29It's just not fair!
07:31With her perfect makeup, Mom smirked.
07:34I was already dead, yet she was still thinking about my punishment, her fairness.
07:39On the way to the park, Jacob remained silent, holding the toy bear I had gifted to him.
07:44It was a gift for his sixth birthday.
07:47I had saved up for over half a year for it.
07:50Back then, Mom had said,
07:52You got a gift for your brother, then you need to give one to me, too.
07:55Just to be fair, it needs to be the same price.
07:58I didn't have any money left, so Mom punished me by making me wash the dishes for a month.
08:05Cheer up, Jacob! We're going to fairyland!
08:08You're going to see Superman, your favorite!
08:10Jacob forced a smile, burying his face into the bear's plush fur.
08:16Inside the theme park, it was packed.
08:18Cheerful music, colorful balloons.
08:21It really felt like a fairy tale paradise.
08:24Excitedly, Mom dragged Jacob into a souvenir shop.
08:28She picked out a blue princess gown and began holding it up against Jacob.
08:34Here, Jacob, put this on.
08:35That's for girls! I'm not wearing that!
08:38Helen likes it, not me!
08:40I remembered that dress.
08:43I had seen it on TV once, my eyes glowing with envy.
08:48At the time, Mom had told me,
08:50You want a dress? Fine.
08:51Just to be fair, your brother doesn't wear dresses, so neither do you.
08:57And now, she was forcing that exact dress onto my brother.
09:02Who says boys can't wear dresses?
09:05Your sister is definitely dressing up over at Grandma's right now.
09:09I bet she even got new clothes.
09:11Just to be fair, you gotta wear new clothes, too.
09:14And the other thing is...
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