Ghostly_Apples

Chapter 1：A Tale of Superstition and Secrets

It was already very late at night... The old clock tower in the small town slowly and heavily struck twelve. Midnight came... In this time of silence, a girl opened her own toilet door slowly. Actually it wasn't strange at all... But after she went inside, she turned off the light in the toilet with one hand, then lit up an extremely white candle on the washbasin mirror.
In the flickering candlelight, that girl's slightly tense face looked a little grotesque.
"Okay! It's about to start!" The girl took a deep breath and encouraged herself again. Then, she took out a fruit knife and an apple that was as red as blood.
"Okay! I will never panic. It's definitely going to be okay in one go. Xanthe is doomed!" She muttered as she began to peel an apple with a fruit knife. The knife slowly and carefully separated the flesh from the skin, not thick or thin at all, just barely connecting the skin so that it was visible how much practice this girl had put into tonight's event!
The bright red fruit skin twisted and elongated slowly in the dim candlelight, as the girl concentrated on peeling it. Perhaps her eyes were too focused on the knife, she didn't notice that the falling fruit skin was emitting a strange...a creepy kind of strange..."Haha, almost done!" The girl wiped sweat from her forehead with a towel. For some reason, although this process only lasted for more than one minute, she felt much more tired than running five kilometers.
There is only one more circle of peel to separate completely from the flesh, and the girl seems even more careful. She holds a knife carefully and delicately peels it as if she were carving an invaluable gemstone.
At this moment, a mouse ran out from one end of the toilet! The girl who was already nervous screamed and instinctively threw what she held in her hand at the mouse... When she came to her senses, everything had ended. Her hard work was shattered into several pieces.
Quiet... endless silence filled the darkness, like an invisible claw tightly grasping a person's neck. The girl stood there motionless, not daring to move. After an unknown period of time, the girl suddenly burst out laughing!
"Haha, nothing happened at all. These rumors are just lies. Hahaha, I almost believed them just now! Hahaha, that stinking rat, wait until tomorrow when I'll deal with you!" She laughed and laughed, as if she had never been so happy in her life. But there was always a sense of fear deep inside her heart... Suddenly... A chill spread from her back to her head. The girl shivered and slowly turned around... A painful scream pierced through the silent night without warning.
Then, the old clock tower in the town began to ring slowly and heavily. Listen carefully, it was still twelve times... At midnight, the sky was covered with clouds. This strange event started and ended with the sound of the bell.

Sometimes I always love to think about what life is and how it feels. If we compare life with a melody, then what kind of melody will my life be like? Will it be a mess of notes created by the interweaving of the flute and violin?
I'm Cain, a boy who always encounters strange events. After experiencing The Puppet incident, I returned to my home in Millville, but immediately faced a series of headaches. To prepare for the upcoming high school entrance exam, Dad hired me with a bunch of tutors.
"Son, I know that with your intelligence and talent, you will definitely pass the college entrance examination." This stinky dad said while giving me a compliment: "But I am a businessman. The definition of a businessman is not to take any risks without certainty or to exploit loopholes in anything. So during this time, I'm sorry to ask you to stay at home for review." He was saying irresponsible words while trying to entrust me to a nanny.
Oh my God, he actually wants to lock me up like a monk. Hmph, I should have stayed away from home if I knew this would happen! I glared at him angrily and suddenly noticed something bulging in his pocket. So I snatched it out quickly.
"Hey, what's this?" I looked at my ticket and smiled meaningfully.
"As you can see, it's just a very ordinary ticket. Ha ha." Dad obviously felt uneasy and smiled: "You know, I haven't been alone with your aunt for several years."
I said "Oh" with a deep meaning, and suddenly asked again: "Then why is there only one?" 27
"Don't tell your aunt." Dad said jokingly, "How can my son not understand such a simple truth?"
"Well, I am getting dumber and dumber." I pretended to scratch my head. Then I said with a wink of an eye, "So in order to show my filial piety as a son, I 'have no choice' but to congratulate Auntie."
Sure enough, my father was shocked and exclaimed, "Ah! No! My aunt will kill me!"
"Haha." I said proudly, "So about tutoring?"
"Do whatever you want!" Dad said dejectedly, "But if you don't get in, don't expect me to pay a high price for your entrance to a key high school."
I don't want to go to a key high school. It's tiring and there are no interesting people to talk with. Since childhood, I have not liked these two words "key".
"Right." Dad suddenly turned around and asked curiously, "How did you figure it out?"
I smiled and said, "Dad, don't always treat me like a fool. It's not your wedding anniversary with Auntie or any big day in our family. You don't have to go out of town for no reason. And if you are on business trip, there is no need to lie to me. So it must be that you want to do something shameful, such as picking up roadside flowers."
Devil! My son must be a devil! Dad's face was full of such words. I paused and said, "Actually, I have no right to interfere with dad's private life. You definitely lied in front of Auntie that you were going on business trip. So this time I will keep it secret for you, but I want to tell you that I really like my stepmother!"
Dad patted my head and said, "You guy. Well, I'm not going to pick up any roadside wild flowers. It's just that I have to meet someone she doesn't like at all. You are so grown-up."
My father left and was preparing for a one-month business trip. I thought about it for several days, finally decided to take evening tutoring classes in mathematics and chemistry. Everything went smoothly until that night... That day because my chemistry test paper was so bad, the tutor kept me back to explain each question. As a result, when I got home at 11:30 pm.
To save time, I decided to take a shortcut back. But as soon as I reached the intersection, I felt uncomfortable. It seemed that Nan South Street was out of power and it was pitch black along the road. And since there is no moon today, it looks particularly eerie.
Suddenly, a 'hum' sound came from beside me. I was so scared that my hair stood on end. "What's wrong? Rich guy, are you afraid?" A voice said unkindly. I turned around and it was her. This very masculine girl is in the same tutoring class as me. It seems that both of her parents have lost their jobs. The whole family depends on her mother to make matchboxes, sew for others, and wash clothes just to support them. Well, Aerelia families are like this. Even if they're poor, her family still enrolled her in tutoring classes. But I don't know why she always looks down on me.
"Don't you feel a little afraid to walk this way?" I retorted. And snorted again, "I am used to walking such roads since childhood. Unlike some flowers in greenhouses."
I looked at her and said, "Which kind of greenhouse flower are you talking about?" She sneered sarcastically, "I don't know. I haven't studied flowers. But I do know which flowers climb over others' heads."