After the paper man was finished and placed neatly in the center of our yard, gathering sunlight, Master Liu joined us for dinner. He was uncharacteristically quiet, and went directly to the spare room after eating. His snores resonated from the doorway after a few minutes. I followed his lead and went to my parents’ room to nap as well. My dad woke me at ten that evening. We gathered up Master Liu’s supplies and tromped outside to collect the paper man and head to the Wang’s house.

​

My parents watched us uneasily as we gathered up the paper man. Mom waved her hand silently as we headed into the darkness. I returned the wave, but the gesture felt empty.

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“Is it almost time? Will the spirit get there before we do?” I asked, feeling an uneasiness roil through my stomach.

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Master Liu’s voice was tired, but light when he said, "No, no. We still have two hours. We need to be there in advance to prepare the ritual. It’s been a long time since I’ve connected a ghost to a man-made form. I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

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I imagined the master pouring a milky spirit into the paper body with a funnel and almost smiled. What if it didn’t work? "Oh." I said simply.

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My mind wandered on the possibilities. I almost asked him why he was even bringing me along, but the old man’s face was set in an expression that discouraged chatter.

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 We rounded a house and I saw Wang Yumin and Wang Yushan standing on Elder Wang’s porch step. “It is a family ordeal,” I said, breaking the silence, but Master Liu didn’t reply.

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The men greeted Master Liu and he returned the niceties. He began dishing out orders and the Wang’s followed obediently. “We’ll need a short desk there,” He pointed. “You, get all the candles and incense you have. We’ll need them in a circle on the desk. And a plate, I’ll need a plate.”

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“For…?” Elder Wang asked.

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“A sacrifice.” Master Liu smiled at the collective paling of the Wang men. “Oh don’t be ridiculous. Do you have any fruit, or a steamed bun? We’ll need to feed his new body to effectively send him away.”

Elder Wang Qi called to his wife to fetch some baozi, apples, and steamed buns.

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My stomach rumbled when she brought out the food. “Apples…” I awed. They were quite a rare fruit in our house.

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Master Liu laughed at my look and nodded towards Elder Wang’s wife. "Give the kid an apple."

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Elder Wang took one from the plate, rubbed it clean on the breast of his shirt and tossed it to me. "Here you are, son. Enjoy it."

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I bit into the apple with ferocity, surprised by the loud crunch that filled my head. The Wang family looked at me curiously as I munched. "Master Liu,” Wang Yushan asked, “Why do you bring him on such dangerous jobs?” He gestured at me with an open palm. “He is so young, younger than my boys. What can he do?"

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Master Liu only smiled slightly and shook his head at them. "It’s not your concern. Xiao Yong serves a great purpose."

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When the items were placed neatly on the desk, Master Liu reached into his pocket. He took out two candles and incense, saying, "Light these precisely at midnight."

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Wang Yumin took them and nodded seriously. He asked, "Master Liu, should we stay here tonight?"

“Oh yes. I will send him away and settle his problems, but you…” His gaze lingered on each of them, “Have misunderstood the fellow. You’ll need to talk with him face to face. I think that might be the last thing he needs to move on.” He paused for a moment and then snapped his fingers like firecrackers. “There’s also the lunatic. Is he still here?”

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Elder Wang nodded.

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“Good! He should be present tonight as well. If everyone is here, we should be able to take care of it all at once.”

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Master Liu turned to Elder Wang. “Your son? Is Wang Qi here?”

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Elder Wang nodded, but his eyes fell to the floor. "Yes, but he’s sleeping. The fool boy drank himself into a stupor even your loon hasn’t reached."

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Master Liu only nodded. "That’s fine. Let him sleep for now. Wake him at midnight. No later than midnight."

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The Wang men agreed almost in unison.

​

Master Liu position the paper man on the porch, close to where our beds had been made the night prior. My head filled with images of a screaming ice cream cone and I shivered. The master double-checked his characters, tracing his finger and mumbling over them. He came back inside and asked Elder Wang for a strip of red ribbon.

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“What for?” The elder asked.

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“To bind the soul, in case..."

