This story was written in the project.

Halloween fiction contest#4

In the topic, I want this story to not have ghosts.

I rarely dress like this. Normally I only dress in love style.

I feel like no matter how I dress, it's not scary - -

About the legends and beliefs of ghosts

I don't know what's wrong with the dorm these days. It seems unusually quiet. The overcast and rainy atmosphere right now made the already dark bathroom even darker. I intend to turn on the light so that it's bright, but it still comes on and off. Where are we going to be spooked? The dormitory was quiet and the lights were still coming on.

And the same is true of fire. I reported the matter until I was too lazy to report it. The dormitory officials accepted the matter and did not send a technician to repair it, claiming that it was just one light bulb and the other bulbs were still lit... Must we wait for someone to be electrocuted to death before agreeing to repair it?

I mean, it's bright enough, but it's haunting, you know? ... Don't scold me for not turning off the broken bulb. If I could do it, I would have done it a long time ago.

abundantly…

What a sound! I kept listening in that position, listening for the sound of something dragging on the floor. It was getting closer, that way… the door.

… And if a ghost comes, where will I run?

I stared at the bathroom door without blinking. Sneaking towards the door, one step at a time, making as little noise as possible. If it appears at any time, it will be able to shoot through and prevent it from setting up. Being a ghost means that objects can pass through it. A ghost is a ghost. If you encountered someone who intended to run and planned this well, there would probably be an abyss as well.

The sound was getting closer and closer, and I was so excited that I almost forgot to breathe.

It has arrived!

"Ouch"

It's not my voice. The sound of a new person coming in...that's right, it's not a ghost. She looked a little startled as the two of us chatted in front of the bathroom door. After making an awed face at first, he smiled a goofy smile and turned away with a basket of clothes towards the laundry sink.

Maybe my current condition is more frightening than the ghost. I just realized that the toothbrush was still in my mouth. I hadn't even spit out the white foam yet. It was flowing out in a way.

“Just a little.” I just now choked on it. Before that, I was just afraid.

I walked over to the sink to rinse my mouth and chose the edge of the sink next to the laundry tub.

"Where have all the people gone lately? It's so quiet." I immediately started talking. She turned around and smiled at me but didn't say anything and just continued to do the laundry.

“You just moved here in the second semester, right? You live in the room next to us."

“Yes, just moved in.”

“If you're free, you can come play in your room. But you're in that room alone, right?"

“Yes, you can go play in my room too. I live alone and have no problems with dating.”

She said with a smile. I'm beginning to like her smile.

In fact, I'm pretty sure he's alone. There was no one in the room before us, so it was only in the second semester that I saw this young man. It's so bold that four beds dare to be alone... Maybe I need to tell you a little about this dormitory.

This university dormitory has five floors. I've never counted how many rooms there are on each floor...one room can accommodate four people at full capacity. But in reality, some are complete, some are not. Some rooms had no one in them at all. I live on the top floor, next to the bathroom. The dormitory's appearance is similar. Ace and relatively open on both sides, quite far apart.

At the four corners of Ace are shared bathrooms. As I said, my room is next to the bathroom. And there was only one room next to my room. This zone is therefore quite peaceful and does not interact with anyone.

“During this time, the dormitory has really been quiet like you said.” The younger one suddenly spoke up without the clarinet. When we asked, he refused to answer. I wonder if I just realized it.

“I heard people in the dorm talking about going to the bathroom and hearing the bathroom door open and close by itself even though no one was entering. Sometimes you can hear the sound of the shower as if people are taking a shower. Or standing and brushing your teeth with water from the tap next to you. It just flowed out.”

Have you taken it yet? What will you tell me now? But I still want to listen.

“Which floor?”

“I'm not sure either.”

“I think it's not our zone. Because I haven't seen you.” Actually, I'm not really sure, but I'm praying that it's not true.

“I haven't encountered it either.”

See, I told you it wasn't. It's better to take a shower, but...

“I'm going to take a shower first. If we finish washing the clothes and haven't come out of the bathroom yet, can you please stay and wait for a while?”

Come on, let me warm you up first. I asked and turned to look at my younger sister. Even from the side, I knew that he was laughing... No matter what, people are afraid.

"Alright, I'll wait."

I gave a wry smile. Go ahead and walk into the bathroom. I heard my younger brother shouting behind me. I guess I'd like to invite you to talk. But the matter talked about here is so…

“But I don't think there will be any. Even though I have sense, I still can't feel it.”

