Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

The old lady’s bedroom was decorated with hundreds of talismans of various shapes, sizes and colors. There was a large king- sized bed in the middle of the room surrounded by various machines that beeped in intervals. Old Mrs. Taylor was lying unconscious on the bed, dressed in the same green dress that her spirit was wearing. Her white hair was neatly combed and tucked, but she was intubated with various medical needles and tubes. A small gold bar piece was placed in her mouth.

Valentine explained that it was an ancient ritual to bring back lost souls who have lost their way home.

There was a statue of Mother Mary wrapped in a rosary and a few lit prayer candles on the small bedside table next to the old lady. Atop the bed headboard hung a gaudy spirit-calling banner that was occasionally lifted by the breeze coming from the open window. The room was not entirely dark thanks to the half-drawn curtains, but the interchanging shift from bright to dim made for a spooky effect. It was like a scene out of a horror movie.“This... is...” Pablo stared at his surroundings dazedly. He could now somewhat understand why Old Mrs. Taylor was still hanging on by a thread.

Josh stood frozen where he was, paralyzed by fear and dread as terror streaked through him. Charlie’s palms felt hot and clammy, and the cellphone accidentally slipped out of his hand, crashing loudly onto the floor.

Anthony still managed a semblance of composure as he turned to Valentine. “What in the world is this...?” he asked.

Valentine smiled sheepishly before letting out a sigh. “Over the years, I've gotten many experts to treat my mother, but all of them said that her soul is lost and needs to find its way back home...” he explained.

Pablo frowned. “Lilly, ask him if he knows whether the old lady has already passed on,” he urged.

Lilly raised her head toward Valentine. “Uncle Val, do you know that Grandma Taylor is already dead?” she asked.

“Wh... what? How could that be? Isn't she still breathing just fine? Ms. Lilly, could you bring my mother’s soul back like how you did it for Young Master Shaw?” Valentines lips quivered as he spoke. He paused for a moment before continuing. “I'm sure her soul is just lost and can’t find her way back...” Pablo shrugged noncommittally as he took in more of the garish decoration and religious relics scattered all around the room. “I can't say for sure whether or not Mrs. Taylor will return to life, but this man here has definitely been scammed...” Lilly nodded with a serious expression on her face. “Mr. Val, did you spend a lot of money doing up this place?” she probed.

Valentine nodded. “These talismans cost me at least 10 million dollars, the hand-sculpted statue of Mother Mary cost 50 million, the spirit-calling banner cost 60 million. The gold bar is the only thing preserving my mother’s last breath as well as her mortal body. That cost 100 million dollars.” The crowd was momentarily stunned. “10 million... 50 million... plus 60 million... plus 100 million... That's... 220 million dollars!” Josh calculated and muttered to himself.

“You believe in this sort of thing?” Charlie could not help but ask.

Valentine shrugged. “It's just a few million dollars. I'd give a billion dollars if my mother can be brought back to life!” Valentine said, leaving the crowd speechless once again. Valentine was a man with a stocky build and a belly so rotund that the buttons were hanging on to a thread. He looked like a typical conniving businessman, but he was unexpectedly filial.

Pablo decided it was best to get down to business immediately. “Firstly, the statue of Mother Mary is a Catholic artifact, but the talismans are Taoist. They are two very distinct and separate religions, but now they are jumbled up together in this madhouse,” Pablo shook his head disapprovingly. It was one thing to be an atheist, but choosing to believe in multiple religions was a huge taboo that brought no benefit, contrary to what Valentine believed.

Pablo eyed Old Mrs. Taylor lying on the bed. “The only marginally useful thing in this room is that small gold bar that she’s biting, but it works as a sedative spell. Old Mrs. Taylor's is dead, but because her body is trapped here, her soul cannot be set free,” he explained. For some reason or another, the old lady had taken a liking to Lilly and followed her around.

“Ms. Lilly, is there something wrong?” Valentine asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

“Yes, something is wrong. Very wrong,” Lilly replied. She pointed at the statue of Mother Mary. “Putting artifacts from different religions in one room is a big no-no. Those who do that will end up cursed.” “For... for real?” Valentine trembled.

Lilly then pointed at the spirit-calling banner. “The script on the banner is all wrong too. You can't even call a tiny ghost with it, let alone a spirit. All these talismans are just junk trinkets too.” Valentine turned as white as a sheet. “Are you saying... all these things don’t work at all? But, my mother...” His first reaction was not so much of anger from being scammed, but to worry for his poor mother’s soul.

Old Mrs. Taylor's spirit was still in the corner of the bedroom, eyeing her own human body wistfully. “| want to leave... | want to leave...” she repeated.

“Well, it's not all useless. The gold bar has some use,” Lilly reassured Valentine, who looked visibly relieved. “The gold bar can sedate a spirit...” Lilly continued.

“Oh, so it wasn't all for nothing!” Valentine beamed.

“... Sedating a spirit means suppressing and destroying it,” Lilly cleared the air.

“Mother!” Valentine yelped as he rushed over to his mother’s body and yanked the gold bar from her lips. Ghostly rays of light beamed from the old lady’s human body and seemed to flow into her spirit that was standing just next to her own body.

For the first time, Old Mrs. Taylor's spirit spoke coherently instead of repeating after herself. “My foolish son almost destroyed my soul! Can you believe it? My own son!” she huffed.

“Ms. Lilly, can my mother still... come back to life?” Valentine panicked.

“I'ain’t coming back to life, you fool!” Old Mrs. Taylor's spirit scolded her son.

“She says... she ain't coming back, you fool!” Lilly parroted, passing the message on. She placed her hand on her waist and cocked her hip exactly like Old Mrs. Taylor.

“Wh... what do you mean?” Valentine blinked.

Lilly pointed to the empty space next to Josh. “Old Mrs. Taylor is right there!” she exclaimed.

Josh jumped up in fright. Why was the old lady next to him?! “You stupid fool! Getting yourself fooled out of 200 million dollars!” Old Mrs. Taylor continued berating her son. “Do you think money grows on trees?” Lilly repeated Old Mrs. Taylor's scolding back to Valentine word for word, including the old lady’s mannerisms. The rest of the crowd could not help but be slightly impressed with the little girl's penchant for impersonations.

Valentine did not know whether to laugh or cry. He slumped onto his mother’s bed weakly and held her hand in his. “So... she’s not coming back, is she? | just want to see her for one last time...” the 300-pound began to sob like an overgrown child. His mother did not have an easy life raising him. All he wanted was to repay her for all that she had sacrificed for him and give her the opportunity to live her golden years in comfort, but she left way too soon...