Mobius Strip in the Bathtub

Liu Fang's heart felt like it was being brutally scrubbed with sandpaper, each stroke bringing a bloody pain. She stared at the small, pale face; it was her son, Xiaojie, a boy who should have been celebrating his third birthday tomorrow. Now, he lay there quietly, like a discarded, broken toy, having stopped breathing forever.

The bathroom still held the remnants of warm, humid air; the tiles on the wall reflected a pale light, making everything seem so unreal. The faucet was still dripping, each drop like a death knell striking Liu Fang's heart. She remembered, just minutes ago, she was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, and Xiaojie was playing in the water in the bathroom, occasionally letting out giggles. She had even specifically told him, "Don't play too long, the water will get cold."

Who could have imagined that this would be their final farewell?

The police arrived, the medical examiner arrived, the neighbors whispered; those sympathetic and speculative gazes pierced Liu Fang like needles. She numbly answered questions, her mind a complete blank. Twenty centimeters, the water in the bathtub was only 20 centimeters deep, how could it… how could it take her child?

"It's like a joke played by fate," the medical examiner whispered to the police officer beside him, "a cruel joke."

Liu Fang heard it; she suddenly raised her head, her eyes burning with anger and despair: "A joke? This is my child! My child!"

She thought of her own life, the hardships of a single mother. To give Xiaojie a better future, she worked herself to the bone, working overtime late into the night, scrimping and saving. She thought that as long as she worked hard enough, she could overcome fate, she could give her child a happy childhood.

However, fate dealt her a fatal blow in the most unexpected place.

Days turned into weeks, and Liu Fang's life became a long, endless trial. She quit her job and shut herself up in that small rented room. During the day, she stared at the ceiling in a daze; at night, she was awakened by nightmares, drenched in cold sweat.

She began to wonder if this was all a cycle? Like the labyrinth in Borges's writings, no matter how you walk, you will eventually return to the starting point. She thought of her own childhood; she had also experienced a similar encounter. Her younger brother, also at a similar age, had left this world due to an accident.

Her mother's heart-wrenching cries still echoed in her ears.

Now, she finally understood her mother's despair back then. History repeated itself on her, like a ruthless curse, passed down from generation to generation.

One night, Liu Fang went to the bathroom again. She turned on the faucet and watched the water slowly rise over the edge of the bathtub. She took off her clothes and slowly lay down in it. The cold water enveloped her body, like a giant hand, about to drag her into endless darkness.

She closed her eyes, feeling the surge of the water, and Xiaojie's smiling face appeared in her mind.

"Mommy, hug me…"

Liu Fang reached out, wanting to grab that smiling face, but only grasped emptiness.

She suddenly realized that this was not just a joke of fate, but also a Mobius strip, a cycle with no beginning and no end. She and Xiaojie, she and her mother, were all on this strip, struggling, suffering, but never able to escape.

The water continued to pour into the bathtub, and soon it submerged her head...