My House of Horrors

It did not sound that scary on paper, but upon closer inspection, it was quite creepy.

“The monster climbed on top of your little brother’s shoulders, and it grew taller?” Chen Ge could not picture a 2.6-meter-tall person standing on top of a child’s shoulders.

“That is what our little brother wrote. We even asked him to draw a picture, and he did.” Wang Hailong took out his phone. “This is the picture he drew from memory when we took him to the doctor last time.”

Chen Ge glanced at the phone; it was a weird picture. At the bottom of the picture, there was a fat and short child, he took up about a tenth of the paper. The other ninety percent was dominated by the weird thing on his shoulders.

“What is this?” Chen Ge looked at the thing on the child’s shoulder. It looked like a woman with unruly hair, but the body looked male. Very skinny, like two bamboo poles covered with a white cloth.

“Can’t you recognize it? I saw something similar in your Haunted House. There was a girl who stood on people’s shoulders, and at the time, I was reminded of my little brother’s story.” Wang Hailong took back his phone. He glanced at the Haunted House and residual fear pooled in his eyes. “Since you created this scenario, you have to have experienced something similar. Also, when the girl was stepping on my shoulders, it felt very real. If not for my sanity, I would have thought I’d run into a real ghost.”

“Our Haunted House utilizes the latest 4D technology and special techniques to stimulate the customer’s five senses; that was why you felt something on your shoulders.” Chen Ge lied shamelessly. “The whole standing on the shoulders thing is just a coincidence.”

“Fine.” But Wang Hailong did not give up. “Then, can you tell me what it is that inspired you to create such a scene?”

This Wang Hailong was a stubborn fellow.

Chen Ge thought about it and said, “There are no ghosts in this world; those are all part of human imagination. I know that you are worried about your little brother, but I’m not even a doctor. Instead of asking me, why don’t you consult a psychologist? In fact, I can recommend one.”

The park could close in another two months, so Chen Ge did not want to waste time on unimportant stuff. He was also doing this for Wang Hailong’s brother’s sake. After all, he had no official psychological training, so it would be better if this was handled by a professional.

“My dad has taken him to psychologists since he was young. In fact, there was a mental hospital beside our old house, and my little brother was admitted for a period of time, but the effect was lacking.” Wang Hailong hesitated.

“Brother, let me.” Wang Wenlong held his brother. “For some weird reason, our little brother has a weird aversion toward doctors. He screams and struggles or even turns violent when he is near people in a doctor’s garb. Because of this, we have to notify the doctors beforehand whenever we visit a new doctor.”

“Aversion to doctors?” Chen Ge found the second anomaly about Wang Hailong’s brother. “Could it be that the thing on your brother’s shoulders is afraid of doctors? So it harms the boy whenever a doctor is near?”

“We do not know the actual reason. Before he was admitted to the hospital next door, he was fine, but after he was released from it, he started to get afraid of doctors,” Wang Wenlong added. This was a secret they had shared for years.

“The sudden change must have a reason.” Chen Ge tried to help them by analyzing what he knew. “Could it be that something the doctor did during his treatment scarred him for life?”

“That’s impossible. Shenglong was very young when he sought treatment at the hospital, so the family was at his side at all times. The doctors treated him well.”

“Since it’s not the doctors, then perhaps it might have been the environment. Perhaps you can return to this old hospital, maybe you can find some clues there.” Chen Ge gave his suggestion and then turned to leave for lunch.

“The hospital closed down a long time ago. The third hospital building Shenglong stayed at is now completely sealed, so we cannot gain entry even if we want to.” Wang Hailong sighed. “I’m sorry to unload all this on you. Too many things happened today that reminded us of our little brother.”

“The third building?” Due to the black phone’s mission, Chen Ge was very sensitive toward the word ‘third’. “What is this hospital?”

“It was the hospital next to our old house. It was in the next district. We were poor back then, so we could only afford that place. After things got better, we transferred him to another hospital.”

“That’s not what I meant. What is the name of this hospital?” Chen Ge’s eyes that looked at Wang Hailong were rather scary.

“Jiujiang Third Psychological Convalescence Centre, commonly known as Third Centre. If I’m not mistaken, it has been abandoned for five or six years already.” Wang Hailong and his brother could not understand this change in Chen Ge.

“Is there a place called the Third Sick Hall at this center?” Chen Ge was lining up the dots in his mind.

“That’s what you meant. Some referred to the third building my little brother once stayed in as the Third Sick Hall. They are the same place, just different names.”

“I understand.” Chen Ge took in a deep breath. “I know the best doctor in Jiujiang. If possible, can you bring me to meet your little brother tonight?”

Afraid that he might be rejected, Chen Ge immediately started to toot Doctor Gao’s horn.

“No problem, but you have to be prepared, my little brother is… how shall I put this? Is not that normal looking.” Wang Hailong forced a smile. “If the doctor you mention is coming along, remind him to wear casually.”

Then, he pulled out a black name card from his pocket. On the front, it was written ‘ Long Hu Fang ¹ ‘.

“You are?” Looking at the uniquely-designed name card and the tattoos that covered their body, it finally dawned on Chen Ge.

Are these gang members? This was the first time Chen Ge had interacted with such individuals in his life.

Noticing the shock on Chen Ge’s face, Wang Hailong whispered, “It is as you thought. Long Hu Fang’s Szechuan Steamboat is owned by my family. The contact number is on the back of the card.”

Chen Ge flashed a bright smile as he accepted the card. “Do you have a more specific address?”

“Come to the old district’s Hai Ming Apartments tonight. Shenglong and my father stay there.”