Sue Goes To Hell

'Hey Sue! Let's go and watch a late night movie to celebrate! My parents wouldn't mind if I go back late tonight. After all, who goes home immediately after an examination without celebrating?' The exuberant Min asked her friend shortly after their last preliminary paper. 'Well, I'm not sure...' Sue replied hesitantly. 'It's the Hungry Ghosts Festival now, and my mother doesn't like me to stay out late. She's afraid that I might run into unclean things.' 'Come on, stop being so superstitious! Ghosts don't exist. It will be so fun to have you around.' cajoled Min.

Not wanting to disappoint her friend, Sue relented. When Sue called home, her mother was reluctant to let her go. However, knowing her daughter needed a break from studying hard for the last few weeks, she agreed to extend her curfew. The evening proceeded enjoyable for Sue and Min. After dinner, they went to a movie theater near Sue's house to catch the late night show. It was already two thirty am in the morning when the movie ended. Min took a cab home since she lived in another town. As Sue's home was near the theater, she decided to save on the cab fare and walk home instead. Stepping out into the cool night, Sue walked silently, keeping to a leisurely pace. The crickets were bothering her with their sounds. Lit by the amber lamps, the street and the surrounding shrubs looked drained of all colors. Except for the occasional cab passing by, she was alone on the street. That was what she thought. Left alone to her thoughts, Sue started to miss he deceased grandmother. before the elderly lady passed away in April that year, She was Sue's best friend. All the relatives knew that Sue was her grandmother's favorite among all her grandchildren. Sue liked listening to her grandmother's stories of her younger days, reflecting a rich and fulfilling life. What Sue enjoyed most were stories of the supernatural that her grandmother would tell her.

Caught up in her reverie, Sue did not notice the pile of paper ashes ahead, nor the big rock on it. Sue stepped right on top of the ashes and the rock, and fell. Picking herself up from the ground, Sue noticed a large white circle drawn around the pile of ashes. her grandmother once told her that the white circle reserves the offerings for a particular spirit, and prevents other spirits from getting it. Her grandmother also told her to avoid stepping on paper offerings at all costs, especially during the Hungry Ghosts Festival, because it might offend the spirits. Realizing that she had accidentally removed part of the chalk drawn circle when she fell, Sue suddenly felt frightened. Muttering a hasty apology to the spirits under her breath, Sue quickly resumed walking. However, as she walked, she noticed that the crickets had quietened and an unnatural silence had descended around her. Sue picked up hr pace. Her footsteps became louder as she walked faster and faster.

A bell rang out in the middle of the night. It broke the silence and then she began to hear strains of Chinese Opera coming from the distance. The eerie voice singing became louder and louder, as if the opera was just for her. It was 3 am and it was very dark. Sue strained her eyes but saw nothing. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The wind had begun to pick up. Terrified, Sue ran all the way home. Upon reaching the safety of home, Sue went instinctively to her grandmother's ancestral altar. Offering some incense, Sue prayed to her grandmother. Gazing upon her grandmother;s picture, Sue suddenly felt a sense of peace sweeping over her. In her mind, she chided herself for being so cowardly. Exhausted from the day's examination and a traumatic night, she went to her room and dozed off quickly. Sue found herself awake in a different room.

The room was filled with burning candles, and the walls were lined with skulls. The stench was unbearable. Instinctively, she sat up. Getting off the bed and walking to the door, Sue found out that it opened into an elevator. There is someone waiting for her inside. 'Hi, I've been waiting for you.' The person inside said, smiling sinisterly at Sue. 'I am Pey Yin. I've been sent by your grandmother to get you. Come with me.' 'My grandmother? Where is she?' Sue asked eagerly, as she stepped into the elevator. She was in a daze. She noticed that Pey Yin was dressed in a red Chinese cheongsam, buttoned right up to her neck. Her complexion was pale, and that made the crimson lips stand out, lips as red as blood. She smelled rich of jasmine, so thick so that Sue was almost choking it. 'Just follow me and you will see your grandmother.' Pey Yin replied as the elevator door closed before them and the elevator descended. 'And remember, do not tell anyone about me in there. Not a word. Some people are trying to stop you from meeting your grandmother, so follow me quietly if you want me to bring you to your grandmother.'

The elevator door opened before Sue with a creaking sound, revealing a crowded room. Pey Yin gripped Sue's arm hard and led her into the crowd. Sue felt that Pey Yin's hand was icy cold. The coldness made Sue frightened but she decided to keep it to herself and not to show her weakness. As they meandered through the crowd, Sue took a closer look at the occupants of the room and realized that they all looked pale. As Pey Yin lead her towards the door at the end of the room, Sue also noticed that they are all icy to the touch, as she had to squeeze past some of them in the crowded room. Suddenly, two fearsome looking creatures appeared in front of her. It did not take Sue long to know that they were Niu-Tou (Ox-head) and Ma-Mein (Horse-face), the internal law enforces of hell. They were holding halberds as their weapons. ;How did you get here?' asked Niu-Tou. Sue kept in mind what Pey Yin has just told her earlier in the elevator, so she shook her head and shrugged.

