Do you believe in ghosts?

On Qingming, it is the Chinese custom to pay a visit to the family graveyard, where a memorial service is held for deceased family members. Our family roots are in Jiangsu Province, where the graveyard is located. Therefore, we cannot go back to the home village every year for the Qingming service. Instead, my grandparents, following the local custom, conduct the memorial service at a road junction. The evening before Qingming, at the service, my grandparents normally burn joss paper in memory of their parents, who are my great grandparents. I have never seen them, for they had passed away long before I came to the world.

Last year, on the eve of Qingming, I joined them on the mission. We chose a place near a bridge, where several roads converge. After paper money was burnt and prayers said, we strolled along the river admiring early spring scenery. Grass turning green, blossoms burgeoning, spring was so palpable in the air that you could almost touch it.

While we three were walking leisurely, I suddenly noticed an elderly lady going at about the same pace in the same direction on the other side of the river. She was dressed in clothes of a very traditional style, which is rarely seen on the street today. Those costumes are mostly found in historical TV dramas. Feeling a bit scared, I tugged at Grandad’s sleeve and drew his attention to her. When Grandad saw the senior woman ambling in the same direction on the other side of the stream, he started. Turning to Gran, he gasped, “Look! That’s Mother walking there. Oh, how could it be?”

We three all witnessed the archaically clad lady ambling there with our own eyes that evening. Some time later, the figure faded away as dusk was closing in.