The Last Piece of the Puzzle chapter 1

Tom opened a small store selling children’s toys. Due to the limited variety of toys he stocked, the business wasn’t going well. Recently, his son, Tim, who was in primary school, told him that a star puzzle game had become popular on campus. The jumbled hard – paper pieces had pictures of stars on them. When put together, they formed a complete star image, and they were coated with fluorescent powder, which made them glow at night. During their free time, students loved to play with these puzzles. So, Tom bought a box of puzzles from a toy wholesaler, hoping to make some money.

This box of puzzles sold very quickly. In just a few days, only three sets were left. Actually, these three sets were defective. The puzzles were blank, with no patterns on them. Tom planned to exchange them the next time he restocked. One evening, several kids came to the store and asked if the puzzles were in stock. Tom told them he’d go restocking next week. The kids left dejectedly. Tom was a bit puzzled: Was the puzzle game really that much fun?

As Tom was thinking about it, he took out a set of puzzles. He casually drew a cartoon of his son on the blank pieces and wrote “Tim” on them. Then he scattered the pieces and started to play. He really got into it. Just then, two customers came in to buy toys. Tom quickly put the unfinished puzzle into his bag, planning to finish it at home.

At half – past ten at night, Tom closed the store and went home. After dinner, he took out the puzzle from his bag and started to work on it in the living room. But when the pieces were scattered, he had to search for them one by one. By eleven o’clock, there was still an arm missing from the cartoon of his son. Tom was so sleepy that his eyelids were drooping. He lay down on the table and fell asleep…

“Dong, Dong, Dong…” It was midnight. Tom was awakened from his sleep. Just as he was about to go to his bedroom, he suddenly heard a scream from his son’s room. Tom rushed to open the door of the small bedroom. He saw his wife lying unconscious on the floor. And Tim’s face was distorted, his eyes were rolling upwards, and his right arm was only half – there, with blood “dripping” down. The bright red blood had soaked the quilt!

Tom remained calm. He tore off a corner of the quilt and tightly tied it around Tim’s wound. Then he called 911. After all this commotion, it was half – past twelve. Just as the “half – hour” bell rang, something strange happened: The blood on the floor started to drip back into Tim’s body. Even more astonishing, the severed arm flew into the room from somewhere and miraculously reattached to Tim’s stump, and the wound healed perfectly, leaving no trace at all! At that moment, the siren of an ambulance could be heard in the distance. Tom quickly called 911 again and apologized, saying it was just a kid’s prank and there was no patient in need of treatment.

Tim soon fell asleep in bed. Tom was extremely shocked: Was this a real event or just a dream? But his wife was still unconscious on the floor, and the sheet used to bandage Tim’s arm was still there. It was all real!

Tom’s heart was still pounding. He helped his wife back to the bedroom and then sat down at the table in the living room. At this time, he found that the puzzle on the table had been completed somehow. Now he understood: These blank puzzles had strange powers. If the portrait in the puzzle wasn’t completed before midnight, once the clock struck twelve, the person in the portrait would end up in a terrible state. However, at half – past twelve, the puzzle would automatically complete itself, and the person in the portrait would be safe. After understanding this, Tom carefully locked the two unused blank puzzles in the drawer of his store. He never wanted to see such a terrifying scene again at night!

A month passed in a blink of an eye. Tim was just a kid, and he had already forgotten what had happened that night. Life returned to its normal calm. One day, the business at the toy store was particularly good. It was already past ten o’clock at night, and there were still customers choosing toys. By eleven o’clock, people gradually left. There was only a young man left in front of the toy display rack. The young man was picking and choosing and still couldn’t decide what to buy. As time ticked by, Tom was so sleepy that he couldn’t stand it anymore. Just as he was about to persuade the young man to come back tomorrow, suddenly, the young man took out a knife from his waist, looking fierce, and hissed in a low voice, “Give me the money quickly, or I’ll kill you!” Looking at the shiny knife, Tom was so scared that his legs went numb. He had no choice but to open the drawer and take out all the money. The young man grabbed the money, stuffed it into his pocket, and ran out of the store. Tom looked at the empty drawer and kept scolding himself for being so unlucky to encounter a robber. Thousands of dollars were snatched away in an instant.

Just then, Tom suddenly thought of the blank puzzles in the drawer. An idea popped into his head. There were still a few minutes until twelve o’clock. It should be enough time. He quickly drew a figure on the puzzle and wrote “Robber” on it. Then he scattered the pieces, locked the store door, and chased after the young man…