“Yes, but if you see anything, don't tell me,” I shouted back.

I suspect there will be something fun going on. Definitely talk a lot with this friend next door. They say that the more afraid people are, the more curious they are. Is that true?

I finished showering earlier than usual. Normally, I am a person who showers quickly. In case the little one changes his mind and doesn't want to wait and gets scared.

When I opened the bathroom door, I still hadn't finished washing my clothes. Should I wait for you?

"I'll go into the room first. You don't have to wait," he said without looking back. It was like he could read our thoughts.

"Then I'll go."

I walked back to my room. Having a room next to the bathroom is nice like this, you don't have to walk far. I put on clothes Apply the cream, don't be in a hurry. There's no need to rush anywhere because today I have a goal. Not far away too.

I sat and read a book while periodically observing the movement outside the room. When he heard the door to the other room close, he hurriedly put down his book. Walk out of the room and immediately stand and knock on the door of that room.

“It's me.” He opened the door. He seemed a little stunned at first when he saw my face. But it only lasted for a moment before he smiled. I really like her smile. It's charming, bright and mysterious at times. I feel like that

“Do you want to come in first?”

Did I just imagine it? They asked as if they understood each other. I didn't intend to ask anything or invite anyone to go anywhere. I'd rather come sit and talk with you... I'm so lonely, my other two roommates ran away and left me alone. They were afraid of ghosts.

“Then let me go in.”

She smiled and walked into the room first. So I followed in and was the one who closed the door.

“Do you think we should turn on the lights?” Even though it was only 5:00 p.m., the sky after the almost unseasonal rainstorm left the entire room in darkness. The truth is that it's not so dark at all. People who like this type of atmosphere may not think it's dark.

“You can just turn on the light. I'm just used to this kind of light, so I didn't turn on the light,” she replied, smiling until it seemed like it was her own identity. I reached over and turned on the light switch on the wall near the door. Hmm, it was a little easier to breathe when it was bright like this.

“Please sit down. Right on the bed, that's fine."

I sat down on the bed opposite my sister's bed. This room has four beds, two parallel shelves, some distance apart.

“Don't you feel lonely when you're alone?” I immediately opened the topic. This is the matter that I want to talk about. The more you say you have sense, the more you want to talk. I'm afraid, but I like to talk.

"Well...it's nothing." There's nothing, but why do you act like there's something wrong? I didn't think of it myself.

“Have you ever heard of dormitory beds?” I paused a bit. I think it might make you more curious. But what I heard almost made the fun go away.

"Is it true that there was never an empty bed in one of the rooms? ... What we saw was empty. In fact, it probably already had an owner."

You speak more hauntedly than me. Even though I already know, I still get goosebumps.

"That's it. Do you think it's true?"

"The fact that just now I said it was nothing is because I'm used to it."

Well, the real haunting has begun. I started to look around. A scary room I'm a weird person. I know that I probably won't sleep for many more nights, but I still find trouble for myself.

“True, we have sense.”

Nong smiles, smiling the same way until I remember that she likes to smile like this. It's a strange smile, but it's nice to look at.

She started telling me about her own hair-raising experiences. Each story is scary. It's strange that the younger sister told this story with a smile on her face. steady tone But it's more scary than people who try to make their voices and faces look scary.

I sat and listened to the young man's story, asking him some questions and telling his own stories (which I had never met before). We talked for so long that we changed from sitting and talking to lying down and talking.

Maybe the weather is cold. After the rain it's nice too...

“Brother, Brother,” I heard a voice in my ear as if someone was calling. It's getting louder. The shaking force in my upper arm increased until I felt like I couldn't stay in the dark any longer. I slowly opened my eyes, a familiar smile appeared in front of me.

“Are you awake?” she asked.

Damn it, how long have I been falling asleep in someone else's room? I returned a wry smile. To be honest, I was embarrassed.

“What time is it now?”

“It's 11:30 p.m.”

“Hah!” I shrieked and immediately jumped up until she burst out laughing.

“Actually, I won't wake you up if you don't have to go outside.”

Hmm, go out at 11:30 p.m.

“I just happened to have an activity with the club.”

It seems like I'm acting too suspicious or my mind-reading subject doesn't work well, so I'm explaining it to you. This one I secretly set up for myself. After talking for a while, she likes to do things that make me feel like she can read people's minds. Sometimes they even startled each other.

