Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Author:Zen Cho [Cho, Zen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780425283431
Google: 58UOEAAAQBAJ
Amazon: 0425283437
Publisher: Ace
Published: 2021-05-10T23:00:00+00:00
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FOR A SHORT time Jess had been freed from the horror of the night before, distracted by her conversation with Mom. But now the dream rushed in on her againâthe hunt through the forest, the knife opening her flesh. She put a hand to her throat.
âMin?â said Mom. Her voice sounded like it was coming from a great distance away. âYou OK?â
âIâm fine,â Jess heard herself saying. She wanted to crawl away and hide herself, like an injured animal.
âWhat did Ah Ku do?â said Mom. âSee lah, you keep secrets from Mom. If you told me, I would have warned you. I should have told you, stay away from Ah Ku. But how I know heâll contact you without asking me? Iâve been patient, you know. Not like he does so much for me. When Dad was sick also he didnât call me. Didnât offer to help out, even though I gave him so much money over the years. I donât mind. I donât expect him to give me money. But he cannot even leave my daughter alone! My poor girl! What did he do?â
âItâs not him,â said Jess. She was getting a grip on herself. Momâs ready flow of words was helping. Irritation cut through the haze of terror, bringing Jess back to the mundane world. âItâs not Ah Ku. I saw him at the garden temple, butââ
âHe took you to that temple?â said Mom, her voice rising.
Jess looked up. âHe didnât take me there. Iââ
It might all have come out then, Ah Ma and the whole improbable nightmare. But that was when Jess saw the god.
The Black Water Sister stood outside the glass sliding doors, framed by Kor Korâs bougainvilleas, sickeningly real against the vivid-hued blooms.
Jess froze, her voice drying up in her throat. She tore her gaze away, but she had looked now. There was no taking that back.
âYou what?â said Mom.
âI, uhââ The instinct to hide descended on Jess. She needed to keep talking or Mom would realize something was wrong. âI went to the temple myself. I saw an article about it online.â
She barely knew what she was saying. Her thoughts were scurrying around in her head, frantic. What should she do? She needed to get Mom out of this room, away from the god. But would the god follow them?
âYou shouldnât have gone there!â said Mom. âWhy you didnât tell me? I would have warned you . . . Let me see your neck. Donât know why Kor Kor likes this old light, even when itâs on, you cannot see anything. Come, come to the window.â
Mom tugged her toward the glass sliding doors where the god stood. Jess resisted.
âI donâtâMom, no!â
Mom reached out to the curtains, apparently intending to let the early-morning sunlight in.
For the first time, the god took her eyes off Jess. She looked at Mom.
Jessâs body moved without the intervention of thought. She threw herself at Mom, dragging her away from the sliding doors.
âWhat are you doing?â said Mom.
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