The Haunting of Three Years

1
For three years, my soul has been trapped in the ceiling. Tonight, my family hired a paranormal livestreamer to prove I faked my own death.
During the broadcast, my mother wrapped her arm around Lily, the girl they raised in my place, and called me a venomous, ungrateful snake.
My brother's voice was cold as ice. “When she was home, all she did was hurt Lily with her pathetic little schemes. Now she’s learned to play dead just to torment us. A monster like that doesn’t deserve to be my sister!”
My father nodded in agreement. “Exactly. She’d better be dead for real this time. If not, I want this streamer to drag her out and humiliate her.”
Everyone cursed my name, saying the world was better off without me.
It made me wonder.
If they saw that I was well and truly dead, would they feel even a flicker of sadness?
...
Deep in the night, a dilapidated, abandoned building stood silhouetted against the moon.
A streamer, a camera strapped to his head, pushed open a rust-eaten iron gate, the beam of his high-powered flashlight cutting through the darkness.
“What’s up, folks! Daredevil Dave, your number one Myth Smasher, coming at you live.”
“Tonight, we’re at a location that’s become a hotspot for ghost hunters over the last three years. The story goes that Clara Ashworth, the heiress who was cast out by her family, threw herself down a well right here, turning this place into a seriously haunted house.”
“Yesterday, her family contacted me. They want me to get to the bottom of it. So tonight, we’re going to uncover the secrets of this so-called haunted mansion!”
The yard was choked with weeds, and the mournful cries of a few night birds echoed under the chilly moonlight, making the scene feel unnervingly strange.
The live chat was already exploding.
【Clara Ashworth? You mean that evil bitch they found and brought back to the family?】
【I heard that after she moved in, she used her ‘real daughter’ status to frame the adopted one, Lily, over and over. Then she tried to poison Lily, but her own father drank it by mistake!】
【Damn, she deserves to rot. The Ashworths should have never taken her back!】
【Almost killing her own dad? She’s worse than an animal!】
Someone else chimed in with more gossip: 【Heard when they kicked her out, she stole a bunch of jewelry and stuff. Probably came here to party and live it up every night...】
【For real? But this place looks creepy as hell. Doesn’t exactly scream ‘party central.’】
【Plus, people say they hear a woman crying here at night. Totally gives me the creeps…】
【What do you know? She was probably scared her family would find her, so she had her ‘fun’ here! Crying? Please. Probably just noises she made while she was getting wild. If you know, you know!】
Watching the fiery debate in the chat, my brother’s voice cut in, low and grim.
“We thought she might have learned her lesson, but instead, she’s resorting to these sick games to curse us. Dave, please, show everyone what she’s really up to.”
My parents urged him on. “Yes, we can’t let her continue this madness!”
The chat went into a frenzy. 【Whoa, so the haunting is fake? She’s still alive?】
【What a psycho! Dave, go in there and expose her!】
Daredevil Dave chuckled. “I’ve said it a thousand times, folks. There are no ghosts in this world. Just people causing trouble.”
“Tonight, I’ll show you exactly what kind of game this wicked heiress is playing.”
His righteous declaration earned a wave of cheers and a flood of digital gifts in the livestream.
Dave raised his flashlight and waded through the tangled weeds into the yard. He stopped at the edge of the old, dry well where I was rumored to have ended my life. A massive stone slab covered the opening.
Moss crawled over the stone, and in the ghostly moonlight, you could see several dark, dried bloodstains on its surface.
On the video call, Lily clutched her head and let out a pained cry.
“That’s it! In my dreams, Clara was there… biting her own finger to write a curse, saying she would trap me in that well for eternity…”
My brother comforted her. “Don’t be afraid, Lily. Her pathetic black magic can’t hurt you.”
My father spat, his voice filled with rage. “All this hocus pocus! I’d like to see what kind of trick she can pull from the bottom of a well!”
Dave found a crowbar and started working on the stone. Ten minutes later, panting, he finally pried the massive slab away. He aimed his flashlight into the abyss.
A gasp escaped his throat.
“Holy crap! What the hell is this?”
