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墨書 Inktalez
I quietly approached the window and looked outside, only to see a creature with the head of a goat and the body of a man entering my yard. The beast was tall, with two deep scars on its neck.
My grandmother greeted it with a broad smile, inviting the goat-headed creature to sit down for a meal.
The creature settled onto a stool, its eyes darting around as if assessing everyone in the yard. It spoke, "Lin Lao Ba, you are not being fair; you are too greedy."
My grandmother poured wine for the creature, her face still beaming with smiles. "Lord Yang, it’s all my fault. I apologize to you. Please, let our family off the hook."
The goat-headed creature glanced at the wine in its cup, squinting as it said, "Lin Lao Ba, is this cup of wine your way of making amends? You truly underestimate me!"
With that, it smashed the cup on the ground. Seeing the creature's anger rising, my grandmother quickly pulled out some silver ornaments from her pocket and offered them to it. "Lord Yang, I return these silver ornaments to you. I beg you to spare our family."
The creature snorted coldly, not even glancing at the silver. It replied irritably, "Lin Lao Ba, I won’t make things difficult for you. Just build me a temple and offer incense for a hundred years, and I will let this matter go."
My grandmother was taken aback for a moment, anger flashing in her eyes as she retorted, "You’re not even a deity! How can you expect my family to worship you for a hundred years? That’s outrageous!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than the goat-headed creature let out an eerie laugh.
It said ominously, "If you won’t build me a temple, then I want your life."
As soon as those words left its mouth, my grandmother sprang up abruptly, stuffing the silver ornaments into her pocket before shouting towards the storage room, "Wen He, act quickly!"
My aunt rushed out from the storage room with a kitchen knife in hand, shouting as she ran, "I’ll chop you up, you goat spirit!"
My grandmother overturned the table and grabbed an axe from the ground to strike at the creature.
The goat-headed being merely sat on its stool without any intention of dodging.
My aunt dashed behind it and swung her knife at its neck. There was a sharp "crack," and the creature's head fell to the ground.
Holding up the severed head triumphantly, my aunt laughed loudly, "Mom! Dad! I’ve killed the goat spirit!"
But just as she finished speaking, I heard a loud thud—my grandmother's body collapsed on the floor while my aunt shockingly held my grandmother's head.
The goat-headed creature remained seated on its stool, laughing sinisterly.
My aunt was paralyzed with fear, collapsing onto the ground.
My grandfather shielded my aunt behind him and shouted at the creature, "Don’t come any closer."
It seemed that the goat-headed being didn’t hear him and continued advancing toward my aunt. With its goat head looking even more menacing now, it roared at my grandfather, "If it weren’t for you, I would never have been reborn as a goat!"
As soon as it finished speaking, it lunged at my grandfather and aunt.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of bells ringing; it was coming from just outside the door.
Upon hearing the sound of the bell, the Flower Goat immediately became panicked and dashed out of the courtyard, crashing into our storage room.
After the Flower Goat fled, a person entered our yard—it was the filthy old woman who had come that day. My grandfather, seeing her, was so agitated that his hands trembled. He took a silver ornament from my grandmother's pocket and shoved it into the old woman's hands, saying, "Fairy, please take this silver ornament; we won't accept the task of collecting the dead."
The filthy old woman accepted the ornament and sighed, saying, "Old man, I am not a fairy but just a beggar. This goat spirit is indeed powerful; it will come knocking at your door."
My grandfather was stunned for a few seconds, then knelt before the filthy old woman and pleaded, "Fairy, please think of a way to drive that goat spirit away so we can live in peace."
The old woman showed a troubled expression and hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. "Old man, as the saying goes, 'spending money can avert disaster.'"
My grandfather asked again, "Then how much do we need to spend?"
The old woman extended five fingers and said, "In three days, place this amount of money at your gate. Naturally, a celestial being will come to collect it, and the goat spirit will no longer dare to come. When the celestial being comes for the money, you must not peek."
After saying this, the filthy old woman walked out of the courtyard without looking back.
My grandfather slumped to the ground, crying as he said, "What a sin! I have to take out all my savings."
My aunt approached him and cried, "Dad, forget about the money; our lives are more important."
My grandfather nodded as if resigned to his fate. "It can only be this way."
He then said, "Wen He, your mother died under unnatural circumstances and cannot be buried in the ancestral grave. Quickly go to the storage room and get some white cloth to wrap your mother's body for cremation."
My aunt hurriedly got up and retrieved white cloth from the storage room to wrap my grandmother's body. The ground was covered in blood, and the air was thick with its metallic scent.
My grandfather tossed a torch onto the dry wood, which immediately caught fire and consumed my grandmother's body. I saw her body moving as if struggling.
The fire crackled loudly.
I said, "Grandpa, look! The white cloth is moving."
My grandfather patted my head and replied, "You are mistaken; your grandmother is already dead."
It wasn't until early the next morning that the fire finally extinguished. After burning all night long, only a few bones remained of my grandmother's body. My aunt picked up her bones and placed them on the white cloth. She then used a hammer to crush the remaining bones before finally putting them into a jar.
My grandfather sold all the valuable items in our home and even dug out a wooden box from the yard. Inside the box were gold and silver jewelry, along with some cash.
With red eyes, my grandfather said, "Wen He, our family has saved these treasures over generations, and they were meant for you. But now, we have no choice but to part with them to avert disaster."
My aunt chimed in, "Dad, as long as we can get rid of that sheep spirit, it doesn't matter how much it costs."
In the blink of an eye, the third day arrived. My grandfather placed all the valuables at the entrance of our yard. He even turned off all the lights in the house, waiting for the celestial beings to come and collect the offerings.
I heard some noises outside and wanted to take a peek, but my grandfather pulled me back, forbidding me from looking out.
The next morning, my grandfather rushed to the entrance of the yard, only to find that all the money and valuables had vanished. A bell appeared on the gate, exactly like the dirty old bell that hung around the neck of that old hag.
My grandfather knelt down and bowed several times towards the bell, muttering, "The fairy has manifested; the fairy has manifested."
Passing by, Uncle Li chuckled and asked, "Old man, why are you bowing to a sheep's bell?"
My grandfather replied, "A sheep's bell?"
Uncle Li explained with a smile, "My brother raises sheep and hangs bells around their necks to prevent them from getting lost. I can't be mistaken."
My grandfather paused for a few seconds before responding, "This is not a sheep's bell. You, with your long hair and short knowledge, just go on your way."
Uncle Li's smile froze on his face; he mumbled a few words under his breath before leaving.
After Uncle Li departed, my grandfather took another careful look at the bell and said, "Fairy, please do not take offense."
From that day on, my grandfather prayed to the bell every day, and our home never encountered that sheep spirit again.
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