Master Liu’s voice faded into the dusty air. He stood tall on the opposite side of the street from where we were stopped. Zhao Laohei was standing slightly behind him, looking with horror at his son on the ground.

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My parents appeared from nowhere, running up behind Zhao Laohei. My mom moved to close the distance to me, but Master Liu waved his hand to stop her.

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"Don't! Don’t go near them.” His voice was hardly above a whisper now. I could barely hear him. “Go to the neighboring house, ask to borrow plant ashes. Go quickly!” She turned and dashed to the closest house without questioning him. The master directed his gaze to Zhao Laohei. “You’ll have to scatter the ashes around your family when the time comes.” His ancient eyes seemed to glow. “Whether or not we can send her away depends entirely on you now." He took a step towards us then reconsidered. “Get Xiao Yong and Xiao Yuan. I will get the boy. We can’t do this here.”

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Zhao Laohei skirted a wide circle around the street, his white face never leaving the crumpled pile of his son in the road. He reached us and put a tight hand on my shoulder and Zhao Yuan’s. “Come now, we’ll go back to your house.” He told me in a thin voice.

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We watched Master Liu cautiously approach Zhao Jie’s still body. I could see the master’s wrinkled mouth moving in incantations, but heard no sounds. When he reached the boy he gently scooped him up and rose upright. Old knees cracked and I saw him wince, but his lips never stopped moving. My mother came back from the nearby house and stopped to watch us. All three parties made their way back towards my home. Zhao Laohei, Zhao Yuan and I walked in silence on our side of the street. My mother and father walked parallel to us on the opposite side. Master Liu, with Zhao Jie’s crumpled form in his arms paced down the center of the road.

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My parents reached the house first. My eyes rolled, trying to see every thing at once to make sure Xiao Chun’s mother wouldn’t appear to take someone else from me. Mom disappeared into the doorway, then my father. My heartbeat clogged my ears as we followed behind them until finally I was inside too. I walked numbly through the house to the yard where my mother was displacing ashes. Master Liu strode into the house behind me and barked for Zhao Laohei to close the door. All of the fear, anger, and exhaustion had vanished from the old man’s face and he spat orders to Zhao Laohei, "To the kitchen at once! Get fresh water and place it in the middle of the yard. Light the candles we bought this afternoon and surround the water. Prepare the yellow paper, you will have to burn it as soon as I give the order."

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Zhao Laohei followed every word. His lips were clamped tightly shut and sweat glistened on his face. His eyes darted to Xiao Jie, who was now lying on the ground in the ritual epicenter.

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Zhao Yuan shouted at her father, "Dad, help him!"

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Her father shot her a wasted glance and mouthed in silence, “I am.”

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She moved to join her brother but, Master Liu immediately stopped her. I hadn’t noticed his movements. He seemed to just appear in front of her. He moved again, flowing his arm in an elegant swirl and was suddenly holding Zhao Yuan, putting her down beside me, saying “Little girl, don’t move if you don’t want to hurt your brother.”

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I jumped a little when he appeared in front of me then heaved a sigh of relief that it was Master Liu in front of us, and not the ghost. I watched him as he hushed Zhao Yuan and I felt my courage return. I stood up and moved to his side.

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Master Liu passed a yellow paper amulet to each of us. "These are thunder amulets. If you feel a cold wind close to you, put the amulet in front of you like this,” He held out a third paper amulet like a tiny shield before him. “Then the ghosts won’t dare get close to you."

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Zhao Yuan asked Master Liu, stubborn tears mixing with the dirty on her face, "And my brother?"

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"Let him sleep for the moment. He will be fine."

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Master Liu crossed his hands in a Taoist rite as soon as finished speaking. His mouth returned to the silent incantations and he turned back to where Zhao Jie was lying.

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I followed him with my eyes until something in the air caught my attention. A shadowy ball seemed to be bouncing beneath the awning on my left. I turned towards it and yelped when I saw a ghostly severed head flying past me. It looped around the yard lazily before coming to rest on the neck it had been so gruesomely separated from. Without a sound I watched the grisly wound between the body parts seal shut as if nothing had ever happened. Once more Xiao Chun’s mother was whole.

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Her face was still filled with wrinkles and shone nothing but smiles. She opened her mouth slowly, now baring unnaturally large teeth, and exhaled a low rattling growl. The sound was quiet at first. Barely a whisper, but I heard it clearly. I felt anger in it. She was angry with me, Master Liu and Zhao Yuan. She was angry with everyone.

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Her dark cruel eyes turned to me. "Have you finished?"

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I wanted to say yes, I opened my mouth instinctually and Master Liu clapped it shut.

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"Don't reply to her. It’s a trap to seize your soul. She’d take you in just as she did Uncle Sun and you would be hers, a puppet to do her bidding.”

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My mind flew back to Uncle Sun’s empty face. I moved my hand up quickly and covered my mouth. Master Liu pulled his own hand back, ready to begin.

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“Why doesn’t she just kill us all?” I thought. I watched her shimmer in the yard, standing mere meters from Master Liu and I.

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“She can’t hurt us can she?” I said aloud. Master Liu looked down at me and nodded his head for me to go on. “She’s not a she any more, she’s an it. A thing. She can enchant people, and steal our souls, but she can’t fight us!” He gave me a look that said “Not bad,” and took over.

