Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 84: The Missing Lamps

When the light sparked off, Lin Qiushi's brain hadn't even reacted before his body leapt forward. He wanted to put out the lamp like yesterday, but his frantic motions ended up knocking the oil lamp right over. Though the wick was extinguished, the lamp still hit the floor with a crisp clang, and the oil too spilled all over.

The room once again sank into silent darkness. Lin Qiushi was half-kneeled by the window, and felt a bad feeling rising—above his head came the sound of fingers scratching at window paper. They scratched relentlessly on; it was apparent that more than one person was trying to pierce their window.

Lin Qiushi held his breath and steeled himself. Glancing up, he saw by moonlight countless pairs of children's hands patting and poking and digging at their window. The next moment, there came a rip. Lin Qiushi saw a pair of pale, kid-sized hands burst through that thin paper, reaching right in.

As if this were a signal, that tiny pair of hands began to work open a hole in the window paper. Behind that hole appeared a child's stark white face. The child opened its blood red maw, and let out harsh, hiccuping cries.

The child started trying to squeeze in from the window. Its eyes were thin black lines, and its pupils were completely invisible; with colorless, water-bloated skin, it looked nothing like a human at all.

It reached out, trying hard to crawl inside the room through that ripped-open hole. In moments it was halfway through, and was soon about to be all the way in.

Lin Qiushi couldn't help but back away. The child's cries though reminded him of something; he quickly recalled the words from the hint, and speedily chanted: "I've said it once I'll say it twice, my baby cries with all his might, if you see this chant this thrice, and he'll sleep on 'til morning light."

The moment these words were said, the child's motions noticeably slowed. But it was still trying hard to crawl inside the house.

Lin Qiushi sped through the second chant, then the third chant. After the third time, the little ghoul that had almost made its way in finally halted. It hung completely motionless on that window paper, as if it had fallen asleep.

The tightness in Lin Qiushi's chest loosened. Because he'd seen the townspeople speak this chant for protection at the sacrifice, he'd brazenly read the hint aloud. He hadn't thought it would be this effective though.

The ghoul's body was stuck in the window, and could no longer enter even a centimeter more.

But Lin Qiushi still wouldn't move. Through the window paper, he could still see the tall incisive shadow of the Landlady outside their room.

She paced back and forth in front of the window, waiting in agitation for something.

But when she discovered the ghoul had gotten stuck and no longer seemed to be moving, she descended into an immense fury. Lin Qiushi saw her grab and pull at the ghoul's body, dragging it out bit by bit. Then that white face appeared behind the window, angrily searching inside the room. She even began to spit curses under her breath.

Lin Qiushi half-squatted under the window, and didn't dare move.

This was a perfect blindspot; the woman couldn't possibly see him from her angle. The woman's dark eyes loped around the room, and when they failed to discover what they wanted, a long, low, angry roar emanated from her throat, as if from an enraged beast.

Lin Qiushi pretended he saw nothing, and heard nothing.

They stayed in that stalemate for a long time; the woman did not leave, and Lin Qiushi did not move.