Chinese Ghost Fables 1 (11 page)

The self-righteous ex-government official considered it for awhile, understood, thanked the
ghost master, and quietly walked away. Mr. Sun finally recognized him. He stood up,
intending to approach and make a conversation with that ex-government official. A ghost
guard discovered this uninvited trespasser and loudly reprimanded him for his premature
appearance. Mr. Sun was frightened and horrified. He suddenly woke up with sweat all
over his body.

My friend General Dong had a servant whom was named Mr. Wong. He was very
mild-tempered and had never argued with anyone in over ten years. Once, on a certain
summer day, the General traveled with him in a wild field. It was almost dusk because of
this nobody couldn observe a residence under the horizon. Horse-riding and searching for
miles, they eventually noticed and stopped by an abandoned mansion. They intended to
stay in this dilapidated location for the night. Because of high-temperature and oppressive
air, the servant slept on a huge flat rock in the backyard garden.

At midnight, he unconsciously fell into a bizarre mental state in his dream. He was
neither awake nor asleep. He observed a dark gray shadow dashing in and was caught by
a huge ghost, who followed it closely. This gigantic otherworldly creature grabbed the small
cross-starred shadow, which actually was a hunger ghost, by his collars, shaking him
violently for a moment. He then forced that fragile hunger ghost to sit himself under an
aged pagoda tree and interrogated, in an ironic tone mixed indignation with intimidation.

"Well, well! Look, who is here! It is my puny-minded little intriguer. I though we will never
meet again. The underworld is indeed not big enough for you to hide. Thank the Almighty.
Fate permits me to pinpoint you here. You spineless and shameless worm!" Withholding
his emotion with great difficulties, the ghost reminded him of their long gone friendship and
his treachery against him: in short, how did the cunning hunger ghost frame, entrap and
double-cross him repeatedly behind his back?

The muscular ghost clearly recalled over ten occasions. In quoting each deception, he
became more aggravated and slapped him harder and harder. Furious on the verge of his
self-control, he raised and held that hopeless hunger ghost in the air near his mouth,
Intending to chew up and swallow him on the spot. At that critical moment, out of nowhere,
an old man walked out of the long weeds and interrupted the raging ghost.

"Please, don’t let your anger run amok. Listen to my advice first. As a penalty, he already
became a hunger ghost. He must endure the suffering of near starvation permanently. Why
do you still want to take the law into your own hands? His wicked deeds were justly
recorded. He owed you a lot in his ex-life and is destined to repay you for his crimes in the
underworld."

"Holy smokes!", With amazement and disbelief, the huge ghost busted into roars of
mocking laughter and jeered. "Are you joking or are you out of your mind? My dear old man!
Just look at him, a pathetic bag of bones! How can you expect such a miserable creature to
pay me?"

"Well! Allow me to explain it in detail." Without showing any trace of annoyance or
impatience, the aged stranger elaborated. "Enormous and complicated, the universe has
its own way to work things out. It is in active harmony, ruling by ethic and justice; regardless
the ups and downs of events, everything ultimately will reach a state of equanimity. The
wicked will be penalized for their misdeed and the virtuous be rewarded for their good
behavior. The Almighty keeps an eye on the human beings. No matter how deep he was
sunk himself into the abysmal pit of debts, he has to pay you back by all means someday.
God will transform him into animals for several generations to come, if necessary, for him to
repay them all, penny by penny. His future is saturated with misery and agony. Why bother
to abuse him? Someone up there will handle it for you." Sighing profoundly, the robust
ghost was placated and reluctantly released that hunger ghost. In a split of second, three of
them were vanished into darkness.

Astonished
and
flabbergasted,
the
servant
Wong
recollected
his
memory
and
suddenly recognized the hunger ghost. He was his acquaintance, who had died years ago.
That person was very selfish, cunning and deceptive. He suspected that old man was the
Earth Patron, a petty deity whose domain was often as small as one or a few villages.
Double-crossing and backstabbing others, the crook may outsmart the law and escape
punishment in this mundane world. Nevertheless, he is designated to recompense his
victims in another world in various forms and means with interest. Justice is very patience
and will eventually catch up with the evil-minded.