Wrongly accused and abandoned by the people she trusted most, Stella grows up carrying pain no child should ever endure. When tragedy strikes, the truth finally comes to light—but it may be too late. Given a second chance at life, Stella embarks on a powerful journey of healing, love, and self-discovery. Watch Mom, Please Love Me Again Full Episode (ENGSUB), an emotional short drama filled with family redemption, rebirth, second chances, and unforgettable heartwarming moments.
#MomPleaseLoveMeAgain #FamilyRedemption #RebirthDrama #EmotionalDrama #FamilyLove #ShortDrama #DramaSeries #ModernDrama #SecondChanceStory #HeartwarmingDrama #ShortFilm #ShortMovie #Drama #FullEP #ENGSUB
#MomPleaseLoveMeAgain #FamilyRedemption #RebirthDrama #EmotionalDrama #FamilyLove #ShortDrama #DramaSeries #ModernDrama #SecondChanceStory #HeartwarmingDrama #ShortFilm #ShortMovie #Drama #FullEP #ENGSUB
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00My mom called me a liar from the day I was born. Not because I actually lied, but because of
00:05this
00:05thing on my wrist, the Verity band. Mom was obsessed with science-based parenting. So when
00:09my twin sister Emma and I were born, she strapped these bands on us. Green light means truth. Red
00:14light means you're manipulating reality. Emma's band? Always green. She could literally cut up
00:19mom's designer dress and blame the cat. And that little device would glow like a Christmas tree.
00:24Not me. She'd say. Green light. Believe me? Mom, I'm hungry. Flash. Red light.
00:29Instant punishment. And mom's punishment wasn't gentle. No food. Locked in my room. Digital
00:35blackout. No phone. No wifi. Nothing. The machine doesn't lie, Stella. Starve now. Learn later.
00:42I'm doing this for your own good. After 10 years of this, I started believing it too. Maybe I really
00:48was born wrong. New Year's Eve, everything changed. Mom was getting ready to take Emma to see the ball
00:53drop in Times Square. And that's when the pain hit, like a knife twisting in my gut. I collapsed on
00:58the
00:58floor. My skeletal frame curling into itself. Mom. Please. It hurts. Nice try, Stella. Faking sick to
01:08crash our night? Pathological. She grabbed Emma's hand and headed for the door. I wanted to scream.
01:14But part of me thought, maybe she's right. The band is red. So I must be lying. I must not
01:19actually be in
01:19pain. Sorry mom. I won't lie anymore. But the pain got worse. Way worse. The door handle turned.
01:26For one second, I thought, she's coming back. She's a doctor. She'll know something's wrong.
01:31Hurry up. The fireworks are starting. Emma's waiting. Mom's voice was ice cold.
01:37Mom. Please. Something's really wrong. I feel like I'm dying.
01:44She glanced at my wrist. Red light. Flashing like crazy. She crouched down. Grabbed my chin. Forced me
01:49to look at her. Stella, how long are you going to keep this up? Can't you just be honest? Stay
01:55here
01:56and think about what you've done. Dad appeared in the doorway. Honey, should we at least leave her
02:00some food? Mom stood up, brushing off her hands like I was dirt. Food? She has a stash of snacks
02:06she bought with stolen money. She won't starve. Lock the door. When that band turns green, we'll talk.
02:12Dad hesitated. But. But what? Soft parenting is why she's like this. Look at Emma. Her band is
02:19always green. Stella's just a compulsive liar. She needs discipline. But my closet was empty.
02:25Emma stole that money. Emma ate those snacks. Emma just stood there with her glowing green band saying
02:29Not me. And mom believed her. I didn't take it either. Red light. Three days locked up with
02:35nothing but bread and water. Mom turned to leave. Mom turned to leave. Emma peeked through the door,
02:40made a face at me. Bye sis. We're gonna see the pretty fireworks. Her band glowed soft green.
02:46So pretty. The door locked. The house went silent. Just me alone. The pain was unbearable. But I kept
02:51thinking. Mom's right. The machine doesn't lie. The band is red. So I must be lying.
