11
I entered the elevator, smiling at Dr. Kai.
“Thank you.”
The doors closed, leaving just the two of us. He tilted his head, his professional smile
fading, replaced by a fanatical gleam in his
eyes.
“I should be thanking you, Ms. Sarah. You’re excellent experimental material.”
I knew he’d used me as a subject, but I was grateful. I’d escaped the darkness, thanks to
him.
But that didn’t change the fact that he was a
fanatic, using people for his experiments.
I didn’t want to engage further. He asked a
few more questions, but seeing my lack of
interest, he stopped.
As the elevator doors opened, I was about to
く
leave.
“Ms. Sarah.”
I turned to see him in the shadows, his
professional smile back.
“Ethan agreed to the surgery.”
Overjoyed, I thanked him and rushed to
Ethan’s room.
He was huddled in a chair by the window,
sunlight warming him. I removed the wilted
flowers, replacing them with sunflowers.
I sprayed them with water. “You’re like a
sunflower; you love the sun,” I said.
Ethan opened his eyes slightly, his breath
weak.
“I agreed to the surgery. If I survive, draw me
a sunrise in Lhasa.”
He’d mentioned it when I was depressed, but
I’d forgotten.
“When you’re better, I’ll take you to Lhasa,” I
said.
く
He closed his eyes, silent, exhausted.
His surgery was scheduled for the next
afternoon. Before he entered the operating
room, he hugged me briefly.
His last words were, “Sarah, remember me.“.
My eyes welled up. “You’re young. You’ll be
lucky.”
He smiled weakly and closed his eyes.
The surgery lasted eight hours. I waited
outside until evening, then went to feed
Lucky.
Ethan had luck; he would be fine.
Lucky seemed to know. He refused to eat,
staying by the camera.
At 9 p.m., I was about to return to the
hospital when Lucky began to howl.
It was the first time I’d heard a cat cry so
desperately. He kept rubbing against the
camera, but the cold machine couldn’t
comfort him.
く
……
My heart lurched.
Ten minutes later, I got a message from Dr.
Kai.
“Sorry.”
I sobbed in the car, remembering Ethan
sitting in the sun when I was depressed. I bit
my lip, stifling my cries.
He’d said, “I have no family, no friends. If I
die, no one will remember me. Sarah, you
must remember me.”
I’m sorry I forgot you, Ethan.
I rushed to the hospital, seeing Ethan again,
standing in the light, reaching out.
“Hello, I’m Ethan.”
Ethan didn’t have luck. Lucky lost Ethan.
