The Grave of Secrets

**Introduction:**

A heavy rainstorm unearthed the body of a boy buried in the cornfield.

The murderer was quickly apprehended.

Only I noticed something was wrong,

Someone was missing.

Ten years later, the past resurfaces,

A rotten apple spoils the barrel.

The regrets of ten years ago,

This time, I will personally judge.

(1)

"Recently, after a heavy rain, a resident discovered a male corpse in the cornfield. According to the forensic examination, the boy was only fifteen years old, and his death was tragic, with multiple wounds on his body."

"The deceased, identified as Roger, was a student at Willowbrook High School..." The computer played a news report, one that was already ten years old.

In the news, the boy's fingers and hair were faintly visible in the soil, mixed with dark red blood.

Over the past ten years, I often replayed this news report, as if it had become a habit.

I am a teacher at Willowbrook High School, and the boy in the news was my student.

I picked up my coffee mug and walked to the window.

Outside, there was an endless stretch of cornfield.

The lush green leaves, interspersed with golden tassels, swayed in the wind, pulling my thoughts into memories.

That year, I was twenty-five, having just started my career.

Roger was among the first batch of students I taught.

From the moment he entered the classroom, I noticed him. He was tall and well-groomed.

His bright eyes looked at you with a thirst for knowledge.

He studied diligently and meticulously completed everything assigned by the teachers.

He was polite and excelled in his studies.

I believed he was the kind of student every teacher loved.

His homeroom teacher mentioned that Roger's family was not well-off; otherwise, they would have transferred him to a school in the city long ago.

Roger was particularly mature, never causing his parents any worry.

His clothes were always clean and well-kept, even if they were old.

Every teacher who mentioned him couldn't help but express their fondness.

Such a child, I don't know from which point, his grades suddenly started to decline.

Then one day, he disappeared from the class.

I never saw this student again.

I inquired with his homeroom teacher, but he didn't know either.

It seemed as if he had vanished overnight.

When Roger reappeared, it was the scene in the news.

Who could have imagined that the child who had smiled and greeted me just a few days ago would become a cold corpse lying in the soil?

During that period, my dreams were filled with the image of Roger lying in the soil.

The damp, muddy soil, mixed with dark red blood.

The murderer was quickly caught.

I heard it was two boys from the neighboring class.

They had often bullied Roger before, and for some unknown reason, they suddenly killed him brutally.

They even dug a pit in the cornfield a day in advance.

Alas, such a tragedy.

The homeroom teacher of the neighboring class said so.

Since then, every autumn, when I see the vast, dense cornfield outside the school, I always think of Roger.

That child who died.

(2)

I had just finished a class and sat down to take a sip of my drink.

Today, I taught the students "The Old Man and the Sea," a text I particularly liked.

Everyone's journey to adulthood is a solitary one.

The office door creaked open, and a head peeked in.

"Mr. Qin!" Then several more students, whom I had taught before, came in.

They gathered around me, eagerly sharing updates about their lives.

They had grown up and started entering society. I was touched that they remembered to come back and see me.

For a moment, it felt like time had returned to ten years ago.

"By the way, Mr. Qin, you wouldn't know this, but Alexandra is back, and you will soon be colleagues!" Vickie said from the side.

This truly surprised me.

"Back then, she was closest to Albin and Gregg. The incident hit her hard. I didn't expect her to choose to return."

As soon as I spoke, the office fell silent.

Vickie forced a smile.

"Mr. Qin, it's been so many years. Both of them have been released and started new lives..."

I don't remember when they left, but Vickie's words kept echoing in my mind.

The killers had been released and had started new lives, but the victim's life was forever frozen at fifteen.

That was Roger's lonely journey, one that never went far.

"By the way, why didn't Alexandra come?" "Oh, she said she felt embarrassed. Anyway, you'll see her in a couple of days."

(3)

A few days later, the headteacher brought over a young girl and asked me to mentor her.

"This is Ms. Qin. From now on, you'll follow her and let her be your guide."

"By the way, Alexandra went to our school for middle school. Now she's back after graduation, continuing the tradition." I smiled at the headteacher.

"I know, I even taught her back then." "Oh, what a coincidence!" The headteacher laughed and left, leaving only Alexandra and me standing there.

"Ms. Qin, long time no see. How have you been all these years?" Alexandra greeted me politely.

Ten years had passed, and the rebellious girl who once defied authority had grown into a beautiful and graceful woman.

Only her eyes still bore traces of the past.

"I'm doing well. Being a teacher is like this-teaching year after year, and before you know it, you're old."

I found it hard to feel close to her.

I didn't like her back then.

A good girl, yet she preferred hanging out with the school bullies, refusing to study. Her parents didn't care, and she often talked back to the teachers who scolded her.

Over time, no one wanted to deal with her, and she was left to her own devices.

I once saw her after school, hanging around Roger with an ingratiating smile. I was very worried that Roger might date her and affect his grades, which made me dislike her even more.

Fortunately, Roger ignored her.

Later, Roger was killed, and Albin and Gregg were arrested for the murder.

