Cursed Spirit

Sometime ago, my family moved into a resale flat that we bought in Jurong West. From the moment I stepped into the house, I had an uneasy feeling about the place. I did not tell it to my family because I did not want to upset them, seeing them so excited about the new house. That night, while my family and I were preparing for dinner, I saw a young girl in a white dress sitting at the dining table. Thinking that she was my brother's new girlfriend, I smiled at her and laid her share at the dining table.

'Hi. I'm Chiou Yee, Wai Boon's sister.' 'I'm Lifang.' She smiled back at me. Soon after, I went into the kitchen to help my family. 'Hey! who's that new girl in the hall? Wai Boon, you really work fast, huh? Just one afternoon and you got your new girlfriend eating with us.' I teased my brother. My brother looked puzzled. 'Who? There's nobody here. Don't talk nonsense, Yee.' My mother reprimanded me, after she looked out of the kitchen to see who it was. I looked out too. She was not in her seat. I scanned the living room, she was nowhere in sight. 'She probably left lah since you all act like you don't know she was coming. If I were her, I'll be paiseh (embarrassed) too.' 'But I never invited anyone,' my brother protested. 'Yee, don't try to act funny.' My father scolded me. Dinner went by uneventfully. After washing up the plates, we were all settled in front of the TV set. After a while, our parents went off to bed.

Close to midnight, the doorbell rang. My brother got up to answer the door. When he cameback, he was grumbling. However, Lifang was behind him. 'Wah lau, those hooligans are making a fool of us!' No one took notice of that statement. Lifang just kept quiet behind him. She waved when I smiled at her. For the rest of the evening, she followed my brother around. She would sit next to him. My brother seemed to take no notice of her. After a while, I retired to bed, not wanting to disturb the lovebirds. The next morning, I asked my brother, nudging him. 'So what time did she go home last night?' 'Who?' My brother looked tired. 'The girl? Lifang?' 'I don't know anyone called Lifang,' my brother looked at me as if I was crazy.

'But she was following you around last night!' 'Don't be silly, Yee. No one visited me last night. My friends did not know my new address yet.' 'Am I the only one who saw her?' I had only began to realize. I quickly told my mother about this. She sensed that something could be wrong and called in a temple medium. He went into a trance and later told me that the girl I saw was the spirit of a young lady. She had committed suicide by jumping from the corridor right in front of our main door. The girl had ended her life because of a broken heart. She followed my brother around because she was lonely. For three nights, the medium prayed and made offerings to the girl's spirit. After that, I never saw her again.