Horror Short Story | Ice Cubes

In Shen Li's home, the ice cubes from her refrigerator's ice maker always came out in strange shapes after freezing. They weren't cubes, but all sorts of irregular forms. Some looked like fingers, some like ears, some like teeth. Feeling disgusted, she washed the ice tray several times and refilled it with water. The next day, the frozen ice cubes had even clearer shapes. This time, it was a complete face, eyes closed, expression serene. Shen Li poured the entire tray of ice into the sink, watching it melt. The melting water had a faint pinkish hue, like diluted blood. She dared not use the ice tray again and put it away in a cabinet. That night when she drank water, the ice cubes in her glass were normal cubes she bought from the convenience store. After a few sips, she looked down at the glass, and the ice cubes had changed shape at some point. They had transformed into a face, eyes open, staring at her. Terrified, she threw the glass to the floor, shattering the ice cubes. When the fragments were pieced together, it was still a face, the mouth opening and closing as if speaking. Shen Li crouched down to listen. A faint voice emanated from the ice cubes: "You washed me away three times. I'm so cold." "Who are you?" "I'm the previous tenant," the ice cube said. "I died in the winter, and no one found me. The refrigerator was always on, so I lived inside." Shen Li froze. She remembered the landlord mentioning that the previous tenant was a lonely old man who had passed away long before being discovered. "Then why are you in my refrigerator?" "Because you washed the ice tray clean," the ice cube said. "I originally lived in that tray, and since you washed me out, I had no choice but to live somewhere else." "Somewhere else?" The ice cube fell silent.