Serpent Sarcophagus

Chapter 3 I Am Stowy

The ambulance drove away. Looking at those snakes lying on the ground, I was a bit disconcerted after

hearing my father’s words that I had to stay in Pearl’s place for a few days.

Seeing the snake bodies on the ground, the cleaner hurriedly clapped her hands together, turned

towards the small Taoist temple of Chang’s and murmured something. But her eyes were staring at me

with curiosity.

It wasn’t appropriate for me to stay there for long either. So, I took a taxi back, and applied for a leave

of absence from my homeroom teacher.

When I got home, the door was still cordoned off, my mom and dad were standing in front of the door in

pajamas. Surrounded by a swarm of people, my dad was giving a statement to the cops while my mom

aside kept explaining the details.

Aunt Luth, who owned a noodles shop next door, giggled when she saw me, “Aurora, you were not

home last night, weren’t you? It's a good thing you didn't sleep at home. Tut, David's wife, who lived

upstairs, got entangled with the snake from your father's snake liquor.”

“What does it mean, entangled with a snake?” Hearing about her mentioning the snake liquor, I didn’t

feel good about it. I kept thinking about David’s abnormal look last night.

A kind of strange and curious expression emerged on Aunt Luth’s face. Her eyes seemed to have been

squeezed together like she was going to say something but didn’t dare to.

A few idlers who liked to wander off the streets were among the crowds. One of them said, “It means

being shagged by the snake. I heard that the snake was still inside her private parts when Fletcher

found it this morning. Fletcher pulled the snake out. Shame! That was her father-in-law!”

“It is really unusual! We all heard that living snakes entangle people, but who would think that this

snake, which was soaked in liquor, could do that as well!” With a strange expression on her face, Aunt

Luth said, “That David’s behavior was also abnormal. His wife died, but he straightly ran off with the

snake. Well, now everyone suspects that he did it on purpose.”

“And the snake escaped?” I just felt chilly.

Aunt Luth got encouraged at once and was ready to elaborate more.

My mother realized I was back, when she saw me in the crowd. She snapped at Aunt Luth, “Don’t tell

the kid such a horrible thing!”

Aunt Luth smiled apologetically, calling the crowds to eat noodles at her shop.

My mother quickly pulled me aside, “Why do you come back? The place is going to be ill-boding as

someone died here! You should keep away from such things that will bring bad luck, for you will have

the college entrance exam soon. You can live in Master Chang’s place. Ask him to draw an Amulet for

you to get rid of your bad luck.”

She took out her phone. “I will transfer some money to you, you can live in Pearl’s home for a few days, novelbin

buy them some fruits, small gifts and such. Play smart! Help them do some chores. Wash your own

clothes! Don't be as lazy as you are at home, yes?”

She was quite generous this time and gave me one thousand. Then she waved at the motorcycle driver

who was there observing the scene and asked him to send me to school, “Go to school first. I will pick

up you and Pearl in the evening and fetch you some clothes.”

“Mom,” I grasped my mother's hand tightly, asked in a low voice, “Is there a snake-shaped jade in our

family?”

My mother froze at my words, and she threw me a heavy glance, “how do you know?”

“Last night outside Master Chang's house, there were a lot of snakes. Master Chang got bitten and was

sent to the hospital. The snakes were following me.” I gripped my mother's hand.

And I said quietly, “The black snake in my dream showed up. He told me that I had to get the black

mamba jade bracelet and find the sarcophagus where the snake body was hidden.”

My mother was shaking, and her eyes seemed to be popping out.

“I heard a woman died in your house upstairs, and was killed by a snake in a nasty way, yes?” The

motorcycle driver came near and asked curiously.

“Go away!” My mother's face fell, as she shouted at him, “Show some respect for the deceased!”

For the moment, there was no way for me to enter our apartment. Mother took me to the nearby milk-

tea shop, whose owner was in the crowds watching the bustle. There was no one in that shop.

Just before my mother was about to say something, Fletcher's wife entered the shop, who was

shouting and demanding my family to pay for their daughter-in-law’s life.

“Go home to ask your grandma. She knows much more about this matter than everyone! I and your

father will come back after we make this thing done.” My mother protected me while cleaning a path to

send me out.

She pushed me to the intersection, “Take a taxi back. Don't worry about the money, I will transfer some

more to you later.”

There was a car parked just outside. The driver ran some unlicensed taxi business by sending people

between the town and the nearby villages, and he was acquainted with my father as well. My mother

asked him to send me back.

Sitting in the car, I saw Fletcher’s wife shouting, rushing to my mother, but only to be kicked to the

ground by my mother.