02:56I'm not in pain. I'm not in pain. I kept repeating it like a prayer. Eventually, I almost believed it.
03:03The pain, dulled. Or maybe I was just going numb. I crawled to my desk. I had to write. That
03:08was the rule.
03:09If the band glowed red, I had to pen a thousand word apology essay. Or mom would never let me
03:14out.
03:14I am a liar. Write it down. And maybe mom would forgive me. Maybe she'd even take me to the
03:19hospital. I opened my journal. Pages and pages of apologies I'd written over the years. Sorry I
03:24lied. I won't do it again. But this time, I wanted to write the truth. My vision blurred. I could
03:28barely see. My hand shook as I wrote. Mom, I really love you. It really hurts. Why won't you believe
03:35me?
03:36Please believe me just once. The moment I finished the last word, the pain vanished. Just gone. I felt light.
03:43Weightless. I looked down. I was floating. And there, slumped over the desk, was my body.
03:49Motionless. The Verity band still flashing red on a dead girl's wrist. Oh. I'm dead. But I never
03:54learned how to be honest. Sorry, mom. I heard laughter. I heard laughter. Mom, dad, Emma,
03:59coming through the front door. Mom's voice was so warm. Tonight's fireworks were amazing.
04:05Especially that smiley face one. Just like our Emma. I'd never heard her sound like that when she
04:10talked about me. I floated toward them. My ghost self moving on instinct. I wanted to help them
04:15take off their coats. That's what I always did. Mom, I reached out to hug her. My arms passed right
04:20through her body. Like wind. She shivered. Why is it so cold in here? Is the heat off? I stood
04:25there,
04:26staring at my transparent hands. Right. Dead people can't hug the living. Dad said casually.
04:31Should we check on Stella? She hasn't eaten. Still the good cop. I looked at mom hopefully.
04:35If she finds me dead, will she be sad? Will she regret it? Starve for all I care. This whole
04:40fake
04:40sick for attention thing is out of control. She pushed open my door. Didn't even turn on the
04:45light. In the dim glow from the hallway, she saw me slumped over my desk. I looked like a skeleton.
04:50Hadn't moved. Mom's voice dripped with sarcasm. Still putting on an act? Think I'll carry you to bed?
04:55Stella, you're 10 years old, not 5. Emma squeezed past her. Held up her wrist with that smug little grin.
05:01Look, my band's green. Stella's is still red. She's lying even in her dreams.
05:06Mom patted Emma's head. That's my good girl. Ignore the liar. Let her stay there. Maybe she'll
05:13learn how to be honest. Should we at least put her in bed? It's freezing.
05:17Put her in bed? The parenting expert says cold treatment is the answer.
05:22Look at that red light. She's still in full defiance mode. No reflection at all.
05:28Come on, we have to visit grandma tomorrow.
05:29The door locked again. I floated next to my corpse, staring at that single point of red light in the
05:34darkness. Mom, if you just stepped closer. If you just touched my hand, you'd know I was ice cold.
05:40But you didn't. You believed the machine. Not the daughter you carried for 9 months.
05:44That night, a rat crawled out of my empty closet. I used to scream whenever I saw rats. But now
05:49I just
05:50floated by the ceiling, watching it scurry across my dead body. It bit into my toe, but no blood came
05:55out
05:55at all. I didn't feel anything. Finally, no more pain. It's okay. You can't feel it anymore. It'll be
06:02over soon. The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window. No warmth reached my body.
06:07In the kitchen, I could hear mom making breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs crept under my door.
06:12My favorite. But mom always said liars don't deserve meat. So I only ever got steamed broccoli.
06:17She was clanging the pans extra loud on purpose. Trying to tempt me out. Trying to make me give in
06:22and
06:22apologize for things I never did. In the old days, I might have caved. I might have confessed to
06:27anything for one bite of scrambled eggs. But I don't need food anymore. Dad asked, reading his
06:31paper. Stella still hasn't come out? She is so stubborn. She can eat or not. I don't care.
