1 I always thought I couldn't dream. Then one day, my husband brought me a tonic to calm my nerves. I drank it and dreamed for the first time. In the dream, his struggling company made a miraculous comeback, becoming an industry leader. Days later, it came true. But joy was brief. A sudden car accident left my legs paralyzed. When pain kept me awake, he brought the tonic again. I dreamed a second time: my son, who always struggled in school, aced the entrance exam and got into a top university. Days later, he ranked first in the state. At that same moment, I was diagnosed with acute liver necrosis. Half my liver was removed. After surgery, my husband held my hand, crying, "Don’t worry, I’ll never leave you." Then he brought another bowl of the tonic. I trembled, trying to push it away. But he pried my mouth open and poured it in. "Be good, Mindy. It’s a family recipe—a painkiller. Drink, and the pain will go." My consciousness faded into a third dream: my father-in-law, dying of cancer, fully recovered. I woke with a jolt, a metallic taste in my throat. My heart stopped. I died instantly. Then I opened my eyes—back to the day he first handed me that bowl of tonic. … My husband, Joey, came from a long line of herbalists, and the Dream-Soothing Tonic was his family's secret recipe. He’d recently improved the formula, claiming it not only helped you sleep more soundly but also guaranteed beautiful dreams. As I stared at the bowl, its unique herbal aroma filling the air, goosebumps erupted on my skin. In my past life, driven by curiosity about the dreams I could never have, I had drunk Joey’s tonic. And just as he'd promised, I had a beautiful dream. Not only that, but the dream came true. But I never imagined the price for making my dreams a reality was my own life. Joey carefully blew on the spoonful of hot liquid. "Honey, you said you wanted to know what it's like to dream. Come on, try it!" "I even added some honey, so it tastes great and works even better!" I scooted back on the bed, away from the proffered spoon. "You know, I think I'm fine without dreams. Every medicine has its side effects. I think I'll pass." He persistently pushed the spoon toward my lips. "These are all restorative herbs. I promise, there are no side effects." I pressed my lips together, refusing to drink. Clatter! The spoon clattered back into the bowl. Joey's face darkened. "Mindy, don't you trust me? Do you think I'm trying to hurt you?" His voice was tight with suppressed anger. If I provoked him further, I knew he would do the same thing he did in my past life—pry my mouth open and force it down my throat. I stared at the murky green, life-draining liquid and clutched my stomach. "Of course not! It's just... my stomach is acting up. I don't feel like eating anything." Joey hesitated. He was about to say something else, but I curled up on the bed, feigning a wave of pain. He had no choice but to take the tonic and leave. "Alright, you get some rest. If it's really bad, we'll go to the hospital." I let out a long breath. I had dodged a bullet. A few minutes later, Joey returned with a packet of stomach medicine. "Feeling any better? Take this, it'll help." I sat up immediately. "Much better! I don't need it." I couldn't risk taking anything he gave me. He didn't force me this time. He helped me out of bed. "Well, come have dinner then. Mom made her special chicken soup to soothe your stomach." I had no reason to refuse. I went to the dining table. My mother-in-law ladled a huge bowl of soup for me. The broth was fragrant and clear, dotted with vibrant green scallions. It looked delicious. It seemed to have nothing to do with the murky green tonic. My son, Leo, quickly downed two bowls. My mother-in-law put a drumstick in my bowl. "Go on, Mindy, eat up! You always loved my chicken soup. It'll get cold if you wait!" The whole family was eating heartily, paying no attention to me. I cautiously took a sip. If everyone is eating it, it must be fine, I thought. I can't just stop eating forever. I forced down a few bites and left the table. I thought that by avoiding the tonic, I had avoided my fate. But as soon as I fell asleep, I started dreaming again. 