This house, the piano, the room filled with dolls belonged to Ying Yue but clearly that was not the end of the story. The feeling of being scrutinized increased. Han Fei found a diary in another drawer. The handwriting was cursive, which suggested the author was female.
“1st Jan, we finally moved into our new home today. From today onwards, I’ll be the mother of 2 daughters, I promise to raise them as best as I can.”
“10th Jan, Ying Yue and Ming Mei are always arguing, this is such a headache. Both of them are my daughters, I hope they’ll be more understanding to each other.”
“15th Jan, Ming Mei wants to get a pet but Ying Yue is allergic to animal fur, how much more different can they be? But I love them equally.”
“20th Jan, Ming Mei and her father have voiced complaints about Ying Yue. But she is ultimately my brother’s daughter, I won’t turn her away. I love her.”
“20th Feb, today the police came. Apparently Ying Yue got separated from Ming Mei when they went for a walk. Thankfully the police found her and brought her home. I wouldn’t know what to do if I lose Ying Yue!”
“18th April, it will cost a lot to cure Ying Yue’s eyes but no worries, I am close to my goal already.”
“4th May, Ying Yue is acting stranger and stranger. Today she refused to let me brush her hair. That won’t do. I am so close to amassing the necessary amount already.”
“1st June, today is Children’s Day. It has been so long since the whole family of 3 went out to celebrate a holiday. It was a happy day.”
A quick read through the diary might amount to nothing but a closer read at it would reveal the scary details. Every entry exuded love but there was a sinister side to this love. The entry that jumped out at Han Fei the most was the one recorded on 1st June. They were supposed to be a family of 4, but in the diary, only 3 of them went to celebrate the holiday. So who was the one left out? What happened to that person?
Han Fei opened the last drawer and discovered a doll sitting inside it. The doll was about the size of Han Fei’s thumb and it was weaved from hair. A piece of white paper was stuck on its back. It had Ying Yue’s name and birthday date on it. A nail pierced through its body. When Han Fei touched the doll, the robotic voice echoed in his mind. “Notification for Player 0000! You have discovered Grade G Cursed Object—Ying Yue’s Doll. It is braided from Ying Yue’s hair, it possesses the most vicious curse.
“Ying Yue’s doll (Grade G Cursed Object): Why aren’t you dead yet? This is no longer your home! Don’t you know that? No one here loves you, every day we pray that you’ll fall dead!”
The doll had no eyes but it radiated an extreme chill. Just holding it caused Han Fei to shiver involuntarily. He could feel the curses crawling through his body.
‘The story is coming together. The diary entry on the 18th April mentioned the heavy medical bill to cure Ying Yue’s eyes but the mother claimed she was close to her goal already. She was not talking about a financial goal but something else. This was substantiated by the entry in May. She noted that Ying Yue refused to let her brush her hair anymore and that disrupted her goal. So the thing that the author was amassing was not the money for Ying Yue’s treatment but Ying Yue’s hair. From the start, the mother never wanted to help Ying Yue with her eyes, she just wanted Ying Yue out of the way.’ Han Fei arranged the information he obtained so far. ‘This family of three basically took over Ying Yue’s home and somehow caused her death, but if that was all, it wouldn’t have caused such a deep collection of resentment in this house. They probably have done something worse.
‘The eyeball appears in every nook and cranny of this house. It should not be a mere coincidence that Ying Yue’s eyesight problem was referenced in both the mother’s diary and the daughter’s paintings…
‘Did Ying Yue spend every moment of her life having her every move scrutinized by this family? For someone with a sight problem, she could sense the curse behind the gazes levelled at her but she could not tell where they came from. She only knew that there was no place that was safe inside her own home. No matter where she hid, there would be vile eyes glaring at her!’
It clicked for Han Fei then. The experience he was going through now was a replication of what Ying Yue felt when she lived with her aunt’s family. Helplessness, fear, inescapability, she was trapped in a malevolent panopticon.
‘The girl’s sketch pad, the woman’s diary and the man’s will under the bed, that makes a family of three. Ying Yue has plotted her revenge on this family. She would subject them to the same pain and despair they placed on her! But there was only the will left by the tormented person under the bed, assuming that was the father, then what happened to the mother and daughter? Did they manage to escape? Could that be the reason why Ying Yue is still so gripped by hatred?’ Now that Han Fei knew why Room 1084 was the way it was, the solution surfaced as well. ‘Meng Si mentioned that a very dangerous girl lives on the 8th floor, she should be talking about Ying Yue.’
It would be hard to resolve Ying Yue’s resentment overnight, Han Fei did not expect that he’d be able to perform that miracle either. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step. He had to do something. He decided to place himself in Ying Yue’s shoes to understand her pain. The feeling of being stared at grew stronger. The eyeball felt like it was blinking closer.
‘Ying Yue is mostly likely still here, I need to summon her out and talk to her in person.’ Exiting the room with the piano, Han Fei checked the kitchen, bathroom and living room. He searched all these rooms but did not find any trace of Ying Yue. However, he did find many other things, things that caused the hairs on his skin to rise.
There were 3 holes on the shower curtain. Each of them was just large enough for an eye to peek through. All the locks in the house were ruined, so none of the doors could be locked. In spite of the age of the house, all the door and furniture hinges were surprisingly well-oiled. They noticeably made no noise when they opened and closed. Four pairs of slippers sat inside the shoe rack but 3 of them had not seen any use based on the thick layer of dust on them. This suggested that 3 members of this family often walked barefooted at home. That would prevent the sound of slippers slapping against the ground. Other than that, Han Fei found many auditory-impairing drugs as well as bloody ear plugs stuffed inside various drawers and cupboards.
For those visually-challenged, they leaned heavily on hearing but this family was adamant to deprive Ying Yue of that clutch.
‘The only room left is also the most problematic one, the princess room.’ Han Fei’s jaw was set as he stepped into the girl’s bedroom. The room had a pastel theme. Cute marine-themed wallpaper decorated the walls, cartoon fishes were printed on the tiles, even the lamps had an aquatic design. With the lights on, it created the illusion that one was in the Little Mermaid’s world. ‘The room is fit for a mermaid princess but I only have that drowning feeling when I’m in here.’
Stopping beside the bed, Han Fei whipped his head around. He saw something stare at him among the dolls that sat on the ground. ‘Ying Yue’s parents must have loved her dearly to have gifted her so many dolls. Unfortunately, they were all taken away from her. I wonder if Ying Yue is hiding in one of them…’
“I am your neighbour from downstairs, I’m sorry to have barged in without your permission. I mean no harm to you, if anything, I am willing to help you punish those who have hurt you.” Inside the bedroom, Han Fei told the gathered dolls. “You have designed the house this particular way to punish them, right? I will help you figure out a way to lure them here!”
