horror effect

Chapter 42

The silver-white foam is like countless sea moon jellyfish under the sea surface, and the umbrella leaves are full of water, swelling and shrinking.The joints of the balls of foam floated and burst like jellyfish arms and legs stretched and contracted, sending out whispers that were drowned in the sound of the wind.Fingers touch the foam, and they recede to the sides, then regroup after the finger is passed over.

But they are still quietly disappearing, and with a 'poof' sound, a bright and transparent small world disappeared, together with other bubbles around it and the sky above its head that had time to reflect in its short life.

Stephen crushed a handful of foam in his hand, and the small water droplets returned to the sea along his wrist.He was sinking and sinking in the sea, and there was no land in all directions, and the foam floating from nowhere was engulfing his body with the current and washed away.A few white clouds wandered in the sky, but he couldn't find the sun.Although the surroundings were full of light, he couldn't determine where the source of light was—everything was like it, and everything wasn't.

He raised his arms without leaving a shadow.

The salty air and tiny, pitiful bubbles gave Stephen a sense of time standing still and dawn never coming again.What should he do?There was nowhere to go, and any direction he looked led to 'nothing'.

Just as he was thinking this, there was a cry above his head, he raised his head, and saw a white bird flying forward like a shooting star with a branch in its beak.

This is a trap, Stephen thought.

But what else could he do?So he slapped his limbs and swam after it.

The sea was calm, the foam had long since disappeared, his body parted the water, and the sea closed behind him.The white bird continued to fly a few meters in front of him.

It appeared!thought Stephen.This is the bird that pecked at my finger. If I try hard, maybe I can catch it... and the white bird seems to know his thoughts, and suddenly rises up, and Stephen can't touch it even if he is standing on the sea.You're so smart, he said, you're so smart, but I think...

Suddenly his knee hit something solid—he hit the sea floor, and there was a curve of sand in front of him.He put his feet down and waded ashore step by step. The sea water flowed down from his hair, leaving a row of puddle-filled footprints on the sand.

In front of Stephen was a sandy beach, spreading from his feet to the end of his field of vision, flat as if pressed in a mould.He thought that there must be no plate tectonic movement in this world, the earth would not be collided and squeezed, and the wind would smooth the ground bit by bit.Or the world is like fine sand thrown out at all, and each grain of sand finds its place and remains motionless, and there is nothing more.

Nothing, nothing on the beach.

He bent down, inserted his hands into the sand, and took a handful of sand to examine carefully.

Among the golden sand, sparsely interspersed with fine white fragments, are the skeletons of sponges and corals.He let go of his hand, and grains of sand and broken bones fluttered down.

"Where are you?" Stephen said. "What are you trying to do? I don't think it's fun at all. If you want to tell me something, say it to my face. If—"

He stopped suddenly.

He felt someone behind him, though he didn't look back.

He turned and saw the figure standing there—the fairy on the canvas of Constance Marmet and the white lion in Julian's dream.

The man was wearing a long robe that fell to his feet, and his white hair was wrapped around his shoulders. His bare skin was so pale, but it was not the pale white of a corpse, but the white of something extremely hot, as if his body was burning. His eyebrows and eyelashes were almost white, but his pupils and lips were red; his face was smiling, and he looked very beautiful, but Stephen felt both admiration and fear in that smile.

That smile belongs to everyone, and everyone has had a share of that smile through the ages; it's the smile of love, it's the smile of hate, it's the smile of joy from the mother who gave birth to her child, and it's cursed by the woman in Jerusalem who eats her own child A smile; that smile begins at birth and does not end at death.

Stephen took a step forward, touched the white lion's skin with his fingers, then raised his hands up to hold his light-colored face, and then approached slowly, kissing his lips with his own lips. "Bergos..." he murmured.

"Sneeze!" Stephen sneezed earth-shatteringly, and then found himself facing the wall of his bathroom.It turned out that he was lying in the bathtub, and the bath water was already cold.

"Stephen!" exclaimed Mrs. Brymontrose from outside the door, "I told you not to read in the bath!"

"I didn't!" He retorted, and quickly jumped out of the bathtub, wiped off the water on his body, put on his bathrobe and rushed out of the bathroom.

"Oh!" The lady guarding the door was taken aback by him. She didn't remember anything until Stephen had already run up the stairs, and shouted, "Don't forget to dry your hair!"

At this time, Stephen had already rushed into his room and called Julian Raymond.He told Julian in detail what he had encountered in the dream, and wanted to hear his opinion.And almost impatiently, Julian's excited voice came from the receiver.

