Serpent Sarcophagus

Chapter 2 They Are in Hot Pursuit

Listening to the crackling upstairs, I went up uneasily with something occupying my mind, and I

knocked on the door.

It was David, the renter’s son who opened the door. The moment the door was open, a smell of alcohol

spread out.

Instantaneously, I sensed something ominous. David looked at me with his drunk eyes, “Oh, Aurora,

what do you want?”

There was something wrong with his eyes. I tried to look away in order to gain some sight of the inside.

“Are you drinking the snake liquor?”

“Sure, why don’t you come to join us for a cup or two? Your father was selling it cheap today. Drink

some, won’t you?” David smirked and looked down my neck.

I was uncomfortable with the way he looked at me. I took a shower just now, so I grasped the bath

towel on me and said, “my father just told me that the snake died in the bottle. Maybe I can offer you

the double price to buy it back, all right?”

The sound of the snake's tail against the glass was even louder when I stood at his door. I didn’t know

whether it was an illusion.

“But it isn't dead! See, it's quite alive!” David grinned, pulled the door open, and stretched out his hand

to pull me. “Come on in and have a drink.”

The door opened, I saw a big glass bottle on the tea table in the living room, which was exactly the kind

of my father's snake liquor. Inside, a thick snake was swimming slowly with its eyes open.

David's father, Fletcher Russell, seemed to be very happy, holding his chopsticks and poking at the

glass to keep the snake swimming.

But no matter how the snake swam, its head was always facing me. Lights in the living room were

reflected on the glass, making the snake’s eyes flickering with the light of what seems to be hatred that

was cast on me.

I was scared. So, I took a step back and swallowed air, “I will double the offer, please let me buy it

back!”

“I won’t sell! Look, they're alive, they're all alive!” As David spoke, it seemed as if his tongue had grown

too big and kept sticking it out, and his wide tongue seemed to have split at the front.

With his tongue stuck out, his head was slowly stretching forward. Though his shoulder did not move,

his neck was able to lean forward in a weird way. In the misted eyes of his, the pupil seemed to be

shrinking.

The smirk on his face became eerier and eerier, with malicious attempts hidden inside.

I turned my head to observe that snake soaked in the liquor. It snapped the bottle more fiercely with its

tails when it kept swimming inside the liquor flicking its tongue, as if it had been annoyed by Fletcher’s

constant poking.

Across the distance from where I was standing, there shouldn’t be any sound noticeable to the ear. But

strangely, I heard a hissing voice calling, “Aurora, Aurora.”

I flinched away for I was apparently frightened. Regardless of this bottle of snake liquor, I hurried

downstairs.

“All alive, all alive, Aurora, Hey, hey, hey...” David was laughing oddly behind me.

Staying at home proved to be a challenge after I got downstairs, so I packed up my clothes for

tomorrow, took my schoolbag, and called my father, saying that I had some difficulties with my

homework and would go to Pearl Chang's home to spend the night.

“Go, I will pick you up tomorrow morning, sending you and Pearl to school together.” My dad was over

there drinking with his friends and bragging.

And he said loudly, “Listen! This is my daughter, see what a good girl she is! I never need to worry

about her grade. My only daughter as she is, she is greater than most of the boys.”

After hanging up the phone, I went directly downstairs and took a motorcycle to Pearl Chang's home.

When I was waiting for the bus, I felt vague that something was watching me from upstairs.

Turning around, I spotted David standing on the balcony of the third floor, stripped to the waist.

His body bent over the bar that was shielding the balcony. His upper body was leaning down, a pose

that made him easy to fall off even just by small negligence.

The motorbike driver followed my gaze, and he shouted immediately upward, “Hey, bro, mind if you fall

down!”

David recoiled instantly with a quick reaction.

After I was away, David was still standing on the balcony, looking at me, the dim light of the road

reflected in his eyes, like a faint green light.

On the motorcycle, I phoned Pearl, who was on good terms with me. She was waiting for me at the

front door.

Pearl's father was a Taoist priest who lived at home. He built a small Taoist temple in the town. He

usually made money by conducting religious rites for people. And he would also host some dharma

activities on the first and fifteenth of the lunar calendar.

Her home sat on the upper story of the Taoist temple. Upon my entrance into the temple, I heard a

rustle in the grass nearby, and the ornamental green plants bent to both sides.

“Maybe just some wild cats.” Pearl took a look and pulled me in.

As soon as I stepped into the temple, Master Chang, while having an evening study, shouted at me in a

low voice, “Aurora!”

