One day, I wondered: now that my sister is cured and the savior s mission is complete, should I return to where I belong?
Just like the superheroes in TV shows who, after completing their missions, return home.
But where should my home be?
I wandered aimlessly, searching for where the savior s home should be.
Unconsciously, I found myself at the department store that sold the yellow princess dress.
I was eleven years old by then, and the little dress from six years ago had long since disappeared.
I felt like something had been dug out of me. The broken pieces of me seemed to have lost another part.
I walked into the mall, wandering slowly, taking my time.
I looked around, floor by floor, until I unknowingly reached the top floor.
I headed for the emergency exit and followed the stairs upward.
The view opened up before me, and I could clearly see the green hills outside the city.
The sun was shining brightly as I looked up at the sky, trying to find a star.
The sunlight was blinding, and no stars were visible during the day.
I couldn t see Grandma.
Because Grandma had told me that when people die, they turn into stars.
She said she would watch over me from the sky, making sure I grew up safe and sound.
But I couldn t see her.
Grandma said that if one day she couldn t peel apples for me anymore, she would watch over me from the sky, ensuring I live a safe and peaceful life.
At that time, I didn t understand what death was, nor did I understand why grandma was telling me these things.
I simply thought that old people liked to say these things that seemed to have no beginning or end.
It wasn t until now that I finally realized "safe and peaceful" isn t just an empty phrase.
I once thought grandma was my savior.
I saved my sister, but why didn t grandma save me?
I closed my eyes, as if accepting my fate, no longer searching for stars in the daytime.
The sunlight fell on me, warm and comforting. Even I felt that the sun was truly warm...
But the stars at night were always cold, without any warmth.
I thought, how nice it would be if time could stop on this day forever.
I thought, the savior has completed the mission and should leave.
I thought, maybe I could see grandma in the sky.
In the sky, I would ask her why she didn t save me.
I made up my mind and walked forward. I spread my arms wide, descending into the wind, as if I were flying.
I thought, next time, I don t want to be a savior anymore.
Extra Story
The day I begged my mother to buy me the dress, I didn t notice the excitement in my own eyes. I only knew that I really liked that dress.
It took me a long time to understand that maybe it wasn t the dress I liked I was just envious. Envious that my sister could smile so sweetly, so happily, in our mother s embrace, in our father s arms
Today, the chubby little boy was especially well-behaved, sitting on a chair with his hands neatly placed on his lap. He said, "Officer, I m telling the truth, that s exactly what Candy Carey said."
The police exchanged glances, finding it hard to imagine what a child of eleven must have gone through to say such mature words.
The young officer closed his notebook, took a lollipop out of his pocket, handed it to the chubby boy, and then handed him over to his parents.
The young officer was heavy-hearted, silent throughout the ride, unsure of what to say. In fact, everyone s mood was quite low, and no one knew what to say.
When the chubby boy reached the bottom of the stairs, he begged his parents to take him to the mall where Candy had left. But his parents only agreed to let him look from across the street.
The entrance to the mall was cordoned off with police tape and had been ordered to undergo rectification.
On the street, noisy passersby chattered away:
"Did someone throw that kid down?"
"Who knows?"
"I heard it was suicide! How could someone so young think of suicide?"
"No way, I heard the rooftop at the mall wasn t locked, and the kid accidentally fell after running up there..."
"What!"
The discussions intertwined, but the chubby boy paid no attention. He simply placed the lollipop the officer had given him on a bench by the street.
He felt that Candy had suffered too much.
He thought that maybe Candy didn t actually dislike candy...
The station was eerily quiet.
Candy's mother took the report from the police officer, holding it in her hands, leaning into her husband's arms, crying out in agony, her words unintelligible.
Candy's father tried to support her, but she seemed to have lost all strength, slowly slipping from his embrace to the ground, where she collapsed, clutching her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
......
The young police officer sat on the desk, eating the lollipop given to him by the older officer, swinging his legs comfortably.
The older officer was telling the younger one some old stories. After listening, the young officer felt a bit heavy-hearted, stopped swinging his legs, jumped off the desk, and returned to his seat, complaining, "Boss, you re just messing with me! What kid thinks about so much stuff?"
The old policeman just smiled and said nothing. This brat! Isn't it just that he thinks the archives room is too idle? Always love shouting.
All that noise is giving me a headache. Just one story, and he can t handle it?
Young people, so restless and impatient they need to be taught a lesson!
The young officer, perhaps afraid the older one would continue talking, quickly changed the subject, asking, "Boss, what are you having for lunch?"
He even pretended to rub his stomach, which growled on cue. The young officer chuckled, and the older one checked the time, "Beef "
The young officer grinned, bit down on the lollipop, and tossed the stick into the trash can with a basketball-like gesture. He responded with a quick "Got it!" and dashed away in a flash.
The old cop stood up and shouted, "Hey, I wasn t finished!" He called after him, "Add two eggs!!"
But the young cop was already too far, almost at the gate. The old cop, resigned, walked to the balcony, one hand resting on the railing, the other flashing a peace sign, "Two! Two!!! Did you hear me?"
The young cop, now at the gate, silently celebrated his escape from the old cop s endless stories. He grinned, turning back as he ran, "Got it, boss! Beef, with two eggs..."
He even jumped up and waved, flashing a peace sign back.
The old cop sighed, shaking his head with a smile, muttering, "That little rascal..." He walked back to the records room, a faint, almost imperceptible trace of melancholy lingering in his expression...
If an old acquaintance from back then were present, they might just be able to recognize, from the lines of his face, that the old cop was once that young officer taking down statements
------
Half an hour later, in the records room.
"Damn it, I said two eggs, two eggs!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey, ouch!"
"Boss, stop hitting me, it hurts..."
The records room door was shut tightly a last, stubborn stand to protect the young cop s dignity.
The cops outside exchanged knowing smiles.
These two jokers were the life of the station.