"Ghost Club"

I tilted my head to look at my younger sister. I was about to open my mouth to ask, but the younger one spoke first.

“Just like the name is. Have you heard about the day the ghosts were released?”

Hm? Ghost release day? Actually, today is October 30th.

“Halloween”

“Um, that's right.”

Why do you answer like you're dividing and fighting like that? Ghost release day is also Halloween and falls on October 31st.

“The club organized the event. Are you interested too?”

"Is there something like this too? Why can't I see or hear it?"

“Yes, it is held every year.”

That's even more unlikely. I've been here for three years and I don't know anything about it. How can I miss something like this?

“I don't know, maybe because we don't have explicit publicity. This matter is therefore known only to the inner circle.”

Not blatantly publicized? It means that I might not pass university. Hmm, this is even scarier. But the scarier it is, the more I want to know... What should I do?

"It's almost time, I think I have to go."

Come this way, don't waste time thinking...let's go.

"I'd rather go with you, but don't we have to dress up as a ghost?"

I asked and he laughed. I thought I didn't do anything stupid. Every time I did something stupid, I thought I knew it all along.

“Have you ever wondered why on ghost release day you have to dress up as a ghost?”

That's it, but I've heard it answered.

“How can ghosts not know that I am a person?”

“Um, that's true, but on the day the ghost is released, don't they want to come out and visit the human world? Why don't we think that ghosts have to behave like humans?”

Really…

“Maybe what we see We may not be people together.”

Well, let's talk about being afraid again. Does this mean that I may have encountered a ghost without realizing it? Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. But thinking about it from another perspective, it's a pity that I ran into a ghost but didn't realize it. Well... I guess I didn't say that.

"I think we should go. It's almost midnight."

“Yes, but our room is comfortable to sleep in as well. If one day all of my mates come home, can I come live with them? Ah, maybe tonight because my mate has been gone for several days now.” I joked, but I was thinking seriously too.

“Sure,” she replied, smiling.

"I consider that permission."

The two of us walked out of the dormitory without anyone saying anything. Nong didn't tell me. I was just imagining things so we didn't talk. Until he stood in front of the gate and thought of something important.

“How are we going?” I asked, walking along.

"We'll go wait in front of the Twin Towers. There will be a car to pick us up. That car is called the Ghost Shuttle."

Listen to the name of the car. Who came up with it? And there are other places that are filled in. Why do you have to wait in that abandoned building as well? But let's face it, I suspect it's for the sake of realism. Amen. Tonight, I hope my son survives and returns to the age of thirty-two.

“Uncle, before we get to the event, I want you to act as normal as possible. In fact, even though the legend is somewhat different, there are some similarities as well. Even though we don't have to dress like a ghost for this job. It's a ghost that has to act like a person. But for the same purpose, right?”

"Let's not differentiate between who's ghost and who's not," I suddenly accidentally continued. In fact, you yourself probably won't stop me from continuing. Just take a break and breathe.

“Yes, according to legend, in that event, if any human was caught by a ghost, he would be considered a human.”

The younger brother kept silent, intending to remain silent when he finished speaking about the benefits. I too listened intently to Nong's answer while both legs continued to move forward.

“We will go to his world in his place. Then he will come to live in our world instead of us.”

Listening to this point, I felt a chill run down my spine. I started to feel really scared. I've never heard of this legend, but it feels terrifying... Can I change my mind now?

I questioned myself as my legs stopped in front of the twin towers. A light from a car shone on. I watched it come closer and closer. until parked in front

“This is the car, let's go,” he said and stepped into the car first. I followed.

I thought this car was supposed to be decorated in a scary way, but it wasn't. It's a normal bus. There were four or five people already up there. It wouldn't be scary if you didn't listen to the stories you told. Out of these five people, will anyone be a ghost? Thinking up to this point, the ordinary atmosphere just a moment ago suddenly began to feel lonely.

I felt annoyed as to why the bus had to have its lights dimmed, and these people sat silently and did not speak.

They make me afraid So uncomfortable that it's difficult to breathe The air in the car felt like it was slowly decreasing. I felt like I was suffocating. I… can't breathe.

Or these people have already realized that I'm not a ghost... and I'm...

heavily!

Sigh, relax a little. So stressed out that I accidentally held my breath. Did you really almost die? But it's so infuriating to these people. He told me to act like a person. You can sit still and look at me and put pressure on me. Acting suspiciously like this, if I catch you being a ghost, just wait and see... I don't allow myself to be the only one pressured.

