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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Eighteen Ghostly Affairs
This story comes from my grandmother, who is the second child in her family, so she is also called Er Ya. When Er Ya was only seven or eight years old, Second Grandpa passed away. For Er Ya, who had never been educated, there was not much understanding of death; instead, there was a bit of joy because funerals usually involve a feast, and the sight of a table full of food was very tempting for Er Ya.
The day after Second Grandpa died, the house was filled with people as tomorrow would be the day to go up the mountain. The entire Village came to help prepare a banquet to thank others. Second Grandpa was laid out in the Rural Hall, supported by two benches with a coffin placed on top. The body had already been placed in the coffin. The lid of the coffin was closed, and on top of it burned a Clear Oil Lamp, also known as the Lifeline Lamp. In common terms, it is referred to as "lighting the brain fire." Once this Oil Lamp is lit, it cannot be extinguished and must remain lit until the funeral. According to legend, this lamp is lit because the deceased's body has not yet cooled down, and there are many wandering souls in the world; this lamp serves as a signal to let them know that this corpse belongs to someone. If the lamp goes out, those wandering souls may take possession of the body, which is commonly referred to as Borrowing a Corpse to Return to Life. Another purpose of lighting this lamp is based on the belief that after death, there remains a breath within the chest; lighting the lamp is meant to guide that breath away. Therefore, that night, the Spirit Hall had to be guarded by a Daoist Priest, both to ensure that the lamp did not go out and to prevent any cats, dogs, or mice from passing over the Corpse. If an animal were to cross over the coffin, it would disturb that breath within the corpse's chest, leading to what is known as corpse resurrection.
Second Grandpa lay in the coffin with his head against the wall facing the Main Entrance. In front of the coffin was a platform built by a Daoist Priest, where incense and candles were burned. A group of priests stood before that platform beating gongs and chanting incomprehensible words. Outside the Main Entrance, several relatives of Er Ya knelt.
Being still young, no one made Er Ya kneel before Grandfather, so he played happily with his friends from the village. The priests in the Main Hall sang and danced until midnight. By then, most people had left, and seeing that it was almost time to sleep, the Daoist Priest prepared to rest. The entire house was brightly lit, leaving only Er Ya's Father and a few villagers to keep watch.
Er Ya had already been called inside by his sister to sleep. After playing all day, he quickly fell asleep upon lying down. He did not know how long he slept when he dreamt of his Grandfather. In the dream, Grandfather held him and spun him around a few times before telling Er Ya to inform his father that the Lifeline Lamp had gone out.
Upon waking up, since it was what Grandfather said, he went to find his Father. At that moment, Er Ya's Father was engrossed in playing cards at a table. Er Ya ran up to him and relayed what Grandfather had said. As soon as he heard this while holding onto his mahjong tile, Er Ya's Father dropped it onto the table and rushed into the Main Hall. Indeed, that Clear Oil Lamp had gone out; all the oil inside had burned away.
Feeling anxious for this unprecedented situation, he hurried into the kitchen to find more oil. When he returned, he heard loud banging sounds as if someone was lifting and dropping the coffin lid repeatedly. It should be noted that this coffin had not yet been nailed shut because they still needed to see it one last time before burial.
In the darkness of night, those sounds carried far away. A few young men outside playing mahjong rushed into the house only to see that coffin lid being lifted and then crashing down again with loud thuds. Holding onto that Oil Lamp, Er Ya's Father stood frozen in shock; several young men who had never seen such a thing were so frightened they wet their pants and turned to run away.
The coffin lid had fallen irregularly and was now partially off the coffin, revealing what lay inside: there lay Second Grandpa, his face pale blue, dressed in black funeral garments with wide-open eyes. His pupils were not those of a living person but rather lifeless grayish-white ones. His hands kept reaching upward as if trying to lift that coffin lid which kept crashing down.