"Damn it! You kissed him?!"

"yes, I--"

"And then? Did you go on to do something else?"

"That's what someone like you would do, right? I woke up all of a sudden."

Stephen heard a triumphant laugh. "It's a dream that Burgess himself ended. You've been cast out, Stephen."

"Yeah, how proud you are to be left behind and have sex with him, Julian."

"That's right, I'm very proud, and I wish you success next time."

"Then I thank you very much."

"Are you going to Theoros' funeral tomorrow?" Julian changed the subject.

"Maybe I'll take part in it for Nikolai's sake."

"You must go, Stephen. I will go too."

"What's the matter?" He heard the seriousness in Julian's words and asked.

"A hunch, you could call it a reporter's sensibility. I feel like something's going to happen tomorrow."

"about what?"

"...I don't know, it's just a feeling..."

The next morning it began to snow again, and the wind and snow that had just weakened a little the day before returned at this time, and the snowflakes swirled and flew all over the sky in the strong wind.Theolos' funeral takes place in the snow.

It was very warm inside the church, and there was a burst of fragrance in the air.Fortunately, it was the severe winter, and Theoros' body did not emit any unpleasant smell.

There were more people than expected at the funeral, the chapel was nearly full, and people looked at each other in wonder, as if no one else had expected to come.The dead were not welcome in the town, but death always elicited pity and forgiveness, and this man's death was so mysterious that it probably had something to do with everyone.

Standing at the front were Irene and Nicholas Theoros, both dressed in black, with a slightly dazed expression on their faces.

The memorial service began, and Priest Georgi solemnly recited scriptures.But as time passed, the crowd began to slowly lose their patience for silence. Some people began to speak in low voices, some people stood on their legs alternately, and some people simply slipped out to smoke.They started off with heavy conversations about the dead, but gradually they talked about the snowstorm, about the benefits of the ski resort, and about new plans for the new year.

They didn't like being in church, and everyone felt like there was a weight on everyone's head, pinning them into their places and not being able to move.

Soon the people were back in church again, and the uneasiness which had just dissipated in the conversation now crept back into the hearts of the people.The dead man in the black coffin reminded them—that's how people die.Every sentence of those scriptures sounded so correct to them.

"Life is illusory and fleeting. Everything on the earth, even if it struggles, will be in vain. As the scriptures say, the day we are born is fixed when we enter the coffin. Kings and beggars will not be spared. Please Lord Christ, give your servant Soul rest in peace, the most loving, only the Lord Christ..."

The tormenting mass finally came to an end, and most people left the church.The remaining relatives of the deceased and workers who used to work in the logging factory will follow to the cemetery to participate in the burial ceremony.

Julian and Stephen didn't leave either. The two of them followed the small group and walked into the cemetery together.

This was the first time Julian came in through the main entrance. He first stepped on a tree-lined path. It was winter, and the trees on both sides were dry and withered. The same old and new tombstones.Just below the ground, maggot-infested human flesh was fermenting.

To die for money, for family, for happiness, for freedom, for country, for a future that can never belong to the dead.He felt very strange: why should people be buried under the tombstone?

Wouldn't it be better to leave the money for repairing the tombstone for the living?

Let the souls of the dead rest in peace?

Who is serious now.Just bury it.

Julian and Stephen walked slowly towards the tombstone of Berkes. Julian had already told Stephen about the disappearance of the inscription when he came for the second time, and now they want to confirm it again.

A dozen steps away, none of the people attending Theoros' burial ceremony noticed them.

The tombstone of Borges stands alone among the weeds, and a line of words is engraved on the gray stone: Burgess Moratov 1921-1944.

The two were stunned for a while, and then Julian sneered: "We have been tricked again."

"So which one is real? This line of writing, or the bare tombstone you saw?"

"I don't know. He can control what we see at will, and everything can be false."

At this time, Julian found that the church handyman Klodkov was standing next to the group of people performing the ceremony. He came up with an idea and walked over to pull Klodkov over. "Is this the tombstone of Boris Moratov?" he asked the handyman, pointing to the tombstone.

"Yes, this is it."

"What's written on it? I can't read it," Julian said.

"Of course you can't see clearly." Klodkov snorted. "Because there's nothing up there."

Julian glanced at Stephen and found that his expression was full of uncontrollable excitement.After dismissing Klodkov, Julian whispered: "You see, we have been deceived. He deliberately let us see that line. It is a psychological suggestion."

"...This is an opportunity." Stephen stared at the inscription and said thoughtfully.

"... Chance? What chance?" Julian asked.

