The car screeched to a halt, and my parents
hauled Brenda out.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, Brenda let
out a bloodcurdling scream.
A thick, white worm burst through her
stomach, tearing it open!
Mom screamed right after.
“Ahhh! What is that thing!”
Mom fainted, collapsing on the ground. Dad
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stumbled back a few steps, his face white.
Brenda just crumpled to the ground, her open
stomach a mess of blood and worms. Blood
mixed with more small worms kept coming
out of her mouth.
It was so gruesome, people started throwing
- up. Some of the weaker ones passed out just
like Mom. It was chaos.
Kevin got out of the car and saw the whole
thing. His knees buckled, and he just sat
down in the middle of the parking lot.
The giant tapeworm slid out of her stomach,
and smaller worms crawled through Brenda’s
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organs, crawling through and out.
Brenda, half out of her mind, dragged herself
towards Kevin.
“Help me… please… help…”
I got out of the passenger seat, watching it all
go down.
Last time, I was the one lying there. I was the
one begging for help, and they’d done
nothing.
Kevin crawled backward, shaking his head.
“Stay away from me! Don’t come near me!
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Help!”
The scene was horrifying, and people were
recording with their phones.
Nurses and doctors rushed out, grabbed Brenda and Mom, and started trying to help the other people who’d fainted.
Brenda was rushed to the ER. They pulled out a three–foot tapeworm and a million little ones, but she didn’t make it. She was gone.
Mom woke up and heard what happened, blaming the hospital for turning her grandson into a worm. She was screaming, demanding they give her back her grandson.
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The doctor explained to her that Brenda
hadn’t been pregnant at all. She’d been
infested with tapeworms, which had sucked
all the nutrients and caused her period to
stop and her belly to swell, like a fake
pregnancy.
And because it went on for so long, the giant
tapeworm had burst through her stomach,
and the little ones had spread all over her
body.
When she realized she couldn’t get anywhere
with the hospital, Mom turned on me.
“This is your fault, you monster! You said
there was something wrong with Brenda’s
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stomach! I saw you sneaking around near her
door that night! You knew something, and you
didn’t tell us!”
My heart jumped into my throat. I widened my
eyes, and tried to look innocent.
“Mom, I told you, I just saw the door open
and wanted to close it before they got cold.”
“And I’m not a doctor, how would I know
anything?”
“Don’t you talk back to me!”
Mom slapped me across the face.
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Mom slapped me across the face.
+
“You were the one who told Brenda to get
checked out! You knew all along, didn’t you!”
I rubbed my cheek, trying to hide my rage.
“I just thought it was a normal prenatal
checkup! I wanted what was best for my
nephew, I didn’t know…‘
Mom just snorted, glaring at me.
She sat back on the hospital bed and scoffed.
“I bet that little tramp wasn’t so clean, fooling
414
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“I bet that little tramp wasn’t so clean, fooling
around on the side and turning my grandson
into a worm.
“We spent all that money on her and it turns
out she was fooling around. We need to get
the money back!”
Kevin nodded, looking green.
“You’re right, Mom. I need money to get
married.”
I stared at them, feeling hollow inside.
The woman who’d given him everything had
just died, and all he cared about was getting
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just died, and all he cared about was getting
money and finding a new wife.
I wonder if Brenda could rest in peace if she
knew.
5
LO
Mom, still carrying her own fake pregnancy,
stormed up to the funeral home, demanding
Brenda’s family give them back the wedding
money.
But Brenda’s family was just as trashy.
They’d already spent the money on her
brother’s wedding. They not only refused to
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pay them, they also threatened to sue my
family.
Mom came home empty–handed.
Since she couldn’t get it from them, she decided to get it from me.
I barely stepped in the door before Mom grabbed me.
I knew something bad was coming.
And I was right.
“You’re not getting any younger. You are going to be worthless when you get older.”
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She shoved a photo in my face.
The guy was probably in his forties, fat and
bald.
I wrinkled my nose, but Mom was beaming.
“I went out of my way to find this guy, and he
is awesome! Big old houses, and lots of land.
He already has a twenty–year–old son so you
won’t have to have children. And on top of it
all, he is rich! It’s such an awesome deal.
“And he is already willing to pay this amount.”
Mom held up five fingers, and I felt like I was
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going to freeze to death.
Would I never escape being told what to do?
She kept going on and on.
“With that money, your brother can pay for his new house and the money will still last! And if you marry over there you can send money back!”
She kept talking for a while, then pinched my thigh hard.
“Did you hear what I said! Don’t play dumb.”
I winced.
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“Mom, I don’t want to.”
Mom’s face turned nasty.
“You don’t want to? What’s wrong with you?”
Kevin chimed in, “You don’t get to make that
decision.”
“If you don’t get married, then what about my
wedding money?”
My dad had the final word.
“That’s that. You get a marriage certificate in
a few days. I don’t care about the wedding,
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you can do it or not, but I need the money.”
I tried to hold back my desire to kill them,
took a deep breath, and clasped Mom’s hand.
“You misunderstood, I will listen to what you
have to say for my important life event.”
They looked happy, and then I looked down at Mom’s stomach.
“But Mom is carrying the child for our family.
I cannot leave just yet. Please wait until the child is born so that I can help her.”
Mom and Dad went deep in thought, while Kevin felt a surge of frustration.
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Before he could say anything, I spoke.
“Kevin, you don’t want Mom, being pregnant, to have to handle so much stuff, right? Or are you planning on having them not get born so you have everything all for yourself.”
Mom and Dad looked at Kevin. He stood up in
rage.
“What are you saying!”
I changed my words.
“Of course, I am just joking. But it wouldn’t sound very good to say you are getting another wife while your other wife is not well
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in heaven.”
Dad eventually had the final say.
“Joy is right, we will wait until the baby gets
born.”
I relieved myself and quickly changed my
face.
“I will go get dinner.”
I brought up two big plates of sushi and set
them in front of Mom.
“Mom is doing a big service for the family so
she needs to take good care of herself.”
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Mom, just like Brenda, glowed. I took out
another two plates of sushi and set them in
front of Kevin and Dad.
“There is more where that came from, so eat
all you can“.
The three quickly consumed everything.
Just like Brenda, their bellies kept growing
but they kept losing weight.
Mom was clutching her ginormous belly and
was worried that it would happen again.