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Elder Wang waved his hand dismissively. “Save it, I wouldn’t understand anyway.” He turned to his wife. “Dear, do we have any red ribbon?” She walked out of the room, looking determined.  

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Master Liu walked back outside and began stepping in circles, his chin jutting towards the sky. I followed his look and saw a spatter of stars shining brightly. He nodded, as if thanking an old friend and brought his eyes to mine. “Tell them to bring the desk out here quickly. Then come with me.” There were no questions in his tone.

​

The Wang men moved the desk and gathered outside of the house underneath the star spackled sky. With another barked order, Wang Yushan went inside and returned with a pot of clear water. It was set on the ground before Master Liu who had taken out several yellow paper amulets.

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Everyone moved to their places in the yard. The world fell silent and sill at half past eleven. Master Liu ordered Wang Yumin to wake up Wang Qi. The two of them came out of the front door a moment later. Wang Qi stumbled against the doorframe and a smell of wine wafted into my nostrils before he came any closer.

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Master Liu frowned, saying, "You drank too much."

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Elder Wang looked ashamed for him. "Forgive him. My son is a coward."

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Master Liu raised his voice at the droopy-eyed Wang Qi, "Stand at the end. Consider yourself lucky if the spirit does not call on you and stay silent unless I say."

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Elder Wang nodded his head with purpose, but Wang Qi snorted derisively. He blinked his eyes as if they weighed a hundred pounds, crossed his arms, and shuffled to the end of the line.

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Elder Wang kicked a stumpy leg towards Wang Qi as he went.  "Go! Keep your mouth shut!"

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Master Liu looked at his watch again. "Invite our lunatic friend out here as well. We need to be ready." He ordered. Wang Yushan rushed to obey.

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“Everything is ready.” I breathed out quietly. Master Liu lit the candles, and then moved his feet in conjure footwork in front of the desk. He pointed at the paper man with one long finger, ordering "Bring it to me."

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Wang Yumin and Wang Yushan lifted the paper man on top of the desk with careful urgency. The lunatic who’d wobbled behind Wang Yushan began to dance wildly towards it. There was a look of crazed adoration in the green man’s eyes. His mossy green coat hung sickly off of his shoulders and his neck seemed to move in ways that no neck should. That insane smile was plastered onto his face.

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I stood by Master Liu’s side and I looked around, searching. I wanted to see the ghost before it could frighten me. I could already feel the tendrils of fear snaking from the back of my head. It made my eyes feel too big and my neck so tight that it didn’t want to turn. At the same time, however, I wanted to see him, needed to for no reason that I could conceive.

​

"It's almost time." Master Liu called to everyone. He looked stern in the flickering candlelight. His brow was sweating and the shadows made his cheeks look like caves of darkness.

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He pulled a loose pile of willow leaves from his pocket. Next, he took out a paper amulet, burnt it, and scattered the ashes into the clean water. He washed the willow leaves in the water, and then distributed them to the Wang family.

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“Wipe the water from the leaves onto your eyes. This will give you a supernatural sight. You’ll be able to see…” He gestured to the green man, himself, and then me, “What we see.” He said. “At least for a time. I warn you now, don’t scream. Don't be scared, and don't run off. I cannot help you if you panic."

The Wangs wiped their eyes fervently with the leaves. Wang Yumin rubbed his until they were red and puffy. His eyes darted around and a look of horror appeared on his face. "Master Liu,” He almost screamed, “I don’t see anything. It didn’t work!"

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Master Liu laughed and said, "He’s not here yet, calm down! Remember, he is just as scared of the lively air inside of you as you are of him. If you replace that liveliness with fear or cowardice, it will no longer protect you."

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“Don't be scared.” I told them. My voice sounded very young in the night air. The adults in the yard looked at me dubiously. “It is easier said than done, I know, but…” I chewed on my lip, trying to find the words to comfort them. “They can always see you and haven’t bothered you, now you’ll be able to see them, just don’t bother them...okay?” Wang Yushan’s pale face nodded up and down like a wind-up toy.

Master Liu looked at me fondly, and then tapped his watch. "He is almost here."

