Night of the Hungry Ghosts

'Ready?' Irman and the rest of the group were at my door ready to go fishing.

The Malay boys had been my students, now my friends. We had gone on a number of little expeditions, and as an expatriate I had learned first hand so many things about local culture and beliefs.

We all got into Samsul's Land Cruiser; as a rule I sat in the front. It was only 8 p.m., and yet it looked like a semi curfew on the roads. We hardly encountered a vehicle on our way. But that did not mean that there was nobody around. As we drove along we saw on both sides of the road Chinese men, women and children praying at the gates of their houses, of construction sites and of the Civil Hospital. They were praying in circles, and within their circles candles were lit in circles and a variety of food and fruit placed in-between. It was 15 August and the moon was full, the most important and feared day of the Hungry Ghosts Festival. Samsul explained to me, 'According to the Chinese calendar, this year the month of August is the time for the Hungry Ghosts Festival. In this month the gates of hell are thrown open and all the evil ghosts, kept hungry all the year long, are set free. They can make a lot of mischief and lead anyone astray. That is why very few Chinese venture to leave their homes after dusk during this month. But the 15th is potentially the most dangerous night of the Hungry Ghosts Month because it is only on this night that the ghosts can eat or drink. They might actually be looking for prey tonight. That's why you will not find a single Chinese on the street on this night. The only way to avoid the maliciousness and destructiveness of these hungry ghosts this night is to make them edible offerings and also burn candles because candlelight gives them a feel of heavenly lights. Nine years ago many Chinese were killed on this day when seven construction sites in different places in Kuala Tilong collapsed. Special offerings are made on all the sites where Chinese are working or supervising or which they own.'

'But why are people praying near the emergency ward of the Civil Hospital?' I asked.

'Actually the morgue is near the emergency ward, and the Chinese are praying there. It is believed that since not all ghosts can be fed on the night of the 15th, on the last night of the Month some ghosts sneak into morgues and take away corpses so that they could smuggle them into hell. Some ultra-superstitious Chinese believe that apart from stealing corpses from morgues, some ghosts kidnap people to keep them company in hell till the next Hungry Ghosts Month. But you can imagine what happens to the kidnapped. That's why many Chinese doctors and nurses would like to go on leave on the last night of the Month,' Irman added.

'No wonder the roads are empty. But what has happened to the non-Chinese?' I asked.

'Everyone is cautious today. It is believed that if today you are driving at night, a ghost can all of a sudden appear in front of your car as a child or a woman, which can cause an accident. The Chinese even stay away from water sources tonight because they believe that today the hungry ghosts drink water from rivers, springs and waterfalls' said Haji Kai.

'The Chinese ghosts are out these days,' Marzuki said.

'How long will they remain free?' I asked.

'Only for one month, and then back to hell,' replied Fadzli. 'Can we ever know when an evil spirit is around?' I asked.

'No, they can assume any shape. They can appear as your friend, wife, child, or a beautiful woman----anything---- and lead you to a terrible consequence,' Fadzli told me.

The route was very tortuous and hilly. Yussbi was uncharacteristically quiet and drinking beer. After snaking through the suburban jungle we reached our destination. The parking lot was situated near the foot of the Old Buddhist Graveyard, which was actually a hill dotted with white graves that had reached down to the parking. There was no graveyard boundary there.

'People in Tilong usually avoid staying close to a graveyard. Why are we here, especially today?' I asked.

'This is a blessed graveyard and nothing bad has ever happened to anybody here,' Haji answered. ' In fact, it has become a sort of good luck symbol for people. They say if you have any trouble and light a candle here, the trouble will be gone. Hundreds of people come to catch fish at this point and they never return without having caught a lot of fish. This is a special graveyard, one that does not inspire fear, but respect. And you know Buddhism is all about non-violence.'

The Graveyard was a strange sight that day. The worshippers had gone after placing innumerable offerings. A number of candles were still burning in circles, and it was a view worth remembering: From the top to the bottom an incense-filled flickering pattern was cascading down to foothill. 'If I were a hungry ghost, I would be pleased with the offerings,' I thought. I found myself comfortable there.

We got out of the jeep. Yussbi went straight to the foothill and started peeing while standing and drinking beer. He must have wetted a grave or two.

'Not here!' Irman shouted.

