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墨書 Inktalez
The Water Ghost is the soul of a person, existing without a physical form. Bound to the water, it easily develops resentment, luring people to drown. The Kelpie, a black water spirit from folklore, is described as half horse and half cow, with two sharp horns on its head. It often transforms into a beautiful white horse; once someone rides it, it gallops away until the rider is thrown into the water to drown, feasting on the victim's flesh and blood. Sometimes, this water spirit can also take on the appearance of a handsome young man, easily seducing unsuspecting young women who pursue him, leading them to their watery graves. However, if one looks closely, they will notice that this "handsome young man" always has wet hair interspersed with algae. The term "Water Ghost" is commonly referred to as "Water Monkey," representing those who have drowned or committed suicide, wandering around the place where they perished and waiting patiently in the water to lure or force others to drown in order to take their place. For centuries, Water Ghosts have used this method to reincarnate and escape the torments of hell. In Japanese folklore, they are known as Kappa.
The scientific explanation suggests that when a person falls into the water and gets entangled in aquatic plants, panic causes them to struggle more tightly until they drown. This reasoning seems somewhat forced; after all, aquatic plants are typically found in shallow waters where entanglement wouldn’t lead to drowning. In deeper waters, one swims on the surface rather than walking on the riverbed tangled in plants. From various folklore around the world, it can be inferred that there must be some unknown entity behind these widespread tales. You can search for "Zhanjiang Water Ghost" online; it's a strange creature with a large tail and webbing between its toes. Whether it is a Water Ghost or not remains uncertain. Below is an account of my personal experience.
It was the year 2000 when I had not yet joined the agency. Due to training requirements, we had to operate on the water. My task was to wear a life jacket and accompany a lifeguard on an Assault Boat, waiting outside the operational area to handle any injuries or heat strokes among the soldiers. The heat was intense; by midday, shimmering light refraction appeared on the water's surface, making distant figures seem unreal. Drenched in sweat under our camouflage uniforms, most spectators on the embankment had already dispersed.
At that moment, I spotted a figure walking straight towards the river from atop the embankment. Through the mist rising from the river surface, I vaguely saw it was a young woman dressed in vibrant clothing, stepping closer to the water. Was she coming to observe our operations? A spy? She didn’t seem to be carrying a camera or anything similar. A family member? That seemed unlikely; it was scorching hot with no one else around. We were all busy working in the river and wouldn’t return until 1 PM—who would come looking for family at such a time? Who was she and what did she intend to do?
Our Assault Boat had considerable autonomy; as long as we didn’t enter the operational area, we could freely navigate along the river surface for supplies and such. I decided to keep an eye on her and instructed the operator to slowly steer our boat toward her direction to see what she was up to. Unexpectedly, just as we revved up the engine—perhaps due to noise or something else—the girl suddenly quickened her pace and dashed into the river! My first thought was: Is she going for a swim? There are people who swim fully clothed without undressing first; she probably wasn’t there just for swimming. Suicide!? Another thought crossed my mind. As I watched her plunge into water up to her waist while we were still fifty or sixty meters away from her—what should I do?
In an instant decision, I leaned back and pulled the throttle all the way up; with a roar, our Assault Boat surged forward like an arrow! Normally we weren’t allowed to go that fast due to safety regulations—the river was narrow enough that speeding could send us crashing ashore. During drills, we had seen how quickly an Assault Boat could shoot up onto dry land! But at that moment, I couldn’t think about any of that; we sped across the distance and reached her side just as she was submerged up to her chin. I noticed her long hair and delicate features but could clearly see her eyes were vacant and dazed—yes, dazed—her expression devoid of focus as if she were being drawn deeper into the water.
I leaned over one side of the boat and seized her hair just as we passed by! I intended to use the boat's momentum to drag her back onto shore; however, I immediately sensed something was wrong! First of all, at this speed pulling her hair would surely cause pain! She should have grabbed my hand or something to ease her discomfort or help pull herself up—but she didn’t! Secondly, after dragging her about five or six meters away from where she had fallen in—only about five or six meters from shore—we suddenly couldn’t move anymore!! It felt like something was holding onto our boat; at that moment I heard the engine roaring at full power! Yet we still couldn’t budge! Simultaneously, our boat began rocking side to side as if someone beneath was trying to tip us over!!
Everyone aboard was at a loss for what to do; in that instant many thoughts raced through my mind but there was an instinct—a strong one—that I couldn’t explain; perhaps it’s why so many bizarre events have occurred since then allowing me to survive until now! I turned around and shouted at the lifeguard: “Quick! Use paddles!” Then I yelled at the operator: “Don’t stop! Turn left and right—break free!” Thankfully those two reacted quickly; one grabbed a spare paddle and started striking at the water while another maneuvered left and right rapidly. Soon enough I felt resistance lessen significantly. Before I could turn back around to check on that girl—suddenly!—I felt hands gripping my hand that held onto her hair!
I nearly jumped out of my skin and almost let go when I looked down—it turned out she had raised both hands and grasped mine! Startled by this revelation, I focused again on her face which had completely changed expression—from dazed and blank to one of pain as she screamed loudly with her face contorted (I wondered if it was because of my grip). Fortunately, with both hands now holding onto hers tightly, I pulled with all my might trying desperately to drag her onto our boat. At that moment there was a loud bang from behind us! What now!? I thought anxiously as I turned around only to find out that our engine had overheated from excessive strain and smoke began billowing out—but somehow it seemed like our Assault Boat could slowly move again using residual power toward shore.
Just then I managed to pull her fully onto our boat; perhaps due to shock or fear she trembled uncontrollably. Quietly removing my life jacket and taking off my camouflage top for cover, she curled up against the side of the boat without speaking or attempting to leave. Unsure how best to handle this situation since I had no prior experience dealing with such matters—I decided it best to call emergency services at 110 for professional help! At that time it seemed simple enough; both myself and my lifeguard along with our operator waited there without reporting back up through military channels while several spectators nearby assumed she had attempted suicide before being rescued by us from People’s Liberation Army patrols passing by.
Eventually both emergency numbers arrived; they lifted her onto an ambulance likely headed for hospital checks—but deep down I thought she should be fine physically; perhaps just frightened—was it really suicide? Just then as she was being loaded into the ambulance she turned back towards me exclaiming: “I wasn’t trying to commit suicide!” My heart sank instantly—there’s something down there! Something in that river! I didn’t know what had drawn her in but it must have been during some state of unawareness!
Watching as crowds dispersed while gazing upon calm River Surface again—who would’ve imagined such perilous events unfolded moments ago? What if our boat capsized too? Would anyone have drowned? Honestly speaking—I can’t swim despite wearing a life jacket—I felt chills run down my spine thinking about it all. That force wasn’t something human or mechanical could contend with—what could it be? Lost in contemplation beside me—the lifeguard glanced at River Surface then back at me asking: “What made you think of having me strike at water?” With a wry smile I replied: “Instinct—it was purely reflexive; think about it—if there’s something lurking beneath wouldn’t striking at surface draw its attention? Or perhaps make it think someone fell in?” Observing his skeptical expression made me internally reflect: “Regardless—it’s fortunate my hunch proved correct!” The story concluded with our silent operator suddenly stating: “There are Water Ghosts in there!”
And thus ends Chapter Six; remember next time—not to swim in rivers! Underwater lies things we may never know exist!
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