The Lame Girl Retrieves Her Sister’s Teddy

I walked at six monthsa proud story my parents tolduntil a car crash at age one changed everything. A firefighter said my swaddled body shielded Mom from a steel rebar. Losing a leg felt worth it if it saved her.

When Mom said sadly, Its my fault, Alice, Id hug her and smile. I love you. It doesnt hurt. Back then, it was just us, warm and close.

Then Lily was born. She hated the attention my leg drew. Shed break my toys and blame me. Slowly, Moms eyes grew cold.

Once, Lily accused me of throwing her teddy in the pond. Mom grabbed a cane and whipped me. Stop bullying Lily!

I tried to run but couldnt. Get that bear now, or dont come home!

Mom, please, I begged, Grandma said the waters dangerous.

Holding Lily, she sneered, If you cant get it, just die there.

I closed my eyes, jumped into the icy river, and remembered too late:

a cripple in water can truly drown.

The frigid river water rushed into my lungs instantly, and my soaked cotton clothes became incredibly heavy. Through my blurry vision, I saw the teddy bear lying still at the bottom. A pang of fear struck me; my instinct was to swim back to shore, but Moms words, "You can't come home without the bear," echoed like a curse in my mind. I wanted to go home, to be with Mom.

So, enduring the intense pain of my lungs being crushed, I stretched out with all my might and finally clutched the teddy bear from the riverbed.

"Mom, look. I found the bear."

I struggled desperately to swim towards the bank, but the clinging weeds, like countless icy hands, wrapped tightly around my left leg.

In a haze, I heard Moms voice, so near, yet so far away: "Alice, why are you standing by the river all alone? You could die if you fall in!"

Then came Lilys soft voice: "Mommy, I'm waiting for big sister to get my bear."

"That useless brat, she's taken so long to get it back, who knows where shes playing. Look at you, your hands are freezing cold."

"Come home with Mommy, Mommy will bake you oranges."

My heart clenched, and I struggled frantically towards the surface. Mom, don't leave, I'm still here!

Suddenly, my body felt lighter. I burst out of the water, scrambling onto the ice, only to see Mom's retreating back. She held Lily, walking straight towards home. Lily hugged Mom's neck affectionately: "Mommy, I saw fish blowing bubbles just now!"

Mom smiled, stroking Lily's cheek: "Does Lily like fish? How about Daddy and Mommy take you to the aquarium tomorrow?"

I tried to take a few steps to follow, but my disabled left leg gave way, and I fell heavily onto the ground.

Mom, wait for me, I found Lily's bear.

Can you, please, take me to the aquarium too?

The teddy bear tumbled from my embrace. I reached for it, but it slipped through my fingers again and again, skittering across the ice. Tears welled up in my eyes; I was so frustrated. Why couldn't I pick it up? If I couldn't get the bear, Mom would be upset.

Just then, a man in a tall black hat appeared before me. He bent down, picked up the teddy bear, and gently placed it in my arms.

"Alice, come with me."

I looked at the man in black, confused: "Sir, do you know me? I can't go with you, Mom will worry."

The man in black frowned: "You are dead. You need to be reincarnated now. I've found you a good family, and if we're too slow, you'll miss your chance."

Im dead?

A huge sigh of relief escaped me.

Mom, did you hear that?

Im not that useless brat.

Its because I died, thats why I couldnt pick up the bear.

I turned my head, searching for Moms retreating figure, but behind me, everything was a boundless expanse of white. Mom had already gone far away.

I tugged on the black-clad man's sleeve, whispering a plea: "Sir, can I wait one more day?"

"I want to go to the aquarium with Mom one last time."

The man in black hesitated for a moment, then nodded, letting out a soft sigh: "Alright, I'll give you one more day. I'll come personally to pick you up tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir!"

Clutching the teddy bear, I ran back home without looking back. Oh, joy, Mom. I can go to the aquarium with you now.

When I was five, my classmates teased me because I couldnt walk properly. I cried all the way home, and Dad and Mom took me to the aquarium. Dad carried me on his shoulders, pointing at the gracefully dancing mermaids behind the glass. "Look, Alice," he said, "mermaids don't have legs, do they? You're the little mermaid gifted to Mom and me by the heavens."

"Your legs will turn into a beautiful tail one day, which is why you can't walk properly for now."

I was so happy. Every day after that, Id ask Mom when she could take me to the aquarium again. But after Lily was born, Mom always said it was inconvenient to take me out, and I never went to the aquarium again.