​

A wind stirred up from far above us. The candles began to flicker dramatically. I could see Wang Qi’s forearms tighten across his chest as the wind picked up the discarded willow leaves and slapped them one by one against the side of the house. A black shadow appeared by the right side of the desk with a crisp rustling sound. In the dark, I couldn’t see whether the shadow had a head on it. It felt like the presence from the night before. “It must be him.” I thought.

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I swallowed the large lump rising in my throat and moved closer to Master Liu. The Wangs were stricken with fright. “I remember the first time I saw a ghost.” The thought brought a tiny smile to the corner of my mouth.

​

Master Liu, his voice radiating authority, said, "We are ready. I have prepared your body. Why do you disguise your presence from me? What are you hiding?"

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The black shadow shot forward towards Master Liu and I. It stopped centimeters before us as the candlelight brought it to life. The sagging shoulders, groping hands, and missing head were all as one clear in front of me. The paper amulet Master Liu had pinned on his satchel was glowing, making a tiny light barrier between the ghosts’ outstretched finger and the old man’s person.  

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An impossible sound, like a humming made of thorns, rose from the ground in front of me and peaked as a yell.

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It was sobbing.

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The headless spirit was somehow less than it had been the night before. The feeling crawling across my skin wasn’t as terrifying. The look of it wasn’t as grotesque. “You’ve lost so much.” I thought towards it. The slumped shoulders turned my way, as if it felt my pity.

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“Then you are satisfied?” Master Liu asked, pointing to the paper body behind it. The spirit turned towards it and was beside it in a flash.

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Master Liu continued, "This body, your salvation, is before you. Say what you need to say."

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The stinging hum rose and fell again, clacking sharp screams in my ears. I saw Wang Qi wince with each one and was for a moment glad that it hurt him. He caused this, didn't he?

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The ghost cried for a moment, and Master Liu interpreted, "I see. The Wangs will apologize to you.” He looked at each of them in turn. “And they will promise to burn prayer money for you at the edge of the cliff."

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He kept on, not giving the spirit time to move, or think. "There is one more thing.” He pointed to the green man, who was smiling blankly into the sky. “Why do you insist on tormenting this man? Do you hate him?"

​

The ghost turned its incomplete body towards the lunatic. The green man’s gaze dropped down from the sky to meet the ghost like it was on a hinge. The smile didn’t falter, but melted off of his face. His eyes were wide and glaring into the misty figure before him. I could see the hair on his wrist standing on end as the green man raised an arm, pointed at the ghost, and shouted, "Head..." in a voice that had not only met madness, but had married it.

​

Master Liu shouted at the lunatic, "Be quiet!"

​

Their shouts mixed together between all of us. I could almost see their voices. A light orange glow emanating from Master Liu met a pale lime colored fog that leaked from the green man in the space above the paper figure between them. I shivered and the colors were gone, so was the clamor.

​

Master Liu later told me that they had been using a Buddhist technique known as the soul-suppressing shout. He hadn’t known that the lunatic was capable of such a force, but had to intervene before something went wrong.

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Silence crept back into the yard and the ghost raised parallel hands towards the green man as if to catch him in a front facing trust-fall. Master Liu spoke again, "He is not yours to manipulate, nor a part of the deal. Do not move. I will not hesitate to destroy you.”

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He raised an old hand with a paper amulet resting in the palm.

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The ghost jittered the way it had the night before, but became gradually still. It turned towards Master Liu as if to resume conversation.

​

Master Liu nodded. He didn’t look around, but translated so we might understand. "I see. However, that man no longer has a consciousness.” He pointed to the green man. “He must’ve been starving to death to steal your funeral contributions. He made mistakes, indeed. You’ve been with him for quite some time now, draining his Yang air. That is to say, you’ve shortened his lifespan. His debt is paid. Let him be."

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The ghost jittered one more, flashing in front of the green man for a split second. It came to rest before each of us, mere centimeters from us, but not touching. It stopped at last before Master Liu.

​

Master Liu ignored it and said, "I’ll begin the religious rites so that you may be reincarnated into the paper man. Do you have any other wishes?"

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The headless ghost didn't respond.

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"Then let it be done." Master Liu said.

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I breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of it all being over, but none of us could have known what was waiting in store.

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