Your ghost story
Who would not love spine-tingling tales? With the Hungry Ghost competition developing on Aug 12, do you may have any tales of the supernatural to share? Write to us in 700 to 800 phrases (in Word or Text format). There isn’t any cost for submissions, and we reserve the best to edit all submissions. Email [email protected] with the topic “Ghost story”.
I grew up in a shophouse in Bidor, a small city 66km south of Ipoh. The store was 20ft (6m) vast and double-storied on the entrance (50ft/15m) whereas the center (40ft/12m) and again (30ft/9m) parts have been single-storied.
By “grew up”, I imply the time span from after I attended faculty, went to school, graduated and began work till I purchased my personal home. During these durations, when finding out or working away from Bidor, I stayed in rented rooms. On holidays, I might at all times go home to my dad and mom’ shophouse.
The store was positioned in the entrance portion and there have been 4 bedrooms upstairs. The center portion had a bed room and a sitting room flanked by an open-air backyard. The again portion housed the kitchen and some free area.
My dad and mom offered Chinese and Western medicines, wines and liquors.
Since I spent a few years in that Bidor shophouse, there have been many reminiscences and recollections.
My dad and mom opened their store from 7am to 9pm day by day. Only on the primary and third days of Chinese New Year (CNY) have been the store truly closed. The second day could be a busy half-day as a result of of “kai nian” (the “opening” of a brand new yr).
Sons-in-law would honour their parents-in-law on today with presents like wine, liquor and complement medicines.
My siblings and I might assist out in the store every time we have been free. Also, we had our household dinner contained in the store. If prospects got here in, one of us must go away the dinner briefly to take care of them. Those frequent interruptions have been welcomed because it meant extra earnings.
The author’s dad and mom’ shophouse was additionally the household home from the Fifties to the early ‘80s.
At times, even after the shop was closed, some habitual drinkers would knock to ask for their booze. My father would steadfastly refuse to sell and advise them not to get drunk late at night. I can still remember the loud grumblings and poundings on the door.
During the 60s, the north-south expressway was not yet built. Some north- and south-bound vehicles using the “old” road would have to pass through Bidor. This resulted in busy traffic within the town during the day.
Even at night, there could be more than a few vehicles passing through. Our shophouse was along the main road. Imagine sleeping in an upstairs bedroom in the front portion of the shop. There was frequent blaring of traffic noises and rumblings. If a laden lorry were to pass by, you could even feel the slight shaking of your bed.
Nevertheless, my body got used to it and I could sleep well. Today, pampered by modern luxuries in my urban home, I doubt if I can even nap under such conditions.
I remember one incident when I was about seven years old. It was a CNY morning and I was alone in the open-air garden. Still in my pyjamas, I decided to play with sparklers. I lit up two sticks so that I could hold one in each hand and swing them simultaneously. It was a thrilling and exhilarating feeling. I was overjoyed and lit them up one after another.
Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation on my right thigh. To my horror, I found that my pyjama trousers had caught fire near my thigh. Screaming in pain, I rushed to a nearby tap. The water doused the flame and soothed my pain immediately. That traumatic experience taught me to be extra careful whenever I played with fireworks.
My transition from a Chinese-medium primary school to an English-medium secondary school was challenging. Reading “This is a man and this is a pan’’ in Year Six to “A monocotyledon leaf has parallel veins” in Remove class was a scary, sudden change and I needed to discover methods to enhance my English rapidly.
Each Sunday, I might purchase an English newspaper and use it as my studying materials for the remaining of the week. Every afternoon I might be sitting in the backyard with the newspaper and an English-Chinese dictionary. I might peruse the information objects, choosing up new phrases and deciphering them utilizing my dictionary. I endured this tough work for 3 years. It bore fruit after I scored an “A” for English in my Form Three examination. Until immediately I can nonetheless visualise myself sitting in that backyard with my head bowed and fingers flipping by way of these dictionary pages.
My dad and mom neither owned nor drove a automobile. So, it was uplifting for them after I first drove home my new Fiat on a vacation. My different siblings adopted go well with in the following few years. My father didn’t like seeing our vehicles parked on streets beside his store so he determined to renovate the again portion of his store.
The area was large enough to accommodate three automobiles. He prolonged the size of the again collapsible gate to 12ft (3.6m) and constructed a ramp to go up the slight slope from the highway. I might nonetheless bear in mind the primary time I drove up the ramp and into the home. My father was there, smiling and welcoming me home. I felt like I used to be clearing the ending line after an extended journey.
The shophouse was offered off some years again. But these and many different recollections shall ceaselessly linger on in my thoughts.
As the American poet Maya Angelou stated: “You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it’s alright.”