I knew Mom wasn't unwilling to take me out.

She blamed me for my lame leg, that I was just a burden to them.

I returned home to find Dad, Mom, and Lily sitting around the dinner table. On the table was my favorite sweet and sour pork ribs.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

Dad picked up a rib for Lily, anxiously glancing outside: "Where did Alice run off to? It's dinner time, and she's still not back."

"She probably went off playing again. Even with her bad leg, she loves to run around so much."

Mom, I didn't run wild. I went to get Lily's bear back for her.

Oh, I forgot. I'm dead.

Mom can't see me.

Dad put down his chopsticks and looked at Mom, a hint of reproach in his voice: "Alice's leg isn't her fault, it's ours. Why are you so hard on her?"

Mom slammed her bowl onto the table, startling Lily into loud sobs. "My fault?! If you hadn't been fooling around..."

I desperately wanted to wipe away the tears welling in Mom's eyes.

But I forgot, I was dead, and there was nothing I could do.

Dad comforted Lily, sighing: "Alright, alright! Is this something to be proud of? Let's just eat."

Mom's phone rang; it was Grandma! Lily sweetly said into the camera, "Happy New Year, Grandma!"

Grandma smiled broadly: "Lily is such a good girl. Where's your sister? Why isn't she eating with you?"

Mom picked up Lily and aimed the camera at her own face: "That brat, who knows where she's been. When she gets back, I'm definitely going to give her a good talking to."

Grandma coughed twice, then sighed: "Since it's the New Year, why don't you send Alice to stay with me for a couple of days? You and David (Dad's name) have a lot of pressure too."

I murmured to myself, Grandma's house had my cousin who always played with me; I loved going to Grandma's the most.

"Alice is also the child you carried for ten months. You should talk to her gently..."

Mom pursed her lips, interrupting Grandma: "She's nothing but trouble, a curse. All these years, she's inconvenienced me and her dad enough, and she's dragged Lily down with her, getting her discriminated against and bullied."

I knew Mom was talking about the time I got into a fight at school. I opened my mouth to explain, but tears wouldn't stop falling first, so I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. Mom said she didn't like crying children.

But Mom, it really wasn't me who caused Lily to be bullied.

Dad had said he had to work late and asked me to pick Lily up from school. But Lily's classmates saw I was a cripple and surrounded us, spitting at me and Lily:

"The lame sister is here to pick up the lame sister!"

They laughed at me for being a cripple, and I didn't get angry, but they couldn't bully Lily. Mom said I was the older sister, I had to protect my sister. I charged forward, headbutting the strongest little chubby kid, then sat on him, hitting him left and right: "Don't you dare bully my sister! My sister isn't a cripple, apologize to her!"

A group of them pushed me to the ground, and the chubby kid kicked me in the stomach, but I didn't feel any pain at all. I pushed Lily away, turned my head, and shouted at her: "Lily, run!"

Lily ran, and she called Mom. I held my head high, like a proud little peacock. I had protected my sister, Mom must be here to praise me.

But what greeted me was Moms fierce slap.

"I work myself to the bone to send you to school, and you come here to fight people!"

"Do you have any respect for me and your father?"

I turned my head away from the blow, wiping away my tears, full of injustice: "They were bullying Lily, that's why I fought them."

The teacher came out then and pulled Mom away: "Alice's Mom, when the school staff arrived, it was indeed Alice who was getting beaten."

Mom looked at me suspiciously, then Lily suddenly spoke up: "No, it wasn't like that at all. Sister was the one who rushed up and started hitting first. They were just playing a game with me."

No, it wasn't like that, not at all.

I looked at Lily in disbelief, not understanding why she would say such a thing. Mom, after hearing Lilys words, twisted my ear and took me home. All the way home, the scrutinizing gazes of the students felt more painful than any wound. When we got home, Mom snapped two canes asking me why I had lied. I lay on the floor, dizzy, clutching my stomach, but I couldnt lie. I could only explain over and over again: "I fought to protect Lily."

From then on, to avoid Lily being implicated, Mom never let me go to school again. I didn't blame Mom; it was my fault, this little cripple, for burdening her again.

The news report on TV jolted me back to reality.

"Breaking news: A female body has been recovered from the artificial lake in the city center. Preliminary identification indicates the age of approximately nine years old."

I pointed at the familiar shadow on the TV, my eyes instantly hot, and I yelled at Mom: "Mom! That's me, I'm dead!"