Dominik Miller, the taxi driver, glanced back in the rearview mirror and said, “Are you the daughter of

the Snake Liquor Dragon?”

Snake Liquor Dragon was my father's nickname. That was just what everyone called him.

I confirmed it. Dominik smiled light-heartedly, “Your father is in real trouble this time. This David is

really...”

Dominik’s business ran all over the town, bringing him many acquaintances, and also, if not all, many

sources of the story.

Yesterday my father put the snake liquor on sale. Everyone in the town knew my father's name. When

they heard it was on sale, many came to buy it. No accident happened, except for the Russells.

According to Fletcher, David was particularly drunk after drinking the snake liquor last night and had

been walking along the balcony’s edge, lowering his head down as if searching for something.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell’s room was just above my ceiling. The father and the son had been drinking till

early morning.

David was too drunk to stand upright. He carried the bottle into his room, saying that he wanted to have

some fun with his wife.

“Fletcher was standing outside their room, listening to the couple's moaning. It was said to be very

passionate. Guess what? When he got up in the morning, he found David's wife lying naked on the

ground, and the snake's tail still wiggling between her legs.” Dominik said while smacking his mouth.

“Fletcher was bold! He dared to pull the snake out himself. As soon as that snake was pulled out, he

heard David give a weird cry. David snatched the snake and ran away. I guess he went out somewhere

to kill the snake. Alas, David really pushed too hard this time!” Dominik looked at me from the rearview

mirror, snickering. “Does a young lady like you know how women play with snakes?”

Inside my mind was the image of David’s tongue split into half and flicked out as if it was the tongue of

a snake. I couldn’t be bothered to answer Dominik’s revolting question.

He, however, kept talking to himself, while driving his car at a high speed. Soon we left the town and

headed to the village.

Our village was quite remote. It took more than an hour to drive from the town to our village, including

driving across a long mountain road.

Dominik pulled the car over in the middle of the mountain road, a desolate place. He suddenly turned

toward me, “Little dragon lady, I have to go pee, do you want to answer the call of nature too?”

I took a look around. The road was just as wide as two cars put together; and the roadside weeds had

overgrown, which made me feel unsafe. I shook my head and rejected, “Please be quick!”

“Okay! You are quite vigilant!” he smirked at me, then humming a song on his walk to the nearby

woods.

For fear of something unexpected, I shut the door and rolled up the windows.

As I closed the door, a faint voice rang in my ears, saying, “He's coming.”

I was a little curious about where that voice was from until hearing the strange laugh of that taxi driver

from the woods.

Then he slowly walked toward the woods, as if something had attracted him, with both of his hands

pulling his pants slightly open.

And right beside the tree where he had passed, David, with the snake that was once soaked in the

bottle wrapped around his neck, stepped out from behind that big tree.

His head moved slowly and simultaneously along with the snake's head-neck. The green light was

gleaming in the shade of the trees.

The snake raised its head slowly, hissing and flicking out his tongue.

David followed the snake, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, hissing.

Even from far away in the car, when I looked at the person and the snake flicking their tongues, I could

hear a voice calling my name in my head, “Aurora, Aurora......”

Dominik had walked inside the woods. I patted the window, calling him back. But it seemed that he

heard nothing as he did not attempt to walk outside.

Instead, the snake on David’s neck crawled towards me.

That inner voice in my head started to shout, “Escape. Go back and find the bracelet.”

I looked at the car keys and then the taxi driver. Having made up my mind, I swiftly climbed to the

driver’s seat. What my dad taught me about driving flashed across my head.

Firstly, I needed to start the engine. Then I should step on the clutch, put it into gear, release the brake,

finally press the accelerator and drive away.

David threw himself at the front of the car just when I started the car. He lay there, with his mouth wide

open and his forked tongue stuck out, hissing bizarrely at me.

And that snake wrapped around his neck, came at me with its pointy teeth, as if it could penetrate the

glass and land on my face.

I was too scared to hold the steering wheel. I couldn't even make a sound. I was trying to find the

windscreen wiper button by clicking on the control panel randomly.

Just at that moment, a shadow flashed beside me, which was followed by a powerful jet of water that

swept across the front windshield, sweeping both the snake and David off.

I turned to look at my side. A man wearing black was sitting next to me.

It was a handsome but pale face, whose owner seemed to be out of breath, his pink lips slightly parted,

“Aurora, go back to take the bracelet first! Quick!”

“Who are you?” It was a rather horrible experience, considering it was the first time that I ever drove a

car. My palms and forehead were all sweaty.

That man in black glanced at me and asked in a low voice, “I am Stowy Dracula. Don’t you remember

me, Aurora?”