Er Ya's Father shouted at the coffin—words like "Father, you are dead; can't you just leave peacefully?"—but still, that coffin lid continued its loud banging. In his mind raced thoughts of what to do next; seeing the gong in the Spirit Hall, he remembered there was still a Daoist Priest at home. Without caring whether he was asleep or awake, he hurriedly pulled him up and dragged him toward the Spirit Hall.
The Daoist Priest saw the coffin and immediately turned to run outside. The coffin lid fell with a loud bang onto the ground, and then Second Grandpa flipped over and fell to the ground, quickly getting back up. He opened his mouth to reveal a set of rotten teeth, and a long, pale tongue stretched out as his head drooped forward. With both hands outstretched, he attempted to choke Er Ya's Father. Er Ya's Father was so frightened that he was stunned, and he was grabbed tightly. The strength in those hands was immense, causing Er Ya's Father's eyes to roll back, unable to breathe. Just as he felt he was about to die, his survival instinct kicked in, and he kicked at the corpse's groin. In an instant, Er Ya's Father felt like he had kicked a piece of wood, the pain so intense that he couldn't even cry out, his face turning beet red. The corpse raised its hands effortlessly and lifted Er Ya's Father off the ground, leaving him dangling in the air, unable to breathe and flailing his legs.
The Daoist Priest returned, holding a large bundle of ropes. He tied a knot and looped it around the corpse's neck, then pulled hard backward, bringing the corpse crashing down to the ground. However, Second Grandpa still wouldn't let go and continued choking Er Ya's Father. Er Ya's Father's face turned purple; if this continued, he would be choked to death. The Daoist Priest tied the rope to a pillar in the Main Hall and began prying at the corpse's hands. Er Ya's Father felt like his neck was breaking but at least could breathe again.
The Daoist Priest then tightly bound Second Grandpa to the pillar while allowing him to struggle against it. Once Er Ya's Father caught his breath, he asked the Daoist Priest what was happening. The Daoist Priest explained that because there was still breath left in Second Grandpa’s chest that hadn't been burned away by the oil lamp—since it had gone out at midnight—some animal had passed by above and caused him to rise from the dead. However, it was fine; they just needed to let him exhaust that breath.
Second Grandpa kept biting at the ropes in an attempt to free himself; his expression was terrifying, with flesh showing a dark blue hue and a tongue hanging out of his mouth. His grayish-white eyes were desperately trying to look outside as the ropes creaked under strain. As they struggled into the early hours of the morning, the corpse finally collapsed on the ground motionless. The Daoist Priest picked up the corpse and placed it back into the coffin before sealing it shut and relighting the oil lamp.
The next day, everything proceeded normally for the funeral. After it concluded, the Daoist Priest collected his payment and left Er Ya's home. Er Ya's Father lay in bed for a whole day and night before finally recovering enough to prepare for the first seven days.
The first seven days refer to the seventh day after a person's death when their spirit is believed to return home. The family prepares a meal for the deceased and then goes to sleep; if the deceased sees their family members, they may become reluctant to reincarnate. Thus, sleeping is considered the best way to avoid disturbing them.
On this first seven days, a bamboo pole needs to be set up in the Main Hall with several roof tiles removed from above it. Many paper money offerings are attached to this bamboo pole because spirits cannot enter through doors meant for living people; doing so would bring deathly energy that is harmful to the living. Instead, they are supposed to climb up along the bamboo pole and descend through gaps in the roof tiles into the Main Hall.
On this first seven days, Er Ya's Father prepared food and placed it in the Main Hall while also setting up bamboo poles and roof tiles along with burning plenty of offerings before finally lying down with his family.
Er Ya's Father couldn't sleep at all; he just lay there staring blankly at the ceiling until midnight when he heard bamboo poles rolling at the door causing tiles to clatter loudly. Soon after, he heard clear sounds coming from above in the Main Hall as tiles shifted. Crouched under his blanket, Er Ya's Father didn't dare lift his head. After some time, Er Ya woke up needing to urinate and started complaining about it loudly. Er Ya's Father quickly covered her mouth and told her not to speak while urinating inside. When she refused and began crying instead, he had no choice but quietly carry her outside.