"I'm going to try to make a mark." Stephen said, took out a fluorescent ink pen from his pocket, and made a cross on the tombstone.

"We have to keep the position firmly in mind."

"What do you want to do?" Julian asked.

"We'll come back tonight."

After saying this, Stephen walked towards the ceremony crowd, but Julian grabbed his arm and dragged him back. "Tell me what you want!"

"I'll tell you tonight."

"By then it will be too late!"

Stephen looked into Julian's eyes and found them extremely serious, even condemning. "It seems that you already understand what I have to do."

He paused, looked around, and continued, "As long as we are careful, nothing will go wrong. I have all the tools."

"But that's against morality."

"Damn it! You have the audacity to sneak into a hotel room and now you say it's against morality? You know the law is a tool to restrain people, but you don't want to think about what you call morality. They all wear a holy mask. Beasts that destroy people. These beasts make us kneel before the mask and sing it, and sing it while being eaten alive. A man is dead and buried there. All your morality can do is to watch The next one dies. Well, I'll come by myself at night, so you can keep your morals."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and left. Julian looked at his back and felt incredible.

He admired him for having the guts to do that kind of thing, what would happen in the end?But Julian didn't think about the result at this time, he just thought about what an interesting adventure it would be!He ran over, grabbed Stephen's arm and said, "We'll be together at night."

"Huh? Have you changed your mind?"

"I think you'll need an assistant."

Stephen smiled.He took Julian by the shoulders and hugged him tightly.He was glad he had an ally, one who was quick to get his mind across and never daunted.

As the funeral drew to a close, Julian and Stephen returned to the crowd, looking at the grave-looking people, and feeling a shudder in their hearts as they thought of what they were going to do that night.

Julian noticed Elena Theoros looking at her, she slowly raised her hand and pressed a finger to her lips.

After the funeral, people walked separately to the cemetery, Julian let Stephen go first, and stayed standing near the gate.After a while, Elena came over, she looked at him, said nothing, the two walked towards the valley.

All the way, Irene looked at Julian, from his dark hair, down to his sculpted cheeks, down to his lean, muscular frame.She loves him.

But what about herself?She instigated her husband to commit crimes, seduced men constantly, and was deeply involved in sex. She was a fallen woman.

They walked to the foot of the hill, and when they were about to part, Irene stopped and said, "I love you."

Julian smiled, and he put his arms around her, but she pushed him away. "But you don't love me."

"Irene..."

"You are good to me, but that's not love. You don't love anyone. I don't know what happened to you before, but I can feel something in you that separates others from yourself."

Julian frowned.

He thought of Liddy.

"Let's end it. You go your way and I live my life."

Julian sighed and said, "I didn't expect your husband's death to change you so much. I know, your self-esteem—"

At the word, Irene cried like a frightened bird: "Yes! My pride! You may think I'm too proud, but—my pride, without which a woman is worth nothing. Let's see each other again!"

She stood upright, her lips were tightly pressed into a line, and tears were rolling in her eyes.

She looked at Julian even threateningly.This made him suddenly feel the precious holy radiance emanating from the depths of this fallen woman's body. He took her hand carefully, pressed a kiss full of praise but lost enthusiasm on the back of her hand, then turned and left her.

Elena's shoulders slumped as she watched him go.She knew that she would not bow to a man who didn't love her, and she couldn't bear such shame.

If Theolos hadn't died, she might have eloped with Julian, but now that she's a widow, her self-esteem has grown.She loves him so much, but if she wants to beg him, to ask him to take her away in a low voice, as soon as this kind of scene appears in her mind, she is torn apart and stepped on a few times.

She had to say that, and if there was a sword in her heart, and if every word she said pushed the blade an inch deeper, she would still say that.

She wiped away her tears and walked towards her dilapidated and deserted house. On the way, she met Mrs. Barnin.The middle-aged woman came up to her and said, "Honey, I know you're sad, but you don't love your husband, never have. It's a relief for you. You can still love others, you can still Like before, no one is stopping you, you know..."

"What are you talking about," Irene replied, "you mean he deserved to die? Yes, I don't love him, but he's the one who took me out of my miserable life, and I don't love him , we could have lived a good life, and I could have had some fun from him, but he is dead, dead...how can you understand?"

Irene left Mrs. Barnin and walked forward.Mrs. Barnin looked after her and shook her head, and when she was far away, she shrugged her broad shoulders and said, "It's strange that she should say those things! It's changed, it's changed! It's all changed! The weather is so bad, and I don't think anyone in this town is normal..."