Chapter 7 Chapter Six Inducing a Kind of Murder to Happen

There was silence in the room, and suddenly, with a bang, the little red shoe that Liu Sheng threw out just now flew in through the window hole, and made a crisp sound when it landed on the ground. Liu Sheng was stunned for a moment, watching the little red shoe back again and again. "What's going on?" He retreated to the bed and looked at Ai Nan as if asking for help. Instead, Ai Nan was no longer afraid, as if she had an alliance with this little ghost. "I told you not to throw this shoe away." She said calmly, "Maybe the face you saw just now is the little girl who came to visit us."

Ai Nan's calm even surprised her afterwards, how could she not be afraid at that time?It was only when she thought about it afterwards that she realized how unbelievable it was that it made her hair stand on end. Liu Sheng later said that he didn't dare to sleep all night, but Ai Nan put the little red shoes back in the corner of the room, went to bed and fell asleep. The next morning, Ai Nan was still sleeping soundly. After getting up, Liu Sheng went to the courtyard of the photographer and Professor Xu. The two guys said that they didn't hear any movement last night, maybe it was because of the strong wind. Otherwise, the two of them would have rushed over immediately, and went to the window to have a look at that time, maybe they could find something.

Liu Sheng said that what he didn't understand this time was why Ai Nan suddenly stopped being afraid and could still sleep peacefully.At the beginning, she was afraid of the strong wind, and then a face with blurred features flashed through the hole in the window, and Ai Nan was even more frightened and trembling.However, after the thrown little red shoes flew into the house automatically, Ai Nan was not afraid at all. Liu Sheng said that he had to suspect that there was really something like an elf haunting Ai Nan. Professor Xu and the photographer were amazed that the little red shoes could fly into the house automatically, and finally decided to check out Liu Sheng's window.

Outside the back window of Liu Sheng's room was a courtyard. The weeds in the courtyard were as high as half a person, surrounded by empty rooms with dilapidated doors and windows.There was nothing unusual under the rear window, such as footprints, discarded items, etc., nothing was found.There was a hole in the window paper on the wooden lattice window. Liu Sheng stood on tiptoe and looked in through the hole. Ai Nan was still sleeping on the bed. A sudden association of the dead in the mind. Professor Xu seriously considered the current situation in the room.This was how he could safely stay in Fengdong Town before the road blocked by the landslide was cleared.Originally, he and the photographer were quite comfortable staying here. They had their own hobbies and goals. Sometimes they went to the mountains together and sometimes they walked alone. He felt that the paleontological fossils hidden in the mountains were getting closer to him.However, since the couple who came all the way from Shanghai entered Fengdong Town, strange things began to happen.For example, the old woman and little girl he and Liu Sheng met in the mountains together, when they turned back to look for them, even the farmyard was gone.He had never encountered such a strange thing when he went alone to the mountain many times, and then the disappearance of the photographer and Ai Nan, and the robbing they told after their return made him dubious.

"I'm a little afraid of going into the mountains now." Professor Xu said to Liu Sheng who was sitting in his room.He didn't understand why Liu Sheng invited Ai Nan to go into the mountains to look for fossils after he just came back. It stands to reason that he should spend more time with his wife who was still in shock, "Aren't you worried about going into the mountains to meet something terrible?" Xu the professor asked again. Liu Sheng sat on the stool and did not answer.He was distracted, rubbing his throat with one hand.Above the clavicle and below the throat, there is a soft depression. Here, only two fingers are needed to press hard, and the human trachea will be closed.It would be easier to use a rope. After the rope is pulled into the flesh from here, the trachea and blood vessels will be cut off in an instant.How can people grow up like this?Such an important throat is in a completely unprotected state, unlike the brain, which has a skull and heart hidden in ribs, but the deadly throat is so soft and exposed, it seems to be luring a kind of murder.

"What are you thinking about?" Professor Xu asked, pulling away Liu Sheng's hand on the throat joint. "Oh." Liu Sheng recovered from his trance, and he insisted that he should go to the mountains to find ancient fossils as soon as possible.According to Boss Wan, the strong wind last night was a sign of the rainy season.In the next ten days, there will be several strong winds, and then the rain will fall, day and night, and people will not even think about going out for many days.Therefore, this is the last chance to go into the mountains. "But, can Ai Nan stay here?"

Professor Xu asked with concern, "Has she recovered?" "She didn't get up until noon, and her energy is much better." Liu Sheng replied a little unnaturally. The fact is that after the strong wind and panic last night, although Ai Nan fell asleep, she muttered some vague words from time to time.At noon, she was awakened by the noise in the room. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Liu Sheng standing in front of the bed, holding a long and thin rope in his hand.Ai Nan's whole body was limp as if she had fallen apart. Liu Sheng knelt on the bed with one leg, holding the terrible rope in his right hand.He leaned over and asked, "What's wrong with you? Did I scare you?"

"Get out of here!" Ai Nan slapped him violently, then covered her face and cried.After more than five years of marriage, it was the first time that Ai Nan treated him so rudely. Liu Sheng entered the house because he was suspicious.It's noon, why hasn't Ai Nan woke up yet?Especially when he saw Ai Nan lying on the bed looking a bit like a dead person through the hole outside the window, his heart tightened a bit, trying to eliminate the unreasonable associations in his mind, but no, he had to go into the house to have a look.He entered the room lightly, bent his ear and heard the sound of breathing in front of Ai Nan's nostrils, and he was relieved.He thought that Ai Nan was terrified after being robbed into the mountain this time, and she must have been too exhausted to wake up after encountering the strange thing last night after returning.Just let her sleep a little longer.

Liu Sheng started tidying up the house, unpacking the packed clothes.Just yesterday, he really thought that Ai Nan would never come back, Fengdong Town is mysterious and unpredictable, it is easier to make a person disappear than to take away a leaf.Liu Sheng is ready to go back alone, and has accepted the loss that fate arranged for him... However, Ai Nan came back, and as soon as she came back, she took the ghost out of the window in the strong wind last night... Liu Sheng untied the wrapped bundle, straightened up, and held the untied rope in his hand.At this time, Ai Nan woke up, she looked at the rope in Liu Sheng's hand in horror, and even let out a rude roar.

After calming down, Ai Nan talked about her dream, no, maybe it was a hallucination, maybe it was an experience in another dimension. In the mountains, at the house of Hu Laoer's cousin, she fainted on the cemetery in the middle of the night, and saw Liu Sheng The little girl Maizi was drowned, and he came to her with a rope, he wanted to strangle her to death, he had a hideous face... "Liu Sheng, you wouldn't do that, would you?" Ai Nan hugged him and cried. Liu Sheng sat by the bed, threw away the rope in his hand and said, "Didn't you see that I was tidying up the house? Your dream is absolutely absurd."

