A Mother's Bond

Whenever my son, Ethan Shaw, cried, my mother-in-law, Jacqueline, would pat his back and call his name. She said it was to keep his soul from leaving his body when he got scared. I thought she was just being superstitious until one day, an old woman stared at my son and her face went pale. "Why are his pupils so dilated? He only has one-tenth of his soul left! Has anyone tried to summon his soul?" A chill ran down my back and I told her about his grandmother. She said, "She isn't calling his soul back. She's calling it out of his body! I'll give you the candles. Take it home and light it, or your son will die." I was a little wary. Was I really going to suspect my son's own grandmother of hurting him just because some stranger said so? But my son had become easily lost and slow to respond, and even the doctors didn't know how to help him. "Don't worry," the old woman said. "I'm not asking for money. I just want to save him." She pressed the candles into my hand and left. Back home, I lit one of the candles with my hands trembling. The tip had barely begun to glow red when Jacqueline called. "That's a Soul Severing Candle! Put it out now, or Ethan will die!" Chapter 1 When I got home, I stared at the candles in my hand, my heart pounding nonstop. Could I really trust what that old woman had told me? But Ethan Shaw was Jacqueline's only grandson, and she had always doted on him. Why would she want to hurt him? I kept hearing the old woman's warning in my head. "You have to light the candles from today, or your son will be dead within three days!" I held one of the candles tightly, knowing I was running out of time. But what if the old woman was a fraud? I was still contemplating it when my husband Jasper Shaw came home. His eyes went straight to the candle in my hand. "What's that?" My hand trembled. I felt guilty for doubting his mother. Jacqueline had always treated me well. She wouldn't even let me wash a dish when we visited her home. If I told Jasper a stranger had made me suspicious of his mother, he would probably think I was crazy. He noticed how pale I looked and helped me sit on the couch. "What's wrong, Lynn? You look like something scared you." I thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously. "I met a strange old woman today. She said your mom was driving Ethan's soul out of his body every time she patted him on his back. She gave me these candles and said it could save him. I know it sounds ridiculous, but Ethan really hasn't been well..." Jasper took the candle from me, his expression growing stern. I forced a smile. "Maybe Jacqueline didn't realize what she was doing. Maybe it was an accident..." "No," he cut in, his voice full of anguish. "She might have... done it on purpose." He sat beside me with his head in his hands, struggling to get the words out. "There's something you don't know. My mom has a distant cousin, and when they were young..." "They got back in touch after my dad died. He was in a car accident recently and ended up in a vegetative state. The last time I visited her, I heard her on the phone. She said people in vegetative states had lost their souls, and all it took to help them was to replace what was missing." His eyes reddened as he took my hand. "My mom is hurting Ethan. She has to be! Light the candle. Hurry! We can't let anything happen to him!" Chapter 2 I still felt uneasy. "But Jacqueline is Ethan's grandmother... Should we really trust that old woman? She didn't ask for money, but what if she's after something else?" Jasper thought it over. "It's Wednesday today. That's when my mom usually goes to see her cousin in the hospital. Let's follow her and see what's going on before we decide. We still have time." Jasper drove me to the entrance of Central City Hospital. Ten minutes later, we saw his mother get out of a taxi and go to the inpatient wing immediately. We followed her quietly. She clearly was familiar with the layout and went straight to a room in the special care unit. Through the window in the door, I saw an elderly man lying with his eyes closed, hooked up to all kinds of medical equipment. Jacqueline picked up a towel and began wiping and cleaning his body, murmuring as she worked. "I've found a way to save you. Just hold on a little longer. You'll be better soon. You'll be just like you were before..." I bit my lip. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Jasper leaned against the wall and stood there in a daze for a long time. Back in the car, he slumped over the steering wheel, his shoulders shaking fiercely. "So... My mom really is the one hurting Ethan. He's her grandson! How could she... I'm sorry, Lynn. I've let you and our son down." I shook my head, still trembling uncontrollably. "Take me home. Hurry. I have to save Ethan." At home, I rushed to the drawer and took out the candles. There were seven of them. The old woman had said that if I burned one a day for seven days straight, the fragments of Ethan's soul that had been driven away would return. This time, I didn't hesitate. I placed a candle in the candle holder and bowed my head in reverence. A thin stream of white smoke rose, swirled a few times, then drifted toward Ethan on the bed. Little by little, it slipped into his nostrils. "That smoke... It's like it's alive..." A little frightened, I hesitantly reached out to put it out. Then I remembered the old woman's warning. "Once you light the candle, don't let it go out, or your son will die immediately." My hand froze in midair. My nails dug into my palm, nearly breaking the skin. Sweat rolled down my forehead. Jasper took my hand. "Don't panic. I'm here. I believe our son's going to get better." I nodded and watched the candle without looking away until it burned out. "Mommy..." Chapter 3 As the last wisp of smoke faded, Ethan suddenly sat up in bed. Some of the light had returned to his eyes as he smiled at me. "I'm so hungry, Mommy. I want some of your pasta." I stumbled over to him and hugged him tight. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was scared to death." As I made Ethan's pasta in the kitchen, I felt at ease for the first time in six months. It had been a long time since he had spoken a full sentence like that. Jasper still had a slight frown, however. "We can't relax yet. We still have to burn the other six candles for six more days. If my mom finds out and tries something, Ethan could... Be careful. Don't let anything slip, and don't lose your temper and confront her. Once Ethan's better, we'll reveal everything to her." I nodded firmly. Watching Ethan devour his pasta, I worked out a schedule in my head. Jacqueline spent every morning shopping for groceries and cleaning. She never contacted me then. Morning would be the safest time to light the candle. For six days, Ethan grew more energetic with each passing day. On the seventh day, Jasper's eyes shone as he got ready for work. "By the time I get home today, our son will be all better!" I watched him leave, then carefully lit the final candle. Ethan lay in bed, smiling up at me. "Can I go back to kindie once this candle burns out?" I kissed his forehead. "Yes, you'll be just like you were before." I turned to watch the candle burner without blinking. It was the last day. I couldn't let anything go wrong. The candle had burned down less than half an inch when my phone rang. Jacqueline's number flashed on the screen. My chest tightened. Why was she calling at this hour? Had she noticed something? I hesitated, afraid to answer, but the phone kept ringing. Ignoring it might make her even more suspicious. I took a deep breath and tried to sound natural. "What's wrong, Jacqueline?" "Are you burning candles for Ethan?" she asked urgently. My heart skipped a beat. She found out! I was debating whether to confront her or hang up when she said something that stunned me. "Lynn, listen to me. Those are Soul Severing Candles. Put it out now! Hurry! If that candle burns all the way down, Ethan will die!" I whipped around to look at Ethan on the bed. He caught me looking and smiled, his eyes crinkling with his little teeth showing. His face was all rosy too. Jacqueline was still trying to deceive me! I closed my eyes briefly and decided to confront her. If she knew she'd been exposed, she wouldn't dare do anything rash, would she? "Jacqueline, I know everything. You were willing to steal Ethan's soul to save your cousin. I'll protect him. I won't let anyone hurt him." Chapter 4 Jacqueline's voice almost cracked on the other side of the call. "He's my grandson! Why would I hurt him? Did an old woman give you those candles? Hair down to her shoulders and a mole on the left side of her face? You can't trust her!" She even knew who had given me the candle. Fear slowly grew inside me. I held my phone tightly, my voice shaking but firm. "Don't try to fool me. Ethan's been getting better these past few days." "That's just a last burst of energy before he dies! Lynn, listen to me. Put the candle out right now! I'll be there any minute. There's still time to save him! If you don't, you'll regret it!" Before I could answer, Ethan let out a terrible scream. He shot upright in bed, the color slowly draining from his face as his eyes went empty again. Jacqueline heard him over the phone. "Something's wrong with Ethan, isn't it? Put the candle out! Hurry!" Panicking, I ended the call and rushed to his bedside, calling his name over and over. He sat rigidly on the bed like a zombie, unresponsive. His pupils slowly widened, and drool trickled from the corner of his mouth. White smoke still kept on drifting into his nostrils. Could it be that… Jacqueline had been telling the truth?! Trembling, I rushed to the table and pulled the candle from the holder to put it out. A figure suddenly lunged at me and grabbed my wrist. "Stop this nonsense! Do you want to kill your son?" I spun around. It was the old woman who had given me the candle. I struggled to pull free. "Let go! My son is dying!" "He's not dying!" she shouted. "Just hold on a little longer and he'll live! This is the last step in calling his soul back into his body. The last fragment inside him will leave for a moment to draw the other fragments back in. His grandmother's taking advantage of this to trick you into putting out the candle! "Think about it. Why didn't she call a few days ago? Why wait until today? Because she knows you'll only believe her when things look this bad! If you put out the candle, she can easily summon that last fragment away. Your son will die immediately!" The front door opened again, and Jasper rushed in, frantic. "Lynn, hang in there! I had a bad feeling on my way to work, so I took the day off and went to my mom's home to keep an eye on her. I saw her go to the hospital again. She's beside her cousin's bed right now. This time, she has even set up a ritual circle to steal souls! She's just waiting for you to put the candle out so she can steal the last fragment of Ethan's soul!" I looked down at the candle still in my hand. Less than two inches remained. Jasper gently patted my back and murmured in my ear. "Don't be afraid. Put it back. Ethan will be better soon." I nodded and returned the candle to its place. Suddenly, the phone in my other hand vibrated, startling me. What I saw on the screen made my hair stand on end.