The Former Residence

22

Miguel had been obsessed with playing billiards. He had been staying in the billiards hall day and night and even talking about billiards in his dreams.

A few months ago, when he was celebrating his birthday, I bought him a valuable pool cue.

The merchant gave me a metal key buckle with a cue ball as a gift. Miguel liked the pool cue very much, and the key buckle was always hung on his key.

I knelt down and picked up the plastic cue ball.

Its owner was lying about eight feet away from me, not breathing.

My vision was blurred, and tears welled up in my eyes. Scenes about Miguel appeared in my mind.

Cassie patted my shoulder to comfort me. Then she took the paper knife from my hand and walked towards the huge black egg in the middle.

I watched her stab the blade into it and cut it down hard.

As the blade pulled down, the black-leather skin opened like petals, revealing the black cube wrapped in sticky liquid.