Chapter 16

Created by Judy Feng Liu

"WHAT HAPPENED?" RACHEL rushed to David, took his cold hands and asked.

"I was stabbed by someone with a knife, but I didn't find a wound when I came back." David answered with a confused look.

"That's because you are dead." Rachel looked at him in suspense, "tell me what happened after I left?"

"I am DEAD?!" David stood up from the sofa, touching himself from head to toe, "No way, am I well now?"

"You don't know you are dead?" asked Rachel.

"I can't be dead, see, am I alive?" David turned around in front of Rachel and let her see how well he was.

"You are really dead! If you don't trust me, pinch yourself, and see whether you can feel any pain?" said Rachel.

David pinched himself hard, but he truly felt nothing.

"It's impossible, I don't believe." David still didn't believe that he was dead after he tried.

Rachel went to the bar and picked up a knife, suddenly lashed out at David's left arm.

"See? Isn't your arm still well after I cut it?" Rachel asked after she cut him once.

"I…I thought I was alive," David said sadly, "Was I killed by that stabbing? But, why couldn't I feel anything?"

"Because you are only a soul now." said Rachel.

"But, you can see me!" David said with a questioning look.

"You can see me because I am not a human." Rachel said.

"You are not a human?" David was more confused, "What are you?"

"I am a fairy fox as you already knew." Rachel replied.

"A fairy fox? You are a fox?" David said with a surprised look.

"Yes. But let's stop talking this, tell me what has happened? How did you die by being stabbed?"

David said, "I was on my way home after I left that curio dealer's house. When I passed by a small alley, I glanced into the alley and saw a black shadow in a shape of a person that was moving in hurry. I saw it sneaking with something in its hand. So, I followed him. I wanted to see what's happening."

"Go on!" Rachel said.

"And then it found me." David said, "I wanted to run away when it found me, but, when he turned round I found that I knew what it was, it was him, someone I knew? So I called his name. And then, he grabbed me and hit me. I fought back. So, we both scuffled."

David paused for a moment and then continued, "The box in his hand fell on the ground while we struggled. The box was broken and a lot of money came out of it. After seeing this, he took out a knife. I told him I don't want his money, but he didn't listen to what I said. He just, just suddenly stabbed me with that knife. I was hurt so I ran away back home. But I found I was well once I got home, to my surprise I didn't see any stab wounds on my body. Then I thought I just had had a nightmare. Maybe the whole thing was only a nightmare. Maybe I just fell asleep on the sofa. "David sighed deeply, "But, now, now, I know that it wasn't a dream, I AM really dead."

David began to cry silently. Rachel held him in her arms, said, "Don't cry. Take me to that small alley. Let me see whether I can think something to bring you back."