Next, Ai Nan washed her hair in the yard.Liu Sheng brought her a big bucket of water, and saw her long hair soaked in the water like a clump of water plants.Liu Sheng soaked the shampoo into her hair and rubbed it for her with both hands.After more than five years of marriage, Liu Sheng often washes her hair, which has become a good story among neighbors and colleagues, which is a sign of a loving couple.That's right, Ai Nan always closes her eyes and enjoys at this time, with happiness flowing in her heart.Liu Sheng's fingers inserted into the foamy hair, touching her scalp in a silky feeling.He used his fingers to drive off the foam flowing on her neck, revealing her fair and beautiful neck, suddenly Liu Sheng's hand stopped on her neck, he realized that the fortress of life is so fragile, just use A single tap of both hands can end a life. Liu Sheng was frightened by his unreasonable association.He quickly rubbed Ai Nan's hair with both hands, he didn't dare to slide his fingers to her neck anymore, he didn't even dare to look at the beautiful lines of her neck. Throughout the afternoon, Liu Sheng was in a trance as if he had lost his soul. The word "strangle" was compulsively stuffed under his tongue, and he appeared as a murderer in Ainan's dream, which made him shocked and angry.He loves Ai Nan, and is proud of marrying such a beautiful and capable wife in front of his friends, but how could Ai Nan have such a dream?He subconsciously put his finger on his throat, imagining the feeling of the rope being strangled in. Ai Nan was dangling in front of his eyes, looking for clothes and changing clothes. He felt uneasy all over his body, worried that some irresistible force suddenly took over Him, let him pounce on Ai Nan and strangle her to death, her eyeballs will pop out, and her tongue will hang very long...Asshole!The more things you shouldn't think about, the more you have to drill into your mind. "I'll wash your clothes for you." Liu Sheng finally jumped up.He grabbed the dirty clothes that Ai Nan had changed and walked outside the house.He had to leave the room, or his head would explode.Ai Nan looked at his back inexplicably, while Liu Sheng washed her clothes.But for the first time in the world, it seems that it is true that a proper separation of husband and wife will enhance the relationship, not to mention that she is still in danger this time.There is a mountain stream under the hillside outside the nursing home, not wide, and the water is extremely clear.Sitting by the water, Liu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the clothes soaked in the water. The running water and air made the clothes look bulging, and one or two blisters would spit out from the side.There is a cool wind blowing on the forehead, and the nearby Fengdong Town and the distant mountains are very quiet.He suddenly felt that he had adapted to the life of a person, a person, neither a family nor a bastard company, what an attractive situation, sitting by the water, looking at the distant mountains, the only one hovering like a shadow The vulture also disappeared, and there were no bones for it to eat in the mountains. Liu Sheng slept comfortably on the ground, closing his eyes and listening to the sound of running water.He remembered that it was not the first time he was afraid to see Ai Nan.The most recent one happened last winter. During that time, he stayed in a small bar every day until late at night before returning home. When he entered the room, he saw that Ai Nan was already asleep, so he fell asleep lightly.Even so, Ai Nan would wake up sometimes, and she would ask in a daze, "Is there any progress in the promotion today?" For the position of deputy general manager, Ai Nan believes that Liu Sheng, as the company's oldest department director, should try his best to compete for this position. After returning home from get off work every day, from eating dinner to sleeping in bed, Ai Nan always asks What efforts did he make to this end.In fact, Liu Sheng has long been afraid of this position. He knows that the general manager does not appreciate him, so why is he looking for trouble?However, giving up directly would damage a man's competitiveness, so he had no choice but to falter in front of Ai Nan, and later simply excused himself from being busy with company affairs, hiding in a small bar until late at night before going home to sleep. However, the nature of avoiding Ai Nan this time was completely different. Liu Sheng was afraid that he would hurt her by mistake, and swear to God, he absolutely swears, he had absolutely no motive to hurt her.It was she who turned him into another person in the dream, which made him confuse the boundaries between the two selves. Liu Sheng began to wash clothes by the water. The white dress and purple clothes were the clothes Ai Nan wore when he disappeared. They were rinsing in the water at the moment, like a person crawling in the water. The running water took it away, but Liu Sheng didn't chase after it immediately, but just watched the clothes floating in the water, and then got entangled on a strange rock not far away. It was at this moment that Liu Sheng decided to invite Professor Xu into the mountain. He had to separate from Ai Nan first. Although it was hard for Ai Nan to return safely, he could no longer accompany