My Deer God Boyfriend

Cherry stared at the computer screen, her eyes getting sore. Nine at night, and she was the only one left in the office. Rain was falling outside, tapping against the window glass, a dense, steady sound.

She saved the design draft and shut down the computer. Her shoulders ached, her neck felt stiff. After three days straight of overtime, all she wanted was to get home and crash.

As she was packing up, her phone lit up. A message from mom, asking if she was coming home for dinner this weekend. Cherry replied with a “We’ll see,” and shoved the phone into her bag.

The elevator went down to the first floor. The lobby was empty. The security guard was dozing off, his head nodding. Cherry walked past quietly, pushed open the glass door.

The rain was heavier than she’d thought. The wind blew, driving the rain sideways, soaking the bottom of her pants. She opened her umbrella; the raindrops hammered against it with a loud pat-pat-pat.

The bus stop wasn’t far, a five-minute walk. Not many people on the street. The streetlight glow blurred on the wet ground in hazy circles. Cherry looked down at her phone, thinking of calling a ride. The ride-hailing app showed 27 people in line.

Forget it. Better to wait for the bus.

She walked under the bus shelter and closed her umbrella. Water dripped from the tip, forming a small puddle on the ground. The bus schedule said the last bus was in twenty minutes. Cherry leaned against the ad panel and sighed.

The rain got even heavier. The wind made the shelter hum. Cherry watched the water collecting on the road surface, splashing up like something was jumping in it. She suddenly felt a bit cold and zipped her jacket up higher.

A bolt of lightning flashed down, so bright it lit up the whole street white. Thunder cracked right after, a loud BOOM that made her ears ring. Cherry was startled and shrank further into the shelter.

The second lightning bolt was closer. She saw the electric light fork out from the clouds like tree branches, heading straight for the ground. The direction seemed to be right towards this bus stop.

She didn’t have time to think before the third bolt came.

This time, there was no sound. Just a blinding white light. The white light rushed at her from all sides, swallowing her up. She couldn’t feel the rain anymore, couldn’t hear anything, didn’t even know if she was standing. It was like falling into a pure white hole, falling and falling.

Then, suddenly, the white light was gone.

Cherry opened her eyes.

She wasn’t at the bus stop. She was standing in a strange place.

There was water all around. Lots and lots of water. It came up to her knees, ice cold. The water was flowing, pushing against her legs. She looked down. The water was muddy, yellowish, swirling with sand and broken bits of plants.

She looked up.

The sky was lead gray, hanging low. It was still raining, but not like before. This rain was heavy and dense, hitting the water surface and sending up countless splashes.Far off were rolling mountains, but through the heavy curtain of rain, she could only make out blurry outline—the whole world seemed drowned in a hazy mist.

What was this place?

Her mind was completely blank.She turned her body, making the water splash. There was water everywhere. Looking into the distance, water and sky merged into one, impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Only the spot she was standing on was slightly higher, the water only up to her knees. Further out, it got deeper.

Her heart was pounding fast. One second she was waiting for the bus, the next she was here? A dream? She pinched the back of her hand. Ouch. Not a dream.

Gotta find dry land first.

She tentatively took a step forward. The bottom was mud, slippery. She wobbled, almost falling. After a dozen steps, the water didn’t get shallower; instead, it got deeper, already up to her thighs.

She quickly retreated.

Try another direction. She turned and walked the other way. Still no good, even deeper.

She was trapped in this shallow area.

Rain hit her face, making it hard to even keep her eyes open. She wiped her face; her hand came away wet. Her clothes were already soaked through, clinging to her body, heavy and cold. She started shivering, her teeth chattering lightly.

Gotta call for help. She felt her pockets. Her phone was still there. Pulling it out, the screen lit up, but the signal bar was empty. Not a single bar. She tried dialing 110. Wouldn’t go through. Emergency call? No dice either.

She held up her phone and turned in a circle, hoping to catch a signal. Useless.

The rain got heavier. The wind picked up too, rolling waves of water that slapped towards her one after another. The water had risen a bit more; it was now above her knees. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before this little high spot got flooded too.

Cherry panicked. She yelled, “Is anyone there?!”

Her voice was swallowed by the rain, couldn’t carry far. She yelled several times until her throat hurt. Besides the sound of wind, rain, and water, there was no response.

She was really scared now.

That’s when she heard a sound.

