Before he could even react, a figure came down the stairs, her voice soft: “Ivan, quickly bring your friend inside to sit, don’t stand outside.” Hamish looked up, his heart tightening, his hand clenched into a fist on his thigh. This was Elisa’s mother. He had seen her before, in a picture on a tombstone in his past life. Elisa looked so much like her mother, with the only difference being that Elisa’s eyes held a fierce stubbornness and strength, while her mother’s eyes were soft and gentle. Hamish felt a surreal sensation seeing her, as if trapped in a dream, unable to move as she descended the stairs.
Trying to numb himself with pain, Hamish couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Ivan came over and pulled Hamish, “Let’s go…” Hamish subconsciously pushed his hand away, then, with difficulty, he asked, “Do you have a sister?” Still holding onto a glimmer of hope, perhaps his return had caused a butterfly effect, and Elisa also had a complete family. She didn’t die at birth, she had a loving family, and she was just a normal child, like him, with parents’ companionship and love. He was waiting for a definite answer.
Ivan, startled by Hamish’s wild behavior, stood there not knowing what to do. “Are you crazy? My parents only have me as their son. Where would I get a sister from?” Hamish staggered back two steps, his eyes reddening. How could this be? Ivan didn’t have a sister? Then where was Elisa? Where was Elisa? Hamish’s mind was consumed with the name “Elisa,” as he suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard. “Smack-” He must be dreaming, he needed to wake up, quickly wake up…
He raised his hand, only to have Mrs. Powell grab it, their eyes meeting with concern. Ivan, despite his fear, saw his mother in danger, and pushed Hamish away, standing in front of his mother, “Don’t you dare shout at my mother, you’re not welcome here, leave!” Mrs. Powell, after Hamish’s questioning, had a brief moment of blankness in her mind. Why did this boy know these things? She put a comforting hand on her son’s head, trying to calm him, as well as her husband, telling them not to worry.
Hamish found the harmonious family of three increasingly irritating. Mrs. Powell said, “I’ll have a word with him upstairs. You all wait downstairs.” Kobe always listened to his wife, never dared to stand when told to sit, never dared to go west when told to go east. Watching his wife take the child upstairs, he finally turned to Ivan and asked what had happened. Ivan recounted everything that had just occurred. “How did he know about your mom being pregnant before? Did you tell him?” Kobe asked as he grabbed Ivan’s ear. Ivan couldn’t escape, hiding his head, “I didn’t…”
“Then why is he here today? Isn’t it because of you bringing him? Stupid boy, don’t bring back such troublesome people in the future. If you dare to reopen your mom’s wound again, I’ll break your legs.” Kobe let go of his hand, but seeing Ivan’s meek look, he couldn’t help raising his hand again, scaring Ivan into running off, hating Hamish to the core, as it was because of him that he was beaten.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Powell took Hamish upstairs. “What’s your name?” “Hamish.” Looking around, everything from the decorations to the house’s construction was exactly the same as in his past life, even Elisa’s old room was there, but why was Elisa the only one missing? Who could tell him? As Hamish sought an answer, he was also fearful of what that answer might be. Mrs. Powell looked at the child in front of her, as if he was holding back something, his whole body trembling. Mrs. Powell led him into a room, “This was the room I prepared for my daughter…” Pausing for a moment, she seemed to recall something bitter, the bitterness filling her nose and even reddening her eyes.
She took a deep breath, sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked earnestly at Hamish and said, “I was pregnant with a girl, three months into my pregnancy I went to the hospital for a check-up. The results showed it was a girl, I even picked out a name, Elisa, Elisa…” Hamish’s ears were buzzing, his voice trembling as he asked, “Then why isn’t she here? Did you give her up?”
Mrs. Powell shook her head, the room’s décor was all her design, knowing she was pregnant with a daughter, she wanted to buy everything for her, she even learned to knit sweaters, the little girl would look so cute in red. But before she could finish the red sweater, that small life disappeared from her womb. She said, “When I was pregnant with my second child, my health was not good. It was an accidental pregnancy, the doctors and my husband all advised me to abort the child, but I couldn’t. The moment I saw the little life in my belly on the ultrasound, I couldn’t bear to give up. I wanted to give birth to her…”
What determination and stubbornness it was. To bear a child even if it meant sacrificing her own life, perhaps she never thought that she would really sacrifice her life for her daughter. Hamish’s eyes were already red, “Then why…”
Mrs. Powell stared into his eyes, her voice hoarse, “For this child, my husband and I fought several times.” Kobe heard that her second pregnancy was dangerous, and didn’t want her to risk it. For him, there was no one more important than his wife. She was the love of his life, to grow old with, while the child was just a “stranger” who came halfway. Who would want their loved one to die for a “stranger”? But Mrs. Powell did not see it that way, they disagreed because of the child in her belly, arguing over it. She seemed to recall something unforgettable, tears in her eyes, her voice hoarse as she said, “One night I had a dream, I saw my Elisa. She said she didn’t want to see us fighting, she said this world was good, she wanted me to enjoy it, and take care of her brother. She said she wouldn’t come to this world…”
As she spoke, Mrs. Powell was choked with tears, crying uncontrollably. Even after four years, she still remembered the look of the little girl in her dream, wearing a red dress, hugging her waist and calling her mother. Even though it was a dream, she felt it was real, calling her, “Elisa.” The child in the dream obediently replied, “Mom, I’m Elisa, your Elisa. Mom, I love you, I love you so much, but I can’t be your daughter in this life.”
Her Elisa was so mature it was heartbreaking. The next day after that dream, she had a miscarriage, strangely. She knew miscarriages were very painful, but at that time, she didn’t feel the pain, her body was barely affected, and after the child was gone, Kobe went ahead with a vasectomy, preventing her from getting pregnant again. With Hamish knowing the whole story, it was as if he had lost all sense in his body, as if he were cut off from this world. Everything in front of him seemed unrelated to him, the window was open, a flock of birds flew by, a gust of wind passed through, the curtain rolled up slightly, a ray of light fell perfectly on Hamish, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, his heart ashen.