How to Keep Him from Falling

Bo Li opened her eyes with a splitting headache. The first thing she noticed was that she was wearing a completely different set of clothes— a shirt, a vest, and long stockings. The craftsmanship was crude, and the fabric was rough. Some places were already fraying, the stitches were crooked, and the clothes carried an unfamiliar smell of sweat. Where was she? Who had changed her clothes? Bo Li instinctively pushed herself upright and lifted her clothes to check her abdomen. No wounds. She rolled up her sleeves. No needle marks on her arms either. Before she could fully relax, a deafening crash suddenly came from outside. Bang! Immediately afterward, a series of malicious chuckles followed. “That kid’s bones are really tough. He was tied behind a horse and dragged for that long, yet he didn’t make a single sound…” “Put a bullet between his legs and see if he’s still so tough!” Another burst of laughter erupted. “That won’t do,” someone said. “If you cripple him, the manager will kill us… He’s the circus’s money tree.” “Money tree? Him? A kid who hasn’t even grown proper hair yet?” “You have no idea what he can do.” The man laughed and turned his head. Then he made a clicking sound with his tongue, the way one might call a dog. “Eric, show everyone your ventriloquism, your singing, and those little tricks you use to fool people…” Bo Li couldn’t hear what the person called Eric said. But the laughter outside suddenly stopped. Everyone fell silent. For a moment, the only sound left was the restless stomping of horses’ hooves. Someone let out a cold laugh and shouted, “Giddy up!” The horse sped up. No one spoke again. Yet Bo Li felt a chill creep through her heart. If she remembered correctly… That “Eric” was still tied behind the horse and being dragged along. What terrified her even more was that the people outside were speaking English. Although she lived in Los Angeles, their accents were clearly not from the West Coast. They sounded more like… French people? Had she been kidn*pped by the French? Or could it be… Bo Li tightly shut her eyes. Then she lowered her head. The moment she saw her palm, her mind went completely blank. Her scalp tightened. Her heart began pounding violently. —This wasn’t her hand. Bo Li had always had a slight obsession with cleanliness. Her nails were always neat, smooth, and naturally pink. But this hand was rough and reddened, the joints swollen as if they had suffered frostbite. Dirt was embedded deep between the fingers, and there were several yellowish-brown calluses on the palm. What did people see the most every day? Not their faces. Their hands. Bo Li had never imagined that one day she would wake up and see someone else’s hand attached to her own body. … It was a scene that belonged in a horror movie. What on earth was happening? “...Hey, Polly. Polly, look at me!” A voice exploded beside her ears like thunder. Bo Li’s scalp prickled. She suddenly raised her head. At some point, a little boy had squeezed his way in front of her. He stared at her with a pair of wide eyes. He looked malnourished—his face was pale and thin, his hair covered by a wrinkled flat cap, and his cheeks dotted with red freckles. “What are you spacing out for?” the little boy said. “Something huge happened. Do you know?” “Eric stole Mike’s gold pocket watch!” Bo Li’s voice was hoarse. “Eric?” “Yeah! Mike was furious. He tied Eric’s foot to the saddle and dragged him for hundreds of meters…” The little boy’s eyes widened with excitement as he continued. “By the time the manager found out, Eric’s leg was swollen like a steamed bun, and his back was almost torn apart. There was flesh scattered all over the ground from being dragged…” The boy spat disdainfully. “Serves him right. He’s always stealing everyone’s spotlight!” Flesh scattered all over the ground… Just imagining it made Bo Li’s back ache painfully. But the little boy didn’t show the slightest discomfort. He spoke as casually as if he were describing a mouse caught in a trap. “If you ask me, they should’ve punished him even more. That gold pocket watch was worth so much money. Mike should’ve called the police and sent him straight to the gallows…” Bo Li froze. This place still had police? Wait… The gallows? At that moment, the little boy suddenly moved closer and gestured for her to lower the tent flap, leaving only a small gap to peek outside. “Shh, shh…” His face flushed with excitement. “The manager is here!” Bo Li looked outside. And immediately saw Eric. He was extremely thin. Covered in injuries. He lay motionless on a stretcher. His shirt had been soaked black by blood, like a greedy shadow slowly swallowing him whole. A thick metallic smell filled the air and rushed into her nose. At first, Bo Li thought her nose was bleeding. She instinctively tilted her head back. Only after a few seconds did she realize— It wasn’t blood from her. It was the overwhelming smell of blood. A spark flashed. A man struck a match, lit the cigar between his lips, and walked toward Eric. The light was dim in the evening. Bo Li couldn’t clearly see his face. She only noticed that he wore a suit, a watch chain hanging from his vest, and a dazzling gemstone ring on his thumb. He was probably the “manager” the little boy had mentioned. “Dear Mike,” the man said slowly, “may I ask why you did this to him?” Only then did Bo Li notice that there was another boy standing nearby. He had blond hair, a sturdy build, and a round, healthy-looking face. The blond boy immediately shouted: “He stole my watch!” “No, no, Mike.” The man shook his head. “You misunderstood what I meant.” “What I’m asking is…” “Why do you think you have the right to beat him into this state?” The moment he said this, Mike froze. He clearly hadn’t expected the man to defend Eric. He became anxious. “Uncle, he stole the gold pocket watch Mom gave me…” The man took a puff of his cigar and raised a hand, signaling him to stop. “You’re my beloved nephew, so normally, when you boys fight and argue, I turn a blind eye.” “But this time, you went too far.” “Eric knows magic tricks, ventriloquism, and singing.” The man looked at Eric lying on the stretcher. His eyes carried a hint of regret, as if he were looking at a guard dog that could no longer stand watch. “With just one order from me, he could walk through a ring of fire and come out alive.” “And you?” “You can only waste my food. You can’t even earn half of what Eric makes from a performance.” Mike’s face turned red, then pale. “But—but he stole my gold pocket watch…” “Uncle! He stole my watch!” “The gold one!” The man asked calmly: “Did you see him steal it?” “Did you find any evidence that he stole it?” His tone suddenly became icy. “Since he wasn’t caught, then he did a good job.” Mike stared at him in disbelief. “Uncle, how could you…” “How could I?” The man let out a cold laugh. “My sister is an excellent thief. She can empty a lady’s bedroom without making a sound.” “And you?” “You couldn’t even notice someone stealing your own watch.” “And you almost crippled my money tree.” The man lowered his head and glanced at Eric. “You chose such a poor place to hurt him.” His voice was cold. “Now look what happened.” “Eric’s leg is broken, and his back is injured.” “During this period, who is going to perform the magic shows?” “You?” Mike looked as if he had been slapped several times. His face turned bright red, but he couldn’t say a word. After all, they were uncle and nephew. The man scolded him for a few more moments before waving his hand impatiently. “Get out.” Mike left. Bo Li carefully replayed their conversation in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. —Did this place even have laws? Mike looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. Yet the man casually told him that his own mother was a thief. Mike had committed something far more serious… A violent assault. Dragging another child behind a horse. Nearly killing him. And yet the man only gave him a few casual warnings. Then there were all the strange details: The gold pocket watch. The gallows. The cigar. The matches. And the completely unfamiliar hand.