Not a human voice. A different sound. Like something heavy moving, the clanking sound of iron chains scraping. The sound came from behind her.

She whirled around.

About fifty meters away, in the middle of the water, stood something.

At first, she couldn’t make out what it was. The rain curtain was too thick; she could only see a large outline. White, very tall, taller than a two-story building. She squinted, trying to see.

The thing moved.

She saw it clearly.

It was a deer.

But not an ordinary deer. It was enormous, unbelievably huge. Pure white all over, its fur glowing faintly in the gloomy sky. It had four antlers, branching out from its head like ancient tree limbs. It stood in the deep water, the water reaching up to the bend of its legs.

What made her hold her breath was that its neck and legs were tangled with thick, heavy iron chains. The chains were black and weighty, one end locked onto its body, the other end disappearing into the water, who knows where they led. The chains were so heavy they made it lower its head slightly.

The deer turned its head and looked at her.

Cherry saw its eyes. Large, deep brown, like autumn lake water. There was a lot in those eyes, hard to describe. Not ferocity, not wildness, but a deep weariness, and a little bit of surprise.

They looked at each other through the curtain of rain.

Then the deer slowly took a step towards her. The chains dragged, making a dull, heavy sound. The water splashed loudly as it was pushed aside.

Cherry backed away instinctively. Water splashed up, her feet slipped, and she fell sitting into the water. Water immediately rushed over, getting up her nose. She floundered to her feet, coughing, her eyes turning red from coughing.

By the time she wiped the water from her face and looked again, the deer had stopped, not coming closer. It just looked at her, head tilted slightly, as if observing her.

“You...” Cherry spoke, voice trembling. “What are you?”

The deer, of course, didn’t answer. It blinked; its eyelashes were long, wet with rain.

Cherry slowly backed away. She wanted to get away from this giant creature. Whatever it was, it was chained up for a reason. She seemed to remember something from old books... a kind of white deer, whose appearance brings great floods...

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. The water had already risen to her waist. Had to get out of here.

She turned and started walking through the water in another direction. The water got deep enough for her to start swimming. But before she knew it, a whirlpool appeared ahead. The current suddenly grabbed her, pulling her towards the center. She struggled and paddled like mad, trying to swim out. But she just wasn’t strong enough. The water was too strong. It overpowered her.

Dragged toward the middle of the whirlpool, she began choking on water. She fought legs kicking and arms thrashing wildly.

At the last moment, she looked back.The white deer was still standing there, watching her quietly.Its gaze was calm, as if it already knew what would happen.

Then the water closed over her head.

Couldn’t see anything anymore. Just water, endless water, pouring into her nose, ears, mouth. She couldn’t hold her breath anymore; her lungs felt like they were about to burst. Her vision darkened, consciousness fading bit by bit.

——

Cherry’s eyes snapped open.

She gasped, breathing in big gulps of air. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, thump-thump-thump, like it wanted to jump out.

She was lying in her own bed.

The familiar ceiling light, the familiar curtains, the familiar wardrobe. City night lights leaked in through a gap in the curtains. The AC hummed, blowing cool air. The room was pleasantly cool.

She sat up, touched her face. Dry. Touched her hair. Dry. Wearing pajamas, also dry. Sheets dry, blanket dry.

Everything from just now—the water so real, the cold so real, the feeling of choking so real... a dream?

But if it was a dream, it was way too real. She could still feel the water pressure on her chest, could still taste the muddy water.

She threw off the covers, got out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains. Outside, the street was quiet, streetlights on, the ground wet, but the rain had stopped. Everything normal.

So it was a dream after all. Too much overtime lately, too much stress.

She let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt an inexplicable sense of loss. She remembered the deer’s eyes in the dream clearly.

Go get some water. She opened the bedroom door and headed to the kitchen. Passing the full-length mirror, she glanced at it casually.

Then she stopped.

In the mirror, on her left wrist, there was a faint ring of water stain. Like she’d accidentally brushed against something, or like a mark showing through from under her skin. Irregular shape, blurry edges, but definitely there.

She raised her hand to look closely. The mark was faint, didn’t hurt or itch, felt the same as the surrounding skin when touched, no raised area. She tried wiping it with water. Didn’t come off. Rubbed it with soap. Still didn’t come off.

Like a birthmark, but she was absolutely sure it wasn’t there yesterday.