While I was thinking of a plan to get back at them, my younger sibling was sitting next to me. He nudged me first.

I got out of the car, still not quite irritated. But when I stood on the ground, I could see things clearly. I was overcome by fear again. The location was chosen well and matched with the atmosphere very well...the forest. This is the forest in the university. But it is also a place where legends have been told. This area is a dense forest. There are no buildings.

It is also not an internship location for the Faculty of Agriculture. The reason is because they cannot do anything. in this area...

The bus has driven away. The person who came with us also disappeared. Hey! Where have they all gone? Why is there no one here but the two of us? So where was the event organized and why was there no sign of it?

“Let's go.”

“Uh, where are we going?”

“We can go wherever we want to go.”

What does that mean?

“There are no events organized. This activity is rather secretive. People who come to the event already know exactly how this activity is played. If we had an event and had to sit and explain the rules, it would probably make the concept of not letting anyone know who is ghost and who isn't so magical. One reason was said to be because I wanted the activity to look scary, but deep down

And I'm still secretly afraid that the legend might be true. So I chose to come here. Because I think that no one who doesn't know anything would dare to wander in.”

"I'd like to ask about the legend. Isn't it true that on the day the ghost is released, ghosts can walk anywhere in the world?"

“Yes,” he said even though I hadn't finished speaking. and finished explaining “If he meets someone else who isn't at the event, it won't have any effect. That means that the ghost who came to this event had intended from the beginning to exchange his life with another human.”

Why do I suddenly feel like I can't breathe? It's starting to feel like it's really getting scary.

“It is said that no one actually knows how long this event has been in place. I keep getting news. They've all come together. And ghosts have their own ways of delivering messages as well.”

He paused for a bit before continuing.

"Working together is just walking around. If you're tired, just take a rest. If you meet someone passing by and want to say hello or not, you can say hello."

“Then let's just pray that it's just a legend. I hope there aren't any ghosts here, just people joining in the activities.”

I said, and I think my younger brother probably thought the same thing. If the smiles and the look in the eyes under the dim light of the moon made me feel strange… maybe I was overthinking it. My younger sister likes to smile like this often. No human would want a legend to come true, right?

“So how long do we have to stay here?”

“At 2 a.m. the first car will come to pick you up. And we have to get out of this forest before sunrise.”

Two hours. Do I really have to be here for almost two hours?

My sister and I walked slowly. Met some people passing by. Most people walk alone, with a few people walking with two or three people. but not more than that These people are really brave. If he were a person

We didn't talk to anyone along the way. I don't greet anyone. As for me, like a person who talks a lot and greets everyone at first, I don't even bother to talk to anyone. So I finally stopped saying hello to anyone because I thought that people who came here wouldn't want to talk to anyone. I intended to create a spooky atmosphere. This way, I'm more confident that there aren't any ghosts.

There are only those people who come to deceive other people.

As I said, a ghost who wants to behave like a person already does. Why would he walk with his head still and not speak and even smile in a sly manner to fool others? Not really smooth at all From being very afraid At first he almost stopped being afraid. The only thing that sticks is that this place is still magical. There were only these people who spoiled his atmosphere.

I think if there really was a ghost that showed up at this event. The people I walk past are sure to die!

Finally I made it back to the dorm safely in the first car. I didn't stay much longer before I was half convinced that there weren't ghosts at the event. But I don't want to risk it...

“We've made it back to the dorm safely,” I said to my younger brother as I pushed open the gate.

“Maybe I should stay a little longer,” she said, smiling. I knew she meant to tease me.

“Oh, you can say that for people who aren't afraid of ghosts like us,” I said as I was stepping inside when suddenly an uncle in a white robe stood in front of me. The way you dress is like It's like what?

But I didn't know that the truth is, you don't have to dress up like a ghost. I suspect that before entering the dormitory, I would have sat and told the legend of the ghost release day to Uncle Yam for a few minutes.

“I'm sorry I came back to the dorm late,” I said, giving him a wry smile. I was breaking the rules. Even though Uncle Yam smiled kindly to cheer me up. But as a matter of etiquette, you have to act a little repentant.

"It's okay because right now I can't go in anyway."

"Why?" Why can't I go in? I don't understand.

