The air conditioner in the clinic had been out of order for three days. The room was as hot as a steamer, and the fan was whirring, blowing out hot air.
I was lying on the table taking a nap when the door was pushed open.
A chill came in from the door, as if someone had opened the freezer door. I raised my head and saw a man standing at the door. His face was blue, his lips were purple, and his whole body was shaking like chaff. He was wearing a down jacket on a hot day, but there was cold sweat on his forehead.
"Lu... Doctor Lu..."
His teeth chattered as he spoke.
I frowned at him and pointed to the chair: "Sit."
He almost fell into the chair, and as soon as his butt touched the chair, he started to tremble, and his whole body curled up into a ball, as if something was strangling his neck.
"What's going on?" I stood up, walked over, and took out the bronze compass from the drawer.
Holding the compass in my hand, the cool touch refreshed my spirit.
This thing was left to me by my father before he died. He said it was passed down from ancestors and asked me to keep it well. I didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking it was just an antique. Until six months ago, when an old man was about to die, the compass suddenly vibrated. I was ignorant and tried it with the compass. The old man actually came back to life. Then I found that I had lost one day of life.
From that day on, I knew that this thing was no ordinary antique.
"I... I started... Half a year ago..." The patient gasped and spoke intermittently, "When I sleep at night, I always feel like there is something pressing on me... I can't breathe..."