06:37Emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air. Then she screamed dramatically.
06:42Mom! Stella's room smells gross! Did she poop in there?
06:46I floated by the door, watching my sister with bitter amusement. The heat was on full blast.
06:51After just one night, my body had started to rot. Now mom would hate me even more.
06:55Mom stormed over.
06:57Stella! Are you an animal? The bathroom is right there!
07:01Did you seriously go on the floor just to spite me?
07:04I remembered being six. I had food poisoning. Couldn't make it to the bathroom in time.
07:08Soiled my pants. Mom didn't help me clean up. She made me stand in the yard.
07:12Pointed at me and told the neighbors.
07:14Look at this. She's such a mess. She can't even use the toilet by herself.
07:19Now she thought I was dirty again. Leave her. Let her sit in her own stink.
07:24But dad stood out, frowning.
07:28That smells really bad. I should check. Could be a dead mouse or something.
07:33My heart, if I still had one, leapt.
07:35Dad, please open the door. I'm right here.
07:39Just turn the handle and you'll see I'm not moving. You'll see my face is black.
07:44I waved my transparent arms frantically. Dad's hand touched the doorknob. His phone was ringing.
07:49Dad's face went pale.
07:51What? The server crashed? Okay, okay. I'm on my way.
07:54He grabbed his coat.
07:55Honey, there's an emergency at work. I'll be gone for a few days.
07:59Wait, what about Stella?
08:01He was already out the door.
08:02I froze. So close.
08:04One second away.
08:05If that call had come one second later, I would have been found.
08:08Maybe then I wouldn't have brought it alone.
08:09That afternoon, mom took Emma shopping.
08:11The house was empty except for my corpse.
08:13When they came back that night, loaded down with fancy lobster and geth, the smell had gotten worse.
08:18Mom gagged the second she walked in.
08:20Stella! Are you trying to turn this place into a dump?
08:23She didn't even open my door.
08:25Just grabbed duct tape and sealed the gap at the bottom.
08:28You want to be disgusting? Fine. Stew in it. Don't stink up my house.
08:32She patted her hands together, satisfied.
08:34Then went to steam the lobster.
08:36I stared at that sealed door.
08:37My last shred of hope suffocated under that tape.
08:40So that's it. I'm worth less than a lobster dinner.
08:42By day three, even the duct tape couldn't contain the smell.
08:45Mom was arranging fresh flowers, trying to cover it up.
08:48But the stench of death is unmistakable.
08:50Sweet, rotten, oily.
08:52She cut a rose stem too hard.
08:53A thorn pierced her hand.
08:54She snapped.
08:55She grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen.
08:57Stella! I'm done with you!
09:00You disgusting little brat!
09:03Time you learned what real pain feels like!
09:06I floated in front of her, waving my arms desperately.
09:09Don't come in mom! Please!
09:11I'm decomposed!
09:12You'll be scared!
09:14Even though she never loved me, I didn't want her to see me like that.
09:18But she walked right through me.
09:19Ripped the tape off.
09:20Jammed the spare key in the lock.
09:22Bang!
09:22The door flew open.
09:23The smell hit her like a wall.
09:28She stumbled back, dry heaving.
09:30Stella! What are you doing?
09:32She saw me, still slumped over the desk.
09:34Back turned, not moving.
09:36To her, this was the ultimate rebellion.
09:38I'm talking to you!
09:39She marched over, raised the rolling pin, but stopped.
09:42She wanted to see my face first.
09:44Wanted to see my defiant expression.
09:46She grabbed the back of my shirt.
09:47Grabbed my skin.
09:48The moment she touched me, she froze.
09:51Through the thin fabric.
09:52Her hand didn't feel warm flesh.
09:54She felt cold, hard, dead meat.
09:55What?
09:56But momentum carried her forward.
09:58She yanked.
09:58Crash.
09:59My body, stiff as a board, toppled backward, taking the chair with it.