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“Someone who’s had a tough life normally doesn’t have to be afraid of ghosts. The spirits themselves are repelled by the Yang in such a person. She wanted to hurt you, so she made you very ill. Jinxed you, as it were. You three are young and innocent still. She thought she could take from you. But now…” His voice faded. A shadow fell over his face. “I am not so young.” He trembled with anger. “And I am not so innocent any more.”

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I felt a force pushing away from Master Liu’s body. “Is this the Yang that could dampen even spirits such as Xiao Chun’s mother? How tough has his life been?” I thought, watching him reverently as the force stirred a wind away from him.

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He took a great step towards her, but her eyes were still on me. "Have you finished?" The low cry called again.

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Her words reverberated in the yard and became louder until my eardrums shook. I covered my mouth to keep from answering her endless question and put the other hand over my right ear, failing at dampening the evil words.

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Master Liu was finishing a final rite of Taoism to my left, he shouted at Zhao Laohei, "Are you ready? Quickly now!" His call faded into the ghost’s voice.

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"Everything is ready." Zhao Laohei called back through gritted teeth.

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Master Liu, twisting his hands impossibly, was performing a series of complicated movements. He turned with a flourish and pointed at the dead woman. A thread of white light like spider’s silk shot from his finger and draped itself around her shadowy wrist.

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Master Liu looked into the sky and bellowed, "Ghosts of all directions! I command you, follow my orders! I will lead you to reincarnation itself! I will hear your pleas!” He lowered his face to Xiao Chun’s mother before continuing, “And if you make trouble, I will destroy you."

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Xiao Chun's mother lifted and twisted her long arms. The one tied by the white light seemed to be glowing where it was touching. The anger on her face disappeared all at once and she became peaceful. Eyes that were locked onto me turned and began to follow Master Liu’s movements. She slowly neared the clean water surrounded candles and smoky incense.

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I started forward, entranced by the rope of light commanding the previously monstrous spirit before me. Master Liu dropped his hand and stopped me.

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Zhao Yuan was stunned, I remembered all at once that she couldn’t see what was happening around her. She waivered lightly on her feet. Her mouth curled up in determination and she held the thunder amulet before her with all of her strength.

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Xiao Chun's mother paced before Zhao Yuan and I, passing uncomfortably close. My hands tightened. I stood ready to throw the amulet at the ghost if she turned towards me. Master Liu waved his hand ever so slightly and the old woman’s spirit changed direction, moving away from us. I unclenched my hands and sighed.

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Ever so slowly, she approached the water. As she stepped into the circle of candles I saw her visage began to shake. The peaceful look drifted from her face and it looked as if she were gasping for air. Gasping for breath with lungs that no longer needed it.

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The white light around her wrist began to flicker and loosen. It flashed on and off, threatening to disappear.

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Master Liu frowned and shouted, "Have you found your regrets? What have you to stay for now that your son is taken care of?"

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Zhao Yuan huddled against me, still holding out her amulet. She looked as scared as I felt. I took her hand, saying, "Don't worry, Sister Zhao Yuan. I’m here. We’ll save Zhao Jie."

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Zhao Yuan nodded and whispered, “Let’s help him up.” Her eyes looked empty. She pulled me towards where her brother lay. Master Liu didn't stop us, not daring to break the ritual. His mouth moved in constant murmuring.

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Xiao Chun's mother was quaking with tremors, still heaving for invisible breaths as we approached. I saw that the ritual water was rippling wildly. The candles around us danced in a wind that wasn’t there a moment before. I watched candle wax drip down a tall candle and freeze before it touched the ground.

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We reached Zhao Jie’s still body and huddled down next to him. No one moved for what felt like hours. Zhao Laohei stood with the ritual paper in one hand, candle in the other, awaiting Master Liu’s order to light it.

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The white light connecting Master Lie and Xiao Chun’s mother faltered one last time and then was gone. The old man looked at the dead woman before him calmly. He took a deep breath, and slowly shook his head, "Your son is safe now, why can’t you let him go? Why do you insist on taking these three for him? You over step."

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She didn't move, her face turned and she might have spoken with Master Liu, though no sounds came out of her gaping mouth.

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Silence filled the yard for a moment longer and Master Liu seemed to reply, "You want the boys to play with your son, because they’re lively and full of joy?” He still sounded calm, but contempt filled his face. He spat her words back at her. “You want Zhao Yuan to marry him because she is the most beautiful girl in the village?”

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He spoke through clenched teeth, clearly trying to control himself as he went on, “Did you think of their families? How would they feel with the loss of their kin? Would you destroy two families for your selfishness? For your jealousy?”

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Was it selfishness or jealousy? After all these years I still do not know.

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The ghost before us stopped shivering. Her dead chest stopped heaving for breaths no longer taken and everything went still. The air in the yard turned cold and filled with a sour, unnatural smell.

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Xiao Chun's mother dropped her gaze to Zhao Yuan and I, huddled at her feet next to an unconscious Zhao Jie. My spine stiffened, and I felt fear pull at my skin. All at once, everything felt wrong.

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