Ten Sticks of Cotton Candy

Dad bought cotton candy for my sister and me—one for each of us. I happily took mine, but my sister burst into tears. “Why does she get the same as me! I knew it—once you had a second child, I wouldn’t be the only precious one anymore!” Mom listened, then gently pulled the cotton candy from my hand. “This one’s for your sister too. You can have something else later.” But I wanted cotton candy too. I started crying from the hurt. Mom completely lost it. “Can’t you be more understanding! You’ve already taken half of your sister’s love, and you can’t even give up one piece of cotton candy?” “At such a young age, you’re already fighting with your sister over things. What will you be like when you grow up!” I was so scared I stopped crying and frantically tugged at the corner of Mom’s clothes. “Mom, please don’t be angry. I won’t eat it…” Mom froze for a moment, but then seemed even angrier. She turned and rushed to the vendor’s stand, bought ten sticks of cotton candy, and shoved them into my arms. “Eat! Sit right here and eat! You’re not leaving until you finish them all!” Mom took my sister’s hand and walked away. Dad patted my head sympathetically, his voice weary. “Once Mom calms down, Dad will come get you.” I sat alone on a bench in the mall, desperately shoving cotton candy into my mouth. By the seventh one, the mall caught fire.

People screamed and ran toward the mall exits. But I sat on the bench, not daring to run. I just sped up shoving cotton candy into my mouth. The cotton candy was so sweet. So sweet it tasted bitter. Hurry up and eat. Faster. Once I finish, Dad will come get me. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms lifted me from the bench. It was the cotton candy vendor lady. She carried me outside and set me down, gasping heavily for air. “Stay right here! I’m going to find a police officer to help you find your mom and dad, okay? Whatever you do, don’t run off!” Just then, I saw my sister and rushed over to grab her hand. “Emma! Where are Mom and Dad?” My sister shook my hand off forcefully and said hatefully: “Mom and Dad think you’re still inside. They went in to rescue you.” My mind went blank with a buzzing sound. I immediately turned and rushed toward the fire. I had to find Mom and Dad and bring them out. The cotton candy lady couldn’t catch me in time and shouted anxiously from behind. “Come back! Child! What are you doing! Come back—!” I didn’t look back. I just waved behind me as I ran. “Thank you, ma’am!” I ran back through the heat waves to where I’d been eating cotton candy. The bench was already blackened by smoke, flames crackling all around it. “Dad! Mom!” I shouted hoarsely, but there wasn’t a single person around. The cotton candy in my arms had already melted, the sticky syrup smeared all over me. If Mom saw this, she’d definitely be angry. I ran desperately, searching for Mom and Dad. Couldn’t find them. Couldn’t find them anywhere. I tripped and fell, with no strength left to get back up. The fire and thick smoke quickly surrounded me. I curled up on the scorching ground, using my last bit of consciousness to pray. “Mom, Dad, please make it out…” The pain and suffocating feeling quickly disappeared. I seemed to float up. How strange—just by thinking about Mom and Dad, I floated right to their side. On the chaotic roadside outside the mall, Mom was carefully wrapping a blanket around my sister. “Don’t be scared anymore, Emma. It’s okay now.” Mom cooed softly to my sister. Dad held a cup of hot milk tea to my sister’s lips. “Emma, you must have been so frightened. Drink something sweet to calm down.” That’s wonderful—Mom and Dad were safe! Dad turned to the firefighters rushing past, gesturing urgently. “Excuse me, have you seen a little girl, about this tall, with two pigtails, wearing a white coat…” Dad was looking for me! I quickly ran over and hugged Dad’s leg. But I passed right through his body. “Dad! Lily’s right here!” I shouted loudly, tried several times, but kept missing completely. Just then, my sister tugged on Dad’s sleeve. “Dad… I think I just saw Lily.” Dad jolted, and Mom immediately turned to look at her. “Really? Where? How is she?” Dad’s voice surged with excitement as he gripped my sister’s shoulders. My sister jumped, shrank back, and said quietly, “She left with some lady.” “A lady? What kind of lady? Which way did they go?” Dad asked anxiously. A flash of guilt crossed my sister’s eyes, but Mom and Dad didn’t notice. “I think it was the cotton candy vendor lady…” “I wanted to scare her a little, so I told her you guys thought she was still inside and went in to rescue her.” “But she completely ignored me. She didn’t even ask how you two were. She just left with that lady.” The urgency on Dad’s face vanished instantly. His face turned ashen as he let go. He said coldly, “She really is heartless.”

