When I was in middle school, I was cornered by an upperclassman who was in charge of enforcing school rules because of my hairstyle.... more>>

“Hey, your bangs can't go past your eyebrows. Who's your homeroom teacher?” she asked.

I looked at her with some difficulty, hesitated for a while, and then revealed the third eye on my forehead.

“Senior, let me explain…”

“Ah—”

That day, the senior's terrified scream echoed throughout the entire school.

Later, I heard that the senior went home on leave due to mental breakdown. <<less

My childhood friend drowned when we were in elementary school.... more>>

On the day of his cremation, I remembered how much he loved roasted sweet potatoes, so I placed two in his coffin. Then I realized, sweet potatoes need to be cooked before you can eat them, he wouldn't be able to eat them raw.

The people at the crematorium told me that once it went inside, the potatoes would be roasted, and my friend would be able to eat them hot.

And then…the smell of roasted sweet potatoes wafted out from the crematorium furnace.

That night, as I slept, I kept feeling someone pulling on my braid, calling me “Old Six” in my ear.

The only person who would do that was my childhood friend, but he was gone.

It must have been a dream, yes, it must have been. <<less

The mentally challenged girl next door, left alone while her parents were out, accidentally touched an electrical outlet and was burned to a crisp.... more>>

That night, I was sleeping soundly when I felt something heavy on my blanket.

A shadowy figure lay on my bed, muttering, “Uncle, let's play, Zhen'er~”

I realized then that it was Liang Zhen, the girl from next door who had died a few days ago. Today was her seventh night back.

“That... Liang Zhen, I'm Shen Tong. Did you get the wrong place?”

She seemed to realize her mistake and apologized with a smile, “Sorry.”

The next day, she got lost again.

Me: “...” <<less

My closet is home to three spirit tablets and a statue.... more>>

A drowned ghost, an old female ghost from the Republic of China, the vengeful spirit of a foolish girl, and a dark statue of a child.

One loves sweets, another loves spicy food, one foolishly forces me to sleep with her every night, and the other tries every trick in the book to possess me.

They rule my house with an iron fist, demanding three incense sticks morning, noon, and night, not to mention an endless supply of snacks and sweets.

Looking at my dwindling allowance, I sighed deeply.

“It's time to make some money!” <<less

My grandmother's hometown used to have a forbidden practice of raising spirits called ‘San Li Tang.’... more>>

It involved signing a contract with a ‘Shan Xiao,’ a mountain spirit, using blood, in exchange for the ‘Shan Xiao’ guarding your wealth.

Those who practiced this would often have three small stones in their homes. No one could take even a single needle from the house without the ‘Shan Xiao's’ permission.

When I was a child, I was mischievous and when playing at a neighbor's house, I secretly took one of the stones.

Later, all the chickens in the village were strangled to death.

T/N:

shānxiāo = mountain demon

sān lì táng = three-grain hall <<less

My brother and I were twins, a boy and a girl, but he died within hours of being born.... more>>

The midwife said I stole his nutrients in the womb, that's why he didn't survive.

My father hated me because I killed his son, his heir.

My mother hated me too; she said if it weren't for me, my father wouldn't have sought out another woman to bear him a son.

My older sister hated me as well. She said if I hadn't been born, she would have been the only daughter and heiress of the Xia family.

They don't know that my brother never really left; he's always been with me… <<less