10:03And there was my face.
10:04Blue-black.
10:05Eyes bulging.
10:05Features twisted in agony.
10:07On my blackened wrist, the Verity band hung lifeless.
10:10No red light.
10:11No green light.
10:12Just silence.
10:13Thud.
10:13My journal slid off the desk.
10:14Fell open at mom's feet.
10:16The last page stared up at her.
10:17Mom, my stomach really hurts.
10:19The band is broken.
10:21I'm not lying.
10:22Please don't punish me.
10:23Mom screamed.
10:24Not a human sound.
10:25A raw, guttural shriek that tore through her throat.
10:28She stumbled backward, slammed into the bookshelf.
10:31A vase shattered.
10:32But she didn't seem to feel the pain.
10:33She just stared at me.
10:34Eyes wide.
10:35Unblinking.
10:36No.
10:37No no no.
10:37This is makeup.
10:38Special effects.
10:39Stella get up.
10:40I'm not, I'm not mad anymore.
10:42Stop scaring me.
10:43The second her skin made contact with my corpse, she recoiled like she'd been burned.
10:47That cold was too real.
10:49Mrs. Lisa from next door called 911.
10:51She'd heard the screaming.
10:52When she saw what was in my room, she collapsed in the hallway.
10:55Within minutes, sirens.
10:57Police, a medical examiner.
10:59They pulled up the crime scene tape.
11:00Cameras flashed over my body.
11:02Mom sat on the couch.
11:03A female officer's hand on her shoulder.
11:05She was faking.
11:07She always lies.
11:08The band was red.
11:10Machines.
11:12Don't lie.
11:13I was just teaching her.
11:14I was doing it for her own good.
11:16No one responded.
11:17They all looked at her like she was a monster.
11:19The medical examiner crouched next to my body.
11:21He muttered under his breath.
11:23Severe malnutrition.
11:25Organ failure.
11:27This kid was starved for at least a month.
11:29He carefully tried to remove the Verity band.
11:32But it had fused.
11:33Damn it.
11:34He cursed.
11:34He had to use tools to pry it off.
11:36Rip.
11:36Even dead.
11:37My soul flinched.
11:38A cop picked up my journal.
11:40Put on gloves.
11:41Started reading.
11:42His face went from neutral to horrified.
11:44Mom's eyes locked onto that book.
11:45Suddenly she lunged for it.
11:46That's her confession.
11:48She admits she lied.
11:50Look.
11:50She wrote it herself.
11:53Back off.
11:54We'll determine what's true.
11:55That's when dad got home.
11:56He saw the black body bag being wheeled out on a stretcher.
11:59Saw the long zipper that sealed away my entire life.
12:01His legs gave out.
12:03He collapsed.
12:03Wet himself.
12:04Emma stood nearby.
12:05Sobbing in confusion.
12:07She pointed at the bloodstained Verity band on the evidence table.
12:10Why is Stella's band black?
12:12Mine's still green.
12:14See?
12:14She held up her wrist.
12:15The green light blinked cheerfully.
12:17It was grotesque.
12:18The cop started questioning mom in the living room.
12:21She grabbed the Verity band off the table like it was a life raft.
12:24That band proves she was lying.
12:27Red light means lie.
12:29I never abused her.
12:31The machine told me.
12:32I was just educating her.
12:35The officer looked at her like she'd lost her mind.
12:37Ma'am calm down.
12:38The victim shows signs of extreme malnutrition.
12:41Mom was shaking now.
12:42That's discipline.
12:43That's teaching her to be honest.
12:46Then she did something insane.
12:48You don't believe me?
12:49Fine.
12:49I'll wear it.
12:50I'm not lying.
12:51Watch.
12:51It'll be green.
12:52She snatched the band.
12:54Still stained with my blood and bits of skin.
12:56And jammed it onto her own wrist.
12:57Click.
12:58Locked.
12:58The rubber pressed against her skin.
13:00Sticky.
13:01Cold.