As she urinated, Er Ya told her father that she saw someone standing at their door. Er Ya's Father saw nothing but urged her not to speak about it. Ignoring him, she insisted that four tall figures were standing outside their door wearing long robes and holding a tattered black umbrella.
Er Ya's Father was greatly frightened; holding Er Ya close, he hurried back inside. However, as she clung tightly to him, she bit him on his chest hard enough that tears sprang from his eyes. He turned to look at her only to hear her say: "You little rascal! I told you nicely to take care of that oil lamp but you ignored me! A mouse ran across that coffin while you were playing mahjong without even noticing! Now I'm being dragged by that Daoist Priest!" She continued: "The Ghost Messenger said my body is incomplete because I died wrongfully; they're sending me off to Wangsi City." The voice wasn't even Er Ya’s but rather Second Grandpa’s voice.
After finishing her words, Er Ya slapped her father across the face repeatedly until she had vented her anger with over ten slaps. Though hurt by this treatment, Er Ya's Father dared not complain but only asked what could be done about it. He suggested burning more offerings since that Ghost Messenger was waiting at their door; perhaps if they prepared a good meal with some money for them as well, they might be able to help him reincarnate after all.
Er Ya fell asleep after speaking, and Er Ya's Father came into the room to wake up Er Ya's Mother. He set a table with good wine and dishes, placing four pairs of chopsticks and bowls. After that, he went to the Main Hall to burn paper. The paper ignited, and the smoke spiraled upwards. Er Ya's Father knew this meant his father was receiving money from the other side, so he kept burning paper money until he had burned all the paper money in the house.
Er Ya's Father thought this should be enough, but there was no way to ask, so he went to sleep. Lying in bed, he lost track of time and vaguely saw Second Grandpa walking out with four men in black. The four men were indeed taller than average, wearing long black robes and holding a tattered Oilcloth Umbrella. Second Grandpa walked among them, turned back halfway, smiled at him, and then disappeared down the road. (The End)
This story then took place in our village. One of my father's cousins passed away; he died on the fifth day of the ninth month in 1959. In our area, there is a custom that when someone dies, they must be kept at home for a few days before burial, and a Daoist Priest must be invited to perform rituals. We also need to hold a banquet. After his death, the whole village came to mourn him (as we are basically one big family). He died on the fifth day of September, and according to custom, after death, the body must be moved to the Living Room, where someone must keep watch over it every day.
At that time, there was no electricity, and fearing decomposition, someone had to fan the body 24 hours a day. On the sixth day, they had to invite a Mage. In our area, we still practice burial; the Mage would say which day was suitable for burial. When the Mage arrived, he said they had to wait until the tenth day for burial. The villagers took turns keeping watch during this time. The Mage performed several rituals each day until the morning of the tenth day when the villagers placed him in a coffin. The deceased looked as if he had just died; there was no discoloration or decay at all. With a command from the Mage, they sealed the coffin, and the Villagers carried it up the mountain for burial (there were at least one or two hundred people on that day).
As they were carrying it, suddenly there was a sound from inside the coffin as if someone was knocking on it. Some of the timid ones ran away in fright.
A few brave young men opened the coffin, and the deceased sat up immediately. Logically speaking, after five days of being dead, one should have perished; five days without food or drink or breathing is impossible for a human. But when the villagers opened the coffin, that person sat up. The Villagers stepped back in shock. His first words were asking where they were taking him and what had happened to him, leaving everyone confused.
Later, according to what he said, during those days he felt light all over as if he had been walking for a long time. Eventually, he reached the entrance of Yama's Hall, where Yama told him that his lifespan was not yet over and sent him back. Afterward, he lived for several more years.
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