The Ghost Face in the Water

July 9, 2015. Investigated "Fathead" Zhang Hongda and "Little Xu" Xu Lishen. The two had committed suicide in 1992 and 1993 respectively, by pesticide poisoning and lying on railway tracks. Xu Lishen's entire family had moved away from the city, and no contact information could be found for the time being. Zhang Hongda's close relatives had all passed away; only his niece, Lin Juan, could be reached.

July 11, 2015. Met with Lin Juan. Audio file 09120150711.wav.

"I don't actually know much about what happened to my uncle... I was very young then, just starting elementary school, I think? And I didn't live with my uncle, so I don't really know the full story."

"That's all right. Just tell us what you know."

"What I know is that my uncle encountered a ghost and became possessed. My grandparents wanted to move with him, so they asked my parents to find them a new house. There was no buying or selling houses back then. My dad had connections, so he found them a mud-brick house in the countryside outside Pingnan City, a separate courtyard for them to live in. My mom was running back and forth between both places then. It was very hard on her. Later, after my uncle's condition had stabilized a little, my mom took me to see him once."

"Mm. You met Mr. Zhang Hongda?"

"I... I did. He... he was really creepy back then. He looked like a madman, though I can't exactly say he was a madman..."

"Ms. Lin, could you describe what happened that day in as much detail as possible? The details are very important to us."

"In detail... Oh, I can. If I'm going into detail... it was a bright, sunny day, and the sun was blazing. My mom took me by bus to Pingnan, then we caught a passing tractor. The place was very remote, and the dirt roads in the countryside were rough. I sat on that tractor for a long time and got bounced around so badly that I threw up as soon as I got off. After throwing up, we still had to keep walking, and then I saw my grandparents' new home... I can't remember what the house looked like now, but I remember being terrified the moment I saw it. It stood all alone, far away from any other homes, with a dark, shadowy mountain forest behind it... Thinking about it now... that was exactly the kind of house my grandparents had been looking for, somewhere far away from everyone else..."

"Mm."

"When we reached the door, my mom called out. I can't remember whether my grandmother or grandfather came out to greet us, but I didn't see my uncle. My mom talked with my grandparents while I sat nearby. I didn't take in anything they were saying. I was very naughty as a child. When I saw chickens and ducks in the yard, I ran after them. Then I saw someone standing at the window. It was someone I didn't know. He glared at me so fiercely, with eyes like he wanted to eat me alive. Under that blazing sun, his stare made my whole body go cold. I think I cried out then. I wanted to find my mom, so I rushed toward the house. He moved too, running away from the window. Then I saw him come around from behind the wall and block my way, standing in the doorway. He reached out, shoved me to the ground, and started tearing at my dress!"

"Your dress?"

"Yes, my dress."

"What happened next?"

"My mom leaped over and shielded me. My grandparents were trying to pull him away, but he wouldn't let me go and kept tearing at my dress... That dress... that dress was new. I remember it very clearly. I'd gotten perfect scores on two tests, and my dad bought it for me. It was a bright red dress, with tiny flowers on the skirt... He nearly tore it to pieces, all while howling like a ghost. In the end, when it looked like there was no other way, my mom let go of me, grabbed something, and smashed it over his head. Only then was he subdued."

"That man was your uncle, wasn't he?"

"Mm, yes. It was my uncle. He was like a completely different person, so thin he barely looked human. I didn't even recognize him."

"He mistook your dress for a ghost?"

"I don't know. All I knew how to do then was cry. My mom held me, and we left very soon afterward. She never took me to see my uncle again. When my uncle died, I didn't go either."

"Didn't you hear anything about it from your mother?"

"No. I really was too young then, and after I grew up, I forgot some of it too. Uh, maybe I forgot it on purpose. Even now, I don't wear dresses. Seeing clothes with large patches of red makes me a little uncomfortable too. Ah, sorry. I've been talking about myself the whole time and haven't been much help to you."

"Not at all. This has already been a great help to us."

"There's one more question."

"Please, go ahead."

"Did your mother ever mention anything about her hometown?"

"Mm?"

"As far as we know, before the factory shut down, people in that area weren't very mobile. The factory was built, and they changed from farmers into workers, but their living area didn't change. Your mother was one of the few who moved away. Did she ever mention anything about her hometown? Was there anything unusual about your parents' marriage?"

"This... I don't think so. My parents' marriage... was probably unusual for that era? They were in love by choice. My mother met my father while she was in the city on business. They hit it off, started dating, and then got married."

"Mm, all right. If you remember anything else, please contact us anytime."

"All right."

July 14, 2015. Investigated a total of fourteen former Jiaoxian Rural Commune and former Red Star Factory members. No leads were found. Investigated the history of Jiaoxian Rural Commune. No leads were found.

July 17, 2015. Received a call from Lin Juan. Phone recording 201507171109.mp3.

"Hello, are you Reporter Ye from Strange Tales and Oddities?"

"Yes. You're Miss Lin Juan, aren't you?"

"Ah, yes, yes! It's me. I remembered something that might be helpful to you."

"Please, go ahead."

"Mm. I heard my mom talk about this when I was little. I've forgotten what I did at the time, but she was scolding me and threatening that if I did this or that again, she'd lock me in an empty house. That empty house seemed to be a courtyard back in her hometown. No one had lived there or looked after it for decades, so it was left vacant. The old people back home would scare children by saying they'd lock them in the empty house, where monsters would come at night and eat little children."

"I see... Were there any real examples?"

"How could there possibly be? Hehe. It was just a local legend, maybe something people made up. Your magazine should be interested in this, right?"

"Yes, it's very interesting. Thank you for sharing it with us."

July 17, 2015. Investigated the "empty house." Audio file 09120150717.wav.

Rustle... rustle...

"...The empty house? Yes, I know it. There really was such a place. But it was just an abandoned house, wasn't it? I never went there."

Rustle, rustle...

"...Oh! The house with monsters! Wasn't that just something used to scare children? I went there, but I don't remember much. Lots of people went there!"

Rustle, rustle...

Smack!

"Oh my! Now that you mention it, I remember! Captain Li went to the empty house with some people when he was little! A whole bunch of them went together. They didn't go home even after dinner, and every one of them got chased down and beaten by their family. What a scene that was!"

"Ma'am, are you sure it was Captain Li?"

"Who else could it have been? Hey, could it be that Captain Li didn't encounter a ghost at all, but was targeted by a monster?"

July 19, 2015. Contacted Li Aimin. Audio file 09120150719.wav.

"The empty house? Um... I went with my brother, along with a lot of other people. I've forgotten why we went. I only remember getting home late, and every one of us got beaten."

"How much do you remember about that empty house?"