Being startled by him, I flinched. He, however, immediately grabbed that one liter of rice from the

incense table, then splash towards me.

It was stinging when the cold grain of rice hit my face straight. I shuddered.

“Dad!” Pearl Chang cried out loud.

After the shuddering, I felt a great burden had been relieved. Earlier, the ride was uncomfortable as if I

had worn several heavy coats on the way over here, and now they were stripped off as the rice hit me.

“Aurora.” Master Chang came over with a brazier and looked at my back. “Is something wrong with

your house? Why are so many of those snakes following you?”

Following his eyes to my back, I saw the rice spilling all over the ground, but in the middle of it, a few

thin snake-shaped lines were swimming from my heels to the outside, as if something on my body were

flying away through the rice line back to somewhere.

“Your house…” Master Chang shook his head, burning some paper in the brazier, “you jump to cross

the burning fire first!”

When I stepped over the fire, the paper that was burning inside suddenly rolled up with a crackle, I

seemed to have heard a hissing sound.

Some of the paper even curled around me while still burning, sizzling.

Only after I crossed the brazier that the paper slowly turned to ashes.

Master Chang squinted at me and said, “All right, the problem is fixed. You can sleep with my daughter

tonight.”

“Thank you, Master Chang!” I was slightly relieved to hear that it was all over.

Pearl realized something as well. She looked at Master Chang and asked, “Dad, is everything okay

with Aurora?”

“I will stay up down here tonight. You girls go to sleep.” Master Chang frowned seriously and looked at

me, as if he was about to say something, but then nothing.

I didn’t dare to think much, so I went upstairs with Pearl. There was always either a peach-wood sword

hanging on the wall, or some other evil-proof articles placed in her house, which made me felt quite

relieved.

Pearl was the only one who knew about the black snake in my dream. As a Taoist priest’s daughter,

she never doubted it.

I told her what had happened last night. She comforted me, “The black snake is still protecting you.

Your father sold all the snake liquor, but there’s one left in your house which was bought by your renter.

Anyway, you have nothing to worry about! My father will protect you!”

After finishing our homework, we crowded into her bed to sleep.

Pearl fell into a deep sleep not long after lying on the bed.

My head was stuffed with all kinds of bizarre stuff, like that soaked snake was hissing towards me.

When it finally came to the small hours, I fell asleep tiredly. The black snake immediately crawled over.

This time it directly took the form of a human and looked at me. He appeared weak. “Aurora, he's very

angry now. You must go back to your house as soon as possible and find the Black Mamba Bracelet.

Then you must dig out the Sarcophagus of your ancestor which hatched the serpent, find the serpent's

body and place it under the sun for at least seven days.”

It seemed that he was looking around for something while talking to me, “He's coming.”

Then it turned into a black snake again, quickly coiled around me, keeping me in the middle for

protection. “You can rest tonight, I will guard you. Tomorrow you must go back to fetch the black

mamba jade!”

I actually obeyed his word. I didn’t know whether it was because I had grown familiar with him through

those years, or it was for the fact that I was really tired.

Seemingly something was growling in my ears while I was dreaming. By close examination, there was

the sound of hissing as well.

Early in the morning, I was awakened by the alarm. Pearl was searching for a toothbrush for me. A

while later, Master Chang knocked on the door, “Aurora.”

It was merely after one night, and Master Chang’s life force seemed to have been drained, with a

peach-wood sword in his hand. He looked at me through the upper door and said, “I can't control this

beast. Go home and ask your father if he has ever offended any powerful snake! I did my best last

night. You must do something about it as soon as possible.”

Once he finished his sentence, Master Chang fell straightly to the ground.

Pearl supported him up. She found a lot of snake-bite wounds on his body, and there was a strangling

mark on his hand as well.

“Let’s get to the hospital.” I couldn’t think much but to call the ambulance in a hurry.

When Pearl and I assisted Master Chang down the stairs, we saw many snake corpses lying on the

ground in disarray.

Pearl looked at me solemnly, and said, “Aurora, my dad really tried his best. You should go now! Go

back to your home and get it fixed your own way!”

The ambulance arrived shortly afterward for it was in the early hour of the day. The paramedics were

startled to see the dead snakes lying on the ground.

Pearl and I put Master Chang into the ambulance. When I was about to call my father, he called first.

His voice sounded so serious. “Aurora, I can't go pick you up. Something bad happened at home.

Upstairs, David's wife suddenly died. You go to school with Pearl and stay at her house for a few

days.”