'I am only watering the ground; you know it has not rained in Tilong for a week,' he replied. Then he leaned forward and picked an apple from an offering and blew out a couple of candles.

I found Yussbi's act funny, but the boys were upset. Haji Kai suggested we leave because 'Yussbi's stupidity will bring troubles to all of us.' But we decided to stay.

There were very few people on the riverbank, and they seemed to be fishing half-heartedly. I did not see any Chinese there. I looked back and saw the Old Graveyard. It seemed to be slightly shaking with faint flickers. No one was paying attention to it. We had a rod each. It was going very slow. The water was almost still, and the sky was overcast and dark. About five hundred meters away in front of us, right in the middle, was the vast expanse of the famous Kampong Ayer, the water village, where more than thirty thousand people lived with all the modern amenities of life. The music and the karaoke being played in the Kampong were audible and once in a while one could make sense of some of the songs and rock-n-roll music.

The multi-colored Kampong lights in front of us had made it starry. I walked around a few times to see other people's progress on their catch.

Suddenly Haji Kai gave a big shout. We all ran to him in excitement. He was slowly pulling the fishing line. Apparently he had caught a fish.

It was about three inches long (or small) fish, but no one had seen that kind of thing before. Irman put his torch to it for a better view. Its upper part did not match its lower part: It appeared that nature had patched two incompatible parts together.

'It might be something supernatural. Pull the hook and throw it back into the water,' said Samsul tentatively.

Fadzli brought pliers with which I caught the fish. Irman produced his pliers and started trying to pull the hook that had cut through its jaw and was disappearing into its throat. Its mouth and eyes seemed to be stretched to their limit, and it appeared to me that all the pain it was experiencing had concentrated in its eyes. The poor creature must have been in terrible pain; it was alternating between violent flapping and then coming to a standstill.

We tried to pull the hook out, but it would not come. Yussbi suggested that it be thrown into the river along with the hook that had pierced its one jaw.

'That's inhuman, don't you think? It will die in pain. Either we pull the hook, or kill it and then throw it with the hook,' Haji Kai said.

'What if it is really something supernatural? Better take the hook off,' Irman said.

But Yussbi cut the line with scissors and then kicked the fish back into the river, and said with a semi-drunk laugh, 'It was actually an evil spirit.'

'Shut up Yussbi!'

All of them shouted in unison.

Yussbi was not amused after he looked around and found that some people nearby had heard the shut-up. 'I don't care. You all go to hell. I don't care a damn about the ghosts and evil spirits. You are cowards,' he said throwing the beer can into the river.

After that Yussbi turned towards the Graveyard and shouted, 'Come down you ghosts! I will kick you back to hell!'

He kept on raving and drinking beer. At one point he even peed into the river to spite us but we had stopped paying him attention. It was now two in the morning. We were the only group left on the bank. A drizzle had started with lightning, but it was not bad. After a few minutes we decided to return and started towards Samsul's jeep. Yussbi ran quickly ahead of us and settled himself on the front seat.

Failure to catch a single fish had dampened our mood. As we were slowly meandering down the road, we saw a woman walking on the left side in front of us. Samsul slowed down to have a look. She was unbelievably beautiful!

'She is a beauty queen!' Irman immediately declared.

"By God, she is!" said Haji Kai.

'Stop!'" Yussbi shouted. Maybe it was meant both for the woman and Samsul. But Samsul did not stop, nor did she; and slowly, extremely slowly, we passed by her.

From head to foot God had created her with utmost care. She was wearing a black mini skirt and a sleeveless blouse, which had exposed her body a great deal, and yet she did not look vulgar. She was unusually white. She was A Chinese, whose beauty was breath taking. She was walking a catwalk but far more slowly than a model, and there was an uncanny feline panache about her gait. Her lips were blood red with lipstick. Her right cheek was to our side and her left-hand palm was covering her left cheek as if she was thinking deeply regardless of where she was at that time of the night. Yussbi tucked his trunk out the window, threw his last beer can toward her, and shouted, 'Come girl I am waiting!'

She did not even look at us and kept on walking the same slow, indifferent catwalk. And before we could enter the next turn in the road , Yussbi stretched his arm and made a four-letter sign to her.

'You have no shame!' Irman thundered.

'What is a woman doing here at this time?' Samsul stuttered in wonder.

'Waiting for me!' Yussbi answered with a grin.