The moonlight poured into the well, but instead of the expected glint of water, there was only a pit of impenetrable darkness. A foul, rotting smell drifted up, and Dave pinched his nose, taking a step back.
【Whoa! Did the evil bitch actually jump?】
【I remember three years ago, after they threw her out, she did a livestream, crying. She said she didn’t poison anyone and that she’d prove her innocence with her life!】
【Don’t fall for it! There’s no water in the well. She couldn’t have drowned. How could she kill herself by jumping in? It’s so fake!】
Dave pulled on a mask and tied a rope around his waist.
“Only one way to find out! If she really did it, her bones will be down there.”
【Dude, are you insane? What if it’s real? You don’t want to piss off a vengeful spirit…】
Dave pulled out a silver medallion. “Look, I don’t believe in ghosts. But even if there is one, this little baby will send it packing.”
The chat erupted in laughter. I managed a bitter smile. These strangers, who had never met me, were filled with such malice, all based on whispers and rumors. They didn't care about the truth; they only cared about the version of justice they’d constructed in their minds. How pathetic.
At the bottom of the well, Dave found only a few animal skeletons.
And a strange, yellowed piece of parchment.
My mother recognized it instantly. “That’s a hex! That’s Lily’s name and birthdate on it! She’s really cursing my daughter!”
The chat exploded.
【Holy shit, she’s pure evil!】
My brother explained that he and my parents had been having nightmares recently, dreams where they could hear me crying. They had considered looking for me, but Lily had tearfully begged them not to.
“Clara came to me in my dreams, too,” she sobbed. “She said she’d find a way to make you take her back. And when you did, she promised she’d make my life a living hell!”
Her words were enough. My parents and brother promised they would wash their hands of me, leaving me to my own fate. But soon after, Lily started having accidents—a sudden fever, a near miss with a car. Fearing for her safety, the family had decided to call in a paranormal streamer to expose whatever game I was playing.
Now, seeing the hex, my brother’s hands clenched into fists.
“The police searched this place three years ago. There were no animal bones or hexes in this well then. This has to be Clara’s doing!”
My father’s voice was laced with fury. “And she has the nerve to haunt our dreams, claiming she was framed. It’s clear she just wants to make sure we never have a moment’s peace!”
“But… if she can visit our dreams, does that mean something really happened to her?” my mother murmured, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
As if to answer her, a cold, unnatural wind swept through the yard.
Dave’s flashlight suddenly died.
The chat freaked out. 【WHOA DUDE, YOU STILL ALIVE?】
【I’M GONNA PEE MY PANTS, DON’T DO THIS TO ME!】
Before Dave could say anything, the livestream cut out.
“Did something… actually happen to Clara?” My parents and brother stared at their phones, a nervous energy filling the room.
The comment sections on social media were already buzzing. 【Dave’s been streaming for five years, and his feed has never just cut out like that! Something’s seriously wrong!】
【What if we were wrong about the real daughter? What if she’s actually dead? Oh god, please forgive our ignorance…】
A dark glint flashed in Lily’s eyes. She buried her face in my mother’s arm and cried, “If something really happened to Clara… then who put those things in the well to curse me?”
“Maybe… maybe I should just leave the Ashworth family. Then she won’t have any reason to curse you all.”
“It’s all my fault,” she whispered. “I made her go down the wrong path…”
Any shred of concern my family had for me evaporated, replaced by cold fury.
“It was her own petty, jealous heart. How could you possibly blame yourself?”
“If she hadn’t been constantly trying to drive you away three years ago, your father would never have been poisoned.”
“We kicked her out to stop her from doing something unforgivable! It had nothing to do with you!”
At this, my brother slammed his glass down on the table.
“I can’t believe she’s still pulling these stunts. She doesn’t deserve to be part of this family!”
My mother agreed. “That’s right. We will never let her back in!”
My father snorted. “When the stream comes back on, we’re going to make sure the entire world sees her for the monster she is!”
Five minutes later, Dave’s stream was live again.
