I've Been There Before

It was late at night. Memory Inn had already gone to sleep.

The night of the Erhai Lake was very quiet.

Daytime was still fuming hot. But at night, the wind arrived.

A vague black shadow headed towards one of the doors of Memory Inn. There was a wooden door that was hardly ever opened. Even workers who had worked at Memory Inn for ages had not seen this door open.

There was a rustling noise, as a key was inserted into the hole, "click". The wooden door opened and the person at the door stood motionlessly for a while, before lifting her foot to go in.

She was the owner of Memory Inn.

She was good-tempered, easy-going and kind-hearted manager in the eyes of everyone around.

But at this moment, people who were familiar with her would certainly find it unbelievable. The mild-tempered boss in everyone’s eyes had an indifferent look; her eyes hid grief that cannot be concealed.

Desperate looks, grieving eyes, and heavy feet... "I came to see you." A coarse voice slowly sounded.

But there was no one else in the house but her.

Lifting her foot, she walked inside Memory Inn. This might be the place she was most familiar with. Not her own room, but here.

With no lights on, she groped forward into the darkness. She felt assured that every single thing here was too familiar to her.

Moving forward, she unexpectedly touched the edge of a table. After fumbling for a while longer, she felt an object, 'snap'. At that moment, the fire lit up; her hand was holding up a lit matchstick. After her hands trembled inscrutably, she decided to light up two scented candles instead.

"Do you remember that day, the fire? So many people were all outside watching. Maybe the fire is too big. Maybe I'm not good with people. You were the only one who charged in… why are you such a fool…"

The candle was lit as the match went out. She took the incense from the offering table and gathered it to light them up from the candle. She then inserted it slowly into the incense burner. Everything was done slowly. Looking up, she stared at the picture before her.

"It's that time of year again when the Ghost Festival arrives and the Fengdu City Gate (the ghost gate, rumoured to be the only way for deceased people to pass down to Earth) opens, will you come and visit me, Leona?"

In the photo on the table, Leona smiled brightly. The woman sat silently in front of the table, looking at the photo in front of her. She certainly did not have a photo of Leona, nor her ashes. The photo was painted based on her own memories, by a stray painter who passed by Erhai Lake on a trip.

was

palm of

the life and death … Leona, would you come to see me?" The woman's nose was sore, "Before I came to Erhai Lake, I was able to dream of you from time to time. How come I've fulfilled your

you don't appear in my

say that she was lonely,

never appeared

she couldn’t enter her

she was in that cage. Leona wanted to look at the sky, the sea and the clouds, leisurely

Living each and every day lying on the recliner, tasting

she prepared earlier. Twisting it one by one and dropping it into the fireplace while talking to Leona as if Leona had never died and was

there... Never again be so unlucky to meet a friend like me

paper money burned out, the woman stood up slowly. Standing after squatting for long hours,

she knew in her heart that this was definitely a hard

and fall to the ground when a

"Be careful."

come?" She looked to the doorway out of

person behind him, how much

saw a bright light coming

firepit on the floor that was still burning, "It's late, and you're...

pursed her lips and didn't

family member?" He quirked an eyebrow... Who is

subconscious looked at the table. He could not see the person in the photo when he was

sight, but it was helpless as she was obviously

covered, he could

A woman?

hear you call her

He asked tentatively.

changed, "Does Mr Lo like to pry into

past and present. Even though she wanted to forget that past, that person, that

stretched out his hands and held it up, "Ok, it's my bad. Boss, do you have