My Family Forced Me to Climb up the Chimney

On New Year’s Eve, my kidnappers forced me to climb down the inside of a 650-foot industrial chimney with my bare hands. The kidnappers started a live stream on the dark web. They claimed that what I was doing could drive away bad luck and bring blessings for the country. I climbed for a full eight hours in darkness and pain. When my family caught me at the bottom of the chimney, my body was covered in sores, and I was so injured that they barely recognized me. Rachel immediately covered me with a shawl. When she helped me get into the car, she was shaking. My fiancee cried and dared not touch me. That night, she destroyed the whole criminal organization. On that ambulance ride home, I could barely think straight. I heard them whispering to each other. “Rachel, Jason just wanted an unforgettable night! You said it’s not “impressive” enough and insisted on making Yannick climb the chimney!” “Miss Jones, how could an ordinary present leave such a lasting impression on Jason?” “It doesn’t matter if Yannick suffers a little physical pain. Our family will more than make it up to him.” It turned out that the eight hours of agony I endured, which nearly killed me, were just to ensure that another man’s holiday would be “truly unforgettable.” Chapter 1 “Rachel, are we really not taking Yannick to the hospital? “His body is full of burns and ulceration. Even his face has marks. If they’re not treated in time, his face will be ruined.” Mom looked at my terrible condition, and her voice trembled. My sister, Rachel Gale, interrupted her, “No way! The heir of the Gale family climbed up the chimney in a see-through outfit on New Year’s Eve. If other people find out about this, our reputation will be ruined. We can’t afford this embarrassment.” Mom remained silent for a while and then sighed. “Yannick suddenly came back to the family and took away Jason’s status. His suffering is also some sort of compensation. “It’s also his fault for being too stubborn. He insists on his marriage with the Jones family and refuses to let go. That’s why he’s suffering. “Both of them are my sons. He will understand me later.” Rachel reached out to wipe off the tears that kept streaming down my face. Her voice was full of doting affection. “Yannick, you were away for too long, so you don’t understand the tact and decency expected in rich families. We can teach you slowly. “When Jason and Wendy’s marriage is finalized, you’ll naturally give up.” Mom put a few white pills into water and mixed them before she held my head up. “Boy, drink a bit more and sleep for a few more days. When you wake up, everything will be in the past. “I’m worried that you’ll suffer if you see yourself now. I also fear that you’ll lose your temper and disrupt Jason’s wedding.” They gently closed the door. My chest felt like it was caving in, and every breath tasted like blood. Tears silently soaked my pillow. I finally understood. It was the hot milk that Rachel had given me! That was the reason why I woke up on top of that towering factory chimney. This nightmare was a revenge designed by my own family. It was all because I refused to let go of my marriage in Jason Gale’s favor. But why should I be suffering through this? Those kidnappers dosed me with a neural sensitizer just to make it more “entertaining.” My nerves seemed to be on fire. Every sensation was amplified and prolonged. Even at this point, I could still clearly feel how the burning inner wall of the chimney had scorched my back inch by inch and how the rough concrete had scraped against me over and over, grinding my flesh away. That was why I could not close my eyes or speak. Even fainting was a luxury I could not afford. I heard my mom weeping quietly. Her hand hovered over my bandaged arm while she trembled and dared not put it down. “Yannick, hang in there a little longer. You’ll be fine soon.” She scolded Rachel for being ruthless, but she never admitted that she was also an accomplice. I did not have the strength to move my lips. Tears kept streaming down my face. I felt bitter. They looked so heartbroken. If they were really that bothered, why did they push me up to the factory chimney nearly 650 feet up? Rachel, who was silent for a long time, suddenly lost her composure. She threw the glass on the floor. “Those monsters! How dare they do this to Yannick?! I’ll make them regret ever laying a hand on him! “These are just burns and wounds. Wearing a turtleneck can cover them up. Nobody can see them. With how advanced medicine is now, we’ll find a way to make the scars