My New Mom in the Well

When I was five, I fell into a well and somehow survived. After that, Mom had nightmares every night, dreaming that the woman who had drowned in that very well was haunting her, demanding her daughter. Desperate, my parents held a ritual and made me accept that woman, Rose Reynolds, as my mother. From then on, I became an outsider in my own family. After thirteen years of going hungry and enduring hardship, I accidentally discovered that Mom's nightmares had all been a lie. The truth was, our family was too poor. To make sure my sister, Emily Simmons, had enough to eat, they had lied to me. Now that Emily has been accepted into college, the whole family is moving to the city. They don't want me with them. It doesn't matter. The woman from the well comes to see me every night. From now on, she's my new mom. Chapter 1 When I snapped back to reality, my mother, Karen Simmons, was already almost out the door, and I hurriedly ducked into the kitchen. Once the sound of her footsteps had faded, I looked down at the basket in my hands. The wild greens I'd just picked on the hills had all spilled out while I was running home. My sister, Emily Simmons, had asked me to pick them that morning for lunch. In the past, I would have hurried back up the mountain to pick more, but today, my legs simply wouldn't move. She wasn't the only daughter they had. I was their daughter, too. But ever since I accepted my new mom... Whenever she went to school, I'd cook her meals, tuck them against my chest to keep them warm, and walk five miles to deliver them. Whenever she came home from boarding school with dirty clothes, I'd wash them. Whenever she did her homework, I'd stand beside her and fan away the mosquitoes. Once, I secretly glanced at one of her textbooks, and she called me bad luck and said I'd dirtied the book just by looking at it. I didn't dare say a word because Mom had told me that if I made Emily unhappy, I could leave and go find the woman who had drowned. For thirteen years, all of it had been a lie. They'd been deceiving me all along. Out of spite, I chopped up my favorite pumpkin and scooped a generous spoonful of lard into the pan. But the moment I dropped the pumpkin into the pan, the hot oil suddenly erupted, splattering across the back of my hand. The skin turned bright red in an instant, and tears filled my eyes. I don't know where I found the courage, but I lifted the plate and smashed it hard against the floor. "Even you people in this house pick on me." At lunchtime, the dining table was completely bare. There was nothing on it. Emily raised her hand and smacked me across the head. "Lucy Simmons, you're an outsider living under our roof, eating our food for free, and now you're too lazy to work. Go back to your well!" Dad glanced at the injury on my hand, then looked at Mom hesitantly. "It's blistering. Shouldn't we put something on it?" Mom was already furious. "Why are you being so dramatic? Doesn't medicine cost money? Have you made enough money to pay for Emily's college tuition and living expenses? "Just soak your hand in cold water. It'll be fine. That useless girl does nothing but come here and make us pay for her." Just like every other time, Dad fell silent. The courage I'd found to smash that plate seemed to vanish. I wanted to ask why they'd lied to me, but I swallowed the question. That night, the pain kept me tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I went to the well, pulled up a bucket of water, and soaked my hand in it. The cool water really did make it hurt less. Sitting on the ground, I remembered what had happened when I was little. The day they gave me away, it was right here that Mom and Dad forced me to face the well and call the dead woman my new mother. They forced me to call them Aunt and Uncle instead. I refused with everything in me. Mom grabbed my arm and struck my back again and again. "Do you want me to die?" I didn't want Mom to die, so I had no choice but to lean against the edge of the well and force those words out. But no matter how much Mom beat me, I still refused to call them Aunt and Uncle. From then on, the village children would follow me around, throwing rocks and laughing as they called me the dead woman's daughter. That day, they split my scalp open again. I ran home crying, but they chased me all the way there. As soon as I stepped inside, there was a cream cake sitting on the table. It was Emily's birthday and mine. It had to be the cake Mom and Dad had bought for her. The children stared at the cake, their eyes lighting up. They wanted to eat it, but it belonged to Emily. I desperately tried to protect the cake, but they kicked and yanked at me. In the end, a whole group of them knocked into the table, and the cake fell to the floor and was crushed under their feet. As soon as they realized they'd caused trouble, the children scattered. Chapter 2 Mom came home and assumed I'd stolen the cake and ruined it. Furious, she grabbed it and shoved it into my mouth. "Were you born starving? You stole my daughter's cake? Get out! Let your