No one could answer Yussbi as Samsul had put full pressure on the accelerator in panic. Irman and Fadzli immediately buttoned up the side windows. Suddenly an uneasy calm was prevalent in the jeep...

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'Yussbi has not been home for three days. His parents are very worried'

Irman phoned me four days after our trip to the river. 'Where could have he gone?' I wondered.

Although Kuala Tilong was the capital of the State of Tilong, it was a small city. Every local knew the other. In that part of the world, no secret could remain a secret beyond two days. 'How come one could successfully hide in this city?' I wondered. 'But then why would Yussbi hide?'

Haji Latif, Yussbi's father, and ourselves made every effort to locate him. For three days we searched for him like mad. Even the police did everything to find him. Yussbi was not the type of person who would go away without telling anyone. Moreover, he had never been outside the city without Irman's or Samsul's company. It had been one full week since Yussbi's disappearance. One night Haji Latif phoned me. He wanted me to reach Tasek Lama next morning. I drove to Tasek Lama, an uninhabited lakeside area. Haji Latif was waiting with the boys for me there. He had made an appointment with a bomoh, a local witch doctor.

The bomoh's name was Phuat, and he belonged to an almost extinct aboriginal race. We entered his candle-lit room in which pots and paintings of strange kinds were scattered all around. A human skull was resting on the table along with an empty glass jar. Soon a rainstorm started outside, rocking the room; constant thunder and lightning were making an impact around us. It seemed the ceiling would cave in anytime. After listening to us about Yussbi, the bomoh closed his eyes, and went into a deep study. After some time he opened his eyes and began, 'I'm confused. To find out what happened to Yussbi, one of you who were on the river that night will have to go there at the earliest. Go there around midnight. I shall give you a few words to recite. Look into it while reciting the words. Try to look into the area where you threw the fish. One more thing: paint your face before looking into the river.'

'Why?' I asked.

'That is for your own safety. Maybe you come across a very malicious spirit in the river, which can memorize your face and hurt you then or later,' he replied.

'What will happen after reciting your words?' I asked again.

'I don't know; but that will lead you to a very definite clue to Yussbi,' he said.

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Irmin, Haji Kai, Fadzli, Samsul and Marzuki frankly refused to go back to the river. I had no choice but to take a chance myself. It was well past midnight and the day was 21 August. When I arrived there with my painted face, I saw some people fishing but at a distance from my destination. I parked my car near the Graveyard. It was total dark there as there were no candles burning. The sky was littered with black and white clouds; the half moon would peep off and on for a little making darkness more pronounced than before in either case. I felt as if I was on the ground of a silent stadium and the dimly visible white graves were spectators looking at the spectacle and waiting for something to happen. I went to the point where we had been fishing on 15 August. The bomoh had written seven words that I had memorized. He had written them in the Malay script but they were not Malay words, nor were they Chinese. In fact I had never come across those words; but I had memorized them thoroughly. The Kampong Ayer lights were there as before, but the music was absent because it was Friday night, a night of prayer for Muslims. I lay on the riverbank; my neck was jutting out over the water, the rest of my body was on the ground. I was extremely frightened when I looked into the river. I could not see anything, as it was complete dark. The only thing I could hear was murmurs of the water. I kept on reciting the seven words. I don't remember how long. Slowly I was losing consciousness. In that state I saw a well-decorated room whose furniture seemed exquisite, and there were life-size paintings hanging on the wall. There were two dots shaking in the forefront but distant enough to be invisible. Then the zoom started to zero in on the dots. Slowly but steadily the dots started to assume human shape. The zoom moved on and I saw Yussbi lying on the red-carpeted floor. The other character sitting next to him was the same beautiful Chinese woman we had seen on 15 August. Both of them were wearing the clothes that they were wearing on the 15 August night. Yussbi's eyes and mouth were wide open and there was a hook pierced through his left side and was disappearing into his throat. He must have been in terrible pain as his entire body was alternating between violent flapping and then coming to a standstill. The woman stood up, and started her self-same catwalk around Yussbi. She was carrying a set of pliers in her hand. After taking a few rounds she went on her knees and started pulling the hook from Yussbi's jaw; it would not come out. She tried again. Yussbi started to flap in pain. All his pain seemed to have welled up in his eyes. That continued for some time. Then the woman went up to the phone and started dialing a number. She spoke in a language that I did not know. Behind her there was written DIRECTORY in big letters, and next to it in equally big words was written 819559...'