her. When he picked up the clothes from the water, The feeling of being a limp human being broke him. It was getting dark, and Ai Nan was lying on the bed alone, feeling dizzy and chilly.Maybe it was because of a gust of wind after washing my hair in the afternoon.She felt that the wind was very cool at that time, like the cold wind she encountered when she fled into the cave a few days ago. Liu Sheng, the photographer, and Professor Xu all went to a small restaurant in the town for dinner.Boss Wan slaughtered a sheep to celebrate the return of Ai Nan and the photographer.However, when Ai Nan just walked out of the room, her legs felt weak, and she stayed in the room alone. Liu Sheng didn't stay with her, but just said to let her sleep for a while, and bring her some food back. After finishing speaking, Liu Sheng urged the photographer and Professor Xu to leave quickly. Ai Nan felt that Liu Sheng was eager to leave her. Ai Nan was lying in a dark room. There was no sound in the entire empty nursing home, and the occasional sound of leaves falling could be heard in the yard.Ai Nan suddenly felt strongly that it would be nice to have a child by her side at this time, and she thought of the little girl hitchhiking on the road, she was so peaceful in her embrace. "Mom—" Ai Nan did hear her voice calling herself. The courtyard in the south is also empty tonight. Sister Fern took her brothers into the mountains. They want to find the place where Ai Nan and the photographer were robbed, and they want to warn those pretenders not to mess around.Ainan was grateful to Sister Fern in her heart, and at the same time, a terrible thought frightened her——if the place I found had no houses, no people, and only a few piles of graves, what should I do? Ai Nan's dizziness was severe, could this be a kind of revenge?She saw the operating room of the hospital and saw the baby covered in blood. The baby who was pregnant for more than 4 months in her stomach had grown up. She murdered her baby in the name of induced labor. After more than 3 years, the baby’s The spirit finally appeared.In front of her, behind her, in the dream, the little girl named Maizi appears and disappears from time to time.Oh, Maizi, come if you want.You are a ghost mother will love you... "Wheat——" Ai Nan called out in the extreme haze. Night had enveloped the valley, and the vast empty houses of Wind Motion and the Sanitarium had turned into black shadows.The door of Ai Nan's half-hidden room was gently pushed open, and a black figure walked in with a baby in his arms, stood beside Ai Nan's bed and said, "I brought you the baby." Ai Nan asked in confusion, "Is this my child?" "You reach out and take it, and it's yours. Look, how good this child is. It's a girl. She will be as beautiful as you when she grows up." "Oh, my child." Ai Nan said in surprise, she tried hard to see everything in front of her eyes but it was too hazy, she thought it might be a dream. I don't know how long I slept, but a burst of baby's crying woke Ai Nan up.The room was dark, and there was dim light on the windows, "Wow————————" The baby's crying sounded beside her and her.As soon as Ai Nan stretched out her hand, she touched a warm little body on the bed. Ai Nan was startled, and her mind was suddenly sober. She yelled "Yeah" and rolled out of bed. After turning on the light, she stared at the bed ——A baby with bare legs and wearing a small floral dress is lying on her back and crying on her bed. It is a girl. Her little hands are waving in the air with the cry, hoping that someone will hold her. Ai Nan blinked vigorously, she was stunned, it was true!She wanted to go over to see the child, she wanted to pick her up, but her trembling legs kept moving backwards, and when she got to the door, she pulled the door and escaped. The yard was pitch black, with banana trees Stretching out black arms to hold her, a kind of unfathomable terror made Ai Nan retreat into the house. Ai Nan leaned against the corner of the room, watching the baby kicking and dancing on the bed and crying. She felt that everything had become unreal, as if she had fallen into another dimension. "Don't cry, please." Ai Nan begged. The baby seemed to understand her words, and the crying stopped, but it started crying again after a while. Ai Nan suddenly had the courage to put life and death at risk, she walked to the bed step by step, and looked down at the baby, who was four or five months old, with an apple-like face, very cute.At the same time she reached out to hug her, the crying stopped abruptly, and a pair of bright eyes looked at her, which relieved Ai Nan's fear a lot. "Oh, good boy." Ai Nan patted the child in her arms, humming like a mother. If this scene did not appear in Fengdong Town, which is like an empty city, it should be ordinary and warm.However, this is a quiet place with piles of empty houses. Ai Nan is humming in the house while holding a baby of unknown origin. This scene stunned the photographer who suddenly bumped in from the door.The dinner he brought back for Ai Nan fell to the ground with a bang in his hand.Professor Xu followed from behind him, and when he saw this scene, he also let out a cry of surprise. "It's nothing, don't be afraid, a lovely baby." Ai Nan said to them, her tone was like a robot. "Where did the child come from?" The