Raindrops hit the stained glass of the chapel. Amid the sound of the rain, the two people, who were half a century apart in age, continued their conversation.
Xia De considered the direction of the topic and said:
"Speaking of which, I am very curious as to why Mr. Watson was not buried with the rest of the Watson family, but by you..."
Shade paused at just the right moment.
"When he wanted to marry me, the whole family opposed it. When we got married, old Earl Watson said that after my husband died, he would never be allowed to enter the Watson family cemetery. That summer, the weather was as hot as this year. He was the Earl's son, and I was just a girl from the slums of Tobesk. It's been so many years..."
The old woman's eyes widened and her eyes were a little wet. The ghost Mr. Watson had no expression on his face. Shade didn't know whether it was the lack of emotion caused by the loss of soul or he deliberately didn't show it.
The love story that happened nearly half a century ago, between a young man and a woman, was probably even more thrilling than the subsequent murder case. But no matter what, no matter how sweet love is, it will eventually deteriorate with time. Maybe someone can maintain love, but the old man in front of him couldn't do it.
There are so many stories in this strange world. What I saw this afternoon is just a glimpse of the world for a stranger. He cannot witness all the stories, nor can he evaluate this love. This is someone else's story.
"Do you dream about him?"
The stranger asked softly, and the old man, lost in memories and past events, nodded gently:
"I dreamed about it countless times. I dreamed about our meeting on the summer streets, about that decent wedding, about him using his savings to work with me to start a factory, and about... that rainy night."
Shad, the ghost Mr. Mason, and the ghost Mr. Watson all looked at the old woman. She stopped talking, so the two ghosts looked at Shad again, and Shad said softly:
"Sorry, about that rainy night?"
His voice was really soft, and he tilted his ear slightly to show that he was listening carefully. His eyes looked into the old woman's cloudy eyes. He believed that Mrs. Watson could see her own old face in his eyes. (Note)
This is actually a hypnosis technique. Shad saw similar content when he first got Dr. Schneider's notebook. The doctor seemed to be very good at this.
The mental power of the ringmaster is extremely strong. Although Shade is only a ring, the so-called hypnosis is more like mental induction. But now he is talking to an old man who is physically weak and mentally unstable, so this speaking skill is very useful.
"Yes, that rainy night, the wine, the quarrel..."
She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Although she did not mention the murder, it was enough to prove that she had not forgotten what happened that night.
Even an outsider like Shade felt melancholy about the love, hatred and vengeance that spanned more than thirty years. So he turned his head and looked at the two ghosts. The ghost Mr. Mason closed his eyes like his sister and shook his head. The ghost Mr. Watson looked at the man who killed his wife with a gentle smile on his face:
"She must have been very sad to have kept this in her heart for more than 30 years and lived in that house. She was old and knew she didn't have many years to live, so she was finally able to get me out from behind the basement wall. I was freed, and it was also a relief for her."
Mrs. Watson could not hear these words, but only the outsider Shad could hear them.
But in Shad's opinion, none of these three people can be freed. Mr. Watson was killed because of his extramarital affair, Mrs. Watson kept the secret for 30 years while watching her brother go to jail, and Mr. Mason is the most innocent and probably the one who can least accept the truth.
Thinking of this, Shade glanced at the church they were in. If Mr. Mason dared to turn into an evil spirit here because of his emotional ups and downs, Shade would naturally learn what the power of a righteous god is without Shade's help.
Fortunately, the soul that loved the old man in front of it did not change in the end. It opened its eyes and looked at its sister, stared at her for a few seconds, shook its head, and turned to walk towards the church door.
Xia De sighed and stood up:
"Then I will take my leave for now, Mrs. Watson. I remember nothing of this conversation."
The old woman with her eyes closed and tears in her eyes ignored him, and Shad did not look at her again. Instead, he put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the church door with Mr. Watson's ghost, catching up with Mr. Mason's ghost.
Mrs. Watson's servant also prepared an umbrella for Shad and asked him if he wanted to go back to the city with them, but Shad refused and walked into the rain in the cemetery with the two ghosts holding the umbrella.
The winding stone path, like a flowing stream, lay between the graves on the ground. The ghosts of Mr. Watson and Mr. Mason became fainter and fainter, and they were about to leave.
"What do you think now?"
Shad asked curiously, to him it was just someone else's story, but to the two ghosts, it was their life.
Walking along the cobblestone road towards Park No. 3, it was raining and the cemetery was empty, but Shade really liked the sound of rain.
"She loved me all her life. I think, even now, she still loves me. I don't care if she kills me. Killing me would actually hurt her. I hurt her all her life, really all her life."
"When I was alive, I wondered if Sister Greta had really forgotten what happened that night, and if she really had to watch me go to jail for her. After I died and found out the answer, I actually regretted showing up here today. How much better it would have been if I hadn't shown up."
Although the three of them were walking together, only Shade's footsteps could be heard, and only Shade's shadow was swaying on the ground. Raindrops hit the umbrella, and the leaves on the big tree beside him swayed. Turning left at the path ahead, the gravekeeper and his apprentice hurried over, greeted Shade, and ran towards the church.
"Are you leaving?"
Xia De stopped and looked at them, and asked in the rain. He just witnessed this story, and although he felt sad, he would not judge whether it was right or wrong.
"Yes, that's all."