I don't remember how long I remained in reverie. It must have taken me hours because when I came to, it was early in the morning. The events of the last night were unfolding themselves very slowly to me. I was in total confusion; my powers of analysis and understanding were suspended. Then like a flash of lightning all I had seen into the river came to my mind and with that I got all my faculties back. I instinctively knew that the number was important. It was pre-dawn time. I rushed home and phoned Irman. Later in the day we went to the Telecommunications Department to find out the address of 819559. The record clerk there gave us the address of the house. We also found out that the owner, a Chinese, had long left the country, and to all intents and purposes the house did not belong to anyone.

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Irman suggested I ask bomoh Phuat for help. He also told me that he would be very busy with his father for a few days and would not be able to see me. I understood what he wanted and left him alone. Next day I saw bomoh Phuat and told him everything in detail. After thinking deep for a long while he said that Yussbi had fallen a victim to a hungry ghost who on the night of 15 August had posed as a Chinese beauty. He said that the ghost had kept Yussbi in the house that I had seen into the river, and that he could still be rescued if I was willing to take on the ghost. He also said that only I could take that risk as I had already taken a bold step by looking into the river to find out Yussbi's whereabouts. 'You should enter the house on 31 August at night time. On this night the hungry ghosts are terrified because they will be sucked up into hell before the September 1 sunrise. They are powerful till 12 midnight and after that up to before sunrise, they are no more harmful than ordinary humans. But you must reach Yussbi before midnight, or he will go to hell along with all the hungry ghosts.'

'What will I have to do? Again paint my face and recite some words?' I asked.

'Something like that. You should not be wearing any clothes. Paint your face in as many colors as you can. Wear A cat-skin cap on your head. Put different bird feathers and pieces of animal hide on your body. The idea is to confuse the ghost. She must not be able to identify whether you are a human, an animal or a bird. You have to put on a brave show. Your slightest gesture or attitude can betray your identity, and then you are also hell-bound. If she fails to recognize you, she will not do anything to you because ghosts cannot harm someone if they are confused about them. Actually confusion frightens and sometimes even drives them away. And remember, never look back at any stage.'

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It was night time and completely dark. There was no other house nearby, though the Civil Hospital was not far away. My face and body were a montage of countless types of feathers, pieces of animal hide and colors. I parked my car near the house, lit my torch and started proceeding towards the house. Suddenly I heard stealthy steps behind me, and they seemed to be catching up with me.

'Aye!' it was Yussbi groaning in pain behind me. 'I am lying here! Help me!'

I stopped startled and then immediately a cat howled extremely loudly as if into my ear. I did not look back. I ignored everything and reached the house without looking back. There was tall grass and thick foliage starting from the gate of the house and leading in. Frogs and crickets were making a lot of noise. A couple of times I found myself treading on snails. I said all my prayers and asked for God's forgiveness for my sins and lunged forward.

The front door was not locked. I entered the house. All the lights were on. I switched off my torch. Everything seemed to be soaked in dust, and the dust smell was sharp. I did not see anything significant in what must have been the living room. I entered the next room that was very dimly lit. It was not exactly a room; it was something like a big hall that did not have a floor but a grassy turf. There was an unusually long mud grave there and a woman with long flowing hair was sitting beside it, her back toward me. I stepped ahead for a better view. At that moment she turned back, and I was totally taken aback to find that she was the same Chinese beauty we had seen on the 15 August night. She was close enough for me to see how beautiful she was. Before I could move forward she started speaking. First she spoke as if she was chirping; then howling; then grunting, and it went on and on and she kept on changing her voice. I was totally puzzled till she said in Malay, 'Who are you?'