photographer and Professor Xu asked in surprise almost at the same time. Ai Nan told what happened. She couldn't decide whether it was real or her dream that someone sent the child to her bed. In short, the child was sleeping beside her when she woke up. "This is simply a fantasy." Professor Xu said with a puzzled face, "This is even more miraculous than the ancient fossils I'm looking for." The photographer boldly walked up to Ai Nan, glanced at the sleeping baby and said, "This only means that there are other people living here. They see us coming in and out here every day, and they see Ai Nan as a baby." People who can be mothers, so they send their children here." "They? Who are they?" Professor Xu said with some fear, "When we first lived in this abandoned nursing home, we visited every yard, including guest houses and hospitals. From the layout of the empty houses, we could feel But there are only our two courtyards with beds for people to live in, because this is where the people left behind at mailbox 903 live, and they were the last to evacuate, so they can still live in. If there are people living in other houses If so, it can only be a ghost who does not eat, drink or sleep. "You mean there can be no ghosts," said the photographer, "I don't believe there are, and it's in the courtyard around us. But where did this child come from? And this shoe." The photographer glanced at the ghost. He glanced at the little red shoe thrown in the corner of the room, "Obviously this is another child, about 3 years old. So I think there must be someone around us, maybe a family, maybe a group, who knows. Because We can't see them all the time. Professor, think about it, there is an area in this building that used to be a hospital, and if there is a hospital, there will be dead people, right? Don't you see that there is a cemetery on the hillside outside? Ai Nan's window in this room There was a hole last night, and this child did not come here by accident." "No..." Ai Nan said with a pale face while holding the child, "Are you saying this child is a ghost? Look again, it's impossible: if you touch her face and her little hands, she is no different from any child .This is a real child. Professor Xu, you also come to see." Professor Xu took two steps forward, not daring to get too close to Ai Nan.He craned his neck to take a look, but shook his head but was speechless. That night, Liu Sheng drank so much in Boss Wan's small restaurant that when the photographer and Professor Xu told him to leave, he shouted with a stiff tongue, "Go away, I'll sleep here tonight." Boss Wan shook his head helplessly.After he sent the photographer and Professor Xu away, he stood on the dark street and took a look, feeling terrified for no reason.The black cat, whose whereabouts were uncertain, barked somewhere. The black cat was still normal, and Boss Wan felt a little more at ease.After he entered the room and closed the door, he saw Liu Sheng was already sleeping soundly on the table. Unexpectedly, within an hour, there were hurried footsteps all the way from the small town, followed by a "dong dong" knock on the door.Boss Wan asked the second fool to open the door, but the boy was too frightened to move.At this moment, a photographer's shout came from outside the house, and Boss Wan heaved a sigh of relief. The photographer entered the room and told what happened in Ai Nan's room.And asked Boss Wan to analyze and analyze as soon as possible.To the photographer's surprise, the well-informed Boss Wan stuck out his tongue, but was too frightened to say a word.The photographer went to the table and shook Liu Sheng awake, told him about Ai Nan's situation, and asked him to rush back to his room immediately. After listening to the photographer's narration, Liu Sheng seemed half awake, and even waved his hand and said: "Let her go with the dead child. I won't go back. I want to be alone, alone, and I'm going to sleep." After Liu Sheng said a few words vaguely, he fell asleep again, and the photographer ignored him when he punched him. When the photographer returned to Ai Nan's room, he didn't dare to convey Liu Sheng's words truthfully, but only said that Liu Sheng had drunk too much and could not walk like mud. "It's okay, I'll be with you." The photographer comforted Ai Nan. That being said, the photographer had no idea how to spend the night.Professor Xu is over 60 years old, and he can't be frightened by staying up late with him. The photographer persuaded him to go back to his room to rest.Turning around, I saw Ai Nan standing in the room like a puppet, with the sleeping baby already on the bed, this scene was so horrifying that my heart would burst. "Let this child sleep here, and you can go to my room to rest." The photographer suggested, "Come back to find out what's going on at dawn." "No, I want to accompany this child." Ai Nan sat down beside the bed and said. The photographer also sat down beside the bed, silently covering Ai Nan's hand in his own.Ai Nan's hands were cold, as if the blood had stopped flowing. After Professor Xu returned to his room, he always listened attentively to the movement in the adjacent yard.A living baby suddenly appeared on Ai Nan's bed. This kind of thing that can only appear in the house was actually witnessed by him. He couldn't help guessing