“Son, open your eyes and look at Mom. Mom didn’t forget that today is your birthday on purpose. Shall we go outside to celebrate your birthday together?” Mrs. Johnson lowered her head, holding onto the lifeless Ethan tightly, pressing her face against his head, biting her lip as she choked back sobs.
“You wanted a new piano, right? I’ll buy you one again… And, I remember you loved the sweet and sour ribs I used to make. Have I not made them for you in a long time? I’ll make them for you now, so you can have them when you wake up… Son, open your eyes and look at Mom. Mom was wrong… Mom admits her mistake to you…”
“Son, happy birthday, happy 24th birthday…”
No matter what she said, whether in sadness or joy, Ethan’s eyes remained tightly closed without any response.
The night wind grew stronger, whistling in her ears, as if someone was wailing.
Mrs. Johnson’s eyes were red from crying, and no one’s words could console her.
“Are you resenting the things your father said? The greatest blessing in my life has been having you, I have never regretted giving birth to you… if you leave, what will I do… Ethan… How will I live, what should I do…”
Mr. Johnson stood motionless on the side, his face cold and uncomfortable, not knowing what was happening until he tasted the salty bitterness in his mouth, only then did he realize he was crying, tears flowing uncontrollably down his face.
Witnessing the bloodied figure lying in his wife’s arms, blood covering them both, was that Ethan? His son?
No, it couldn’t be, it wasn’t possible… How could his vibrant son meet such a painful end in front of him?
Mr. Johnson pondered many things, asking himself why things turned out this way.
He recalled the harsh words he had directed at Ethan not long ago.
-“I shouldn’t have given birth to you in the first place. If I had known you would end up like this, I should have abandoned you when you were born…”
Those were just words said in anger, not from the heart. How could he say such cruel words to his own flesh and blood?
Ethan, astonishing from the start, was born with his expectations. There was a time when Ethan was the “pride” he often boasted about.
Ethan chose to enter the entertainment industry instead of inheriting the Jiang family, a regret Mr. Johnson carried. Although he would scold Ethan for being incapable, he would search various websites every night before bed to learn about his son’s work and life.
He knew about the new songs Ethan released, the minor roles he played, and the concerts he held. He even snuck into one of them.
Among a horde of young people, he was the only middle-aged man. A young girl next to him, holding a lightboard, seeing him alone, asked kindly, “Uncle, did you come alone?”
He nodded.
The girl asked him who his favorite singer was.
Looking up at Ethan playing the electric guitar on stage, wild and carefree, a bold smile on his face, it was a side of Ethan that Mr. Johnson had never seen before. At that moment, he almost didn’t recognize him as his son.
“Ethan.”
“How coincidental, I’m also a fan of Ethan. Uncle, I have extra lightboards here, you take one, and we’ll support him together, let him know that his fans are many.”
“Fans?”
The young fan patiently explained, “Fans are Ethan’s fan name, Ethan always calls himself a coffee-fan, so we call ourselves ‘fans’.”
She forced a lightboard into his hands, raised it high, and shook it with the other young people. The lively atmosphere filled the air, lights flashing in the crowd, with Ethan on stage shining brighter than the stage lights.
“Ethan! Ethan!”
“The best Ethan in the world!”
“You’re not ‘hazy’ at all!”
The scene shifted, the Ethan who should have always been dazzling onstage, the Ethan loved by so many fans, now lost all light and warmth, lying lifeless in a corner of darkness, on the cold ground.
His son, his pride, left on this night, on his 24th birthday, on a night that should have been celebratory, quietly climbed to the window, held a knife to his heart, and jumped off the building, committing suicide.
Mr. Johnson couldn’t support himself, staggering back two steps, his heart beating rapidly. He clutched the fabric tightly, bending his upper body forward, gasping for breath, blood spraying from his throat, staining the ground, the taste of blood in his mouth.
His ears rang, his eyelids drooped.
“Sir…”
The already suffocating air suddenly became eerie and terrifying, vast swathes of darkness enveloped everything, dragging the body deeper into the extreme cold abyss.
…
Mrs. Johnson refused to let go, she refused to accept that Ethan was gone, even as his body grew colder in her arms.
She sat on the cold ground, holding the cold body tightly.
So much had happened this night, leaving everyone bewildered. After Mr. Johnson collapsed, he was rushed to the hospital, and as for Mrs. Johnson, no one could pry her away. Her hands seemed stuck to Ethan.
Helpless, they called the police for assistance. Nearly half an hour passed, and the police arrived at the door.
They forcefully separated Mrs. Johnson, offering only a word of comfort, “Condolences.”
Mrs. Johnson, as if mad, grabbed the nearest officer, hoarse with emotion, “What do you mean, condolences? He’s not dead, my son is not dead!”
At that moment, Mrs. Johnson, disheveled and distraught, seemed like a madwoman.
The officer said nothing, simply grasping her wrist and pulling her hand away.
Mrs. Johnson, held by others, could only watch in a daze as they took Ethan away. Her throat hoarse, she cried out in agony, collapsing in despair.
“Where are you taking my son? Bring him back to me, please…”
The sun rises, even without the sun, there will be light, just as the stars are always there, even without Ethan.
Ethan loved sunny days the most, yet on the day of his death, a thunderstorm, his least favorite weather, raged. The streets of Chiwood were flooded, cars splashing water taller than a person as they drove by.
As it was the police who took away his body, news of “Ethan’s death” was soon leaked.
At first, many thought it was a rumor upon seeing this trending topic.
After all, just yesterday, they had seen him at Jackson University, singing and playing for his fans on stage, saying, “Stars are always there, and so will Ethan be.” How could that Ethan who said he would always be there suddenly disappear?
On May 31st, at three in the afternoon, the police verified the online rumors, announcing to the public that Ethan had died.
In less than half an hour, news of Ethan’s suicide spread, dominating the headlines of various websites.
Ironically, Ethan, who had always joked about being “hazy” and never making headlines, became famous on the day of his death. All netizens came to know of a person named “Ethan” who had once visited this world and left quietly.