人心就是江湖

  This is a story I heard often when I was a child. It was told usually in the summer.

 
They said there is a man always lingers on the solitary country roads. He is looking for the child walking alone. This evil man will use knockout drops. Or I should say ‘knockout powder’. The man sprays the powder over the child. Then the child is knocked out. He will bring the unconscious child back to his weird dark place. He puts the child on the operating table. He uses a knife to cut the child’s chest, takes out his heart to make the knockout powder.

 
We call this evil man ‘Heart Ripper’.

When my mom took a nap beside me in the bright summer afternoon, Heart Ripper was always recalled. I can see him linger around the straight solitary country road, which is not far away from my house. A black blurred figure in the glared sunshine. A knife sparkling.

 
“Come on. Take a nap.” My mom said, “it’s so hot, don’t go out.”