She took a deep breath and pointed to the smaller fist.

  The fox paused ever so slightly, then slowly uncurled its fingers.

  She’d guessed right.

  Nora exhaled in relief, her heartbeat pounding like a drum in her ears.

  "Can I go now?" she asked, unable to hide her urgency.

  The fox nodded, its strange smile softening with something that almost resembled… tenderness?

  "Of course," it said gently. "But before you leave, do you have a wish? Maybe… I can make it come true."

  Nora blurted out without thinking: "I want a different mom!"

  The air froze.

  "You probably can’t do that, can you?" she added, almost teasing, with a childlike challenge.

  The fox's smile faltered—just for a moment—as if something deep inside it had been disturbed.

  After a long pause, it gave a small nod and said slowly,"Let’s make a deal, Nora."

  Its eyes grew dark and endless, as if they could swallow the world.

  "Once you return to your world, find a little girl for me. She wears a necklace shaped like a fox’s tail."

  It tapped the armrest of the chair beside it, then added:

  "Bring her here. And I’ll grant your wish."

  Nora frowned. Her voice turned cautious:"Why do you want her in the dream? Are you going to hurt her?"

  The fox chuckled low in its throat, like wind rustling through old paper.

  "Because you have no choice. Because you don’t want to stay here forever."

  Nora hesitated.The image of the fox tail on the kitchen towel flashed through her mind again.

  She stared at the fox, thinking for a moment, then asked:"What if I can’t find her?"

  The fox didn’t answer.

  Instead, it smiled—and flipped its palm face down.

  The world turned upside down.

  Clouds boiled in the sky.Winds howled like beasts.A tsunami surged toward her from the far horizon.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Nora instinctively crossed her arms, shielding herself as she crouched.

  She didn’t dare open her eyes.

  Slimy, ice-cold tendrils slithered around her limbs—like the arms of a giant octopus, but alive, and filled with malice. They dragged her downward toward the abyss.

  A deep growl rumbled through her ears:

  "You have 100 days. If you fail… you’ll remain here. Trapped. Forever."

  The voice struck like thunder inside her skull.A sharp pain exploded in her chest.She felt like she was being dragged to the ocean floor—suffocating, drowning, falling into darkness—

  Bang. Bang. Bang.

  A knock on her bedroom door.

  Her eyes snapped open.

  Dim morning light filtered through the window.The ticking of the clock filled the air.

  She gasped, drenched in sweat, her chest heaving.

  "Nora! It’s your phone! Someone’s calling you!"

  Her mother’s voice came through the door—sharp and impatient.

  Nora’s whole body ached, like she’d been crushed by something heavy.She shook her head, trying to snap out of it, then got up and opened the door.

  "Hello?"

  Alex’s voice chirped on the other end:"Wanna come to the school charity event tomorrow? If you’re going, I’m in too."

  Nora rubbed her temples, still trying to separate dream from reality.

  "Sure. Ten o’clock at the school gate?"

  "Perfect!" Alex replied cheerfully.

  Nora had barely hung up when she felt her mother’s eyes on her.

  Elaine's gaze was sharp.Her tone was calm—but carried an unmistakable edge.

  "You’re not going anywhere tomorrow. I signed you up for extra math tutoring."

  Nora froze. Anger surged through her like a current.

  "What?! You didn’t even ask me!"

  Elaine folded her arms and said matter-of-factly:"I did ask. Would you have agreed? No. That’s why I made the right decision for you.

  When I was your age, no one cared about my grades. If someone had paid to help me learn, I would’ve been grateful—you have no idea."

  Nora bit her lip, fists clenched at her sides.

  She didn’t want to argue.Every time, it was the same: "When I was a kid..." "If I hadn't been abandoned..."She was tired of it.

  She turned and walked back to her room, breathing heavily.

  I have to find a way to sneak out. To meet Alex tomorrow.

  That night, there was a soft knock on her door.

  "Nora, can I come in for a minute?"

  Her mother’s voice was unusually gentle.

  Nora didn’t respond.She hesitated.

  Elaine rarely used that tone.And these "talks" usually ended in either shouting—or silence.

  A brief pause.

  Then her mother spoke again, even softer:"I just want to talk about tomorrow. That’s all. Can I?"

  Nora felt a strange pang in her chest.

  She sighed and said quietly,"If you’re here to remind me about tutoring… don’t bother. I already know what to do."

  Outside the door, Elaine’s hand trembled.

  She gripped the tray she was holding—her fingers curling as if to hold onto something, anything.

  She opened her mouth to say more…Then stayed quiet.

  After a few seconds, Nora heard the soft clink of the tray being set down.Then footsteps fading down the hall.

  Silence.

  Nora waited, then slowly walked to the door and cracked it open.

  On the tray was a glass of milk… and a small cake.

  She froze.

  It wasn’t just any cake.It was her favorite—handmade by her mother.

  A delicate, Japanese-style vanilla cake.Not too sweet, with a soft, fragrant cream.Her mom had learned to make it just for her.

  It had been a long, long time since she’d seen it.