that the ghost stories written by the ancients might have really happened.He thought that everything might be related to the environment. In ancient times, the mountains were vast and the people were thin, so it might be easier for ghosts to appear.In the modern age, with the hustle and bustle of people, tall buildings, bright lights, and roaring machines, the souls that take the darkness as their way naturally disappeared and hid in places inaccessible. Thinking of this, Professor Xu seemed to find an explanation for what just happened.At the foot of Tianji Mountain, the wild land is vast, Fengdong Town is almost deserted, and there are piles of abandoned empty houses in the nursing home. In such a place, in the dark night, a little soul throws a gentle woman over and cries on her bed. Cry, although this matter is strange, it is inevitable. Professor Xu recalled that many years ago, his university had a deep forest, and he lived alone in a bungalow when he was still young.Once, when I was preparing for class at night, I found a figure with long hair shaking outside the window, but when I opened the door, there was only the night wind blowing against my face.The next day, I received a call from my hometown thousands of miles away, saying that one of his cousins ​​died of illness last night.This matter has been suspected in Professor Xu's mind for many years, but when he suddenly remembered it tonight, he felt a chill down his back. Unable to fall asleep, Professor Xu lay on the bed and read a book.There is a newly published art magazine that I haven't turned over since I brought it out, and my mind is disturbed, so I just read this kind of thing to calm my mind. Open this magazine casually, it is an article about aesthetics, which talks about the traditional aesthetics being subverted by modern people, etc., the writing is boring.Professor Xu continued to turn back, which was an article introducing modern photography. Suddenly, a paragraph introducing the photographer Lan Mo appeared in the article, and Professor Xu read it with great interest. The article introduces Lan Mo as a photographer with distinctive personality. His exploration of the subject of death in recent years has attracted the attention of the photography world.Unfortunately, the photographer died last summer in a well in a mountainous area in Sichuan.According to an eyewitness near the scene, he saw Lan Mo lying on the mouth of the well and shooting at the bottom of the well. Perhaps it was his own face reflected at the bottom of the well that attracted him.When he was shooting at the bottom of the well, the camera suddenly fell out of his hand. He reached out to catch the camera, but he also fell headfirst.The well was very deep, and when the villagers tried to pick him up, he was already a corpse... There was a "buzz" in Professor Xu's head, he rubbed his eyes vigorously, read the paragraph again, then threw the magazine into the corner of the room, curled up on the bedside and trembled uncontrollably. The photographer Lan Mo died last summer, what's going on?Professor Xu seriously recalled the situation when he came to Fengdong Town.More than a month ago, when his students drove him here, he said that he would meet some photographers here.His students said that if he wanted to leave the mountain ahead of time, he could take the cars of these photographers.Professor Xu lived in the town at the time, and Boss Wan arranged a room for him, which was the room where Liu Sheng and Ai Nan stayed overnight.Sure enough, there were occasional photographers in the town, but they all stayed for two or three days and then left.Only Lan Mo, whom he met later, never mentioned leaving here.And advocated that he move to the empty house in the nursing home. Judging from Lan Mo's photography activities, it is indeed the same as the magazine said, he only cares about death.Professor Xu saw him taking many pictures of the remains of a dead dog on the side of the road.Later, he said that he wanted to shoot the old woman who was dead but not corrupt in the east of the town, but he didn't do it for some reason.Also, he and Ai Nan were hijacked this time, and it was said that a person he had filmed died, and his family asked him to film.It's unbelievable that you will die if you enter his lens. A person who had been with him for more than 20 days was found to have died a year ago in the end. This kind of discovery made Professor Xu shudder.The photographer Lan Mo lived next door to him. He remembered that when he woke up in the middle of the night, he often heard the photographer still walking around in the house. Doesn't he need to sleep? Professor Xu recalled the real experience of a friend M. M stayed in an old-fashioned hotel on a business trip. In the middle of the night, he kept hearing people moving around in the room, but when he turned on the lights, there was nothing.After repeating this several times, M suddenly squatted down to look under the bed, only to find a dead body under the bed. Is there really any induction between Yin and Yang?Or some channel where the dead man manifests, and you talk to him, befriend him, and you can't see the truth. It was very late at night, and Professor Xu remembered that the photographer was staying in Ai Nan's room at the moment, and a strange baby was sleeping on the