He had climbed out of the well and was grinning into the camera. “Positive energy, folks! Just a bad signal. And the flashlight ran out of batteries!”
【You scared the hell out of us! So… are you still gonna check out the house?】
Dave declared that since he was already there, he had to do a full sweep. He walked to the front door of the house and pushed it open.
A blast of cold, musty air rushed out, carrying a cloud of dust. The broken windows rattled in their frames.
Empty liquor bottles littered a table.
【Damn, she was really living it up in here. Look at all that booze!】
Dave’s flashlight then caught something on the floor—several empty condom wrappers.
【She was definitely sleeping around with a lot of guys here!】
“These things… they were confirmed to belong to Clara. The police documented all of this back then,” my brother stated flatly. As soon as he said it, the chat filled with insults, calling me a slut.
“We asked the police to keep it quiet at the time, to protect what little was left of her dignity.”
“But now… after being gone for three years, she’s using black magic to harass our family and curse Lily. We’re not protecting her anymore!”
【That’s right! That ungrateful bitch doesn’t deserve to be your family! Dave, find more evidence! Nail her to the wall!】
As the crowd’s anger reached a fever pitch, a scraping sound, like fingernails on wood, echoed from the second floor.
【What the hell was that?! Maybe you should get out of there, Dave. I’m scared…】
“We have to be scientific, folks! I’m going up there to see who’s trying to spook us!” Dave said, his voice a little shaky as he grabbed his silver medallion and headed up the stairs.
It turned out to be nothing more than the wind pushing a tree branch against a windowpane.
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. But then, a pair of eyes glowed in the darkness.
【AHHH! A GHOST!】
Dave fought to keep his legs from turning to jelly and shone his flashlight toward the glowing eyes.
“Oh, for crying out loud. It’s just a stuffed rabbit.”
The moment he picked it up, the rabbit spoke.
“My family found me at the orphanage today. Mom cried and said she was so sorry, that it was all her fault I was switched at birth at the hospital.”
“Dad said he’d never let me suffer again.”
“And my brother gave me this little rabbit. It can repeat what you say.”
“I’m so happy. I finally have a family.”
My own voice, young and hopeful, startled Dave, but he quickly realized what it was.
“Is that… Clara’s voice?”
My brother’s tone was heavy. “That was my gift to her. I think… I think it had a recording function.”
The chat exploded. “Whoa? That must have been recorded like, five or six years ago. Her voice is so young!”
Dave quieted the chat and gently pressed the toy again.
“There’s another sister at home. She’s dressed like a princess.”
“When Mom saw her crying, she held her and comforted her for a long time.”
“Dad and my brother told me that her name is Lily, and she’s our family, too. They said thanks to her, Mom wasn’t so sad all those years.”
“I understand. I’ll love my sister, too.”
…
Hearing this, Lily’s voice choked with a sob. “But she didn’t love me. She hated me…”
My brother put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and motioned for Dave to continue.
“Today, the butler’s son called me a hick. My brother punched him hard.”
“The butler almost called the cops, but I said I did it.”
“Mom was furious. She sent me to bed without dinner.”
“My brother snuck a piece of chicken into my room. He asked me why I took the blame for him.”
“I said I was scared the police would take him away. He laughed.”
“He said he’d get arrested a hundred times to protect his little sister.”
“This is what it feels like to have a big brother. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Dave looked surprised. The chat was scrolling wildly.
【Huh? The evil bitch was once this sweet?】
【Maybe something happened to make her change?】
My brother stared at the rabbit, his mind drifting back. He remembered telling me I was just like that bunny, soft and lovable. What had happened to that gentle, kind sister to turn her into the person she became?
Lily tugged at his sleeve, crying. “Clara wasn’t always bad, brother. Please, don’t hate her for this.” As she spoke, she casually brushed her hair back, revealing a deep, ugly scar on her forehead.
The sight snapped my brother back to the present. His expression hardened with disgust.
“You’re always too kind, Lily. She’s the one who gave you that scar. Don’t you dare defend her.”
【Whoa, that scar is from her? Never mind, can’t trust a word she says!】
Dave frowned and pressed the rabbit again.