Mr. Watson said, and the three of them stood on the path among the graves, watching the rain in the cemetery. After a while, Mr. Mason asked softly:
"Thank you, sir, for everything you have done for us. Please allow me to greedily make one last request - I want to play a game of Rhodes with him."
It seemed that after the conversation between Shade and old lady Watson, both souls became more lively. Mr. Watson looked at his companion in surprise. Shade frowned and asked:
"Why?"
"We have loved a woman deeply throughout our lives, and because of this woman, we are reunited here after death. But I think this should be the end of the story. When we were young, we often played cards together. At this end, I want to end the story with the last game."
' said Mr. Mason, and Mr. Watson fell silent, and looked at Shade with him.
Xia De thought for a moment and nodded:
"Sure. I only have one deck of cards, and there are six special rule cards in the deck. I'll draw the cards for you, and I'll be your witness. The game will decide the winner in one go."
"Thank you, sir."
So they left the cemetery path together and came to the foot of a large tree with lush branches and leaves, where there was an area where the ground was still relatively dry.
Shad took out his own Rhodes card and replaced the newly acquired Carsonrick Folk Moon Dance Festival into the deck. The ghosts of Mr. Mason and Mr. Watson stood on both sides of Shad.
The rain was falling, and Shad temporarily put the umbrella on the ground, holding the deck in one hand, and with the other hand he drew out the first card and showed it to Mr. Mason, then drew out the second card and showed it to Mr. Watson.
"continue."
"Me too."
They said.
Each person's second card is an open card, Mr. Mason's 7 of the moon and Mr. Watson's 12 of the flower.
"continue."
Mr. Mason said, while Mr. Watson considered:
"I'll continue, too."
The third card was still an open card, Mr. Mason's was Sun 10, which was the Original Steam Engine Mark 9, but he failed to successfully trigger the special rule that all the cards were in the sun suit.
Mr. Watson saw the 5 of the Moon:
"I lost, 24 points."
He looked at the cards in Xia De's hand and shook his head regretfully amid the sound of rain.
But Mr. Mason also shook his head:
"Sir, continue to deal me the cards."
"Your score is 18, you have won."
Shade reminded him, but Mr. Mason continued to shake his head, and the ghost's face was gloomy:
"At that time, for what I thought was the best ending, I voluntarily gave up my original life. Now that the story has really come to an end, I want to know what would have happened if I hadn't given up at that time."
The ghost of Mr. Watson, who had exploded, did not speak. Shad shook his head and drew the next card, Carsonrick Southern Folklore·Moondance Festival, Suit Sun 4.
18+4=22 points. I looked at the card at the bottom of the deck and it was not in the Moon suit. Therefore, since Mr. Mason's card was in the Moon suit, only the Moon 7, it was indeed no more than 7 points. According to the special rule, his total points were adjusted to 1.
Mr. Mason won, even though he was already winning.
“Have you ever regretted it?”
Looking at the Moon Dance Festival that originally belonged to him in Shad's hand, Mr. Watson's ghost asked his companion inquiringly.
Mr. Mason shook his head slightly and looked at Mr. Watson:
"I think it doesn't matter anymore."
The ghosts' bodies quickly lost color, and the cold feeling coming from them also dissipated.
Under this big tree, in this rain, they waved to Shade together:
"Thank you, Mr. Hamilton, and I wish you a peaceful life."
"Thank you, thank you for everything in the end, I hope you can always draw the cards you want."
Shade blinked, and they disappeared quietly.
The wind was still blowing, and the rain was still falling. Xia De held the cards in his hand and quietly looked at the rain in the cemetery. For a long time, he did not speak:
"Tell this story... to Miss Louisa and let her judge."
Maybe you should look down.
So he looked down at the deck. The Carsonrick Folk·Moon Dance Festival card emitted a faint white light, and then gradually became silent.
"What's this?"
You can think of it as a gift from two ghosts. They are too weak to be of much use. When you add this card to your deck, you can always get it at the top whenever you want. This card is the only one you can get. It only lasts for about a year, because they are too weak.
Xia De stared at the cards in his hand in a daze:
"Not ring wizards, they also have special powers?"
There must be a special reason for the soul to remain in the world after death. As for power, didn't you say it yourself? This is a mortal's idea that can affect the real world.
Xia De didn't know what to say. He stood under the tree, shuffling the cards with both hands, looking up at the rain that seemed to have no intention of stopping. He stopped shuffling the cards for a while, holding the cards in his right hand, and placed his left hand on the first card:
"I want the Moondance."
He strengthened this wish in his mind, and then turned over the first card -
There are three full moons right above the card. On the grass under the moon, people are posing all kinds of strange movements around a campfire.
Carsonrick Southern Folk·Moon Dance Festival, Colorful Sun 4.
He shook his head, put the cards back into his pocket, bent down to pick up the umbrella, and returned to the path.
He didn't look back, and his back became farther and farther away in the rain.
In this world, Xia De has not yet encountered anything like those two ghosts, which he would regret before his death. Similarly, he does not hope that he will regret it in the future. He is destined to go to the ruins tomorrow night, and he does not want to regret his retreat after his death.
“The story of others ends.”
Stranger, your story is still very long.
The raindrops fell from the sky, landing on the leaves, splashing on the green grass on the ground, and then sliding down the leaves to the ground. In the distance, Xia De's figure was blurred until it disappeared completely.