13:01She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
13:03She needed to prove she was innocent.
13:05Needed to prove her parenting was right.
13:07She held up her wrist.
13:08Watch.
13:09I'm Rachel.
13:10I'm Stella's mother.
13:11That's a fact.
13:13Absolute truth.
13:14The red light exploded.
13:15Bright.
13:16Violent.
13:16Like a fresh wound tearing open.
13:18Mom's confident expression shattered.
13:20She slapped the band like it was a broken TV.
13:22What?
13:23No!
13:24I said the truth!
13:25I am Rachel!
13:27It's broken!
13:28The examiner broke it.
13:30Let me try again.
13:30She started talking faster.
13:32Panic rising in her voice.
13:34I never abused her.
13:36I did it for her own good.
13:39I love her.
13:41The red light flashed faster.
13:42And suddenly, she remembered me.
13:4410 years old.
13:45Getting the maximum punishment.
13:47Curled on the floor.
13:48Biting my lip so I wouldn't scream.
13:50Is this what it felt like?
13:51Mom lost it completely.
13:52She started screaming at the band.
13:54Spit flying.
13:55Why is it red?
13:56I'm telling the truth!
13:57Turn green!
13:58You piece of junk!
13:59You're framing me!
14:01But the red light kept flashing.
14:02Like it was mocking her.
14:03You're a liar.
14:04You're a liar.
14:05You're a liar.
14:06Enough!
14:07A tech officer stepped forward.
14:09He'd had enough of this circus.
14:10Stop.
14:11That device isn't a lie detector.
14:12He picked up the user manual they'd found during the search.
14:15Slammed it on the coffee table.
14:16He walked toward mom.
14:18And his voice turned cold.
14:19This is a basic biometric monitor.
14:21It measures skin conductivity and heart rate.
14:24When you're nervous.
14:26Scared.
14:27In pain.
14:27Your heart rate spikes.
14:29The light turns red.
14:31That's it.
14:31Think about your daughter.
14:33Ruptured andix.
14:34Organ failure.
14:36The pain must have been unbearable.
14:38Her heart was racing.
14:39She was terrified.
14:40And what did you see?
14:41A red light.
14:43So you punished her more.
14:44Which made her more scared.
14:46Which made her heart beat faster.
14:48Which made the light redder.
14:50You turned her cries for help into a torture device.
14:54You starved your daughter to death.
14:56Boom.
14:57Mom's world collapsed.
14:58She sat there.
14:59Staring at the flashing red band on her wrist.
15:01And finally understood.
15:03For 10 years.
15:03Every red light wasn't because I was lying.
15:06It was because I was scared.
15:07Scared of her anger.
15:08Scared of being misunderstood.
15:10Scared of eating food I was allergic to.
15:12I was in pain.
15:13Pain that made my heart race.
15:14And sweat pour down my face.
15:15I was desperate.
15:16Desperate for a hug.
15:18For her to hold me the way she held Emma.
15:19Every single signal from my frightened heart.
15:21She interpreted as proof of my lies.
15:23Mom suddenly screamed.
15:25She clawed at the band.
15:26Get it off.
15:26Get it off.
15:27It's red.
15:28I'm not a liar.
15:30I'm not.
15:31Stella can't take it back.
15:32I'm sorry.
15:33It's all my fault.
15:35This little bit of pain.
15:36And she was breaking.
15:37Mom.
15:38I suffered for 10 years.
15:39The cops needed evidence for charges.
15:41So they opened my journal in front of my parents.
15:44The female officer's voice was soft.
15:46But each word cut like a knife.
15:47February 14th.
15:49Sunny.
15:49Mom put celery on my plate.
15:51I'm allergic.
15:51I said I can't eat it.
15:53Mom.
15:54I can't eat celery.
15:55Otherwise my throat will swell up.
15:57But because I was scared of making her angry.
15:59My heart raced.
16:00Red light.
16:01Mom said I was picky.
16:02Lying.
16:03Made me eat the whole plate.