dead mother buy you one!" I had only been trying to protect the cake, but with my mouth stuffed full, I couldn't get a single word of explanation out. That night, the shadow appeared beside my bed, humming and mumbling as if it were singing "Happy Birthday." I huddled under the covers, trembling in fear. Early the next morning, Mom took Emily into town to buy another cake. I chased after them, crying and screaming that the woman was coming to get me, but they were afraid I'd follow them too, so they ran as fast as they could without hearing a word. I came back to myself. The water was no longer cool. I stared at the pitch-black opening of the well. It seemed as though something inside was calling my name. My scalp prickled, and I took off running for home. The next day, Mom and Dad were taking Emily to the county seat to buy things she would need for college. She wore a new pale-yellow dress and kept admiring herself in the mirror. Then she glanced at me, sitting in the corner and staring blankly at her dress. "Do you want to come too?" Her eyes were fixed on my injured hand, but there was a smile at the corners of her mouth. "Fine. I'll let you come this once." Dad didn't notice her expression and also pleaded with Mom on my behalf. Mom finally relented. "Fine, but your bus fare comes out of your food money. If you want to go, then go." "I'm not going." But Emily forcibly dragged me out the door. At the mall, Emily bought a quilt and made me carry it. Then she bought sheets and a duvet cover and made me carry those too, along with a pillow, bed curtains, and a thermos. The three of them walked ahead, laughing and talking. Even when I hurried, I couldn't keep up. Then they went into a clothing store. As soon as I walked in, the sales clerk froze when she saw me. "They're twins! She's trying on this jacket, and we happen to have another one in the same size. They can each have one." Mom's expression turned awkward. "She's not our daughter. She has her own mother. It's not our place to take care of her." "Oh, okay. I must have gotten them mixed up. Looking closely, they really don't look much alike. Your daughter is tall and fair, while she's shorter and darker. They don't even dress alike. What was I thinking, mistaking them for twins?" The sales clerk hurried to smooth things over, then noticed all the bags in my hands. "Is she your housekeeper?" No one answered. The awkwardness in the store became unbearable. I lowered my eyes to my toes, my heart aching as pain throbbed through the back of my hand. Mom and Dad hurriedly paid and left the store. Emily hung the clothes they'd just bought over my arms and gave me a sweet smile. "Hey, housekeeper, we're going to the zoo next. It'll be inconvenient for you to carry all this stuff, so you can go home first." Mom was still angry about what had just happened. "See? Why did you even come along? Now I had to explain you to someone else. Looking like that, anyone who didn't know better would think we were abusing you. "Go home. If you lose even one of these things, you'll answer for it." With that, she grabbed Emily and headed for the exit. Dad stuffed five dollars into my coat pocket before hurriedly following them. Unfortunately, the bus fare back to town was fifteen dollars. The sales clerk from earlier peeked out and looked at me. In the end, she gave me ten dollars so I could take the bus home. Chapter 3 There were still five miles from town to our house. Carrying Emily's things, I felt as though my legs were sinking in mud. Every step was a struggle. I crouched by the roadside to rest when a car suddenly stopped in front of me. It was a group of young men from the village. "Get in. We'll give you a ride." Every one of them had beaten me when I was little, especially Jordan Hayes, who was driving. But I was too exhausted to keep walking. I loaded the things into the car one by one. Just as I was about to climb in, someone inside shoved me away and slammed the door shut. Then the car drove off. Laughter came from inside. "The dead woman's daughter thinks she can ride in our car! "What a bad-luck freak!" I chased after them for a long time before the car finally stopped. They threw everything into a filthy ditch by the road. My mind went completely blank. I grabbed onto the car window, refusing to let them leave. Jordan suddenly hit the gas. I went sprawling onto the ground, scraping up my calves and arms. I sat by the roadside, afraid to go home. I don't know how much time passed before a taxi pulled up. "Lucy, what are you slacking off for again? Where's my stuff?" It was Emily's voice. My heart jolted. I got up, wanting to run, but Mom grabbed me. "Why are the quilts and sheets in the ditch? Are you trying to make me die of anger? You're angry because I didn't buy you clothes, so you deliberately ruined your sister's things!" "I didn't! Jordan and the others did it. They were the ones who destroyed the cake when I was little too. They called me the dead woman's daughter, threw rocks at me, and bullied me all the time." The words of explanation finally came out, but I was