Cherry stared at her wrist for a long time. The kitchen light was bright, making that ring of water stain clearly visible. It had a slight bluish tint, like skin color after being soaked in water for too long.

Outside the window, the sky started raining again. Raindrops hit the glass lightly.

She suddenly remembered the last feeling from the dream. Water rushing at her from all sides, covering her head. She couldn’t breathe.

That feeling, just like this water stain on her wrist, felt just as real.

Cherry lowered her hand, walked to the living room sofa, and sat down. She hugged her knees, watching the drizzling rain outside. The sound of rain was rhythmic. Drip, drip.

She remembered the white deer’s eyes. Deep brown, gentle, tired eyes.

Was that really just a dream?

The water stain on her wrist felt slightly cool. She touched it lightly with her fingers. No particular sensation.

The clock on the wall pointed to 2 AM. She should go back to sleep, had work tomorrow.

But she didn’t really want to sleep. She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she’d be back in that endless flood.

She finally lay back in bed. She stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain. The rain wasn’t heavy, but it kept going.

Didn’t know how much time passed before she drifted into a hazy sleep.

This time, no dreams. At least she didn’t remember any. Slept deeply, woke up when it was already light out.

The water stain on her wrist was still there. Looked a bit fainter in the morning light, but definitely there.

She went through her usual routine: washed up, changed, ate breakfast. Hesitated a bit before leaving, found a band-aid and stuck it over the water stain. Didn’t want people seeing it and asking questions.

On the way to work, she checked her phone. Searched “white deer four antlers.” Some results popped up. One entry was “Fuzhu.”

She clicked on it.

“Fuzhu, a mythical beast from ancient Chinese mythology. Resembles a white deer with four antlers. Its appearance brings great floods to the world.”

There was a picture, an ancient painting of a white deer with four antlers, standing by water. Painted in an abstract style, but somewhat similar to what she saw in her dream.

Below was a note: “Fuzhu is considered an omen of disaster, symbolizing floods. Its true origins are now lost to history.”

Cherry closed her phone. The bus rocked and swayed, city scenes passing by outside the window. She looked down at her wrist. The edge of the band-aid was starting to peel up a bit.

She pressed that spot. No pain, no itch, nothing.

Probably just too much stress, she told herself. Go to bed early tonight, no more overtime.

Got to the company, turned on the computer, worked. The whole day was normal. Colleagues joked around, the boss assigned tasks, she worked on design drafts, revised, revised again. Ate takeout for lunch, had a meeting in the afternoon. Everything as usual.

The water stain on her wrist itched occasionally. She scratched it through the band-aid.

Quitting time arrived. Today she shut down the computer on time. A few people were still working overtime when she left. She said goodbye and walked into the elevator.

Outside, the sky was overcast but not raining. She walked to the bus stop, waited for the bus.

The bus came, she got on, found a seat by the window. The bus started moving, the city nightscape flowing past outside. Neon lights, car lights, light from shop windows, connecting into flowing ribbons of color.

Looking out the window, she felt a bit dazed. This time yesterday, she was also waiting for the bus, and then...

And then she had that weird dream.

Her wrist started itching again. She peeled off the band-aid to look. The water stain was still there, the color seemed a bit darker. She stuck on a new one.

Got home, cooked some noodles, ate. Washed the dishes, took a shower, did laundry. At 10 PM, she curled up on the sofa watching TV. It was a variety show, the guests were laughing, but she wasn’t really paying attention.

She was thinking about that deer.

Those eyes. So quiet, so tired, as if it had been standing there for hundreds, thousands of years.

Laughter came from the TV. She changed the channel. A documentary about animals. On screen, a herd of deer ran across a grassland. The sunlight was good, the grass very green.

Watching those deer, she thought of the white deer chained up. Standing in deep water, rain beating on it, heavy chains weighing it down.

Why was it chained? Who chained it? How long had it been chained?

She didn’t know. And shouldn’t be thinking about it. It was just a dream.

Midnight. She turned off the TV and went to bed. Lying in bed, she looked at the ceiling. Tired today, but couldn’t sleep. In the dark, the water stain on her wrist seemed to glow faintly. Probably just her imagination.

She closed her eyes.

Sleepiness slowly washed over her. Her mind grew fuzzy, her body relaxed.

Then, that feeling came again.

