"There used to be a guy named Malcolm who worked with kids." There was a hint of pain in Malcolm's calm voice, as if he was dancing wildly on the tip of a knife, calm and beautiful, but dripping with blood.

"He loves the job." A shallow smile appeared on Malcolm's lips, bitter but enthusiastic, and this ambivalence bloomed on the edge of his thin lips, "He loves this job more than anything else." The intense, calm emotion was full of tension, and the sound reached Cole's ears, which made Cole slowly turn his head and look at Malcolm again, and then he saw those tired amber eyes.

"Then one night, he found out that he had mistreated a child......" At this point, Malcolm closed his lips slightly and paused for half a second, even if it was only less than half a second, he could clearly feel the wanton surging emotions in his heart, "There is no way he can help that child." "The pain is like the devil waving his teeth and claws, as if it were a quiet night, and everything seems to have no ups and downs, no waves, but the raging dance under the night cannot hide the tracks.

Two simple sentences made Cole's pupils dilate slightly, and he couldn't help but hold his breath.

"He blamed himself and couldn't forget it......" the almost murmuring voice carried a bitter smile, as if mocking the cowardice and helplessness of that "Malcolm", but also seemed to laugh at his own paleness and powerlessness, "everything has changed since then. He's not the same person he used to be, and his wife ......"

There seemed to be some choking in Malcolm's voice, and the voice almost disappeared into his throat, but he still managed to squeeze it out, "I don't like him now." Malcolm could feel the inquiry in Cole's eyes, there seemed to be a little sympathy, he wasn't sure, but even just this little possibility made his heart boil, he couldn't help but lower his eyes slightly, avoiding Cole's gaze, and then turned his head in embarrassment, looking to the side, hiding the timidity and fear in his heart, "They don't talk anymore, like strangers." ”

Silence, long silence, those two simple words seemed to consume all Malcolm's courage and strength, he slowly pinched the fingers of his right hand, little by little with the tips to outline the arc of his nails, the pain in his eyes slowly precipitated to the depths of his heart, like a whale diving into the bottom of the sea, "And then one day, Malcolm met a little boy, a wonderful and cool little boy......"

Cole's chest heaved slightly, as if he realized what the "Malcolm" and "a boy" in the story meant, and the corners of his mouth drew an invisible smile, but the furled eyebrows showed the joy in his heart.

"This kid reminds me of that kid." Malcolm plucked up his courage, this time he didn't avoid Cole's gaze, although it was painful, although it was tormented, although it was struggling, he still met Cole's gaze, "Malcolm decided to help this child. Because ......" Malcolm's voice paused suddenly, as if a great fear had grabbed his throat, but he continued as if he had broken free from the shackles of fate, "because he felt that if he helped the child, it would be tantamount to ...... Saved the child from before. ”

Malcolm's voice weakened again, almost disappearing from his lips, the pain and struggle rolling between his brows, the helplessness and despair that made him avert his gaze in embarrassment—for his eyes were warm, and the hazy mist blurred Cole's face.

Cole was a little anxious, and asked in the same tone, "How does this story end?" He looked at Malcolm hopefully, eager to get a hopeful answer out of his mouth.

Malcolm lowered his head slightly and shook his chin slightly, "I don't know. The light voice feared to alarm the butterfly in his fingertips, but when he looked at Cole again, there was a shallow but shining glint in his eyes, as if all hope was in Cole's hands.

The heavy weight made Cole's eyes begin to tremble violently, and he lowered his eyes uncertainly, his flustered pupils hinted that he was in a struggle, but Malcolm's sincerity and vulnerability made him finally close his eyes fiercely, take a deep breath, and then raise his eyes to look at Malcolm in front of him, and said in a whispered voice, "I want to tell you my secret now." ”

Malcolm looked at Cole quietly, not too excited, not too excited, just calmly looking at Cole, the halo in those amber eyes was like the sun, dazzling but not dazzling, warm but not hot. Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and the corners of Malcolm's mouth gently outlined a shallow arc, and he whispered, "Okay." ”

The trusting look seemed to give Cole infinite courage, but even so, he lowered his eyes again, constantly adjusting his breathing, the water vapor in his eyes spread, so that his helplessness and fear were magnified countless times, clearly shown in front of Malcolm's eyes, which made Malcolm hold his breath and suppress all his emotions, and then, Malcolm saw Cole's eyes raised again, and mustered up the courage to look at himself, Those deep eyes seemed to be shouting with all their might: Help me.

