Paper-bark tree
Unnatural Recollections #9
Part 2: Strange People
Paper-bark tree
Ever since that evening shower, Gaga started shedding skin every day. It began from the tip of her nose. Looking closely at the mirror, she innocently scraped the dandruff off her nose with her fingernails, only to peel it off to her nostrils, and further, towards the corner of her eyes. With a touch of her fingertips, she unexpectedly lifted a huge patch of facial skin, as if she had just taken off a skincare mask. Gaga was startled and dared not to peel any further, yet the edge of the peeled skin was slightly curled up, making her want to clean it up. In this way, she shed from her neck to chest, waist to legs, all the way to her feet, leaving piles of dead skin on the floor. The next day after waking up, she looked at the mirror, only to find herself looking radiant. However, every night, she inevitably had to shed her skin before she could sleep peacefully, which was quite time-consuming.
Everyone was wondering what led to this phenomenon, but she could only recall a certain smell. It was the scent of leaves, a smell that awakened the mind. It was said that in ancient times, people made medicinal oil from these leaves, which was very effective for dizziness. All of this was told to her by Ah Kin. The day she started to molt for the first time, she told Ah Kin that they should never meet again. As she walked away in a daze, she suddenly smelled that fragrance. She looked around but did not see the legendary giant tree, only a few weak bauhinia trees, scentless and lifeless.
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