'Do you want to tour the place?' Niu-Tou asked. Since Pey Yin was nowhere in sight, Sue nodded in response and went off with Niu-Tou and Ma-Mein, hoping to find her grandmother somehow. They crossed a bridge before coming to an old lady whose name was Wan-Qing Po (Forgotten-Past Granny). She was busily scooping some soup for the people who had stopped on the way. 'This soup would enable these souls to forget their past.' Ma-Mein told Sue. Suddenly out of nowhere, two figures materialized in front of them. One was wearing an all black suit while the other one was in white. With long lolling tongues that touched the floor, the duo were known as Hei Bai Wu Chang (Messengers of Hell). On their hats were inscribed two Chinese verses. One was 'Yin Jian Fa Cai' (one who looks prosperous) while the other was Tian Xia Tai Ping (Peace in the world). They were the 'Police' in Hell who had to catch ghosts committing bad deeds in the mortal world. They then continued the tour and came before a large weighing balance. There was a 'judge' standing by it, taking down the 'readings'.

'Those souls were supposed to be weighed here. Those who are light weight would mean that they have sinned lightly while they were alive and the heavy ones would mean that they have sinned heavily and that they would be sent to hell for their punishment,' Ma-Mein said. Then, further down, Sue saw a red robed fierce looking guy with beard like the whiskers of a tiger busily slaughtering some imps. 'He is a local 'hero'. His name is Zhong Kui, head of the 'Ghostbusting' department. His job is to capture spirits committing crimes in Hell and even earth.' Niu-Tou then introduced her to him. Despite his fearsome expression, Sue found Zhong Kui quite friendly. As they walked along that particular path, Sue could hear howls and sobbing. Then Sue saw this man who resembled a King sitting on a throne in the middle of the path. 'He is Yanluo Wang (King Hades). He is a merciful lord who tries to mete the least punishment on all spirits.' Niu-Tuo explained.

They continued walking and soon, they came to two doors. Niu-Tuo and Ma-Mein turned and said to Sue, 'We have to go back to work soon. Take the left door on your left to return to the mortal world. Do not take the right door, okay?' Sue nodded and waved farewell to her kind guides until they were out of sight. She was walking towards the left door when Yin suddenly materialized in front of her. 'Where have you been? I have been looking all over for you.' Pey Yin said impatiently. 'Hurry up, your grandmother is waiting.' She laughed menacingly and led Sue through the right door, which opens into another elevator. Stepping inside, Pey Yin hit the button '18' and the elevator began the downward descent. As the elevator moved down from level to level, Sue heard all kinds of strange noises. There were heavy sighs of regret at first. Slowly, they grew into moans and sobs. By the time the elevator stopped, the noises had escalated into screams of pain and suffering. The elevator had become very hot, with the smell of sulfur hanging oppressively in the air.

The elevator door opened to a red hell. It was like another world altogether. The sky was stained red; the color was reflected everywhere, in the barren surroundings and the burning fires. Inside the elevator, Pey Yin's cheongsam, and her lips never looked redder. Sue can't get her eyes off Pey Yin's lips, when she said, 'Your grandmother is waiting for you out there. Hurry along now.' Pey Yin smiled evilly at Sue. Suddenly, Pey Yin with all her might pushed Sue out of the elevator. Something inside Sue warned her. Sensing that something was wrong, Sue resisted. There was no platform for her to step on when she got out of the elevator. Looking down, Sue realized that the elevator was suspended over a huge cauldron of melted fire. Looking closely, she saw figures swimming and writhing in it. The screams were also coming from there. 'Aren't you coming with me?' Sue asked suspiciously. 'I'm not needed. Besides, I wouldn't want to disturb your 'happy reunion.' Pey Yin said as she shrugged her shoulders.

'How am I going to find my grandmother if you don't lead me there?' Sue rebuked, getting frustrated at Pey Yin's unwillingness to accompany her. 'Just get out, and you'll find her.' Pey Yin frowned. 'No.' It took Sue a bit of effort to say it. No matter how badly she missed her grandmother, she knew that spirits don't usually volunteer without any ulterior motive. 'No/' Pey Yin asked, her eyes glowing with menace. 'No!' The urge to give in was overwhelming by now. 'Fine! Still, you have to die anyway!' Pey Yin took a step back and laughed, as she metamorphosed into an evil creature. The reddish glow from her lips had spread to her eyes. Now they were looking like burning coals in hollowed sockets. No matter how Sue tried, she could not look away from them. The eyes were magnetic and evil.

Against her will, Sue found her feet stepping towards the edge of the elevator. Looking back, Pey Yin had transformed into a hideous beast. With her skin peeling from her face, the only feature faintly resembling Pey Yin was her lips. But even it was marred with blood dripping from the side of the mouth. 'Curse you! Die!' Pey Yin snared, as she raised her claws in Sue's face. 'Join your grandmother in hell!' Unable to stop herself, Sue was caught between a devil's creature and a boiling cauldron. In the meantime, it seemed the figures in the boiling cauldron below were screaming more shrilly to welcome a new companion in their eternal swim. Sue stood at the door of the elevator, ready to plunge to eternal hell. Her mouth opened in a voiceless scream as she made that final step... Someone appeared all of a sudden into the elevator. It was her grandmother who silently held her hand and floated up, out of the elevator. As they were floating up, her grandmother told her that it was only a dream. It was time to go back home to the real world.

A moment later, Sue's mother came into the room with a glass of water containing the ashes of a burnt talisman. 'Are you alright? I heard you screaming in your sleep. Here, drink this.' She gave Sue the glass of blessed water. 'I'm fine. It was only a nightmare. I thought I went to hell.' Sue reassured her mother. 'Don't talk nonsense. That's why I tell you not to wonder at night during the Hungry Ghost Festival.' Sue could only stare at her mother in shock as the realization dawned on her.