00:00Are you sure you want to dissect your child's brain?
00:03You must understand.
00:04There's over a 50% chance she will never wake up again.
00:09I'm sure.
00:10A lying child needs to be punished.
00:13She won't die.
00:15My mother, Claire, was a woman obsessed with scientific parenting.
00:20From the day my brother and I were born, she abandoned all traditional discipline
00:24and forced us both into these honesty callers.
00:28She lived by the absolute rules of parenting forums and expert lectures.
00:35The callers were absolutely accurate.
00:37One spike in your heart rate or emotions and the caller marks it as a lie.
00:42When the blue arc on the caller lighted up, it means a lie was told
00:47and she would trigger the remote, releasing a high voltage shock to punish the liars.
00:52But if the person told the truth, the caller remained silent.
00:56My brother, Zach's caller, was always peacefully silent, never once glowing with blue light.
01:03Even when he secretly threw my cat off the second floor, killing her instantly,
01:08and then lied about her, fell on her own.
01:11The caller didn't make a sound.
01:13But for me, even saying simple things like,
01:17I'm hungry, would trigger the caller to brand me a liar.
01:19But I was starving.
01:22I begged my mom, asking for a little bit of food.
01:26Mom, my belly hurts so much.
01:29Just as I finished talking, the fear and panic in my heart triggered the sensor.
01:33The caller judged it a lie, and blue lightning exploded instantly.
01:38Bone-chilling electricity surged through my entire body,
01:42leaving me paralyzed and shivering in pain.
01:45The first few years, I cried and tried to explain over and over.
01:50Pain is the best correction.
01:51Everything I do is to make sure you grow up to be an honest child.
01:56Day after day, thousands of shocks seared into my flesh.
02:01I slowly began to believe I was born a hopeless, lying brat.
02:07I am a liar and a naughty kid.
02:09On New Year's Eve, Claire dressed Zach up in his finest clothes.
02:14He had been invited to perform at the celebration event.
02:19Without warning, a piercing pain tore through my abdomen.
02:24Mom, my belly really hurts.
02:27Help me.
02:29The only response was the blinding blue light flickering on my collar.
02:34Claire looked down at me.
02:36There was no pity in her eyes, filled only with disgust and disappointment.
02:42She put out the remote, slamming the power level to the max.
02:45Acting sick and lying just to ruin your brother's performance?
02:49You really are a born liar, Leah.
02:52It's in your blood.
02:54Without a second thought, she turned away,
02:57leading the well-behaved Zach out the door.
03:00She slammed it shut, locking me alone in endless darkness and agony.
03:05The pain kept hitting me in waves.
03:08My body lost all control, shaking violently as my fingernails clawed at the floor,
03:14leaving deep white gashes behind.
03:17The sheer despair of dying choked me even more than the physical pain.
03:22Just as I was about to pass out, the doorknob suddenly turned.
03:26In the deathly silence of the darkness, a spark of hope flared up inside me.
03:34Mom was back.
03:35She must be here to save me.
03:39Still acting out?
03:40The show is about to start, and Zach is already losing his patience.
03:44Mom, it really hurts.
03:45It feels like something is tearing apart inside me.
03:48Claire's eyes locked onto the glowing blue light around my neck,
03:53which hadn't stopped flashing, and she lost her temper instantly.
03:56She knelt down and grabbed my chin so hard, I thought my bones were going to shatter.
04:02Leah, how much longer are you going to keep up this little drama?
04:05Lies are in your blood, and you never learn.
04:09Now stay in there and think about what you've done.
04:11My dad, Brian, stood at the entrance and spoke up, his tone dismissive and light.
04:17Honey, let's hurry. The event is starting.
04:20If Leah doesn't want to go, just let her be.
04:23Should we leave some dinner for her?
04:25Claire stood up right away, brushing off her hands as if she'd touched something disgusting.
04:30Her voice cut like a knife.
04:33There's no need to spoil her.
04:37She takes good care of herself.
04:38When she's hungry, she'll just steal money to buy food like she always does.
04:44How could a relentless liar like her ever starve?
04:47Lock the door. Don't let her out until that collar stops glowing.
04:51But...
04:51Enough!
04:52Look at Zach. Always honest, always a good boy.
04:56He's never been punished by his collar.
04:58Leah's nature is beyond repair.
04:59Only scientific correction can correct her.
05:03I lay on the freezing floor,
05:05my consciousness fading into a blur.
05:08No one knew that the one who loved to steal money had always been Zach.
05:14Zach stole to buy the latest toy cars and the snacks Mom forbidden us to have.
05:21The day Mom found out about the missing money,
05:25Zach stood before her and the collar remained silent.
05:29With a casual, it wasn't me, Claire believed him completely.
05:34I only defended myself with...
05:37I didn't do it.
05:38My collar flared up with blinding blue light, triggering a massive electric shock.
05:43I watched my mother's back as she turned and walked away.
05:48Through the crack in the door, Zach poked his little head out and looked at me,
05:53lying on the floor with tears and sweat.
05:55He pulled a smug face.
05:57Bye-bye, sis.
05:59His words were like the sharpest blade, piercing through the last shred of hope I held.
06:04Dang.
06:05The crisp, metallic click of the deadbolt was cold and final, cutting me off from the world completely.
06:11The entire house fell into deathly silence.
06:15There was nothing left but me and the endless, torturous agony ripping through my stomach.
06:24It hurt so much.
06:27Mom was right.
06:29Machines never lie.
06:31Whenever the collar glowed blue, it meant I was lying.
06:34I wasn't in pain.
06:36I didn't feel a thing.
06:38I lost track of time, but eventually, the blinding pain just went numb.
06:44Dragging the last shred of my consciousness, I crawled toward the desk.
06:48This was Claire's rule.
06:50Whenever the collar turned blue, I had to finish a thousand-word confession,
06:55reflecting on the fact that I was a despicable liar.
07:00Trembling, I opened the worn, wrinkled diary.
07:04The pages were packed, my forced confession, all these years.
07:10I lied.
07:11I was not an honest child.
07:13If I repented, Mom would forgive me and everything would be okay.
07:18I knew I was wrong.
07:19I shouldn't have lied.
07:21I would change.
07:23I don't know how long I kept going.
07:25Not until the pen literally slipped from my fingers.
07:28My vision blurred and the ink started to bleed from the drops hitting the page.
07:32I realized they were my tears.
07:35Quickly, I wiped them away with my sleeve, terrified.
07:40If the handwriting was messy, it would be...
Comments