16:04That night I threw up blood.
16:05My throat felt like it was on fire.
16:07Mom saw it and said I'd snuck tomato juice.
16:09That I was faking.
16:10She punished me for 10 more minutes.
16:12Mom's hand flew to her mouth.
16:14She was shaking violently.
16:15She remembered that night.
16:16She really did think it was tomato juice.
16:18She didn't even look closely.
16:20Just turned away to read Emma a bedtime story.
16:22That was blood.
16:23From a swollen, torn throat.
16:25Dad couldn't take it anymore.
16:27This man who'd been invisible for 10 years.
16:29Who always stayed out of it.
16:30He snapped.
16:31He lunged at mom and slapped her across the face.
16:34You monster.
16:35What did you do?
16:36That was your daughter.
16:38You treated her like an animal.
16:39Mom fell to the floor.
16:41Blood at the corner of her mouth.
16:42But she didn't fight back.
16:43Didn't cry.
16:44She just stared into space.
16:46Muttering.
16:46Then her eyes landed on Emma.
16:48Cowering in the corner.
16:49It's her.
16:50It's Emma.
16:51Emma's band was always green.
16:53Emma was the good one.
16:55If it wasn't for that green light making me trust her.
16:58I wouldn't have believed the red light so much.
17:00This is Emma's fault.
17:02All eyes turned to Emma.
17:03That little princess we'd all protected.
17:05The cop walked over.
17:07Gently removed the green Verity band from her wrist.
17:09Took out a screwdriver.
17:10Pried it open right there.
17:11Crack.
17:12The plastic shell split.
17:13Inside, no sensors.
17:15No chips.
17:16No heart rate monitor.
17:17Just two cheap LED lights and a watch battery.
17:19The circuit was hardwired.
17:21Power on.
17:21Green light.
17:22That's it.
17:23This is a $2 toy.
17:25The circuit is hardwired.
17:27Power on.
17:27Green light.
17:28No matter what she said, did, or lied about, it would glow green forever.
17:32Your so-called science-based parenting was a joke.
17:36A sick, biased joke.
17:38Mom stared at the broken plastic.
17:39That was her truth for 10 years.
17:41That was the evidence she used to convict me.
17:43A toy.
17:44One that put me in hell while Emma lived in heaven.
17:46So I wasn't a liar.
17:48I wasn't a bad kid.
17:49Then what was all that suffering for?
17:50I laughed.
17:51Laughed until I cried.
17:52Turns out ghosts can cry too.
17:54The officer turned to the last page of the journal.
17:56Her voice broke.
17:58Mom, if I die, will the band stop glowing red?
18:01Or if it turns green, will you hug me then?
18:03I'm not lying.
18:05My stomach hurts so much.
18:06Like knives.
18:07Next life, please don't make me wear the band.
18:10Please.
18:12I just want to be a normal kid.
18:14I want to eat your steak burgers.
18:16Mom stared at the shattered pieces of plastic on the table.
18:19That green light she trusted without question?
18:21A cheap piece of junk.
18:22Because of that toy, she spoiled Emma for 10 years.
18:25Because of that cursed red light, she tortured me for 10 years.
18:29Mom started laughing, her voice cracking with every sound.
18:32I killed my honest daughter, and I worshipped a liar.
18:38She'd lost her mind.
18:39For real this time.
18:42My death became front page news.
18:44Mrs. Lisa, the neighborhood gossip, posted everything online.
18:48Starved to death by fake science band.
18:51This is where that monster lived.
18:53The internet exploded.
18:54Monster.
18:55Murderer.
18:55She doesn't deserve to be a mother.
18:57Comments poured in like an avalanche.
18:59Someone doxxed mom.
19:00Our address got leaked.
19:01People threw red paint on our door.
19:02Wrote death in huge letters.
19:04Dad got arrested too.
19:05Neglect.
19:06Failure to protect.
19:07He wasn't there when I died, so he got off light.
19:09But his company fired him immediately to avoid the PR nightmare.
