The wooden doll that was worshipped at home has become two.

My mom now has the confidence to show off to others.

"Let me tell you, my eldest daughter will definitely raise a perfect spiritual puppet, and my granddaughter will also be blessed!"

In seven days, it will be my coming-of-age ceremony.

My niece grew twice her size in just a few days, but the stench coming from her body grew stronger.

Others seemed to have lost their sense of smell and said it was the scent of a baby, a pleasant fragrance.

She always smiled, giggling and making everyone's mood better.

My parents especially liked holding my niece. She was well-behaved, never crying or fussing even when drinking blood every day.

Until one day, I accidentally discovered that the blood my niece was drinking was human blood.

I don't know when it started, but my parents and brother had ferocious scars on their wrists.

They seemed oblivious to it, even though their faces grew paler and they fed more and more blood to my niece.

My mom huddled in the kitchen, her wrist dripping blood over the bottle, mumbling, "Bless the Spirit Puppet, bless the Spirit Puppet."

Her deranged expression terrified me, and I couldn't help but grab my mom's arm.

But she pushed me to the ground and slapped me.

"What are you, a stupid fool, trying to do?"

I cowered and dared not resist, only able to watch helplessly as she fed the pacifier to my niece with a fawning expression.

The dark eyes of the infant were clear and bright, with a smile matching the arc of the wooden doll.

In that instant, it felt like I saw my mom holding a wooden doll.

"Mom, is she really my niece?"

My brother glared at me and kicked me in the chest. "You stupid girl, what nonsense are you talking about? She's my offspring!"

I coughed up a mouthful of black blood and couldn't speak from the pain.

My mom's face suddenly turned sour.

"Dongzi! She's a tribute to the Spirit Puppet!"

"We'll be in big trouble if she dies."

My brother, aware of his guilt, silently carried my niece and went back to the room to sleep.

My mom cursed, "Misfortune," but didn't pay attention to me.

So I lay in the kitchen all night.

In a daze, a piercing scream tore through the night.

From my brother's bedroom came a strong smell of blood.

His head and body were separated, and a large pool of blood flowed from his body.

The innocent and lovely baby had a satisfied look on her face, with traces of blood still on her.

My sister-in-law had a calm expression as she patted the child's back and hummed a song.

When the baby saw me standing frozen at the doorway, she turned her eyes and grinned.

Instantly, my scalp tingled, my hair stood on end, and I turned around and ran to my parents' room, desperately pounding on the door.

"Dad! Mom! Open the door!"

"M-my brother is dead!"

I pounded on the door, but there was no response from inside.

Meanwhile, the neighboring households were awakened and impatiently cursed, turning on the lights.

"Dongzi's dad, what's going on at your house?"

"Why are you making noise in the middle of the night? Can't people sleep?"

I had no choice but to open the front door.

The neighbors recoiled at the pungent smell of rust.

"...Xiaoman, did you slaughter a chicken at your house?"

Sobbing, I replied, "Uncle, my brother is dead!"

Summoning up his courage, he walked into the yard, and in the dim light, he was greeted by a gruesome and bloody scene.

"Ah...holy shit! A murder happened!"