The knocking on the door continued, like dense hail hitting the house, and the crackling sound spread, completely covering all corners.

The boy hid in Watson's arms and shivered. The old man kept his mysterious smile and didn't care about the noise at all, staring straight at the boy. Holmes remained silent, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Do we have any guests coming today?"

The boy asked in a low voice. They have no friends or relatives. The arrival of the old man is the only visitor these days, but now there is a stranger knocking on the door.

A disturbing uninvited guest.

Watson shook her head with a smile, as if she couldn't hear the voice, her expression remained the same as before, comforting the boy.

It seems that all the boy's demands will be rewarded in this cabin. This is his warm dreamland and his indestructible shelter.

The knocking on the door became more and more violent, and the visitor sounded a little irritable and angry. He kept banging on the door, causing the whole hut to shake, and the earth shook.

The boy guessed that the intruder had the ability to tear the hut apart, but as if maintaining some kind of principle, he only waited for the people inside the hut to open the door instead of violently smashing the door open.

The call became clearer, like a sounding mantra, lingering in the room, but the boy still couldn't hear what the voice was saying. A few syllables were clear and powerful, but when they were connected together, they became incomprehensible.

appearance.

"He... seems to be here to find you."

Suddenly, Holmes said abruptly, his face expressionless, as if he was wearing a false mask.

"What?"

The boy couldn't believe it, and then Watson also said, "Well, it sounds like I'm here to find you."

"No...how is that possible!"

The boy's voice became louder. He had no relatives, and his so-called friends were all here. It could be said that the boy's only connection with the world was gathered in this small house. As long as they stayed here, the boy would

Completely separated from the world.

Yes, that's it. Everything the boy wants is in this small house. He has no reason to leave here at all. The bustling world has nothing to do with him. He just needs to stay here honestly.

He was thinking this, but there was a faint uneasiness deep in his heart, just as someone wanted to enter this hut. Deep in the boy's soul, he vaguely heard another tired voice, and he wanted to leave.

This hut.

【Open the door.】

"No……"

The boy refused and looked at the others in fear, but everyone seemed to feel nothing, as if reality had been dragged into a nightmare at a certain moment, and the boy himself was the only one awake.

"Do you want to open the door? Your friend may be impatient to wait."

Watson stood up, walked to the door, and asked the boy. There was still a smile on her face, but this smile, in the boy's eyes, was so terrifying at the moment.

For a moment, fear exploded in the boy's heart, and he roared loudly.

"Don't open the door!"

He climbed up from the bed, making too many moves and knocking over the dining table. Vegetable soup was spilled all over him, looking embarrassed.

"Don't open that door! Watson!"

Amid the boy's roar, Watson did not act rashly, or in other words, she had been following the boy's orders.

"If this is what you want."

Watson nodded, put down his raised hand, and stood aside. Everything was no different from before.

The boy gasped, and he felt inexplicably glad in his heart that the door had not been opened and that this dark cabin had not been eroded by darkness.

But he realized other problems.

What on earth are you afraid of? What will the uninvited guest bring when you open the door?

The boy didn't want to think about it anymore. He was a simple person, and thinking about these things was still a bit too complicated for him. He didn't want much, just to stay here forever, that's all.

There was a stinging pain in his arm, and he looked at himself. The vegetable soup he threw down spilled all over him, making his arm red. The ground was a mess, and he realized what he had just done.

"Hug...sorry."

"Nothing, there are more in the kitchen."

Holmes did not scold the boy, but walked to the kitchen with a smile. The hazy mist enveloped him again, and the boy heard the crisp sound of knives and forks.

Soon after, Watson cleared the ground, and Holmes served new delicacies, which smelled just like before.

Everyone was sitting at the dinner table, everyone was smiling. Only the boy looked around and noticed something vaguely abnormal.

Their life is barely maintained, and every ration is very precious. The boy thought that he would be hungry tonight, but he never expected that Holmes could still bring out food. It seemed that in this small house, food was

Endless, but he understands that reality will not be like this.

But... so what?

As long as he can continue to stay here, what do these abnormalities mean? The boy didn't care, threw away the troubles in his mind, and enjoyed this rare peace.

But at this moment, the old man who had been silent suddenly said.

"Child, are you sure you want to do this?"

The old man repeated his words, which made the boy feel irritated.

"Your friends are still waiting for you."

"Shut up! My friends are all here! That's good! I'm sure!"

The boy stood up and yelled at the old man. He held the knife and fork tightly as if he wanted to slit the old man's throat with it.

The old man was not angry about this, but the smile on his face gradually dissipated. The decayed wrinkles carried the breath of time. He was like a lion in his twilight years. Although he was twilight, he was still a lion, exuding a sense of solemnity.

The boy froze in place.

"Child, childhood is short, you will eventually grow up."

The old man said quietly, and his voice seemed to penetrate life and death, the present and the past.

"You need to get out of this room."

"No, all my friends are here. The outside world is meaningless to me and has no connection at all!"

The boy retorted.

He also knew the price of a new life, and he made a choice for it.

The old man laughed hoarsely and shook his head helplessly.

"Child, I hope you know that in your life, there will not only be beautiful things, but also cruelty and sadness. You will be accompanied by friends, but you will eventually say goodbye and be alone."

"Then let it last forever! I've got it!"

The boy resisted. He had already realized the weirdness of the current situation, but like a deceitful person who deceives himself and others, he was willing to believe even if it was an exquisite lie.

"It's a pity that nothing in this world is eternal. Mountains and rivers will collapse, oceans of water will dry up, and even the blazing sun will eventually fade away."

The old man continued.

"No!"

The boy tried not to listen. He looked at Holmes and Watson. Obviously nothing happened, but there was a lingering fear lingering in his heart. "I will never lose my friends again."

, they have not abandoned me, then I will not abandon them."

"But you have to try to accept reality eventually, don't you?"

At this time, Holmes also spoke. As if he knew something, his smile became complicated and he spoke softly to the boy.

"You know."

"I...what do I know?"

The boy muttered to himself in confusion, and at the same time, the voice coming from the bottom of his heart became louder and louder.

A feeling of nausea surged into his heart, and the boy retched painfully, as if something was crawling out of his body, from the depths of darkness, from the depths of his soul.

"You know, you just don't want to admit that the process of accepting reality is cruel and painful, but you have to return to reality after all, rather than sinking into this dream."

Holmes came over, stretched out his hand towards the boy, and tried to pull him up, but the boy threw away his hand and opened his helping hand.

"no no……"

The boy kept repeating, his voice hoarse, like a beast at the end of its rope.

He could hear something collapsing, this beautiful world was collapsing, and the boy didn't want this.

"You know, kid, don't be afraid, just try to accept it."

The old man stood up at this time, came to the boy's side, squatted down, and gently stroked his back. He was like a kind elder, guiding him.

"Say it, tell that story."

The boy's eyes were red, and fear gradually captured his heart completely. But at this moment, another warm hand fell, and Watson came close to him, rubbing his face affectionately.

"Speak out, tell the truth."

"me……"

"It's very difficult to reconcile with yourself, but the difficulties will eventually be overcome."
To be continued...