2 Just like in my past life, I dreamt that Joey's failing company landed a massive contract, rocketing to the top of the industry. I woke up in a cold sweat. I felt no joy, because I knew that Joey's success was meant to be paid for with my legs. Seeing me awake, Joey asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did you have a dream?" I stared at him suspiciously. "Did you give me the tonic?" He shook his head, his face a mask of innocence. "Of course not. You said you didn't want it." I racked my brain. I truly hadn't consumed anything suspicious. Could it all be a coincidence? Was the tonic unrelated? Joey stroked my head, his voice full of sympathy. "Is your stomach still bothering you? If you're not feeling well, just take the day off work." The memory of being crippled made me shiver. I took a week off. I decided I wouldn't set foot outside my house. That way, there was no chance of a car hitting me. After Joey left, I went to the fridge and took out the leftover chicken soup from last night. When I lifted the lid of the clay pot, my pupils constricted. At the very bottom was a pile of familiar herbs. No wonder I'd dreamed again. The chicken soup had been brewed with the tonic's ingredients! But why, if the whole family drank it, was I the only one paying the price? I collected the herbs from the pot and sent them to a lab for analysis. I was going to find out what was so special about that tonic. Before the results came back, I got a call from Joey. His voice was electric with excitement. "Honey, I landed a huge contract! The company's fortunes are turning around!" My breath caught in my throat. In my past life, I had received this same call on my way home from work. And then the accident happened. Thank God I was at home this time. There was no way I could get into a car accident here. But a few moments later, a message popped up in the parent-teacher group chat from my son's homeroom teacher. "The school bus has broken down. Parents, please come pick up your children after school today." School ended in two hours. I had a terrible feeling that the moment I stepped outside, I would be hit by a car. I couldn't go. My son was an adult now. He could surely make his own way home. I decided to let him. But two hours later, a torrential downpour began. Leo called me. "Mom, where are you? The rain is insane, and I can't get a cab!" I told Joey to go pick him up. But he claimed he was in a critical meeting and couldn't leave. Leo's calls kept coming, one after another, as the storm raged on. It felt like the entire world was conspiring to force me out of the house. In a flash of inspiration, I remembered that his teacher lived in the building across from ours. I quickly called her and begged her to walk Leo home. She readily agreed. Soon, I heard a knock at the door. "Mom, open up! I'm home!" Relief washed over me. I stood up to let him in. But as I took my first step, a hard object tripped me. The world spun, and I crashed heavily onto the floor. Before I lost consciousness, I saw what had tripped me. It was my son's remote-control car. 3 I woke up in a hospital room. Joey sat by my bed, his eyes red-rimmed. I couldn't feel my legs. I never would have imagined that a toy car could leave me paralyzed. Was there truly no escape from the tonic's curse? Joey's voice cracked as he tried to comfort me. "Don't be sad, honey. I'm rich now. I can take care of you for the rest of your life!" He held out another bowl of the tonic. "You must be in so much pain. This will help. Drink it, and the pain will go away." I swiped the bowl from his hands, sending it crashing to the floor. I screamed, not caring who heard. "Your company's success was bought with my legs! And you still want me to drink this poison?" Joey looked bewildered. "Mindy, what are you talking about? How could one be exchanged for the other? What does this have to do with the tonic?" A notification pinged on my phone. The lab results were in. I laughed coldly. "If it has nothing to do with it, why did you put the tonic's herbs in the chicken soup? Don't even try to deny it. I have the lab report right here. I'm calling the police!" Joey looked utterly baffled. "Those herbs were just for flavor! They're not poisonous! The whole family drank the soup. No one is trying to hurt you. Why would you call the police?" I wasn't listening. I opened the report. And then I stared, dumbfounded. The report stated that the herbs were not only harmless but were actually high-quality, beneficial supplements. How could that be? If there was nothing wrong with the tonic, why was Joey so insistent that I drink it? And why did I, a person who never dreams, suddenly start dreaming after drinking it? Maybe the herbs in the soup were an incomplete formula? Seeing my silence, Joey picked up the bowl from the floor, scooped up some of the spilled liquid, and drank it himself. "See, Mindy? The tonic is perfectly fine. I drank it, and nothing happened. Why would I ever hurt you?" I was completely lost. Even if the soup was an incomplete version, what he just drank was the real deal. He'd done it without a second's hesitation. Joey set the bowl down. "I understand you're having a hard time accepting this, and you're suspicious of everything. How about this: for a while, just order takeout. Focus on getting better and try not to overthink things." I lay back on the bed, feeling defeated. But I still didn't believe the tonic was harmless. I