19:12Our family went bankrupt.
19:14Sold the house, the car, everything, to pay legal fees.
19:17Dad couldn't stand living with that psycho anymore.
19:19He took what little money was left and Emma, and disappeared.
19:22Emma was a bad seed, sure.
19:24But she was still his blood.
19:26Before they left, Emma tried to take her green band.
19:28Dad stomped on it.
19:30Why the hell would you want that piece of trash?
19:32Mom got out on bail.
19:33The psyche val said she had severe PTSD and psychosis.
19:37They left her alone in that rental apartment.
19:39The one that still smelled like death.
19:41Her mental state deteriorated fast.
19:43She started talking to me like I was still there.
19:45And she refused to take off the red light band.
19:47To punish herself.
19:48She'd added a shock device to it.
19:50One that delivered a jolt the second the light flashed red.
19:53She said the pill shocks were the only thing that eased her guilt.
19:56It was her self-imposed punishment.
19:58I floated around the apartment.
19:59Watching her unravel day after day.
20:01She'd cook a whole table of food.
20:03Then talked to the empty air.
20:04Stella, dinner's ready?
20:06No celery today?
20:07It's all steak burgers, your favorite.
20:10She'd pick up a piece of meat.
20:11Her hands shut.
20:12The band flashed red.
20:13She was anxious.
20:14She smiled.
20:15But her eyes were empty.
20:17Mom's heart is racing.
20:19Mom's lying.
20:20Liars don't deserve food.
20:22She put down her fork.
20:23Picked up a remote.
20:24One she'd rewired to trigger the shock on her wristband.
20:27And shocked herself.
20:28Her body convulsed.
20:29It hurts.
20:31Is this what Stella felt?
20:33I'm sorry.
20:35Mom started reenacting my diary entries.
20:37I couldn't eat celery because of my allergy.
20:39So she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood.
20:43Then swallowed it back down.
20:44I was locked in isolation.
20:46So she locked herself in my old room.
20:48Lights off.
20:49And bowed to my photo until her forehead bled.
20:51Over and over.
20:52Blood on the floor.
20:53Late at night.
20:53She'd see the red glow of the band reflected on the wall.
20:56To her.
20:57It looked like my bloody eyes watching.
20:59She scribbled in red pen on the back of my journal.
21:01I'm sorry.
21:02I was wrong.
21:03Red light means pain.
21:04Red light means love.
21:05Please come back and say it hurts one more time.
21:07I'll save you.
21:08I promise.
21:09Too bad I'm dead.
21:10Dead people can't cry for help.
21:12Eventually.
21:12The state intervened.
21:14Mom's self-harm got so extreme.
21:15She nearly killed herself.
21:17That they committed her.
21:18She ended up in a psychiatric facility.
21:20She was the strangest patient there.
21:22She'd found a red plastic ring somewhere and wore it around her neck like a collar.
21:25Her homemade band.
21:26If anyone tried to remove it.
21:28She'd bite them like a rabid dog.
21:31Don't touch my light.
21:33Stella's watching.
21:34She'll be mad if you take it.
21:36She developed a Pavlovian response.
21:39Rachel, time to eat.
21:40Mom would touch her neck, then start convulsing, screaming.
21:43Red light.
21:44Red light.
21:45Don't punish me.
21:46I'll eat.
21:47I'll eat.
21:48Even if the food was scalding hot, she'd gulp it down.
21:51Burning her esophagus.
21:52Wouldn't spit it out.
21:53She was reenacting my final moments.
21:55Living my hell on repeat.
21:56Years later, Emma grew up.
21:58Without proper guidance and with a trail of infamy behind her, she ended up at the bottom
22:02of society.
22:03When she ran out of money, she remembered, Mom's still in that facility.
22:06She showed up one day.
22:08Hey, crazy lady.
22:09Dad's dead.
22:11Give me your hidden stash.
22:12Emma stood there in heavy makeup, face full of contempt.
22:15She looked at Mom's hollow, broken form and spat on the floor.
