The secrets of the clearing

**Introduction:**

A heavy rainstorm unearthed the body of a boy buried in the cornfield.

The murderer was quickly apprehended.

Only I noticed something was wrong,

Someone was missing.

Ten years later, the past resurfaces,

A rotten apple spoils the barrel.

The regrets of ten years ago,

This time, I will personally judge.

(1)

"Recently, after a heavy rain, a resident discovered a male corpse in the cornfield. According to the forensic examination, the boy was only fifteen years old, and his death was tragic, with multiple wounds on his body."

"The deceased, identified as Roger, was a student at Willowbrook High School..." The computer played a news report, one that was already ten years old.

In the news, the boy's fingers and hair were faintly visible in the soil, mixed with dark red blood.

Over the past ten years, I often replayed this news report, as if it had become a habit.

I am a teacher at Willowbrook High School, and the boy in the news was my student.

I picked up my coffee mug and walked to the window.

Outside, there was an endless stretch of cornfield.

The lush green leaves, interspersed with golden tassels, swayed in the wind, pulling my thoughts into memories.

That year, I was twenty-five, having just started my career.

Roger was among the first batch of students I taught.

From the moment he entered the classroom, I noticed him. He was tall and well-groomed.

His bright eyes looked at you with a thirst for knowledge.

He studied diligently and meticulously completed everything assigned by the teachers.

He was polite and excelled in his studies.

I believed he was the kind of student every teacher loved.

His homeroom teacher mentioned that Roger's family was not well-off; otherwise, they would have transferred him to a school in the city long ago.

Roger was particularly mature, never causing his parents any worry.

His clothes were always clean and well-kept, even if they were old.

Every teacher who mentioned him couldn't help but express their fondness.

Such a child, I don't know from which point, his grades suddenly started to decline.

Then one day, he disappeared from the class.

I never saw this student again.