Alice had never dared to reveal anything, for fear that it would go against the boy.
Gong Jie and the boy arrived at Michel Hospital. For some reason, when the boy got out of the car and saw the magnificent and dignified entrance, his eyelids twitched and he felt uneasy.
There was something awfully oppressive about this hospital. It was like a prison.
Children are especially sensitive. Especially kids like Youyou. All in all, the hospital made a very bad first impression on him. He couldn’t put his finger on it. This hospital felt eerie.
“Like a haunted mansion.” Youyou muttered under his breath.
Gong Jie smiled at that. “It’s more like a private research center for Professor Romanka than a hospital.”
“Research center?” A chill went down the boy’s spine at that. “What kind of research?”
“Studying people with multiple personalities, like Lucy, of course.”
“This Professor Romanka isn’t using Lucy and those patients with multiple personalities for human experimentation, is he?”
“Anyway, according to Alice, Professor Romanka’s methods are appalling. He’s the one who advocated electric shock therapy. However, it was banned because it was so inhumane.”
The boy suddenly sympathized with Lucy.
They walked down a long corridor that seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight. There was a row of floor-to-ceiling windows of stained glass in the style of a church. They were colorful and felt as though they had something to do with some mysterious religion.
For some odd reason, the brightly-colored facade felt even more oppressive than a black and white image. Youyou held his uncle’s hand tightly, feeling strangely uneasy. He was the one who had suggested coming to take a look, but now, he wanted to retreat.
Gong Jie sensed his unease and tightened his grip on the boy’s hand. The warmth of his palm gave the child a sense of security somewhat.
“Are you scared?” Gong Jie was rather surprised.
The boy nodded, then shook his head, clearly conflicted. He had been turning to stare at the French windows, when Alice’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Stop staring at the window.”
Startled, Gong Jie and the boy turned to see Alice, dressed in a white coat, walking towards them. “Stop staring at the patterns on the windows,” she said, motioning to them.
“Why?” The boy was the first to question. “Is there something wrong with this window?”
Alice smiled a little and asked in return, “Don’t you feel uncomfortable staring at it?” she asked.
The boy was stunned!
“You…”
“You probably want to ask me how I know?”
“Uh huh.” Indeed! Staring at the patterns on the glass did make the boy feel uncomfortable. Suppressed, even.
“Don’t you think the image is familiar?” Alice stroked his head.
The boy shook his head. After a brief silence, he said, “It does seem familiar, but I can’t place it.”
“Apparently, it’s a world painted by one of Lucy’s personalities.”
“What does it mean?”
Alice explained, “She said that the paintings she painted were images of the Land of the Dead.”
The boy was taken aback as he suddenly recalled. No wonder he felt oppressed staring at the paintings. On the way to the Land of the Dead, one would pass through such a world. It was colorful and dazzling. Then, one would arrive at a black sea.