bed.Being in such a terrible situation, Ai Nan didn't know anything, it was too dangerous.Professor Xu remembered that the photographer had repeatedly advised him to go back to his room to rest. What would happen after he left? A sense of urgency related to life made Professor Xu have to visit Ai Nan's room.He grabbed the flashlight and opened the door, the dark yard was silent.The circle of the flashlight shines on the grass, the trees, the colonnade, and then the narrow passage leading to the next yard. Ai Nan's door was ajar, and there was light streaming out.Professor Xu looked into the room, and there was no one in the room, only the strange baby lay motionless on the bed, whether it was asleep or dead.In short, the empty room gives people a feeling of suffocation. Professor Xu's scalp was tingling. In the middle of the night in this no-man's land, Ai Nan and the photographer disappeared. An ominous feeling made him cry out uncontrollably: "Ai Nan..." The dark night sucked in Professor Xu's cry like a sponge.Then there was silence again. Professor Xu stood at the door of Ai Nan's room as if he had lost his soul. He shook the yard with a flashlight. The wild grass was swaying, and the thick plantain tree looked gloomy. He thought of the legend about the plantain essence for no reason. Suddenly, a faint "help" sound came from the darkness.Professor Xu's whole body was shaken, trying to distinguish the direction of the voice.After a while, the cry for help sounded again, it was a woman's voice, very weak, as if it came from the back of the house. Behind the house is another courtyard. Professor Xu turned left and right to get here. The surroundings are as dark as a deep well, only the rear window of Ai Nan's room is lit.Professor Xu searched in three other directions with a flashlight, and there were steps and pillars behind the weeds.Suddenly, a white thing appeared in the light circle of the flashlight, it was a person!At the door of an open room, Ai Nan was lying on the ground. "Ai Nan! Ai Nan!" Professor Xu held her head up while using a flashlight to shine on the door in front of her.This is a room with a door that has collapsed, leaving only an empty door frame. The room is empty, and the ground is covered with dead leaves blown in by the wind. Ai Nan woke up from a semi-comatose state. She grabbed Professor Xu's arm and said to the empty room, "There are ghosts! There are ghosts!" It is not suitable to stay here.Professor Xu lifted Ai Nan up with a "thump" in his heart, and stumbled back to the courtyard in front of him.Back in the room, the terrible baby was still motionless on the bed, and Ai Nan was sitting on the edge of the bed with a pale face, with grass clippings stuck to her hair. "What happened?" Professor Xu asked eagerly, "Where did Lan Mo go?" Ai Nan shook her head and said she didn't know where the photographer had gone.About half an hour ago, when she was staying in the room with the photographer, someone's face suddenly flashed outside the rear window. The photographer shouted and asked outside, but there was no answer, nor did he hear footsteps.The photographer said that he went to the back of the house to take a look and told Ai Nan to stay in the house.However, after the photographer went out, he didn't come back for a long time. Ai Nan looked out through the hole in the back window, and couldn't see anything in the pitch black. She called out a few times but no one answered.Ai Nan stayed in the house terrified.Looking at the baby on the bed, she felt like she was in hell.She went out to find a photographer, but the weeds and vines in the backyard tripped her. After getting up, there was a "hissing" sound from an empty room. She groped and walked towards the door. I saw a person standing in the room, that person was facing her, but couldn't see his face clearly.Ai Nan yelled, fell to the ground and was so frightened that she passed out. The photographer disappeared, and Professor Xu felt that something unbelievable was becoming a reality.He suddenly asked Ai Nan, "Is there a well in this yard?" Ai Nan looked at Professor Xu inexplicably: "Water well? I don't know if there is any. There are grasses everywhere. I have never noticed what is in the grass. What do you ask the well for?" "Let's go and have a look!" Professor Xu went out like crazy, Ai Nan followed closely behind him. The flashlight opened the way in the darkness like a sword, and they passed the banana tree and walked towards the corner of the yard.The grass was always stumbling, and Ai Nan asked in horror if there were any snakes. Professor Xu said it didn't matter, and it would slip away if the light shined on it.Professor Xu suddenly remembered the sound Ai Nan heard in the empty house in the backyard. He said it must be the sound of a snake. Fortunately, Ai Nan didn't step into the house.Ai Nan said that the snake inside was scary enough, but the point is, what are you doing standing alone in the house?And she feels like a woman.Standing in the room facing her, but can not see the face.Listening to Ai Nan's words, Professor Xu suddenly thought, could the woman in the backyard be the mother of the baby in Ai Nan's room?If so, then the mother and child can only be ghosts. Nothing was found in the corner of the yard, only taller weeds.Ai Nan said that there is a well