The Halloween Prank

Outside the window, the phoenix tree leaves were dyed a deep yellow by the autumn wind, swirling down in sheets onto the windowsill. I sat on the sofa, my fingertips absentmindedly picking at the loose threads on the sofa cover, when Leila Young's excited voice reached my ears. "Ingrid, Terrence, the day after tomorrow is Halloween. How about we dress up as ghosts and scare the neighbors upstairs?" Leila Young's words struck me like a thunderbolt, suddenly crashing through my heart. I looked up sharply, disbelief shining in my eyes. This scene, these words—exactly the same as in my previous life. I had truly been reincarnated, returned to the eve of Halloween, back to the day this tragedy began. In my previous life, it was also at this moment that I heard Leila Young's suggestion. At the time, I tried desperately to dissuade them, telling them that the retired senior official living upstairs was in poor health and couldn't bear any fright. But Terrence Goldberg simply wouldn't listen, even accusing me of being a coward and spoiling everyone's fun. Leila was even more scornful, saying I just wanted to ruin her good mood and embarrass her in front of her friends. In the end, under the cover of night, they still donned ghost costumes and knocked on the neighbor's door. The elderly neighbor opened the door, and upon seeing their ghastly faces, clutched his chest and collapsed immediately. It was only later that we learned the old man had a severe heart condition and could not withstand such a shock; by the time he was taken to the hospital, he had already stopped breathing. After the incident, Leila Young showed no remorse whatsoever; instead, she felt that my earlier objections had embarrassed her, leading to constant quarrels with Terrence Goldberg. Shortly thereafter, they divorced. Terrence was deeply shaken and developed a gambling addiction, losing all the family savings. In the end, to pay off his gambling debts, he actually sold me to human traffickers. I was passed around and eventually sold to a remote mountain village, living a life worse than death day after day, before finally dying painfully from illness. Now, heaven has granted me a second chance. I will never let the tragedy happen again. "No!" I almost blurted out, my voice trembling with agitation. "The old man upstairs is in poor health; you can't scare him like this. Something terrible might happen!" Leila Young's smile disappeared instantly. She frowned at me, her tone laced with displeasure: "Ingrid, what's wrong with you? It's just a game. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?" Terrence Goldberg chimed in from the side, "Exactly, Ingrid, Leila just wants to have some fun. It's not as serious as you say." I looked at their familiar faces, a chill running through my heart. Wasn't the lesson from the last life painful enough? I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Terrence, Leila, I'm telling the truth." "That elderly man is old and has heart disease. If he really gets scared and something happens, we can't afford to take that responsibility." "How do you know he has heart disease?" Leila Young looked at me suspiciously. "Did you investigate him?"