met with a slap. "I don't know anything! I didn't see anything! Nobody is bullying you. You're lying!" Dad avoided my eyes and looked away. I grabbed his arm and asked him, "You all knew, didn't you? You knew the people in the village bullied me, and you bullied me too!" Acting completely out of character, he slapped me across the face as well. "You ungrateful little brat! So raising the dead woman's daughter was a mistake, was it?" Amid their shouting and cursing, I heard a gentle voice. "Come to Mom." I looked at the three people before me, their faces twisted with anger. Compared with my new mom, they looked more like ghosts. I turned and ran after that voice. Before I knew it, I had reached the well. Maybe I really was her daughter. Otherwise, why would Mom and Dad treat me like this? I curled up beside the well and fell asleep. Then I had a dream. There were cakes, textbooks, dresses, and a gentle mother. We moved into a new home, and she even sent me to college. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see her face clearly. I jolted awake. Almost half my body was already hanging over the well. I didn't care about anything else. I had to know what my new mom looked like. The abandoned house near the mountain was her home. There should be a photograph of her there. I got to my feet and ran toward the abandoned house. Sure enough, the moment I stepped inside, I saw a black-and-white photograph hanging on the wall. So the frightening shadow was actually this gentle. I took the photograph down, hid it under my clothes, and ran home. As soon as I entered the yard, I saw the neighbor whispering something into Mom's ear. "Where did you go? The neighbor said she saw you near the abandoned house." I said nothing and lowered my head as I headed toward the woodshed where I slept. Mom immediately noticed that something was wrong and rushed over to grab my hand. "What are you hiding under your clothes?" Chapter 4 The photograph fell out during the struggle. Mom screamed in fright, "Are you out of your mind? Why would you bring a dead person's things home?" "You were the ones who told me she was my mother!" "If she's your mother, then go live there!" The words I'd been holding back for two days finally burst out. "If I go live in that abandoned house, then you can go live in your new house in the city, right?!" A flicker of panic crossed Mom's face. "Who told you about the house? Was it your dad? That's what happens when I let him spoil you." The neighbor standing nearby muttered awkwardly, "I thought she already knew. I just happened to mention it yesterday." Dad came out of the house, looking exhausted. "Just let her go. She's old enough now. She can get a job and earn money to pay for Emily's college tuition. What good does it do for me to take her side and protect her? She still blames me anyway." Mom's expression softened slightly at that. "Then go. But I'm warning you: find a job that provides room and board. Have your wages deposited directly into my account." Before I could even say, "I'm not going," Emily came running out in tears. "You're not allowed to go! She can't go! What am I supposed to do if my classmates find out I have a sister like her?" Then she glared viciously at me. "You're the reason everyone in the village and at school laughs behind my back. You're the dead woman's daughter. Do you really think I want that following me even after I go to college? Do I owe you anything?" As she spoke, she started shoving me. "Get out! Get out!" They were the ones who had made me the dead woman's daughter, and now they were the ones rejecting me. I picked up the photograph and ran out of the yard. Behind me, I heard Mom shout, "Once you leave, don't come back!" I sat in the pitch-black abandoned house, trembling as I hugged my knees. My new mom came again to comfort me. "The crows and magpies are sleeping in the trees. "The stars and moon are sleeping in the clouds. "Little baby, go to sleep." I could finally see her face clearly. It was just as gentle as in the photograph. "Mom, take me with you." She smiled and nodded. The next day, before leaving, I still decided to say goodbye to the three of them, but when I returned home, half the house had already been emptied. Mom was busy packing. "Didn't you run off in a fit of anger? Why did you come back? Now that you know we're moving, that's good. Saves me from having to answer all your questions." I steeled myself and ran up to her. "I'm leaving. My new mom is taking me with her." But this time, she still couldn't hear me. "Move. You're just getting in the way." As I left, I took one last look at this home that had never belonged to me. 'Goodbye, Aunt and Uncle,' I said silently. That afternoon, on the cargo truck headed for the city, the three people who were about to move into their new home chatted happily. "New house, new school, and Mom and Dad with me. I'm the happiest girl in the world." "Our Emily is so accomplished. We're the happiest parents in the world too." Just then, Dad's phone rang. "Robert, come back quickly. Something has happened to Lucy!"