Time passed slowly. My consciousness began to fade.

The air inside the coffin had become filthy and stale, filled with the smell of my own waste and the scent of death.

I no longer pressed myself against the crack in the coffin, desperately chasing that tiny bit of hope, nor did I waste the little strength I had left to call out whoever walked by, begging for some attention.

I simply lay there in silence, holding Andy's hand, because I knew I was going to die.

When I was little, I once asked Mommy what death meant while watching TV. She gently stroked my hair and answered softly, "Dying means saying goodbye forever."

I buried my face in her arms and mumbled like a spoiled child, "Then I never want to die. I don't want you to die either, Mommy."

But now, it was time for me to go. After all, no one in this world welcomed me anymore—not Daddy, not Mommy, and not Grandma. If my death could make them all happy, I would do it.

On the last day—the seventh day of the punishment—Andy was going to be buried. It was loud and lively outside. Organs played, people sobbed, and the whole place was filled with noise.

It sounded like everyone was mourning Andy's death and celebrating mine at the same time.

I heard Mommy weeping outside. "Rest in peace, Andy! In your next life, I'll still be your mommy!"

What about me, Mommy? When I died, would you be my mommy again?

It didn't take long before I got my answer from her own mouth. "As for that cursed soul, I hope I never have anything to do with him in this life or any life after! If I hadn't carried him for nine months, and if it wasn't for propriety, I really, really wish I could…"

Mommy never finished that sentence, but I already knew what she meant. She wished she could kill me with her own hands. Was that right, Mommy?

As my body slowly became weightless, a ray of light shone down on me amid the darkness. It felt oddly warm and gentle.

Mommy stood in the glow of the light, waving at me. "Come on, Adam. Hurry up, or we'll miss your favorite cartoon!"

Daddy crouched down and patted his shoulder. "Come here, Adam. Hop on! I'll give you a piggyback ride home!"

Grandma carried a basket of vegetables in one hand and held Andy in the other. He waved his little hands excitedly as he looked at me. In his baby voice, he kept mumbling, "Adam…"

I couldn't help reaching my hand toward the light. Then, I saw them moving farther away from me. I panicked and ran forward.

"Wait for me!" I screamed. "I'm almost there! I'm coming home!"

A hurried knocking sound interrupted my vision, pulling me back to the cold, dark reality. I struggled to open my eyes. The darkness and suffocating air drowned me, leaving me breathless.

It turned out that even death was a luxury I couldn't have.

Noisy voices filled the air, and countless footsteps surrounded me. Just when I had fallen into despair, a familiar voice shouted, "Adam, are you in there? Answer me!"

That was Ms. Clark, my teacher! Was she here to save me?

I parted my dry lips, trying to answer Ms. Clark, but all I could manage was a faint, broken sound.

I heard her voice outside. She was shouting and sobbing. "Do you know this is illegal? He's only ten! What did he do to deserve being treated like this?"

No, Ms. Clark. I killed Andy. I made Mommy and Daddy angry. I did wrong.

After a few seconds of silence, Mommy burst into a kind of laughter that was filled with suppressed tears.

"He was a mistake from the moment he was born! Isn't that enough of a reason? The only thing I regret not doing is getting rid of him when the priest read his fate at his first birthday party!

"If I had done that, Andy wouldn't have died such a horrible death…"

I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids. Through my blurred vision, I saw Ms. Clark's back. She spread her arms and stood protectively in front of the mini coffin, guarding it with everything she had.

"It was an accident! What you're doing to him now is abuse!"

Mommy glanced coldly in my direction and lifted her head, forcing back her tears. "I saw him standing by the window when it happened. Are you telling me he didn't do it? He's either a murderer or a cursed soul. There's no other possibility!

"This is our family matter, Ms. Clark. If you keep stirring trouble here, I can't guarantee you'll get to keep your job once you walk out of here."

Ms. Clark's back stiffened. Her hand slowly lowered. Still, she refused to leave.

Mommy came closer to the coffin. "If you don't believe me, ask him yourself. Ask him if he's staying inside because he's guilty."

She then lightly tapped on the coffin lid a few times. "If you want to come out, knock three times. But if you have even a shred of sensibility, you'll stay inside and repent for your sin."

Ms. Clark bent down and pressed closer to the coffin. She said softly, "Don't be afraid, Adam. It's me, Ms. Clark. I'm here to help you. If you're scared, just knock."

I lifted my hand and placed it against the coffin wall, gathering all the strength I thought I had, but there was no sound.

Cluelessly, I looked at my hands. They were trembling as I tried again. My palm passed straight through the coffin and into the endless darkness.

Was I dead?

Before I could even process what was happening, Ms. Clark anxiously shouted, "Adam, say something! Aren't you afraid of the dark? Why aren't you answering? Did something happen to you?"

I looked around in panic, only to see my own face when I turned. My eyes were closed peacefully, my fingers intertwined with Andy's. A smile, so happy and content, rested on my lips.

I reached out and checked my own breathing through my nose. I could still feel a faint trace of breath, but it was so weak that it might disappear within a few more minutes.

So, I wasn't completely dead yet. That was why my soul was still trapped inside this tiny coffin.

Through the thick wooden lid, I could somehow see everything unfolding outside. It was as if I had activated a new skill.

Mommy's face was cold as she beckoned two guys over to restrain Ms. Clark.

"Enough, Ms. Clark! You asked your questions, and you made your scene. Now, are you finally willing to accept that he's doing it to atone for his sins?"

Ms. Clark refused to give up. She kept struggling. "Just open the coffin and check on him! He's afraid of the dark! There's no way he'd just stay in there without making a sound! Maybe something did happen to him!"

Her protests finally got to Daddy, who turned to Mommy. "Maybe we should open it and check. It's almost time anyway."

As he spoke, he reached out toward the coffin, only for Mommy to pull him back. "Absolutely not! The priest said he has to stay inside for seven days and can only be released before the burial. Otherwise, Andy will never rest in peace!

"I've already made that mistake once. I'm not going to make it again!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And so what if something did happen to him? If anything, his being dead is the only thing that can make me happy now."

At that moment, I could vividly feel a force surging through my soul, filling me whole. Behind me, that faint breath stopped for good.

Great. Now that I was finally dead, Mommy would never be sad again.

After Ms. Clark was taken away, the somber music resumed. The coffin was lifted, swaying as it was carried forward.

Daddy's voice sounded rough. "Alright, Rue. Once we send Andy off on his final journey, let's let Adam out."

It was too late, Daddy. I wouldn't make it even if you decided to let me out. I wouldn't make it home.

After what felt like a long time, the coffin was set down. We must've arrived at the burial site. White roses were given out as guests shed tears. I knew none of them was for me.

How strange, though. I wasn't afraid or resentful anymore. All I felt was fatigue.

At the graveyard, Andy's coffin was slowly lowered into the freshly dug pit. Mommy held his portrait tightly in her arms, her gaze cold. "Alright. Time's up. Get out on your own."

Silence.

Her face darkened with anger as she gritted her teeth and warned, "I told you to get out, Adam! Are you going to delay Andy's burial, too?"

Still, there was no response.

Grandma, standing nearby, stared at the coffin with furrowed brows. Suddenly, her eyes widened in terror. She stumbled forward and fell to her knees at the edge of the pit. "Wait! Pause everything!"

Daddy's eyes were swollen and red. He stepped forward and pulled her back impatiently. "Mom, what now?"

She ignored him, instead reaching out and grabbing the edge of the coffin lid. The moment her fingers touched the thick iron nails hammered into the wood, her face turned deathly pale.

"Those are… nails… Who nailed it shut? Who did it?"