Me: So when night descended and its time for bed, we got in on the sleeping bags our advisor readied for us. The advisors told us to stay in the room no matter what we hear and close our eyes if ever we feel a presence moving close. The ghost of the headless monk wont touch anyone he deems dead like him.
Qing: Hmmm...
Me: Yes. Hmmm. So we got on our sleeping bags and the lights were turned off. The only light in our room is a little emergency light on top of our advisor's desk. Then the door was closed and we all waited to fall asleep.
Qing: And then what happened.
Me: I heard the moaning first. Its not actually moaning...its like someone is weakly wailing their agony. Like they were so hurt, they are crying but there was hopelessness in it. The ghost of the headless monk is crying.
Qing: Woah.
Me: Woah indeed. And then it felt like the room got cold. I heard little noises. I think my classmates were all moving in their sleeping bags. They probably heard what I heard and felt the sudden cold that I felt...
Qing: Which is in fairness to Heilongjiang, its always cold there.
Me: But that time, inside that classroom, it was a different kind of cold. Its bitter. And deathlike.
Qing: Oh...deathlike.
I think I am getting into Qing by now. He will feel scared soon.
(Really? That is not the vibe we are getting from Baba? But sure, you do you...)
Oh he is getting scared of my story. Who in their right mind won't be scared on a ghost of a headless monk?
Let me continue my story.
Me: (nodding) Yeah. It was like that. And then the sound of metal against metal sounded in the cold air. The ghost of the headless monk is dragging the axe that killed him against the school railings.
Qing blinked.
Me: And the wailing/moaning grew louder...
Qing: Wait a minute. If he is headless, how can he moan his sorrow and pain?
That made me stop.
Me: I don't know.
Qing: (frowning) You don't know?
Me: I'm just relaying what I heard and feel that night.
Qing: Is it possible that your teachers were the ones making those sounds?
Me: Our advisors sleep with us.
Qing: Other teachers. Surely the teachers of the younger grades were not on that overnight camp and they conspire to...
Me: I hate you. You ruined a good scary story. You ruined it.
Qing: (wincing) Sorry.
Me: You are not scared by my story at all?
Qing: It has its moments but if you think about it in a logical ways...
Me: Scary stories are not logical at all!
Qing: Yeah. I'm sorry, Love. That didn't do it for me. Is it my turn now?
I huffed a breath. This daft man that won't even know a scary tale if it hits him in the face.
(We told you, Baba is not scared of your headless monk)
Whatever.
Me: (resigned sigh) Oh, might as well. But a fair warning, I will think logically about your story as well. Its probably boring too.
Qing: Probably. It happened when I was fifteen. In the old house where I used to live. I grew up knowing that I live in a house with shapeshifters in it.
Me: Shapeshifters?
Qing: You know...supernatural beings who can adopt any form: humans or animals...and mingle with mortals using sounds and tone familiar with the mortal people living around them.
Me: Shapeshifters are not real.
Qing: Yeah, continue thinking like that. I think its safer that way. Anyways, I managed to grow up well in our old home even though there are shapeshifters in them. But when I was fifteen, there was this incident that has never left my mind ever since it happened. I always remember it like it happened yesterday. Mama sent me message, telling me that Baba came home during lunchtime because he was not feeling well.
Me: Baba got sick?
Qing: (nodding) Probably fatigue from too much working. Those were the times our company was soaring high and recording massive growth in profits so yeah, Baba was striking while the iron was hot during that time. But he is human and he got tired too so he came home early and Mama told us to come home directly after class. So thats what I did, I came home after class to greet my parents. I went to their bedroom to see how Baba is doing. I saw him in bed.
Me: (totally invested in his story) Was he alright?
Qing: (wincing) Dayu ah, Baba is alive today. He was fine then. I told you, it was probably a simple case of fatigue. Anyways, I was a teenager and selfish so I just want to do my filial duty of greeting my Baba. He was lying sideways on the bed with the cover up to his neck. When he felt my presence he pulled the cover higher to hide his head. I sat on the edge of the bed and asked how he is feeling.
Me: How was he feeling?
Qing: He murmured sleepy. Then he asked me to hand over the lotion to him. I don't understand why he wants the lotion but that's what he wanted so I got it for him and he took it under the cover with him. I patted his calf under the cover and told him to get well so0n. I turned my head slightly when I heard the door of my parents' bedroom opening and someone came in. Guess who came in?
Me: JiJi? Mama?
Qing: (shook his head) No. Baba came in.
I coughed in surprise.
Me: B-baba came in? B-but he was in bed...
Qing: Yeah...or so I thought. When I saw it was Baba coming in from the outside, I turned my head around fast to see who is lying on the bed but there was no one there, only the bunched up cover and the lotion I handed to my "Baba".