in the yard over there by Fenmeizi. As for this yard, you see, it doesn't look like there is a well.What did Ai Nan ask for a well?The wind was very cold, and she was shivering all over. Professor Xu searched along the base of the wall with a flashlight. Suddenly, he bent down to separate the weeds, and a bluestone slab was exposed.Professor Xu handed the flashlight to Ai Nan and said that you can shine it on me, and then he moved the slate with all his strength. The stone slab was pushed away, exposing the dark wellhead to the light of the flashlight.Professor Xu took a photo down the well with a flashlight. The walls of the well were covered with moss, and black water swayed in the light and shadow. The mountains and fields are vast, and Fengdong Town in the middle of the night seems to be a reef sunk on the seabed.No one knew it existed.Professor Xu and Ai Nan escaped from the ecstasy of the sanatorium as if fleeing for their lives, and walked towards the shadowy town.The shadows and silence all around are frightening, but it's much safer than staying in the room.Originally, they could go to the south courtyard, where there are many people and it is safe, but sister fern and the others have all gone into the mountain, and only the little brother Shitou is guarding there alone, and it is still a little deserted, so it is better to go to Boss Wan, who just happens to Sheng was sleeping there after drinking too much, and we all huddled together to spend the night. Ai Nan walked while clutching Professor Xu's arm, still thinking about the baby in the room.Professor Xu said, you must not treat this baby as a normal life, it appeared on your bed out of nowhere, do you think it is normal?Wait until dawn to go back, maybe there is nothing left. "Won't the photographer appear again?" Ai Nan asked extremely anxiously.She heard from Professor Xu that Lan Mo had died in the well a year ago.The legs were shaking a little. "Who knows? Maybe he will show up again." Professor Xu switched the flashlight to another hand and said, "But everyone should avoid being alone with him." "Does his soul live in that well?" Ai Nan asked in a daze.She thought of the photographer's proposal to take a photo with the dead old woman, and she couldn't help being terrified.It's an idea only a ghost could come up with. Professor Xu said that about the well, it will be clear to ask the boss later.If someone drowned in that well last year, Boss Wan would know. The flashlight shot into the streets of the town, and the black eaves pressed down from both sides, as if watching Professor Xu and Ai Nan in mid-air. The wind was as calm as stagnant water, and there was a "dong dong" knock on the door of Boss Wan's room.Er Lengzi looked out of the attic window, and there were two people standing in front of the door. He recognized Ai Nan from the vague white dress.He slipped down the stairs and opened the door. Boss Wan also came out from the room.After hearing that a baby had appeared in Ai Nan's room, he hadn't fallen asleep.他想鬼魂本就存在，只是男人看不见而已。自从艾楠这个城里的女人来了之后，一切就被她看见了。女人属阴，与水和月亮有亲缘关系，实在不该来到风动镇这样的地方。 艾楠和徐教授跨进屋来。徐教授说，摄影家在院子里一下子消失了。实在不敢再住在那里。二愣子惊叫了一声，万老板瞪了他一眼，好像这种事不值得大惊小怪似的。万老板说今夜雾气特重，是女人最容易怀孕或者遇鬼的时辰。你们到这里来就好了，我这门外都浇了雄黄酒，大家放心呆到天亮，太阳一出，什么事也没有了。 艾楠望着这个精瘦的药材商，似信非信地点点头。“刘盛呢？”她问道。 二愣子抢先说刘盛在阁楼上睡觉，他说刘盛喝了酒呼噜打得震山响。艾楠强压住厌恶的表情，说：“他倒舒服。” 徐教授问起万老板，去年夏天疗养院或着风动镇一带的水井里淹死过人没有。万老板奇怪地盯了徐教授一眼说，怎么会有这回事呢？never heard of that.你们以为那婴儿是从水井里爬出来的吗？也许是吧，水井和水井在地下都是相通的，不信你放一尾鱼下去，以后会在十里八里外的水井里找到它。所以，井里如有鬼魂，并不一定是这口井里淹死过人。 “我是说摄影家蓝墨，”徐教授说，“他有可能钻到井里去了。” “除非有女鬼在水里喊他。”万老板并不知道摄影家的来龙去脉，只能这样判断说。 此时此刻，每个人的心里都笼罩着恐怖气氛，不能再推测下去了，万老板打了个呵欠说等天亮就好了。他安排艾楠上阁楼去和刘盛住在一起，二愣子睡在这饭馆的桌子上，而徐教授到他的房间去挤一夜。 艾楠从“咔咔”作响的楼梯爬上阁楼。昏黄的灯光下，刘盛在一张大木床上睡得像死猪。想到一夜的惊吓，艾楠坐在床沿捂脸哭了。 刘盛在艾楠的哭声中醒了，他翻身坐起来一把搂住艾楠，连声问道：“怎么了怎么了？”他头脑里一片空白，一下子不知自己身在何处。 艾楠挣扎着说：“你放开我，你箍得我气都出不来了。”刘盛用这样大的劲抱着她使她动弹不得，她觉得身上的骨头都被挤压得“喀喀”作响。 “你快讲，发生了什么事？”刘盛一点儿也没有松开她的意思，艾楠心里闷得发慌，一低头便在他的手臂上咬了一口，刘盛叫了一声松开了环抱着她的手臂。 “你要箍死我是不是？”艾楠恼怒地说，“我们住的地方突然冒出一个婴儿来，你还在这里睡得舒服！” 刘盛这才清醒过来，想起上半夜发生的事，他不做声了，半晌，才冷冷地说：“你不是想要孩子吗？这不，给你送来了还不高兴。” “谁？谁给我送来了？是鬼吗？你躲得远远的，好像这事就与你没关系。”艾楠气愤地说。 刘盛也不示弱，他说这事真与他没关系。“三年前，你引产以后，不是连续几夜发觉有孩子找你吗？”刘盛无可奈何地说，“你倒是晋升地区经理了，还挣大钱，到头来，却怪我当初让你做了引产。你认真想想，当初不是你也同意的吗？来风动镇的路上，你把那个搭便车的小女孩抱得紧紧的，我就知道要出事了。告诉你吧，那个叫麦子的小女孩你没能守得住，就赶快把这个婴儿守住吧。这孩子迟早都要来的，你失踪那几天，我有次回房间拿东西就遇见这个婴儿，一个女人抱着她走来的，问我要不要孩子，我一吼就把这女鬼吓跑了。蕨妹子他们说我是阴气重的缘故。我想也是，我读书打工时守过停尸房，你在心底嫌弃我，说我身上有气味，没想到我现在有作用了吧，鬼都不敢粘我。哈哈，你到我这里就安全了，我可以保护你，不然，有鬼会勒死你的！” “你这个混蛋！”艾楠气得脸色发白，“要勒死我的是你！梦都告诉过我了，不过，你要敢那样做你也不得好死！” 刘盛怔住了，他的双手微微发颤。“艾楠，你说什么呀？”他的声音低了下来，“别说气话毁了我们的关系好不好？我是爱你的，只是那些死鬼娃娃惹得人太心烦了。三年前就心烦，到了这山里也不清静。艾楠，忍一忍，我们离开这里就好了。”刘盛流下了眼泪。 “我也想立即走了。”艾楠说，“就没有别的路可以出山去吗？” 刘盛摇头说没有。这条惟一的公路到风动镇就是尽头了。只有等到滑坡的堵塞被疏通后才出得去。 “再等下去，真要死人了。”艾楠轻叹道。然后，她将摄影家蓝墨已于一年前死去的事告诉了刘盛。 刘盛大惊，他真是遇见鬼了，以前守停尸房都没遇见过，没想到在这山中却被这些鬼怪包围。他努力回想着摄影家的一举一动，却没发现什么奇怪的破绽。唯一让他感到特别摄影家的络腮胡，从侧面看他的脸有点像猿猴。 世上真有魂灵显形这种事吗？刘盛犯迷糊了。他坐在床头，看着和衣倒在床上的艾楠，她的面容困倦无比。他想他们之间，以后谁先死了，也会在某个时刻显形吗？ 艾楠迷迷糊糊地睡去。她感到刘盛下了床，然后是打火机点烟的响动。他干吗不和自己一起睡呢？到了这里后她和刘盛老是顶撞，这在家里是少有发生的。 不知睡了多久，艾楠被刘盛摇醒了。他说：“你听，外面有人走动。” 艾楠惊坐起来，果然有脚步声在外面的石板路上响起，声音还很远，但听得出来是越来越近，是向他们这里走来的。 半夜三更，谁会进入空空荡荡的风动镇呢？是摄影家从什么地方钻出来了吗？艾楠推开阁楼的窗户，探头向街道上看去。 夜很黑，石板路透着一点隐约的灰白。万老板的大黑猫蹲在路上，显得特别的鬼灵。脚步声越来越近，可以看见一个摇晃的人影。刘盛也挤到窗口，“是一个女人。”他脱口说道。艾楠捂住他的嘴，叫他千万别出声。 出现在石板路上的确实是一个披头散发的女人。夜色迷离，只能看见可怕的轮廓。她慢慢走近，看见路上的黑猫便蹲了下去，好像要抱起那只猫似的。那猫“咪嗷”叫了一声，然后箭一样射到对面的屋顶上去了。那人影站起来，原地转了一个圈，然后向前走去。她的嘴里好像在嘀咕着什么，但是听不清楚。 艾楠和刘盛从窗口缩回头来，瘫坐在床上恐惧得说不出一句话来。 天亮以后，风动镇雾气升腾，凡是有阳光穿透的地方就浸着绯红。