“My sister didn’t come home tonight. It got really late.”
“Dad was about to call the police when she finally showed up, her dress torn, her head bleeding.”
“She fell to her knees in front of me and begged for forgiveness.”
“She said she knew she was wrong to compete with me for Mom and Dad and brother’s love.”
“She begged me to stop sending people to hurt her, and she promised she’d leave home right then.”
“My brother was so angry. He wanted to call the police and have me arrested.”
“I cried. I told them I didn’t do it… I really didn’t.”
“My sister pleaded for me.”
“She said we couldn’t let a scandal like that get out, especially since I’d only been back with the family for a year.”
“For the first time, my whole family looked at me with disgust.”
“They made me move into the storage room. They told me to think about what I’d done.”
“I’m so lost. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
Dave paused again. He was confused. The recordings were filled with Clara’s desperate pleas for her family’s trust. She didn’t sound like someone who would bully her sister. Someone was lying.
Noticing his suspicious gaze, Lily buried her face in her hands, weeping. “Why would Clara twist the truth like that? She knows what those people almost did to me…” she wailed. “Would I really use my own reputation, my own safety, to frame her?”
The chat was once again filled with rage.
【So this monster started her crime spree way back then!】
【And she has the nerve to record herself playing the victim? Disgusting! Find her and throw her in jail!】
Amid the storm of curses, a thin crack suddenly appeared on the silver medallion in Dave’s hand.
Everyone was shocked, asking him what had happened. His face paled, and he shushed the chat, pressing the rabbit again.
But the next recordings were just more of my lonely ramblings, my desperate yearning for family, and my terror at the bizarre things that kept happening. Every incident somehow pointed to me, and no one ever believed I was innocent.
I sounded heartbroken. “Little rabbit, why don’t Mom and Dad and brother believe me?” I cried in one recording. “Is it because I’m not as perfect as my sister?”
So, I channeled my grief into determination. I started studying relentlessly. Finally, I was accepted into a decent state college. I was ecstatic, mainly because the school was far from home. I threw myself into a new life, and the recordings filled with my joy about college and the new friends who actually cared about me.
Dave’s expression softened. It seemed that a change of scenery had done me good.
But the rabbit’s next words sent a shockwave through everyone watching.
“Why won’t they believe me?”
“I didn’t seduce my sister’s boyfriend… I swear I didn’t.”
“It was New Year’s Eve. We all had too much to drink.”
“I just woke up and he was in my bed.”
“My sister cried and asked me why I would steal him from her. Mom and Dad and brother called me shameless.”
“I begged him to tell them the truth, but he said… he said I dragged him into my room when he got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.”
“I didn't do it. Why would he lie about me?”
“My sister didn’t believe me either. She ran out of the house, crying, and was almost hit by a car.”
“Dad hit me for the first time. But I really, really didn’t touch her boyfriend…”
Hearing my choked sobs, Dave’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Lily on the screen, searching her face for something, anything. The medallion cracking wasn’t a coincidence. Something was very wrong.
Lily threw herself into my mother’s arms, whimpering that her leg, the one injured in the accident, was aching again.
My brother scoffed. “Her lies might fool a ghost, but not us. We know exactly what she’s like.”
My father’s anger flared. “She’s a compulsive liar! She almost poisoned me to death, and you expect anyone to believe her?”
Someone in the chat snarked: 【This recording is so fake. So the whole family just misunderstood her over and over again? Yeah, right. I’m not buying it.】
My heart ached, but I couldn't make a sound.
No one noticed the single drop of water, like a tear, that traced a path down the dusty mirror behind Dave.
He pressed the rabbit again.
“I went to the hospital to see my sister today. I saw her hand her boyfriend a debit card.”
“She told him he’d put on a good performance.”
“It was all an act to frame me!”
“I confronted them, but then Mom and Dad and my brother arrived.”
“Her boyfriend threw the card in my face. He said it was from me, that I paid him to keep tormenting my sister.”
“I screamed that they were lying, that it was all a setup. My sister threatened to jump off the roof to prove her innocence.”