Malcolm heard Cole's words that almost dissipated into the air, "I can see the dead. ”

Malcolm only felt his muscles stiffen for a moment, but he still kept his expression calm, as if Cole was just saying something normal, and asked softly, "In a dream?" Cole shook his head in horror, as if he was curled up under the covers, "While you're awake?" Cole's rapid breathing caused the oxygen in the air to dwindle rapidly, and Malcolm could feel his heart beat faster.

Malcolm, however, tried his best to keep his composure, and his frowning brow eased lightly, and he continued to ask in a conversational tone, "Dead man, like in a grave or a coffin?" ”

The tears of fear in Cole's eyes could no longer be supported, and slowly slipped down, and he shook his head vigorously, "They walk around like normal people. This made Malcolm's eyes stiffen for a moment, and at first he tried to keep his composure, "They can't see each other, they can only see what they want to see, they don't know they're dead...... Cole's watery eyes began to fall apart, the fear that penetrated deep into the bone marrow was like the collapse of the world.

Malcolm caught this emotion in Cole's eyes, which made his pupils begin to tremble slightly, and he couldn't help but purse his lips slightly, "How often do you see them?" Although Malcolm believed that there were no ghosts in the world, and that what Cole saw was just a hallucination, he didn't want to alarm Cole at this time, and more importantly, he finally realized the meaning of Vincent's words: why did Vincent keep saying that he was scared, why Vincent had been waiting for his help, just like Cole, they were all facing the same problem - a problem that other people simply couldn't accept and couldn't understand, and their only hope was Malcolm, but ...... He disappointed Vincent.

This truth shattered almost all of Malcolm's psychological defenses, and Vincent's despair was indeed his fault, indeed his fault, because he had never really understood Vincent - just simply and crudely believed that Vincent could not get out of the shadow of his parents' divorce. It was he who missed the best chance to save Vincent, and it was he who let go of Vincent's hand for help.

Malcolm's eyes also had a faint glint of water, but he couldn't show it in front of Cole, which made Malcolm clench his teeth and try to keep his composure and professionalism. However, the slightly trembling voice revealed his truest emotions.

"All the time...... Cole's eyes were completely red, and tears were slowly rolling down his face, "they were around every corner." This froze Malcolm in place, and Cole sensed fear in Malcolm's trembling, and he pleaded softly, "You're not going to tell anyone my secret, are you?" ”

Malcolm immediately shook his head, "No, I promise. The firm tone did not match the faint glint of water in his eyes.

Cole was fragile like a balloon fluttering in the sea breeze, "Wait until I'm asleep before leaving, okay?" ”

Malcolm looked into Cole's eyes, he was like Cole's only lifeline, the collapse of despair made him breathe for a moment, but then, his eyes became extremely determined, more determined than ever. He's missed Vincent, and this time, he'll never let go of Cole's hand again.

"Of course." Malcolm said firmly.

This made Cole breathe a sigh of relief, his small cheeks were covered with tears, and there were still lingering palpitations, but they gradually calmed down because of Malcolm's eyes. Cole nodded his chin slightly, then turned his head and slowly closed his eyes. But the eyeballs under his nose that were constantly trembling because of excessive fear, and the tightly tangled brows, hinted at his inner peace at the moment.

Malcolm exhaled softly, trying to keep his breathing steady, trying to calm the breath around him with his own settling down, calming Cole. Looking at the thin body in front of him, the pain in Malcolm's eyes slowly spread again, because Malcolm knew that Cole's fantasies were too serious, and the help he could give was very limited, and he was faced with Vincent's situation again, but he found that he was so small.

This helplessness made Malcolm's broad shoulders shrink slightly, as if he could not resist the cold of the night.