I was about to answer her but I was instinctively held back. I realized that she was a ghost who had been speaking in different ways in order to know what creature I was. I kept quiet while she kept on speaking in different ways and probably in different languages. I felt that as she was speaking her face was slowly becoming distorted. Then she started inching towards me screaming in fury; I saw her hands were pointed towards me with very long crooked nails. She was posing as if she would pluck my eyes. I was unable to move with fright. She started to walk slowly towards me like a zombie, and I started to recede to the wall. She straightened her arms to me, still walking. Suddenly the front door opened with a bang; it was a good opportunity for me to run out. By now she was almost on me. I was sure she would tear me apart. Within a second she had walked through me as if she was made of air! That emboldened me a great deal. I once again started to proceed to other parts of the house. Suddenly the lights were gone; it was completely dark. Before I could grope for my torch, innumerable candles lit up all around me, and I found myself in the room where I had seen the grave. Then a very strange looking and long-bearded creature carrying a human skull in one hand and a candle in the other stepped out of the grave. Apparently he was unaware of my existence. I must confess that I was unable to think or move for fear and if I had been able to think an iota I would make for the door. Then all of a sudden he jumped towards me and in one go he was examining me from head to foot. He was so close that I could smell putrescence coming from him. Soon he started moving around me taking steps backwards. After a while he ran out of the room, and I was left alone. There was a sudden, prolonged silence.

I went to an adjacent room. I recognized it immediately as I had seen it into the river. I also recognized Yussbi who was lying in front of me. There was a hook pierced into his cheek, but there was little blood. I rushed to him and felt his pulse. He was alive! I started loading him on my shoulder and while doing so half of what I was wearing came off. 'Oh!' I uttered and there she was standing right in front of me!

'At last I recognize you! You have come to rescue Yussbi!' she said.

I was lost for words. I knew I had met my Waterloo.

'But I did not insult you or the dead,' I tentatively replied.

'Yussbi will go to hell; so will you,' she said furiously.

'I have never hurt anybody in my life,' I was very frightened but I had a strange and forceful urge to keep on talking.

She did not reply. There was a long pause.

'Why don't you appear in your original shape?' I asked.

'Because you will die of fright.'

'I shall not.'

'Ok; let's see,' she said and then lifted her arms and then brought them down with a jerk. With that there was a great noise and everything started shaking. I felt all the objects around me were flying. She screamed, 'Let me show you what I am!'

The quake went on for a while. Then she raised her arms and her face started to change into something like the longish face of a bear minus the hide. Then there came out two very long fangs from her mouth. Her eyes became big and oblong, and full of fury. Her body was also changing into a weird shape that I cannot describe, as I had never, nor have since, seen anything like that before. She was staring at me and seemed about to charge. Before I could utter a scream, there was a big sound of glass cracking. At that she uttered a scream, fell to the floor, and when she got up she had been transformed into a frail, stooping structure of bones and skin. She had lost even her face and it was now a dim reminder of an ageless human skull with a skin covering. She was shaking all over. Her eyes were staring at me from the two sockets. It suddenly flashed through my mind that it was past midnight!

I screamed with joy. Her magic was gone! Her mouth was open and she seemed unable to think. Suddenly she made a desperate dash and slapped my face. I fell to the ground. She jumped and landed on me chest and started striking me hard, though not hard enough to put me down. I pushed her off and stood up. Before I could balance myself she punched me on the mouth. I automatically put me hand to lips and felt blood there. She again made a dash and before she could reach me I jumped into the air and with all the power I had, struck her a kick in her belly and she was on the floor, screaming. She got up immediately and rushed forward at me. We were fighting tooth and nail. She was fighting extremely furiously hitting me hard, making my mouth bleed. Whenever I hit her, my hands would strike against bones, and hurt me. Suddenly I caught sight of an iron bar nearby. I pushed her aside, got hold of the bar and hit her with all my power. She fell to the ground like a heavy weight, unable to move. I put Yussbi on my shoulder and started running out. I came out of the house. I could hear her shouts, but I did not look back. I was running towards the Civil Hospital. On my way I could feel cars around, and there were some confused noise and screams too. But I was running fast, feeling blood trickling down from my mouth. Soon I was in the emergency room. As I rushed towards the counter, there was a sudden frightful melee there. As Yussbi was on my shoulder, I was not getting the complete view of the situation. In that total confusion I could only hear fitful shouting "Hungry Ghost!" "Stolen a corpse!" "Eaten!" "Kidnap!" and "Run!" It was only after a while that I realized that all the doctors and nurses----Chinese and others----there had started screaming at seeing me. The four Chinese nurses had fainted on seeing a "hungry ghost" who after having sucked blood from corpses in the morgue had stolen one and was carrying it away to hell. They feared that the ghost would carry them also to hell for his company till the next Hungry Ghosts Month. But that's a long time ago now.

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