Did We See A Ghost?

Part 1

The 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar has come round once again and frankly, it’s one month of the year that I dread most. This month heralds in the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts and if you know the story behind this festival, then you’ll know why I’d rather be away from the temple at this time!

For the benefit of those who are new to this festival … it is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of Hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander about to seek food on Earth. The Chinese celebrate this festival to remember their dearly departed family members and offer them food to appease them and ward off bad luck.

The temple has a columbarium near the prayer hall and this is one part of the temple I always avoid, especially at night…! The nuns spend a lot of time making the necessary preparations and reciting prayers for those who come to pay respects to their deceased ones. I stay in the kitchen most of the time and sometimes in the garden with Lao-Tze, though by 8 p.m. I’m back in my basket, with my blanket thrown over my head! Ning, who stays outside the temple, often asks me whether I hear things that go bump in the night…! So far I have not and hopefully will not!

Last night it rained heavily and of course that made the whole scenario creepier. Ning was held back after dinner and could not return to his hangout and asked whether he could snooze with me for the night. Well, I didn’t have the heart to say “No” and although it was a tight squeeze in my basket, with my small blanket stretched over two cold bodies, I somewhat welcomed the extra company. We chatted a while and before long, we fell asleep….that is until a loud crash sounded in the kitchen!

We both jumped out of our skins and were literally shaking from head to foot. My first thought was to run but with Ning in the way, I could not budge. So the next best alternative was to remain in the basket with my blanket over our heads. After a while, when there were no more sounds, we fearfully peeped from behind the blanket. It was pitch dark. The wind was howling away and the shadows of the trees on the walls swung to and fro, as though manipulated by an unseen hand. Then Ning screamed. Something was moving around the kitchen and was heading towards us! We both lay frozen in the basket, our hearts thumping so loudly that we were sure the whole world could hear us.

In normal circumstances, when I’m afraid, I would start chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum” but on this occasion, my tongue refused to move. It felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth. Ning was shaking like a leaf and making weird noises which sounded like he was dying. Then suddenly my blanket flew off our heads, we screamed and …well, we must have fainted because when we came to, we saw Head Nun peering at us.

“Are you two alright? You both look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“We did!” We yelled together.

Head Nun laughed. “Sorry to disappoint you guys but what you probably saw was only me. I had left my spectacles on the table after dinner and came back to look for them. I didn’t want to disturb you two by switching on the light as you were both snoring away so blissfully! That crash you heard was when I accidentally knocked over that huge pan from the stove. Ghosts! Really! You two must have been dreaming.”

“Y-y-you mean we didn’t see a ghost?”

“Of course not! There are no ghosts here. Now go back to sleep. Silly cats!” She put the blanket back over us and left.

Well, Head Nun isn’t always right, so to be on the safe side, Ning kept his eyes tightly shut and lay like he had been turned to stone. As for me, well, I found it difficult to get back to sleep. It was still raining and I fervently wished dawn would quickly come. I must have finally fallen asleep somewhere along the way because when dawn broke, I found I was alone in my basket. Ning had left. I wondered whether he would be back.

Part 2

When breakfast time came around, Ning walked in looking very tired. His eyelids were drooping from lack of sleep but he was very hungry and lapped up everything in a trice. “I may not be coming to the temple the next few days,” he told me. Poor chap! He certainly looked like he HAD seen a ghost! I was tempted to ask whether I could stay with him temporarily in his hangout until the 7th month was over but he did not offer, and I didn’t want to impose, so I left it at that.

After the harrowing experience the night before, I began to worry when it became dark. It would be too cold to sleep in the garden and I really didn’t have any other place to go to. I thought of Cousin Li but I hadn’t a clue where he was staying. I hadn’t seen him for something like three months. Head Nun saw me sitting there and said, “Okay, okay, you can sleep in my room from tonight onwards,” and walked away. How the heck did she know what I was thinking? “Thank you, thank you,” I meowed after her.

Head Nun’s room is pretty small but that’s considered a luxury for a nun. She has only a narrow bed, a small writing desk and an equally small cupboard to hang her two or three robes. She placed my basket at the foot of her bed and said “Goodnight”. I settled down and listened to her as she chanted a few mantras until she fell asleep.

Bless you, Head Nun, I whispered. The hungry ghosts may be stalking the grounds of the temple but why fear when Head Nun is here.....