My dear nightmare《Zhanyi version》

《Thirteenth encounter》

My eyes widened, breath stuck midway my lungs as my hands got tightened on my tuxedo; the man had bent himself over the rail before falling into the water.

I was nailed at the spot, looking around, but no one seemed to notice it; everyone was still happily talking and laughing as if nothing had happened-

"Little lion?" I turned around, still in a daze of shock, when I looked into Miss Chen's eyes.

"I-" My voice was stuck as Miss Chen raised an eyebrow, "are you okay; you seem a little pale, little bun." I shook my head, trying to grasp around what I just had seen and articulated some words.

"You okay?" Her eyes got filled with worry as I tried to shrug off the shivers running down my spine every time I think about the scenario, words still not leaving my mouth.

"I-" Before I could finish, I felt something tugging at me like I was a puppet whose master was using the strings.

I let out a soundless gap before everything in front of me turned black, and I heard Miss Chen's voice in the background, murmuring something that I couldn't understand.

***

The dream was fresh in the back of my mind, haunting me when the doorbell rang, once, twice, thrice.

Slowly I let myself slip out of bed, rubbing my eyes as I walked down the stairs; Yibo probably had gone out early.

I hopped off the last stairs as the doorbell kept ringing urgently; once again, I rubbed my eyes, groaning at the annoying sound that filled the house.

But when I opened the door, there was no one, but on the doorstep was a small black envelop with an X sign and under it my name written in the same handwriting as the notes I had been receiving.

I glanced around, seeing no one; I crouched down, suddenly fully awake, as I snatched the envelope and slammed the door behind me.

Immediately after, I went to close all the curtains and make sure no one was looking before I went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and sit down at the kitchen table, the envelop and golden X sign staring back at me.

Dismissing my curious thoughts, I gulped down my water, placing the cup away and replacing it with the envelope as I traced the elegant handwriting with the tip of my finger.

No name popped up inside my mind; no one I knew had such beautiful handwriting; I shook my head, turning the envelope around, and as expected, no sender address.

When I opened it and folding open the letter, I was intruded by the familiar messy handwriting I would have recognized out of thousands, my mothers writing style.

I held the paper tight; it was one letter, a letter I never received; I clenched it in my hand even tighter before letting my eyes roam over the sentences.

It was one of my mom's last letters, clearly because of the messy handwriting as my heart clenched painfully, reminiscing how her hand had shaken the months before she passed away and how hard it must have been to write this long letter in the first place.

Biting back my tears, I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I allowed myself slowly to read it, taking in every letter, word and sentence, my fingers caressing the soft paper that my mom had once held tenderly.

The paper looked old as the handwriting had slightly smudged, but I didn't care as I would always be able to read my mom's handwriting; no matter how messy it would be, it is like breathing to me; you do it without realizing.

My dear little Bo Bo,

I hope you receive this letter well, as, by the time you read this, I must have given up on the fight; please, never blame yourself as cancer happens. I am sorry for not being able to have won the "fight" for the second time; I love you, my dear a-Bo; I always did and always will as you're my precious little gem.