“They believed her. They kicked me out of the house.”
“I don’t have a home anymore…”
【Just check whose name is on the card, problem solved, right?】
My brother laughed, a cold, harsh sound. “We checked. The card was in Clara’s name.”
【Well, there you go. What’s she playing innocent for? So gross!】
Dave remained silent, pressing the rabbit one last time.
“The dean called again about my tuition and dorm fees.”
“I tried to call my brother to borrow some money, but he called me a liar and a thief.”
“But I’m not lying. And I didn’t steal anything.”
【What a joke. If she was so broke, how was she partying and living it up here?】
My brother’s voice was dripping with contempt. “She didn’t steal? Then how did my mother’s jewelry and the cash from my father’s safe just disappear?”
“If we weren’t trying to spare her some public humiliation, we would have called the cops on her long ago!”
Dave noticed another crack spiderweb across the medallion.
“It’s been three months since I dropped out of school.”
“I was waiting tables at a hotel and saw my family celebrating Christmas Eve with Lily.”
“My brother told me to stop making a scene and get lost.”
“My dad said if it wasn’t for the family’s reputation, he’d have me thrown in jail.”
“But I don’t have money for my treatment. Is it a crime to work?”
“The doctor said if I don’t get treatment soon, my stomach cancer will get worse.”
“I don’t want to die.”
【She was sick? Why didn’t she tell her family? It’s another lie, isn’t it?】
Dave pressed the rabbit, and it provided the answer.
“It’s New Year’s Eve. My sister begged the family to let me come home.”
“I was going to tell them about the cancer.”
“But after my father drank the juice I poured for my sister, he collapsed. He’d been poisoned.”
“The dose was small, thank God. He survived.”
“He made a public statement disowning me.”
“Everyone called me a monster. I had nowhere left to go.”
【Serves her right. You play with poison, you get burned!】
A desperate, broken wail came from the rabbit.
“I tried to go back to get my medical records, but a group of drunk men knocked me out.”
“When I woke up, the records were gone. And those men… they had violated me.”
“Someone kind called the police.”
“But the men they arrested said I was willing, that I did it for money.”
“And there was a pile of cash under my bed.”
“My parents called me disgusting. My brother told me to stop making up excuses for being a whore.”
“He said if I couldn’t handle living, I should just die and stop shaming the Ashworth name.”
“Should I? Should I just die?”
The recording stopped. No matter how many times Dave pressed it, the rabbit remained silent.
【If she was assaulted, where did all the booze, condoms, and money come from?】
【Jesus. She almost kills her dad, then comes back here to screw around with a bunch of guys? She probably lied about being assaulted because she was scared of getting caught.】
【The police already investigated the scene. She probably faked her suicide, took the money, and ran. This recording is just a pathetic attempt to look innocent.】
【And then, when she got bitter, she came back to put a curse on the adopted daughter!】
【What a psycho! Someone needs to find her and lock her up for good!】
With every comment, the netizens hammered another nail into my coffin.
Dave was silent, his jaw tight. He knew this wasn't the whole story.
He turned, and that’s when he finally saw it. On the mirror behind him, streaks of water trickled down the dusty surface.
Like tears.
The air was bone-dry. Where was the water coming from?
He looked up, following the drip to its source, and his eyes widened in shock.
“There’s something wrong with this ceiling. I have to break it open.”
He dug a hammer out of his bag and, aiming for a crack where the water was seeping through, he swung.
With a single blow, the plaster shattered. Something fell from the hole.
Instinctively, Dave threw the stuffed rabbit up to block it.
【HOLY SHIT! IS THAT… AN URN?!】
【Why is there a hex nailed to it?! That’s so messed up!】
Dave picked up the small urn and held the parchment with its strange writing up to the camera.
My mother saw it and her face went ghost-white.
“That’s… that’s Clara’s name and birthdate!”
My father and brother stared, their mouths agape in disbelief.
Just then, the rabbit—the one that had just been hit by the urn—spoke again. Its eyes lit up, and a triumphant, mocking laugh filled the air.
It was Lily’s voice.

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