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Bedtime Dark Tales
墨書 Inktalez
If you go out to sea fishing and see a wooden boat calling for help at night, you must not approach it, for they are likely not human.
The story takes place on Lingshan Island in Qingdao, Shandong, told by an old man with the surname Li.
He is a fisherman on the island, and as he grew older, he handed over the fishing duties to his son, Liu Zhao.
Every day, Liu Zhao would take their fishing boat to nearby waters to catch fish, and the family relied on this for their livelihood. Since one person could not manage everything alone, he hired a local young man named Qingshan to work alongside him.
One day, while they were casting nets in the sea, Qingshan suddenly ran over and pointed into the distance for Liu Zhao to look. He had spotted a strange boat.
It was an old-fashioned small wooden boat, devoid of any motor or oars, drifting alone on the water. Three shadowy figures were waving at them from the boat, seemingly shouting for help, but both the people and their voices were indistinct, as if they were there yet not there.
Liu Zhao was kind-hearted, and those who navigated the seas often helped each other out, knowing that one day they might find themselves in danger.
He quickly returned to the cabin and started the engine, heading towards the distressed fishing boat.
But then something strange happened.
No matter how fast Liu Zhao drove his boat, he could not catch up to that powerless little vessel.
Worried about saving someone, Liu Zhao increased the power several times, yet that boat remained at the same distance from him.
Qingshan sensed something was off. Could there be something sinister at play?
"Liu Zhao" urged him not to overthink things; saving lives was the priority. If they encountered trouble in the future and others panicked, who would come to their aid?
Qingshan agreed.
Just as they were talking, the boat suddenly jolted violently, as if it had collided with something.
Peering over the edge, they realized that they had unknowingly drifted into a treacherous reef area.
The bottom of the boat had scraped against the rocks, but fortunately, the fishing vessel was light and reinforced with Iron Dragon Bone, so there was no water leaking in.
"Liu Zhao," having grown up in this sea region, was well-acquainted with its waters and couldn't fathom how they had ended up here.
They noticed a small wooden boat not far away that seemed to have stopped as well. The figures on board began calling out for help again, and this time they appeared closer, though the people still remained indistinct.
Eager to assist, and confident in their swimming abilities, "Liu Zhao" decided to swim over.
The waters around the reef were turbulent, but both were skilled swimmers and quickly approached the small boat. When they were only two meters away, they finally got a clear view and froze in shock. The wooden boat was riddled with holes and could barely stay afloat, while the figures on board were contorted in ways that did not resemble normal humans.
As the mist slowly cleared, they saw the horrifying truth: these were not people at all, but dismembered corpses.
Their bodies were covered in marine life, having presumably been submerged for an unknown period. Suddenly, both of them noticed a strange black liquid oozing from the corpses, flowing into the sea from the decaying wooden vessel. As soon as the black water touched the ocean, it surged toward them as if it were alive.
"Liu Zhao" realized they had encountered what the elders referred to as the Soul Snatching Boat. If they came into contact with that black water, it would mean certain death. He quickly grabbed Qingshan and swam back with all their might while the black water relentlessly pursued them.
As they swam to the reef, Liu Zhao's arm was cut by a shell growing on the rocks, and the pain slowed his swimming speed. By that time, Qingshan had already reached the side of the boat.
Liu Zhao felt a sharp pain at the wound, and then he sensed the dark water seeping into his veins, rushing toward his brain. Suddenly, everything went black, and he lost consciousness.
Qingshan climbed onto the boat and used a long fishing net pole to pull Liu Zhao up. With his somewhat unskilled boating skills, he managed to steer the boat out of the reef area.
Most fishing boats on the island were smeared with pig's blood before launching to ward off evil spirits, so the dark water did not follow them.
However, Liu Zhao remained in a coma, with one arm swollen alarmingly. It seemed like something was writhing beneath his skin. Qingshan bandaged it with white cloth strips but was unsure if it would be effective.
Old Man Li told us that the boat was haunted by vengeful spirits from the sea, seeking a substitute to claim souls, and that the dark water was transformed by malevolent ghosts from the ocean floor.
Many had died on its deck; Liu Zhao's life was spared, but one of his hands was still rendered useless.
After hearing the old man's tale, we took him back home.
Inside the house, we saw a young man with bandages wrapped around his hand; I guessed he must be Old Man Li's son.
As we were leaving, Old Man Li walked us to the door and invited us to come for dinner whenever we returned to the island.
Ling Shan Island remained beautiful yet exuded an air of mystery; perhaps there were many more stories waiting for us to explore.
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