Me: Holy shit.
Qing: Exactly. Someone impersonated my father, acted and sounded like him to fool me. But then the game was up when Baba decided to enter the room where I thought he was in and lying on the bed. Baba asked when I have arrived. I said just now. He said he was in the kitchen with my mother and he was glad I am home because I could have snacks with him and Mama while waiting for JiJi to come home from school.
Me: My god.
Qing: I followed Baba outside and into the kitchen. Mama was there and smiled when she saw me. She was glad she was right to guess that I have arrived and asked Baba to fetch me. So yes, they were in the kitchen when I arrived and Baba was not in bed and asking for lotion. We sat down for some juice and snacks, I told my parents about my experience on someone impersonating Baba, lying on their bed and asking for lotion. Mama just smiled at me and told me she once saw me enter the kitchen bathroom and waited for fifteen minutes for me because she wants to talk to me. When I didn't came out after fifteen minutes, she knocked on the door of the kitchen bathroom and "I" didn't answer. So Mama opened the door and there was no one there. But she swore on mine and JiJi's lives that she saw "me" entering that bathroom.
Me: (suddenly feeling cold) But if it was not you who entered that bathroom and Baba was not the one on the bed...who could they be?
Qing: Shapeshifters. That's what I told you. Those supernatural beings who can adopt any form and impersonate anyone to fool the mortals living with them in that one space. We have those in my old home. Mama thinks there are three shapeshifters there.
Me: My god...
Qing: There were other circumstances too. Quite similar with the one I just told you about "Baba" in bed and asking for lotion. But those other incidents are just passing. I remember that particular incident because I was so close and I even patted "Baba"'s calf before I realize that was not my father at all in that bed...that time.
Me: (feeling dreadful) Wait a minute. When you say old home where you used to live...you don't mean the museleom...right?
Qing: (eyes shifting) Well...
Me: (gasping) There are supernatural creatures in the museleom?!
Qing: (wincing at my loud tone) Well...
Me: (grabbing his collar again) Wang Qing! (letting his collar go) Oh my god...open the lights. Please, lets open all the lights.
Qing: (suddenly concern) Dayu ah! Are you having a panic attack?
Me: No. Not yet. But I think I might.
Qing quickly jumped from the bed to open the main lights of the room. I closed my eyes as light assailed my pupils. They got accustomed to darkness. I felt Qing sitting by my side and putting his arms around me.
Qing: Are you alright?
Me: (leaning against him) No. I am angry. Not scared. Okay, maybe a little scared. But also horrified, terrified and so angry. There are other creatures living in the museleom. And you want us to inherit it?!
I opened my eyes, leaned away from his embrace and stare up at Qing. He winced at me.
Qing: You said you want a spooky story. Well, there you go...a spooky story.
Me: I hate you.
Qing: (pulling me in his embrace again) I know, Love. How about your panic attack?
I studied myself for a moment.
Me: (sighing) No. No panic attack. Just to make things more strange, my panic attack only appears when I am stressed about other stuffs but not about supernatural creatures. Still, give me time to overthink about it and I will probably get there.
Qing: (chuckling) Don't overthink about it.
Me: No. We have to think of a way to dump that house to Zhu gege and Pau. Or sell it to Gege and JiJi for a reasonable price of zero yuan.
Qing: (laughing) You want to give it away? I see.
Me: There are shapeshifters there. I don't want it.
Qing: They are harmless. They'll probably look at you and say "meh" and not bother you.
Me: (perking up with hope) Really? Coz that'll be great. Tell them I'm a cowardly chickenshit. And never to show themselves to me.
Qing: You will be fine.
He leaned down to kiss me. I closed my eyes and moaned against the sweet pressure of his lips on mine. Qing slipped his tongue in and I curled mine to play along. One of his hand slipped under the hem of my shirt to feel my chest and search for a nipple. An aching feeling settled on my stomach. Making me feel all hot and bothered.
Qing ended the kiss to smile at me.
Qing: I think you just lost that game, again, so...I should probably give you a warning that I will totally fuck you while wearing that doll costume.
Me: (defeated sigh) Whatever. Kiss me some more.
Qing kissed me some more. It was all good.
I tried stalling for a few days but eventually it still caught up with me. I donned the midnight colored cafe maid doll costume, complete with make up, accessories and wig. Then I put myself in front of camera and smiled. Acted all cute.
And yes, Qing got to fuck me in it. I wore a sexy skimpy jockstrap underneath it so yeah, he better loved me right if I had to go through all those efforts for him.
For now, I have a new mission. Either find a way to dope others to take the museleom from our hands or find a way to exorcise the whole place. I don't know, maybe hose it down with holy water or plant sage every three steps to disspell supernatural beings living there.
Oh...I feel a headache coming on.