Not suddenly, but gradually. First, she felt cold, like a chill creeping up from her feet. Then she heard a sound, very faint water sounds, splash, splash. Then she smelled something—damp earth, water plants.

Her eyes snapped open.

Not her ceiling.

It was a lead-gray, oppressively low sky. Raindrops fell, hitting her face.

Ice cold.

She sat up. She was on muddy ground, water all around. Yellowish, flowing water, up to her waist.

She was back.

Cherry sat in the water, not moving. Rain beat down on her; her clothes were soaked through quickly. The water was cold; she started shivering.

This was not a dream.

She raised her hand. The band-aid on her wrist had been soaked loose, floating on the water’s surface. That ring of water stain was completely exposed, glowing faintly in the gloomy light.

She turned her head, looked towards the center of the water.

It was still there. That white deer, Fuzhu. Standing in the deep water, chains wrapped around it, head slightly lowered. Rain beat on its white fur, water streaming down.

This time, it wasn’t looking at her. It was gazing at the distant water surface, as if lost in thought.

Cherry slowly stood up. The water splashed. The sound startled it; it turned its head, its deep brown eyes looking at her.

The moment their eyes met, Cherry suddenly understood.

This wasn’t an accident. She and this deer were connected by something. The water stain on her wrist was proof. She couldn’t escape. No matter where she was, what she was doing, when the time came, she would be pulled back to this watery world.

The deer looked at her, gaze calm. It seemed already used to all this.

The water began to rise. Fast. Just now it was only at her waist, now it was at her chest. The waves grew stronger too, pushing and rocking her.

Cherry took a deep breath. Cold air filled her lungs. She looked at the deer. The deer looked at her.

This time, she didn’t try to run. She stood in the water, letting the water rise, letting the rain hit her face.

The water rose over her shoulders, over her neck, over her chin. At the last moment, she saw the deer shake its head slightly, as if sighing.

Then the water covered her head.

Darkness. Choking. Water pressing in from all sides.

——

Cherry opened her eyes in her own bed.

She lay there, eyes open, looking at the familiar ceiling. The AC was still blowing, room temperature comfortable. Everything was dry.

She slowly raised her left hand.

On her wrist, that ring of water stain was clearly visible. Darker than yesterday, a bluish-black ring, like something had been branded onto her.

She sat up, walked to the window. Outside, the sky wasn’t light yet, the city still asleep. The street was quiet, streetlights on.

She looked down at her wrist.

Third time. The third time she would return to that watery world. The timing was probably fixed too, like some kind of mandatory appointment.

She was tied to an ancient, flood-bound deer god.

And she still didn’t know what that actually meant.

On the window glass, her reflection stared back. Pale face, bloodshot eyes. The water stain on her wrist, in the glass reflection, looked like an unfinished punctuation mark.

Dawn was approaching. A new day was about to begin.

She had to go to work, had to act like nothing happened. But the mark on her wrist reminded her that some things had already changed.

She went back and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her wrist. The water stain felt slightly warm, like it was breathing.

She remembered the deer’s eyes. Tired, gentle eyes, as if it had already accepted all fate.

A thought suddenly struck her.

Maybe next time, she could try talking to it. Really talking, not screaming and running.

After all, she couldn’t escape.

After all, she had to keep going back.

After all... she wanted to know what it really was, why it was there.

Outside the window, the horizon began to turn fish-belly white. The city was waking up.

Cherry stood up, walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet. Water flowed out with a rushing sound. She watched the water flow, thinking of that endless flood.

She turned off the faucet, dried her hands. The water stain on her wrist got wet; the color looked deeper.

Today, she needed to find a way to look up more info about Fuzhu. Maybe find some clues.

She changed clothes, stuck on a new band-aid. Before leaving, she stood in the entryway, looking back at her home.

Everything was the same as yesterday. Sofa, TV, dining table, kitchen. Another ordinary day was about to begin.

But she knew it wasn’t the same.

The water stain on her wrist felt faintly warm.

She closed the door, walked into the elevator. The elevator descended, numbers changing. She looked at her reflection in the metal doors, expression calm.

The elevator doors opened. She walked into the morning light.

Her wrist was still warm. Like a timer, counting down to the next return.

She didn’t know what was waiting for her.

She only knew she would go back.

Again and again, back to that flood, back to that white deer’s side.

Until she found an answer.

Or until the water completely drowned her.Chapter 3 Trying to Communicate