fade. “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and Jason’s been looking forward to it. We can’t let this misfortune ruin the festive atmosphere. Yannick, don’t worry. I’ll always be here with you while you recover.” Why did they get to use my living hell to build another man’s paradise? A searing rage exploded in my heart and filled my entire body. I used the last of my remaining strength. My eyelashes fluttered slightly before I opened my eyes a little. I looked at Rachel through blurry vision. I moved my dry, bleeding lips and said in a hoarse voice, “Can I still attend… the New Year’s Eve party?” Chapter 2 Rachel’s expression instantly froze on her face. She looked away and avoided my eyes. “Yannick, the most important thing now is to take care of your health. “There’s a party every year. This year, we’ll just quietly rest at home. When you recover, we’ll organize a bigger one next year, okay?” She turned sideways with teary eyes. Her voice sounded choked up, but her tone still held affection and regret for me. “Yes, my boy,” said Mom as she stepped closer. She wanted to touch me but decided against it. She wiped away her tears. “I swear I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again! Those kidnappers won’t escape!” But they knew. During my twenty years away from home, I endured nothing but disdain and abuse, and my only goal was to return home. The day we were reunited, they held me close and swore with tears in their eyes that they would do everything to make it up to me. They said they would not let me suffer any injustice ever again. Yet the people who threw me into this nightmare were the same people who swore they would protect me from everything. They probably thought that my comeback stole away all the love and attention from Jason. But this place was my home! How was I supposed to get back the twenty years stolen from me and the destiny that had been changed? What had I ever done wrong? Their tears and promises made me feel a burning pain and nausea even more intense than the scorching walls inside the chimney. It seemed that the scariest torment did not come from the unfamiliar kidnappers, but from my own family, who pushed me down into hell before leaning forward to wipe the blood and dust off my face. In the final moments before my consciousness faded away, I could not hold on any longer and fell into total darkness. Before I fainted, the last thought that crossed my mind was a strange sense of relief. I might as well abandon such a family. I drifted in and out of consciousness and heard people whispering close by. “Are you insane? You let Jason’s friends come to visit Yannick? If they see what Yannick looks like now and spread the news, he’ll never be able to hold his head up in this town again!” Rachel’s tone was cold. “The video has long gone viral on the dark web. Are you still worried that people will see him? This is the only way to make him face reality and give up on any false hopes.” “But…” “Enough! He suddenly came back and took away everything that belonged to Jason. The Gale family needs to make it up to Jason by letting him marry Miss Jones. “Besides, Yannick wants to be with his family the most, right? We’ll always be with him.” Mom sighed in the ensuing silence. “Let’s just do as you say then.” I felt something inside me break at that. In my daze, a bone-chilling cold snapped me back to the winter when I was seven years old. I found a busted soccer ball. Every day, I would get up before dawn and copy the blurry moves of the soccer stars from old newspapers that I fished out of the trash. My ankles were rubbed raw by worn-out, undersized sneakers with peeling soles. I would wrap them tightly, layer by layer, with scraps of plastic rope and rags I found around. Whenever I kicked a ball at a mottled wall and treated it as my goalpost, I poured my ridiculous dream into it. I hoped that my biological parents would recognize their long-lost son among the cheering crowds on the television one day. I finally found them after living through twenty years of cold, hard winter. But they had destroyed all my dreams with their own hands. They blamed me for coveting Jason’s light and being a hurdle in his life. If I had known this would happen, I would have listened to a certain person and not returned at all. The click of leather shoes echoed from outside the door, mixed with smug laughter. I wanted to hide in the darkest shadow underneath the bed, but my body felt like it was filled with lead. Even moving a single finger was too much effort. “Wow, if it isn’t the noble Soccer Star! “I didn’t expect you’d enjoy