艾楠正心急火燎地赶回镇西头的疗养院去。昨夜的经历像一个梦，天亮后一切才变得真实。无论如何，昨夜突然出现的婴儿还是让她牵挂，万一那孩子是真的，这一夜不知哭成什么样了。 刘盛和徐教授走在艾楠的后面，他们有点赶不上她的脚步。这两个男人一边走一边商议着进山去寻找古生物化石的事。徐教授本来有点犹豫，认为刘盛现在与艾楠分开不合情理，但昨夜一场惊吓，让徐教授也觉得应该暂时避一避了。试想想，继续住在那空荡荡的院子里，听着摄影家半夜在房间里的脚步声，谁能受得了这种折磨？如果摄影家就此彻底消失，那住在房间里更让人提心吊胆。带上帐篷，进山去几日也罢。也许返回后公路就开通了。那时一走了之，将若干神秘留在风动镇让它自个儿打理吧。 走进疗养院一个连一个的四合院后，三个人的脚步放慢了，谁也不知道他们将看见什么。 艾楠的房门大开着，里面没有一点儿声音。艾楠双腿发颤地跨了进去，床上空空荡荡的什么也没有。 “不会又是你做的梦吧。”刘盛望了望屋内说。 艾楠已经愣住了。徐教授说肯定不是梦，那睡在床上的婴儿他也看见了的。现在关键的是，摄影家到哪里去了？如果他和婴儿一起消失，那一切真的很可怕了。 出乎大家意外，摄影家在他的房间里睡觉。被敲门声惊醒后，他开门走出来，大家平时见惯了的络腮胡此时显得有点恐怖。他的额头上贴着胶布，显然是昨夜受了伤。 “那孩子哪去了？”艾楠迫不及待地问。 摄影家打了一个呵欠说：“你们丢下我到哪里去了？也不怕我死在这里吗？” 摄影家说，他昨夜从艾楠的房间出去之后，刚进入屋后的院子便发现一个人影向左边的屋檐下闪进去了。摄影家追了过去，发现左边是通向另一个院子的通道。他接着追过去，又看见了黑影一闪，他喝问了一声，黑影并不应答一闪便不见了。摄影家追进了又一个院子，再也没发现任何动静。这时，他刚才的勇气突然消失，四周一片漆黑，他摸索着往回走，可是，找不着出口了，他用手一寸一寸摸遍了院子的四周，永远是墙壁和门窗。他想到了民间关于“鬼打墙”的传说，说是人被鬼迷住后就会在原地打转。永远没有路可以出去。此时，他觉得额头上很痛，是刚才追击那个黑影时跌伤的。他摸了摸额头，湿漉漉的正在出血，他用手指沾上这些血往就近的墙壁上涂，突然，手伸出去空荡荡的，他正站在出口的旁边。就这样，他费了很长时间才找回艾楠的院子。一看艾楠的屋内，只有那个来历不明的婴儿睡在床上，艾楠不见了。他又去找徐教授，也是人去屋空。摄影家不知道发生了什么可怕的事，只好回到自己的房间，用桌子抵上门后，到天亮前才刚刚睡着。 艾楠来不及分辨摄影家的话是真是假，只是一个劲儿地催问婴儿到哪里去了。摄影家已经发觉了大家的眼光有点异样。便说你们怎么这样看着我呀？和他保持着一定距离的刘盛将脸一沉地说：“婴儿到哪去了？你快说呀！” 摄影家说他也不知道。刚天亮的时候，他听见艾楠那边的院子里有女人的哭声，他以为是艾楠回来了，可是仔细一听，不对，那不是艾楠的声音。因为那哭声有点粗哑，还说了一句“你们不要这孩子，可不能丢弃她呀！”摄影家恐惧得不敢出门去看，后来那边就没有动静了。 “一定是那女人将孩子抱走了。”徐教授说，“可是哪来的女人呢？”他突然想起艾楠昨夜在屋后的院子遇见过一个披头散发的女人，便叫大家去那院子里看看。 一行人绕到了屋后的院子里，艾楠指着旁边一间没有门的房间说，那女人当时就站在那屋里，我走过去时和她撞了个面对面。 大家屏住呼吸走上阶沿，站在门口往里一望，正面墙上的一面大镜子映出了大家的狼狈相。估计这里是以前的会客厅吧。 毫无疑问，艾楠昨夜看见的女人是她自己。大家都长出了一口气。可是，那婴儿真是被一个女人抱走了，这事实又让大家没法轻松。 这期间，摄影家一直不再开口说话，并且很快就离开大家，回到他的房间里扳弄相机去了。这让大家更感蹊跷，不知道怎样对付他才好。 幸好蕨妹子和她的兄弟们从山里回来了，大家像有了救星似的赶到南边的院子时，给她讲了昨夜的怪事。但由于摄影家就站在人堆边，徐教授没敢讲摄影家已在一年前死去的事。 没想到，胆大妄为的蕨妹子和大家一样恐惧。她说她从小在这里长大，没听说过这种怪事。她说风动镇空得太久了，这么多空房子，难免会有鬼魂来住的。她用江湖上的话说，不过也没什么，井水不犯河水，大家好自为之不就得了。 蕨妹子将头一转，对着艾楠和摄影家说：“你们也可以放心了，劫持你俩的那户人家已经找到。确实死了一个老太婆，新坟上的招魂幡还没被雨淋坏呢。不过已经没人住在那里了。房子是锁着的，太婆的儿子已经外出打工去了。这事完结了，没人再来害你们，要进山去逛也没问题了。” 大家一起去镇上吃午饭。万老板正在和几个挖来虫草的山民讨价还价，便叫二愣子招呼大家坐下。将药材收购完毕后，万老板进来叹了口气说：“你们成了这惟一的食客了。要不是滑坡堵了路的话，这个季节会不少搞摄影的做买卖的到这里来了。” 蕨妹子说：“你急什么，我的货也没运出去也没急呢，还不是只有等着路通，大家正好清闲一下。” 万老板又问黑娃去县城许多天了怎么还没回来。蕨妹子说要翻几重山你知道吗，你以为像汽车轮子一转那么容易。 饭后，徐教授背开摄影家对蕨妹子说，他和刘盛要进山去了，能不能让艾楠住到她的院子里来。蕨妹子满口答应，说是让兄弟们腾一间屋子出来就行了。她还说明天是她母亲的忌日，她也要进山去上坟，也许，她还能在山里遇见他们呢。 下午，摄影家在房间里睡大觉，一点儿也不知道徐教授和刘盛已经进山去了。艾楠本想跟着刘盛去山里的，可刘盛说，翻山越岭的，有女人跟着太不方便了。他叫艾楠搬到蕨妹子那边后安心住下，他和教授进山去多找一些地方，要是找到了古生物化石，下半生的花费就不愁了。他第一件要做的事就是去公司辞职，他说你没看见网上的文章吗，现在的职业经理人和公司白领都患了职业综合症，很多人英年早逝，我们可要想法活长点才是。艾楠皱了皱眉头，刘盛的痴心妄想让她心烦。天上从来没有馅饼掉下来，这是她的人生理念，一切全靠个人奋斗。 傍晚，艾楠已在南边的院子里住下了。原来房间里有两件东西她不敢带走、也不敢扔掉，这就是那只来历不明的小红鞋和放在火柴盒里的死老太婆的头发，她将这两件东西留在了原处。 夜空已布满了星星，艾楠在院子角落的井台边洗衣裳，小兄弟石头替她从井里打水，幺哥在半明半暗的阶沿上拉二胡，琴声和打上来的井水一样有一些凉意。 突然，摄影家急匆匆地跑进了院子，他站在井台边对艾楠说，刘盛的老爸的坟被挖开了！刚才他在外面散步，不经意走到了那片坟地边，就看见一座坟张开了一个黑洞洞的大口。再看墓碑———刘全淼之墓，这不是刘盛老爸的坟吗？ 艾楠全身一震说，我们赶快去看看。说完丢下正在洗的衣裳便和摄影家一起向外跑去。她这一刻完全忘记了对摄影家死活身份的戒备，一直走到疗养院外面的山坡上，抬头看见满天星斗时，心里才无端地打了一个寒颤。 时间是一种奇怪的概念，当艾楠在星空下望着一片坟场的时候，她有一种回到千年前的感觉。山野蛮荒，鬼怪出没，连她自己身着白裙站在这里也似乎绝非今生，摄影家说看着她有种狐魅之美。对这种恭维艾楠在鼻子里哼了一声，她想这样也好，这样便可以什么也不怕了。她想起小时候听大人说过的一句话———在恐惧的时候将自己想成是鬼，便什么也不怕了。 但是，面对被掘开的坟墓，她还是没敢靠近前去，尽管这里葬着的是刘盛的老爸，那个骨灰盒她甚至用手模过，但那是下葬前的事。此刻，在坟中埋了多日以后，事物便起了变化，她觉得有阵阵寒意从那土坑中升起来。 摄影家说这是遇上盗墓的了，他们一定以为这里有什么值钱的东西。蕨妹子讲过，她的母亲的坟远在山里也被盗过，母亲手上的一只银镯子被盗走了，蕨妹子说这些人会不得好死。 艾楠在此刻恨起刘盛来，他不该再去山里寻什么宝贝。发生了这样重大的事她无法唤他回来，信号全无的手机在这里成了废铁，刘盛此刻正在山中搭起帐篷睡得怡然自得吧。 如果不是葬他老爸的骨灰，她也不会来到这里。她感觉刘盛将她带上了一条不归路，活了这么多年从没相信过的鬼魂现在却四处出没，连眼前这个名叫蓝墨的摄影家也是身份不明，如果他真是一年前死去的同一人显形，那他自已知不知道他的来历呢？ 摄影家用手将酥松的土推向坑里，他怎么就不害怕呢？他发现坟被掘开是因为散步，但散步走到这坟场来也让人觉得不合情理。重新垒好坟堆以后，摄影家直起身来对艾楠笑了一下，有点邀功似的，但这笑容让艾楠恐惧。 不过，艾楠相信摄影家不会害她，这是她敢于和他一起的理由。因为，经历了山中的历险，摄影家如果是鬼魂要害她的话，在漆黑的山洞时应该是最好的时机了。摄影家没有这样做，并还把她背出了山洞。 艾楠和摄影家离开坟场，走上了疗养院外面的山坡。摄影家说：“刘盛和徐教授被这里的怪事吓跑了。说是去找化石，其实我知道，他们害怕。你也搬到蕨妹子那边去了，留下我一个人在那里，这是不是有点不太公平？” 艾楠说：“你也可以换个地方住呀，又没人强迫你。” “我才不呢。”摄影家站了下来，望了一眼满天的星斗说，“我知道你被那婴儿吓坏了。我计算了一下，确实有好几个人在这一大片空房子里窜来窜去，几个月大的婴儿、穿红鞋子的小女孩、将婴儿抱来又抱走的女人，还有我在屋后的院子里发现的人影，你后窗上出现的脸一定就是这个人在观察屋内。我知道这些事情不弄清楚你就是回到上海也会做噩梦，那好，我现在一个人留在那边，正好帮你发现这一切的真相，怎么样？” 摄影家能这样做让艾楠有些惊喜，确实，能搞清楚这一切就真让人安心了。她说：“尤其是那个婴儿和小女孩，这两个孩子如果再出现你最好能留住她们，然后将大家都叫过来，看看究竟是怎么回事。” “我会这样做的。”摄影家说，“不过这些真相搞清楚后，你将答应配合我的创作，和镇东头那个死去的老太婆照一张相。在山中逃出来时你曾经答应过这事，回来后又遇到这些惊吓，我担心你不敢做这件事了。” “你，你说什么？”艾楠确实将这事忘记了，现在听摄影家提起时不禁毛骨悚然。 “你现在正处在恐惧中，我暂不给你提要求了，等真相大白后再说。”摄影家说完后便与艾楠在山坡上分了手，各自向疗养院的南北方向走去。 刚进院子，蕨妹子便招呼住艾楠说：“又有该死的家伙盗墓了？坟里没葬什么东西吧？” 艾楠说除了骨灰什么也没有葬。蕨妹子松了一口气说，她明天要进山里去给母亲上坟，这里的事由幺哥和石头照料。她要艾楠安心住在这里，还说她住的这个院子邪气进不来，每年他们都要杀好几只大红公鸡，将鸡血洒在院子周围，这方法避邪，灵得很。 临睡前，石头给艾楠送来了蚊香和火柴，走出门后他又回头说：“艾楠姐，晚上有什么事随时喊我。”石头指了一下院子左边的一个房间，“我就住在那里。” 艾楠说谢谢小兄弟了，住在这里应该不会发生什么可怕的事了。说实话，这里被酒被火被汉子们的喧嚷熏染过，没有一点儿冷湿阴森的感觉。 然而，艾楠仍然有些失眠。她想着刘盛父亲的坟被掘开的情景，这究竟是遇到了盗墓还是一种神奇的超自然现象呢？会不会是刘盛的父亲感知到她和刘盛遇到了危险，他的魂灵出土来保护他们来了？那么，坟裂开是想告诉他们一种存在吗？ 这是荒唐的想法，艾楠翻了一下身想努力睡去，眼前又出现了她住过的房间，一只小红鞋静静地躺在屋角，这有点像是麦子的鞋子，这个在路上遇见又在路上丢失的小女孩，为什么一直闪闪烁烁地缠住她不放呢？ 艾楠想起了她以前算过的一次命。算命先生是个瞎子，艾楠认为瞎子说的话要准确一些。瞎子说她的命中有两个孩子，都是女孩。因此，3年多前她做了引产之后，想起瞎子的话便悲伤不已，尽管刘盛说，她还年轻，等条件好了再要孩子。但她自己知道，她已不会再有孩子了，命中该有的两个孩子她都有过了，想到这点她感到一片空茫。 第一个孩子是她读大二时怀上的，当例假迟迟不来并出现呕吐的时候，她震惊了，像天文学家意外地发现新星一样震惊。她的情人，那个帅气的男生更是无比惊慌，他陪她去医院做了流产，这个果实还没长成便从枝头被摘去了。三年多前她有了第二个孩子，这次是安心让她来到这个世界的，可是，仍然夭折了。命中该有的两个孩子都消失了，艾楠不敢触碰心底的疼痛和绝望。 尤其是第二个孩子，怀了四个多月，已经是一个完整的婴儿了，引产无异于一场谋杀。这孩子会恨我的，她会来找我的。引产回家后艾楠在昏睡中反复说着这种话，好长时间后才慢慢平静下来。 这以后，艾楠怕去医院，怕闻到酒精和消毒水的气味，更怕看到任何人的外伤性出血。她的梦中反复出现手术室的情景，从在门外换上陌生的拖鞋开始，属于自我的东西便一件件被剥夺了———衣服、毛发血肉直至自尊。被推出手术室后她见到刘盛便忍不住流泪，“我们的孩子没有了。”她说。 此刻，在时间和空间上都和这一切相隔遥远的山中，记忆仍然让艾楠的心里一阵阵发痛。她下了床走到窗边，从窗缝里望着外面的院子，星光朦胧，院子里显得空荡而寂寞，井台边有几处发亮的水洼。她想世界上真有灵魂这种东西存在吗？如果有，她的孩子会找到她吗？ 后半夜，风动镇所在的山谷中起了一阵短暂的风，像慌慌张张的过路人一闪而过。星光暗淡，艾楠迷迷糊糊地睡去。一觉醒来后天已大亮，她起床后第一件事便是直奔北边的院落，她住过的房间空了一夜，会不会已经有婴儿出现在屋里了呢？这种无端的预感让她心里发跳。 刚走