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墨書 Inktalez
In Guangdong, there is a custom where on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, known as the Ghost Festival, many people write down the names of those they hate or resent on a piece of paper or in a notebook. They then curse and beat the paper, believing that whatever they say will befall that person.
In the 1990s, I was studying in Guizhou. That year, due to technological reforms, I was sent to a factory in Guangzhou for training.
After work that day, I casually ate at a roadside stall and was preparing to return to my accommodation when I noticed the smell of burning paper all around.
As I passed by a small alley, I saw an elderly woman in the corner. In front of her was a pile of burning paper, and she was mumbling to herself while waving something in her hand.
I was very curious and wanted to know what she was doing at night, but I didn't dare to ask. So, I quietly moved closer to see what she was up to.
As I got nearer, I could see that she was holding something in one hand while using the other hand to beat it, continuously chanting: "I hit you, little man; I hit you, little man."
Fearing that she might notice me and it would be awkward, I cautiously edged forward. Now I could see that she was pressing down on a small figure made of yellow paper with one hand while waving a needle with the other hand, striking the figure.
Perhaps my footsteps startled her; she suddenly stopped her actions and quickly turned to look back at me.
In the glow of the firelight, her face, lined with deep wrinkles, appeared somewhat menacing. I froze for a moment before quickly turning and leaving the alley.
However, as I walked down the street, I noticed many young people on the roadside beating things with their shoe soles.
This scene struck me as quite eerie, so I hurried back to my place of residence.
A technician named Hao who worked at the factory with me asked if I had been chased by ghosts since I was sweating profusely. I recounted what had happened on the street.
After hearing my description, Huo did not seem very surprised. He explained that today was the fifteenth day of the seventh month, known as Zhongyuan Festival. Here, there is a custom of beating little figures; if someone is hated and one wishes for them to have bad luck, they call out their name while hitting.
I found it quite mysterious and didn't really believe it, so I asked him if it was really effective.
Hao told me that a former coworker of his had been cursed using a method called "hitting the small person."
He used to work in an electronics factory, where three people shared a dormitory: a chubby guy, Fei, and Playboy Li Zongping.
Hao had a poor impression of Li Zongping because he was handsome and had ambiguous relationships with many girls, often talking about his escapades in the dormitory.
On the day the incident occurred, Li Zongping entered the room with a gloomy face. Fei, oblivious to his mood, approached him and urged him to share his romantic stories.
Li Zongping pushed him away irritably, and Hao pulled Fei aside, advising him not to make things worse.
Li Zongping didn't even change his clothes; he just lay down on the bed. However, just a couple of minutes after lying down, he let out a grunt, sat up, and began to scream in pain while holding his head.
Hao and Fei were puzzled and wanted to go over to see what was happening. But as they got closer and took a look, they were stunned.
They saw a dent on Li Zongping's head that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, as if an invisible iron pestle had struck his forehead.
Li Zongping rolled around on the bed in agony, and it took about three to five minutes before he calmed down.
Hao and Fei asked him with concern what was wrong. Li Zongping gritted his teeth and said he didn't know what was happening but felt like someone was knocking on his head.
When Hao saw that he had quieted down, he thought everything was fine. But unexpectedly, Li Zongping suddenly screamed again while grabbing his arm.
They noticed that his arm was bending in a horrifying manner, with the angle of the bend opposite to that of the joint. Hao and Fei were both terrified.
Two people wanted to help but felt helpless, discussing whether they should take Li Zongping to the hospital. However, Li Zongping suddenly stopped crying out and appeared to be in less pain.
A series of agonies had left Li Zongping feeling dejected; he curled up in the corner of the bed, clutching his arm.
Fei asked him with concern if he was feeling any better. Li Zongping leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, and finally covered his head with the blanket, shouting, "You don't need to worry about my business."
Hao and Fei understood Li Zongping's temperament well and chose not to say anything further, each going to sleep.
The next day, the two went to work at the factory.
On the way, they encountered several female workers from the factory who were discussing Li Zongping's situation. It turned out that Li Zongping had recently taken a liking to Xiaoting from Line 2 of the factory.
However, after getting involved with her, he ended up breaking up with her. Xiaoting, inexperienced in relationships, was greatly affected and took leave from work.
This Xiaoting was from Fei's hometown.
During lunch break, Fei saw Xiaoting again in the cafeteria. Being warm-hearted, he took some food to her dormitory.
But as he approached Xiaoting's dorm door, he heard some familiar sounds coming from inside— it was their local custom of "hitting a person."
Fei tiptoed and peered through the window on the door. Sure enough, Xiaoting was sitting by the bed, waving her arms and using a needle to poke a doll's forehead.
The doll looked remarkably like Li Zongping; as she pierced its forehead, Xiaoting twisted the doll's arm forcefully.
Fei recalled Li Zongping's painful expression, which resembled that of the doll in Xiaoting's hands.
Xiaoting was completely unaware of Fei standing outside the door. After tormenting the small figurine in her hands with curses, she seemed unsatisfied.
She stood up, walked to the window, opened it, and threw the figurine out. Then she let go, and the figurine fell from the upper floor.
Fei witnessed all of this and was taken aback by how cruelly Xiaoting would curse Li Zongping.
He lost interest in delivering food and turned to leave. As Fei exited Xiaoting's dormitory, he planned to return and tell Hao what he had seen.
However, as soon as he reached the bottom of the dormitory building, he saw a crowd gathered there.
Fei's heart sank as he recalled the scene of Xiaoting throwing the figurine from above. He quickly squeezed into the crowd and was met with the sight of Li Zongping lying in a pool of blood.
Colleagues were saying that Li Zongping had suffered a heartbreak and jumped from the building due to the emotional blow.
But Fei knew Li Zongping well; he would never take his own life over a woman.
Hao mentioned that after Li Zongping's death, Xiaoting also left the factory, and no one had seen her since.
Both Hao and Fei believed that Li Zongping's death was a result of Xiaoting cursing him using the small figurine method.
Hao's story instilled in me an inexplicable fear of the small figurine curse, which was the most eerie thing I encountered in Guangdong.
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