climbing around like a monkey. Did you miss a few steps on the evolutionary ladder? “Let’s see what souvenirs you got from the 650-foot-tall factory chimney.” Paul Wright reached out to rip away my blanket and clothes. Every inch of shredded, blood-soaked skin was completely exposed to everyone in the room. “Don’t touch…” My voice trembled, and I helplessly turned sideways to hide from him. “It’s New Year’s Eve, and you just had to go climb a chimney in a see-through shirt, putting on a show for the whole world. Now you’re playing innocent?” “That’s right,” said someone else. “You were treated like a clown for eight hours. How dare you come back and act like some spoiled rich kid?” They raised their phones and pointed their cameras at me. “Take some pictures! His expression is more interesting than in the video!” “Don’t hide! The more you struggle, the more views the video will get!” I was overwhelmed with humiliation and helplessness. I closed my eyes and let the sharp, mocking laughter and flashing cameras tear me apart. Bang! The room door swung open, and Rachel rushed inside. Her eyes were bloodshot. “All of you, get out now!” Chapter 3 Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she bristled with anger. The group of people fell silent in fear and quickly ran away. Mom rushed to the bed and pulled the blanket tightly around me. “Yannick, don’t be afraid. I’m here…” I slowly closed my eyes and turned away from her. I was so exhausted that I didn’t even have the strength to expose their lame act. “Yannick, I just want to make you happy. Who would’ve known those jerks would do this? “It’s all my fault. You can yell at me…” How ridiculous! I turned around and buried my face into the pillow. I refused to watch their performance. I would simply play along for the moment. My skin felt like it was melting off. Then, I heard my mom crying on the phone and begging a doctor to come. In a daze, my blanket was gently lifted off of me. I was covered in open sores, black and red, and my skin peeled off in chunks. “It’s too late. The burns from the chimney heat, combined with deep friction wounds, coal dust, and toxic residue, are embedded deep in the tissue. If we’d gotten rid of it earlier, there might’ve been a chance for him to recover. “Now, the toxins are already past the surface of the skin, and it has caused systemic infection. He might develop sepsis or septic shock at any time. “Even if he survives, we’ll have to cut out every inch of dead tissue and graft skin over every inch of his body. Even then, he has to spend the rest of his life on medication.” Mom staggered, and her lips trembled. “Why… Why would this happen…” Rachel pulled at her hair and cried, “What are those useless maids even good for? Kick them all out tomorrow! Not a single one will be spared!” She rushed to the bedside, grabbed my hand, and started crying. “Yannick! You must hold on! I swear that I’ll take good care of you. You’re my only brother…” Mom fell to her knees on the floor with a thud. “Doctor, please save my son with the best medicine! Money is not a problem! “You can use my skin for the grafting! You can take my blood!” Was this not what they wanted? The more they cried, the more disgusted I felt. As the scalpel scraped across the adhesions and ulcerated flesh, excruciating pain swept over me like a tsunami, nearly rendering the anesthesia ineffective. I bit down hard on the pillow as broken whimpers escaped my throat. “Hold on,” the doctor said in a tight voice. “We must get rid of them all…” The nurse leaned forward and wiped my sweat off. She leaned down and whispered to me, “Anything I can help you with?” A warm tear dropped on the back of my hand. This was actually the first tear I had shed since I got injured. I asked her to send a message on my behalf. The wounds finally started to scab over, and the threat of sepsis had finally passed. However, the world outside the ward had changed. The live-stream footage of me climbing up the chimney and zoomed-in shots of my burns were all over social media. Mom filled the ward with New Year’s Eve limited-edition gifts and new releases from major brands. She held a bowl of nourishing soup with trembling fingers and teary eyes. “Yannick, I made this soup myself. Please have some!” “Mom…” I chuckled bitterly. “Is Jason going to propose to Wendy at the New Year’s Eve Party?” The lid of the thermos slid off and hit the floor with a clang. Mom’s smile instantly froze on her face. She was flustered as she wiped the floor clean. “Why are you bringing that up? The most important thing for you now is your health. I already