Puppet
Perhaps there is an unseen hand, manipulating your fate in the darkness!
1
After a long day, nothing feels better than a hot bath!
I lay in the tub, blissfully stretching my limbs. Against the backdrop of rose petals, my skin looked even more luminous...
Suddenly, my arm felt itchy, as if a bug was crawling on it. I opened my eyes and was startled to see an ugly spider perched on my arm!
At my scream, Greg rushed in. By then I'd already jumped out of the tub, and the spider had been shaken to the floor.
After a chaotic struggle, the spider was caught.
"This is a red-back spider, also known as a black widow. Its venom is highly toxic—a bite from this would be serious! Quick, check if you've been bitten," Greg said. Being a doctor, he was knowledgeable about these things.
"No, thank goodness I spotted it in time," I said, still shaken.
"That's strange—how did something like this end up in the house?" Greg was puzzled. "This type of spider is very rare in our area."
I stared at the spider, frozen for a moment, then suddenly turned and rushed out of the bathroom...
2
I went to the balcony and examined the railing carefully.
"It's cold out, be careful not to catch a chill." Greg followed and draped a jacket over my shoulders. "What are you looking for?"
I didn't answer, just kept running my hands along the railing. Then I gasped and slumped to the floor.
"Melody, what's wrong?" Greg was startled.
I looked up, my lips trembling. "Greg, someone is trying to kill me!"
"What? Who wants to kill you?"
That morning, I'd received a text message—to be precise, it was a "death notice":
"Hi, I'm the Grim Reaper. I regret to inform you that your time is almost up! From now on, you have at most 24 hours!"
I'd thought it was a prank and dismissed it. But then, a series of bizarre incidents followed...
While walking, I was nearly hit by a falling flower pot. While driving, my brakes suddenly failed. And now, I'd narrowly escaped being killed by a venomous spider... Fortunately, I was lucky—every time, I managed to escape by a hair's breadth.
"And this," I pointed at the railing. "Look, the screws are loose here. If I'd leaned against it, I could have fallen to my death!"
"You mean the Grim Reaper has targeted you?" Greg found this absurd.
"Of course it's not really the Grim Reaper!" I pulled him into the study and pulled up a webpage on the computer. "Have you heard of The Murderer? Everything that happened to me today follows the plot of this book! Clearly, someone is copying the murderer in the book to kill me!"
"This book's content is even darker than your Revenge," Greg frowned. "I was wondering about it—don't tell me you wrote this one too?"
"Of course not!" I quickly denied. "I promised you I'd stop writing, so I stopped!"
3
Half a year ago, Greg and I got married. Afterward, I quit my job and stayed home to write full-time.
At first, I only wrote sweet romance novels. Then one day, I tried writing something dark—and it became an instant hit, far more popular than my romance works. My writing income soared along with it.
I was quite smug about it and told Greg, even urging him to read my new book.
After reading it, he was shocked. "This book is full of blood and violence—it's cruel and terrifying! I can't believe you wrote this!"
"If people are reading it, that means it's successful," I argued. "If you want to make money, you have to cater to the market."
"So you can throw away all your principles for money?" Greg frowned. "Not long ago, I read a news story about a teenager who was influenced by a web novel and killed someone—two dead, one injured."
"If someone dies from tripping on a road, should we shut down the road?" I rolled my eyes dismissively. "That's just an overgeneralization!"
Greg paused. "You need to understand that many of your readers are young, they haven't developed proper values yet. The things you write can have a negative influence on them. A writer bears a social responsibility. They should convey positive values through their work. Your old romance novels were so touching and healing...
"Melody, I think you've changed a little..."
4
Greg's last words made my heart skip a beat. I quickly shed my defensiveness and pressed up against him, coaxing: "Okay, don't be mad. I promise, I won't write this kind of stuff anymore!"
Seeing my response, his expression softened.
On the surface, I stopped writing dark novels, but behind his back, I continued under a new pen name.
Social responsibility—let others bear that burden. I only cared about how many views I got today and whether my follower count had gone up...
Compared to money, I craved the feeling of being worshipped even more!
Greg had guessed right—I was the author of The Murderer! I'd written it behind his back, under my new pen name...
And this was a secret I would take to my grave!
"I'm glad it's not you," Greg said, relieved by my denial. "I told you this kind of book is bad news. Now you see? What kind of person hates you enough to want you dead? Think carefully—who have you offended in the past..."
Just as he said this, he received a phone call. I don't know what the person on the other end said, but his expression turned ugly. He turned back and looked at me suspiciously.
"What is it?" I asked nervously.
"Someone told me that you're the author of The Murderer!"
My heart plummeted. "Th-that's a lie!"
"Then do you dare let me check your computer?"
"..."
Of course I couldn't—the manuscript for the book was right there on it!
My panicked expression was all Greg needed to see.
"It really is you!" He stared at me in disbelief. "Melody, I'm so disappointed in you!"
5
After that, things spiraled out of control.
I tried to explain, but Greg was too furious to listen. In the chaos, I was pushed away and knocked over a plaster statue nearby. The statue cracked open, and inside was a corpse...
It was a woman's body, with a red silk scarf still wrapped around her neck.
Greg looked at her, then at me. Every hair on his body seemed to signal shock and bewilderment...
The plaster seal had preserved the body well enough to delay decomposition, so it was easy to tell—the corpse had the exact same face as mine!
"Melody, who is she?"
6
The moment I'd dreaded most had finally arrived!
I sighed and told him a story—the story of the Heartbreak Doll Shop...
"That day, we had a terrible fight. She said through gritted teeth that in this world, only one of us could survive.
"She attacked me like a wild animal. I was terrified and fought for my life. Then she was pushed down and hit her head on the bathtub...
"I swear, I didn't mean to do it! I always treated her like a real sister! I hid her inside the plaster statue because I wanted her to stay with me..."
I spoke through tears.
Greg just looked at me in silence. The silence was unnerving.
"So the one who died is Mona?"
"Yes."
"No, you're lying!" Greg said coldly. "You're Mona!"
"I am Melody! I really am Melody!" I clenched my fists and screamed. "Greg, please believe me!"
"Melody wouldn't act like this," Greg shook his head firmly. "She wouldn't lie to me, and she definitely wouldn't write such dark novels! Actually, I've felt something was off about you for a while. Your behavior has been very unfamiliar to me. Now I finally know why..."
He grabbed me by the throat and pinned me against the wall. "Melody created you, gave you life, and you repaid her with murder!
"You think doing this means you can replace her? You're wrong. I love Melody. No one can replace her—least of all you!"
7
Greg gathered his things and walked out without looking back.
By the time I came to my senses and ran after him, he'd already driven away.
I stood in his exhaust fumes, wailing.
"Miss, is everything all right?" A man walked over. He was about thirty, wearing a police uniform.
I suddenly remembered—there was still a corpse thrown inside my house!
"N-no, everything's fine."
"Are you sure?" The man looked at me, then pulled out a business card and handed it over. "My name is Officer Orson. I also live in this community. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to call."
"Okay." I took the card and hurried away, afraid that if I lingered, he'd notice something off. This man's eyes were too sharp!
8
Yes, I am Mona.
I murdered Melody and sealed her body inside the plaster statue.