That’s not what happened! I didn’t abandon Mom and Dad! I was so anxious I nearly cried, desperately trying to explain loudly, but Mom and Dad couldn’t hear anything. Mom trembled with anger. “She ignored you and just left?!” She pulled my sister tighter into her embrace and glared at Dad. “Listen! Just listen! This is the fine daughter you’ve spoiled!” “Knowing we risked our lives going in to find her, she didn’t even ask if we were alive or dead! She left with some cotton candy vendor!” Dad hunched over, his eyes fixed on the mall entrance, saying nothing. In the chaotic crowd, I saw the cotton candy lady collapsed on the ground, sobbing. “That child… I already carried her out! But when she heard her parents were still inside, she ran back in!” “Foolish child… she could have survived!” I softly said sorry to the lady. Dad stared in that direction, took a few steps forward, his expression shifting. My heart tightened. Dad must have recognized that lady! He must know my sister was lying! But Dad stopped, turned around, and sighed at Mom. “Did you hear that?” Dad’s voice was full of disappointment. “Someone else’s child… heard their parents might still be inside, already made it out safely, but went back in.” “Such a loyal and righteous child.” So Dad hadn’t recognized her after all. My sister seemed relieved. Mom let out a cold laugh through her nose: “You said it yourself—that’s someone else’s child.” “Ours is just an ungrateful wolf we raised, and you’re comparing her to others.” “For some food, she didn’t even care about her own parents’ lives. What a waste raising her all these years!” I stood to the side, feeling wronged. It wasn’t someone else’s child! That was me, your child. Dad wearily rubbed his face, his voice very low. “Let’s go. Home.” My spirit involuntarily floated home following them. Everything at home was still the same as when we left that morning. The little lights on the Christmas tree glowed quietly. The snowflake stickers I’d put on the windows were still there. Dad opened the refrigerator, took out a chicken, and placed it on the counter. Mom rolled her eyes at him and said irritably: “Why are you taking that chicken out? None of the three of us like chicken.” “Just because that little brat made a fuss about wanting roast turkey for Christmas Eve, we specially bought it for her—over two hundred dollars for one chicken!” “And what happened? She doesn’t care at all!” Dad sighed, picked up the chicken to put it back in the fridge, then thought better of it and took it back out. “Let’s cook it anyway.” “Maybe she’s just playing around, went off with someone to play.” “Maybe… she’ll come home for dinner tonight.” Dad prepared an elaborate feast. The roasted turkey was golden and beautiful, exactly like the ones I’d seen on TV. Too bad I could no longer taste it. I tried to reach for the turkey, passing back and forth through the dining table. Mom suddenly raised her head and looked in my direction. My heart jumped. Could Mom see me? I moved around, but Mom’s gaze didn’t follow. She was just looking at the darkened sky outside the window. Mom stared for a long while, then suddenly slammed her fork down on the table with a loud clatter. “See! I told you! She’s never coming back!” Mom’s voice trembled with anger as she abruptly stood up, picked up the untouched roasted turkey, and threw it in the trash. “If she’s got the guts, she can stay away forever! I’ll act like I never gave birth to this daughter!” “Don’t…” I instinctively floated over, reaching out to retrieve the chicken. But I couldn’t touch anything. Dad gently patted Mom’s back. “Alright, alright. Let’s not be angry with her. We still have Emma.” My sister immediately threw herself into Mom’s arms. “Don’t be angry, Mom. Emma only loves her own mom and dad.” Mom held my sister tightly. “Yes… Mom’s not angry anymore.” “Mom still has Emma.” Dad’s hand also rested on my sister’s back, patting gently. The family of three, under the twinkling Christmas lights, embraced tightly together. Only I floated alone in midair.