This incident seemed to change Alexandra.

She became silent and no longer wasted her time. Instead, she started studying hard.

She did well in the high school entrance exam and got into a good school.

Many teachers were pleased, except for me.

Now, she was following me, looking very respectful.

She was diligent in her work and studies.

Within a month, colleagues admired this young person, and students liked this beautiful young teacher.

Except for me.

(4)

I always felt that Roger's death was somehow connected to Alexandra.

"A bad apple spoils the bunch," Roger wrote in his diary.

Roger's parents had raised a ruckus at the school.

It was understandable.

Their beloved son disappeared overnight and was found buried in a cornfield days later.

No family could accept that.

They needed to know what had happened and why those two students could be so ruthless.

Two hardworking parents seemed to age overnight.

They tried to recall the details they had overlooked, remembering how their son came home dirty in the past two months.

When they asked him, he only said he had been playing with classmates after school.

They were happy that their son finally acted like a child his age, knowing how to play.

They searched Roger's room and finally found his diary under the bed.

From about two months ago, his writings became increasingly filled with sadness, defiance, and anger.

"The more powerless a person is, the more they are filled with strength." "Silence, or resistance." "Admiration, jealousy, hatred-human emotions are complex and ever-changing." What exactly had Roger gone through back then?

But it was certain that he had been bullied.

It wasn't hard to guess.

The two middle-aged people took the diary to the school.

By then, Albin and Gregg had already been arrested by the police, and they hadn't even seen the murderers.

They wanted to question them, why they had killed their son.

They also wanted to know how the school was educating its students.

The principal at the time was cowardly.

He knew he had failed in his duties and feared being torn apart by the angry and grieving parents. He hastily ordered the grade director to handle it and didn't even show his face.

In the end, the school compensated them with money.

The murderers had been caught, and the school had apologized and compensated them. What else could be done?

The principal was removed from his position.

This was the government's final explanation to the couple.

(5)

Roger's parents handed me his diary before they left.

I was the teacher who had been helping them handle Roger's affairs during this difficult time.

I didn't need their thanks; I was doing it for my student.

When they learned that Albin and Gregg, the two who had cruelly taken their son's life, were sentenced to five years in prison, they remained silent, their tears flowing silently down their cheeks.

There was no other way; this was the maximum sentence allowed for minors under the law.

Their parents, however, were wailing at the courthouse entrance, lamenting how such a harsh sentence could be given to two young boys who were just kids.

Roger's parents watched them coldly.

Five years would pass in the blink of an eye.

By the time they were released, they would just be twenty years old.

But Roger's life had ended forever.

After that, I never saw Roger's parents again.

I don't know where they went.

Perhaps they left this place of sorrow, carrying their grief and frustration.

This matter seemed to have ended, but it became a lingering burden on my mind.

I never understood why Albin and Gregg, who weren't even in the same class as Roger and had no usual interactions with him, suddenly bullied him.

The mention of a rotten orange in Roger's diary made me think of Alexandra.

Alexandra was in the same class as Roger and used to play well with Albin and Gregg. She was definitely involved in this matter.

But in the end, only Albin and Gregg were caught, and Alexandra successfully distanced herself from it.

No one mentioned her.

If they did, it was only to say, "Poor Alexandra, her friends went to prison. It must have been a big blow to her."

She had instead become a figure of sympathy.

I recalled the scene of Alexandra pestering Roger.

She was definitely involved.

(6)

Alexandra's arrival seemed to drop a stone into the calm waters of my life, stirring up old memories.

My life was no longer monotonous; I began to observe her every move.

I had to admit, she was very good at pretending.

There was no flaw to be seen, except once.

That day, Alexandra followed me to the classroom to observe a lesson.

In the corridor at the classroom entrance, two students were surrounding another student.

"I told you to bring your homework, didn't I? Look what happened now?"

One of the students sneered as he snatched the workbook that Frank was desperately protecting and gave him a few hard pats on the head.

"Which class are you from?

Bullying others here?" I immediately rushed forward to question the two students, shielding Frank behind me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexandra's eyes shrink and her hands clench into fists.

The two students mumbled something about just borrowing homework between friends.

"I don't see you as friends. How can bullies call themselves friends?" I said sternly. "If I catch you bullying Frank again, I'll report it to the school and your parents!"

My harsh words scared the two away.

They weren't careful enough, bullying openly and getting caught red-handed.

Looking at Frank, I saw a resemblance to Roger-smart, well-behaved, and academically gifted.

"Frank, if they bully you again, tell your teachers and parents immediately. Don't give them a chance to escalate."

I turned to Frank, speaking firmly.

This was something I hadn't been able to tell Roger back then.

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Stanley."

You never know what kind of hidden malice some students might have.

I didn't say this out loud.

It wasn't appropriate.

"Alexandra, don't you think Frank is a lot like Roger back then?"

I said, looking at Frank's back, without turning my head.

"What did you say, Mr. Stanley?" I repeated myself calmly.

I had said it on purpose for her to hear.

Alexandra didn't respond.

She was distracted the entire day.