contacted the top medical team. We’ll make sure you heal properly. “Yannick, it was decided long ago that our family and the Jones family would declare the marriage at the New Year’s Eve party. You must understand that Jason’s fulfilling that promise on your behalf!” She looked away and dared not meet my gaze. I closed my eyes and smiled bitterly. Memories surged to the forefront of my mind. When we first reunited, Mom kept me company for the whole night because I had a nightmare. Rachel bought all kinds of gifts for me. She said she wanted to make up for all the holidays we had missed celebrating together. Then, on my first birthday after I returned, Jason left a suicide note and ran away from home. Mom was so worked up that she fainted, and Rachel went to look for him in a panic. After that, everything changed. Chapter 4 My room was redecorated to Jason’s taste. My favorite food slowly disappeared from the dining table. The squeaky wheel got the grease, I suppose. With a single suicide note, Jason stole away all the love that I had longed for over twenty years. When no one was around, Jason appeared by my bedside. “Little rascal, how did you end up so miserable? “I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere with your face like this! But don’t worry. I’ll tell you every detail of the New Year’s Eve party tonight, including my proposal to Wendy…” The sole of his shoe hovered just above my bandaged cheek. I gripped the bedsheet so hard that my knuckles went white. “Yannick, why do you act so proud? “Your dumb chimney-climbing antics are all over the internet. You’ve disgraced our family. Thanks to you, my New Year’s Eve party with Wendy is getting quite the spotlight. “Everyone’s calling you a disgrace! Look at you, you disgusting little animal. You can’t even control yourself and will throw yourself at anything that moves!” I gripped the bedsheet even tighter, and my throat constricted. “Do you want me dead? Unfortunately for you, I’m going to live and see you all fall!” Jason suddenly burst out laughing as if he had heard the silliest thing. “No one even loves you. What’s the point of your pathetic little life? “Do you think Mom and Rachel didn’t know about all this? “They handed you over to those kidnappers themselves! Those drugs that made you wish you were dead… Do you think the kidnappers could’ve gotten those without their approval? “Wendy also knew about it! Everyone has abandoned you!” Every word cut straight through me. Even though I sensed it coming, it still hit me like a blow to my chest when he stripped away all pretense. I heard footsteps outside the door. Slap! Jason slapped himself hard. Before I registered what was happening, he tousled his hair and ripped open his collar. He dropped to his knees with a thud, and tears streamed down his face. “Yannick, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad… It’s all my fault.” The door burst open. Rachel stormed in. The moment she saw Jason crumpled on the floor in tears and me lying motionless in bed, her expression changed, and she was instantly enraged. “Yannick, what did you do to Jason?!” Jason frantically shook his head with tears in his eyes. “It’s not Yannick’s fault. It’s mine! Rachel, don’t be mad at him…” Rachel was furious. She pointed at me and yelled, “You’ve only been back for a few days, and you’re already bringing that vulgar, disgraceful attitude into this home! We don’t want someone ungrateful like you here! Jason cowered behind her. He flashed me a smug smile and silently mouthed, “See? She’ll always pick me.” “Get out!” I immediately grabbed the pill bottle, which was the only thing that I could reach, and hurled it at them. “All of you, get out!” The disgust in Rachel’s eyes was no longer hidden. “You’re insane! You’re completely insane!” She grabbed Jason by the arm and turned around. She stopped at the door and yelled, “From now on, no one’s allowed to come in to check on him! Cut off the painkillers! Turn off the heating! Since he’s so tough, let him tough it out on his own!” “Please don’t…” Before he was dragged away, Jason turned back and pretended to be concerned for me. “We’ll come see you tomorrow—” Before he could finish, Rachel slammed the door shut. Footsteps faded into the distance, and the world fell completely silent. The cold slowly filled the room as the heating was cut off. I stared out the window at the dark night, and the corner of my lips twitched. This was the “home” I had spent twenty years fighting my way back to. It had never really wanted me at all. I decided that from this point, we would go our separate ways.