collected the residue from the shattered bowl. This time, I sent it to a well-known psychic. Leo's college entrance exams were over. It was only a few days until the date I'd lost my liver in my past life. I couldn't let my guard down. I ate only one meal a day, prepared and delivered by my own mother. But two hours before the exam results were to be announced, I unexpectedly fell asleep. I dreamed that my son, who had always been at the bottom of his class, scored a 690. I was shaken awake by Leo himself. "Mom! I got a 690!" he shouted, ecstatic. A searing pain shot through my abdomen, and my face went pale. I had been so careful. How was this happening again? As the doctors wheeled me away, I saw Leo staring at my IV drip... with a smile on his face. My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. The liquid in the IV bag was a faint, pale green. Like diluted Dream-Soothing Tonic. 4 When I woke up again, the doctor looked at me with pity. "I'm sorry. You suffered from sudden acute liver necrosis. We had to remove half of your liver." The incision in my abdomen throbbed. Leo was crying his eyes out. "Don't be scared, Mom! I'll get into a great school, and I'll make something of myself so I can take good care of you!" Joey hugged me tightly. "Honey, what is happening? Why is our luck so bad?" My eyes were vacant. I had thought Leo was oblivious to all of this. But that one look I saw before I passed out sent a chill through my soul. They all knew. They all knew the tonic was dangerous, and they were deliberately using my life to secure their own good fortune. I wouldn't let them win. I would not close my eyes again until the psychic gave me an answer. As long as I didn't dream, I was safe. After three sleepless days and nights, the psychic contacted me. "Are you, by nature, a person who does not dream?" I sat up, my heart pounding. "Yes! How did you know?" The psychic sighed. "That explains it. There is a dark, karmic ritual involving a Fortune Transference Tonic. It allows a person to make their dreams a reality, but at a cost of flesh and blood." "Normally, a person's dreams are too chaotic to control. But if the desired dream is written on a special talisman, burned, and dissolved into the tonic, then fed to a naturally dreamless person, the dream can be controlled." "And the corresponding backlash is borne entirely by the dreamless one." I gasped. So that was it. That's why it only ever affected me. The psychic continued, his voice grave. "You have already paid the price twice. A third time will likely cost you your life." "This tonic is incredibly potent. A single drop is enough. It will be almost impossible to guard against." I begged him to help me. He sent me a talisman and told me to place it under my pillow. After three days, I was to burn it to ash, mix it with water, and drink it. It would nullify the tonic's effects. I hid the talisman from Joey and Leo, just as the psychic instructed. Joey started visiting more frequently. He was getting impatient. Three days later, he brought me a bowl of bird's nest soup. "Honey, Dad was so worried when he heard you were sick. He insisted I bring this for you." The soup was in a pristine white porcelain bowl. But I could have sworn it had a greenish tint. I claimed I was feeling unwell and refused to drink it. Joey's face twisted into a snarl. He grabbed my chin, forcing my jaw open. "My father is dying of cancer, and he's still worried about you! How can you be so ungrateful?" He was stronger than me. The soup was poured down my throat. Joey smiled, satisfied. "There, that's better. I'm only doing this for your own good." Just then, the pillow on the bed slipped to the floor, revealing the talisman underneath. Joey snatched it up. "What is this?" This was my last chance. I bit down hard on his hand, grabbed the talisman, and quickly burned it. I mixed the ashes with the dregs of the soup he had brought and drank it all down. "It's the Fortune Transference Tonic, isn't it?" I laughed, a wild, desperate sound. "I already know everything!" The color drained from Joey's face. But for some reason, my eyelids were growing heavy. As I collapsed onto the bed, the third dream began. I dreamt my father-in-law's cancer was miraculously cured. I struggled to wake up, and when I did, I coughed up a mouthful of blood. I was on the operating table before I could even process what had happened. I drank the counter-talisman, just like he said. Why did I dream again? My breathing became shallow. A doctor shouted, "Her heart rate is dropping! Get the defibrillator!" My vision blurred. Am I going to die again? I fought to keep my eyes open, wanting one last look at the world. And suddenly, my pupils constricted. That's it. I finally understood the truth.
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