Early the next morning, Dad rushed to my room as soon as he woke up. Seeing the bed still empty, Dad’s shoulders sagged slightly. Mom stood behind him with a cold laugh. “What are you looking at? Still fantasizing she’ll come back? Ridiculous!” On TV, the news was reporting on the fire. “Rescue operations for yesterday afternoon’s major department store fire have entered their final stages. Most of the victims’ bodies have been claimed by family members. However, one body of a young female remains unclaimed.” “The body was found near the children’s play area on the mall’s fourth floor, approximately four feet tall…” I couldn’t help shouting out loud. That’s Lily! Come get me and take me home! Dad walked quickly toward the TV, wanting to see more clearly. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Mom and Dad both tensed. “Is it Lily coming back?” A flash of panic crossed my sister’s face as she rushed to open the door. Standing at the door was my good friend Mia. Mia held a carefully wrapped gift box, her eyes bright and shining. “Good morning, Emma! Is Lily up yet? Today’s Christmas—we said we’d exchange gifts.” My sister blocked the doorway, her tone cold: “Lily? She’s not coming back. You don’t need to look for her anymore.” Mia looked confused. “Why? Where did she go?” My sister scoffed: “She wanted to eat cotton candy every day, so she recognized the cotton candy vendor lady as her mom. She’ll never come back to this house again.” “That can’t be true!” Mia’s eyes immediately reddened. “Lily would never just leave without saying anything! Even if she really had to go, she would definitely say goodbye to me first!” I floated to Mia’s side, my heart warm. Mom sighed and walked into my room, dragging two large boxes out to Mia. They were filled with my favorite toys and picture books. “Take all of these. Don’t cry. Be careful making friends in the future—don’t play with heartless bad kids.” Mia stepped forward and carefully searched through the boxes. Soon, she found the Christmas present I’d already prepared for her. The box had our special marking drawn on it. “Found it! This is what Lily gave me!” Mia placed her gift into the box and looked up seriously at Mom. “These are Lily’s. I don’t want them. I only want the exchanged gift.” “I’ll wait for Lily to come back, then come play with her again.” Mom didn’t respond. Mia walked a few steps, then came back. “Sir, ma’am, my mom says the most important thing for a family is trust.” “Lily isn’t a heartless bad kid. She’ll definitely come back.” Mom slammed the door with a bang. “Some stupid girl dares to lecture me!” Probably getting angrier the more she thought about it, Mom dragged the boxes straight out the door. “What are you doing!” Dad tried to stop her. “Leave me alone!” Mom shook off Dad’s hand. “Out of sight, out of mind! I’ll just pretend she’s already dead!” But Mom, I really am dead. My sister “helpfully” assisted Mom, throwing everything from my room into the public trash bins. Several kids curiously gathered around, roughly rummaging through everything. Mia’s gift was torn open—it was a beautiful ceramic doll. “What a piece of junk.” The doll was thrown on the ground and shattered. I wanted to stop them, but I couldn’t even create a breeze. I could only pass through their bodies back and forth. Finally, they got bored and ran off with their respective spoils. I silently floated back home. Everything related to me had been thrown away. Mom completely didn’t want me anymore. I floated in midair and discovered that even as a ghost, I couldn’t cry tears.

Over the next few days, the household returned to its normal routine. No one mentioned me anymore, as if I’d never existed. Until this day, when Ms. Johnson from kindergarten called. “Lily’s mom, Lily hasn’t been to kindergarten for several days now. Is something wrong?” Mom’s tone was cold: “Oh, nothing. She won’t be coming anymore. I’ll come by in a few days to process her withdrawal.” Ms. Johnson hesitated, then asked carefully: “Could the little girl in that video circulating online really be Lily?” “What video?” Mom’s tone was harsh. Ms. Johnson sighed with relief. “Since you don’t know about it, then it’s not Lily.” “It’s from the fire the other day—a little girl rushing into the flames to find her mom and dad… it’s really heartbreaking to watch.” “I saw the silhouette and kept thinking it looked a bit like… It’s good it’s not her, good it’s not her.” Mom’s voice suddenly rose sharply: “Ms. Johnson, we also heard about that girl, but it’s not Lily. She’s not that righteous.” “She fought with her sister over food. I only said a few words to her, and she went and recognized someone else as her mom. She hasn’t come back even now!” Ms. Johnson couldn’t believe it. “You’re saying Lily hasn’t been home for days? And you haven’t reported it to the police?” Mom cut her off sharply. “Report what to the police? Her sister saw with her own eyes that she left with someone else! Our Emma would never lie!” Ms. Johnson’s voice became serious too. “Lily’s mom, there must be some misunderstanding here. Lily is absolutely not the kind of child you’re describing!” “Besides, even if such a young child did leave with someone else, as her mother you have an obligation to find her!” Mom jumped up from the sofa in anger: “Gotten addicted to being a teacher? You don’t even have kids of your own, and you’re educating me!” “I think you’re not much of a teacher either—one little kid has you completely fooled.” “Some children are two-faced, one way in front of you and another behind your back. Born bad!” Mom rudely hung up the phone. At dinnertime, there was a knock at the door. It was Ms. Johnson with two police officers. Mom’s face immediately darkened. “Ms. Johnson? You brought the police to our house?” “I told you—our family business doesn’t need other people butting in!” Ms. Johnson tried to stay calm: “Lily’s mom, the more I thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. I know very well what kind of child Lily is.” “For the child’s safety, I must verify this.” Mom glanced coolly at the police and crossed her arms. “She left with someone of her own accord. There’s no disappearance, and it certainly has nothing to do with the fire.” “That child was spoiled from birth. One piece of cotton candy didn’t go her way, so she pulled this stunt. I’m not indulging her!” My sister, who had been hiding behind Mom in panic, suddenly pointed at Ms. Johnson and said loudly: “Lily always told me she hates Ms. Johnson the most!” “She favors other kids and often hits Lily! Lily doesn’t like going to kindergarten at all!” That’s a lie! I loved Ms. Johnson the most! But Ms. Johnson seemed completely unconcerned about those “bad words,” staring at my sister’s face for a long time. “Officer, this child—please look carefully. Is she the one in that…” The officer also looked at my sister for a moment, then tapped his phone a few times and handed it to Mom. “Is the girl in this video your child?” Mom’s face showed impatience. “Video, video again. How many times do I have to say it—that girl isn’t…”

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