22:18Disgusting.
22:19Just like your dead daughter.
22:21If you don't give me money, I'll pull your tubes and send you to join her.
22:24For a moment, Mom's cloudy eyes cleared.
22:26She looked at Emma, and suddenly remembered, that band, that always green toy, that decade
22:31of deception.
22:32It was you.
22:33You lied.
22:34You're the fake green light.
22:36You killed Stella.
22:37Give her back.
22:38Give her back.
22:39Give her back.
22:40Die.
22:40You should have died.
22:42Not her.
22:43You.
22:43Give her back.
22:45Emma thrashed, but couldn't break free from a madwoman's grip.
22:48Borderlies rushed in.
22:49Sedated Mom.
22:50Pulled her off.
22:51Emma stumbled out of the room, terrified.
22:53They're all insane.
22:54She bolted for the exit.
22:55Wham.
22:56A truck plowed into her.
22:57She screamed.
22:58Barely.
22:59Both legs shattered beyond repair.
23:00Wheelchair for life.
23:02A total wreck.
23:02Meanwhile, Mom was strapped to a bed, staring at the ceiling.
23:06Tears streaming.
23:06In her dreams, she finally saw me.
23:08I was 10 again.
23:09No band.
23:10White dress.
23:11Smiling.
23:12She reached for me, crying with joy.
23:14Stella.
23:15But her hand sparked with electricity.
23:17The second she touched me, I burst into flames.
23:20Turned to ash.
23:21She woke up screaming.
23:22Heart rate through the roof.
23:23If she'd been wearing that band, it would've been blood red.
23:26Eternal torment.
23:27I stood in the void, watching it all.
23:29Mom in the facility.
23:30Emma in a wheelchair, baking on the streets.
23:32Dad, drunk and dead in some gutter.
23:34I felt, nothing.
23:35No satisfaction.
23:37Just a flat, dead calm.
23:38Next to me was an old dog.
23:40Buddy, my childhood pet.
23:41Mom threw him out years ago.
23:42He'd been waiting for me at the boundary.
23:44Buddy nuzzled my leg.
23:45Barked twice.
23:46As if to say, let's go.
23:48Don't look back.
23:49Yeah.
23:49Time to leave.
23:50This life was too bitter.
23:51Nothing worth holding on to.
23:53I floated to Mom's hospital room one final time.
23:55She looked ancient.
23:56Hair completely white.
23:57Frail as paper.
23:58She sensed something.
24:00Her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air, right where I stood.
24:03Stella.
24:04Is that you?
24:05Her trembling hand reached into the emptiness.
24:07Mom destroyed the band.
24:09I don't believe in it anymore.
24:11Come back, please.
24:13I'll cook for you.
24:14No celery.
24:15I'll buy you new dresses.
24:17Not Emma.
24:19Only you.
24:20Tears rolled down her face.
24:21I looked at the red marks on her neck from the homemade band.
24:24I sighed.
24:25Reached out.
24:25My cold, ghostly finger touched her forehead.
24:28This was my final mercy.
24:29Sleep, Mom.
24:31In sleep there's no pain.
24:33Her eyes fluttered shut.
24:34She slumped into a deep, dreamless rest.
24:36A breeze blew through the room.
24:38The old journal on her nightstand flipped open.
24:40The last page, my dying words, stared up at the ceiling.
24:43But below it, in shaky handwriting, were new lines.
24:46Next life, let me wear the band.
24:48Let me be the liar.
24:50Punish me however you want.
24:52Just don't leave me.
24:54I stared at those words.
24:55It's too late.
24:56Repentance means nothing to the dead.
24:58Mom, I don't hate you anymore.
25:00But I don't love you either.
25:02Let's not meet again.
25:03I turned away.
25:04Buddy wagged his tail.
25:05In the distance, a door of light appeared.
25:07The gateway to the next cycle.
25:08There's a way I feel analyzed.
25:08I'm not sure.
25:09I'm not sure.
Comments