The old man in the shrine uniform was still smiling. I couldn't guess that smile and didn't want to give my head a headache.

“He has performed the ritual. Right now I can't go in.”

Hmm, what kind of ritual? I looked at the old man questioningly, but he still had the same smile on his face and refused to explain anything further. Makes me have to piece it together myself.

I couldn't go in because he was performing some kind of ritual right now. But the ritual at 2:00 a.m. But never mind not going in now. After all, I'm not going to study tomorrow... Well, I haven't been going to class for several days now. Why...

“Do you want me to sit here and wait?” As I was thinking about this, Uncle Guard greeted me first.

“Yes, thank you.” I looked at the long wooden chair that Uncle was sitting on and thought to myself. Is there a chair like this? I haven't seen it in three years, but it's beautiful. I lowered my butt next to him. Looking up, he saw that his younger brother was standing with a pale face. I forgot that he was standing there too. But why do you act like you've seen a ghost like that?

“Let's sit together. Now I still can't enter the dormitory. Uncle the guard said he is doing some kind of ritual, so we can't enter the dormitory yet. Let's wait for a while.”

The younger one was still standing, stiff as if he was afraid of something.

“What's wrong? Hey, don't tell me you're afraid of Uncle Guard. Haha, I think we'll tell Uncle Guard what the real Halloween legend is like. There's no need to dress up as a ghost." At the end, I turned my head and smiled at Uncle, the guard at the Royal Palace. He gave me a funny smile.

“Tell me,” I urged the younger sibling. She made a difficult expression. Looking down at the clock, he looked impatient.

“Uh, I think I'll excuse myself first,” she said quickly. and pushed the door in Hurry is no different from words.

“Wait!” I called out to my younger sibling. It was quite loud because he was walking fast, so I accidentally made a loud noise. The result is that Nong suddenly stops. The body froze, turning slowly towards me. I smiled at my younger sibling. Even though I smiled at him, he didn't smile back at me. He stood there with a pale face. It was strange... Normally I saw someone who was good at smiling.

“We can't go in right now.”

“Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, I still can't go in.” How strange, why does he look so flustered? He looked down at the clock again. He looked fearfully at the face and walked out. And then walked out... Oh hey, where are you going?

The younger sister walked slowly out of the dormitory, in such a hurry that she almost ran out of the dormitory. I, who was dazed at first, called out but quickly saw my back. I couldn't do anything, so I turned to consult Uncle Guard instead. He still sent me an affectionate smile.

“Let him go.”

“I'm confused.” That was the first thing I could say after sitting in a daze with my younger brother's condition.

“I guess he's afraid the legend will come true.”

“What kind of legend?”

“Halloween legend. Exchange the lives of the living for the dead.”

“Does Uncle know about this?”

“I know.”

“But when I went I didn't see any ghosts and at that time I didn't see what he was afraid of. Why I'm afraid just now, I don't know.”

“Actually, there is another thing that I don't know about the legend.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you choose a place like that to hold the event?”

"How do we keep people from getting lost?"

“Then why do we have to keep people from getting lost?”

“Um, I said that the ghost who attended that event was already intending to exchange souls with people. People who enter the event must agree to these conditions. Does that mean that if someone were to fall in, it would be like accepting these conditions as well?”

“It's not just people who are lost. Lost ghosts are the same. And this lost ghost is even scarier than the intended ghost. Because the ghost who intended to go from the beginning, if he catches one person, he will quit.”

“What do you mean?”

“As I understand it. Exchanging lives doesn't always mean it has to be life for life.”

“This is really bad.”

“If it's true according to the legend. The lost ghost doesn't realize it because it doesn't mean that as soon as they see a person, the conditions will work immediately. You have to wait until the sun comes up.”

"Wow, then I hope the legend is just a made-up story. It's true. But are there any rituals inside?"

"Make merit."

"Hmm, isn't it held only once during the first semester? Why is it held again? And why is it held at night?"

“This time I made merit for students who recently passed away. In fact, they did it early in the morning.”

“Is there something like this? So what's wrong with death? For a long time, why didn't I know anything about it?"

“Got electrocuted in the bathroom”

"I think it has to be like this. One day I'll report it for repairs and they won't fix it."

“That's it. He's been dead for six days. The seven days have not yet been completed and the spirit will not know if it has died or not. In fact, in less than an hour it will already be seven days.”

“True, I have also heard that if you don't die for seven days, your spirit will still not know. And Uncle, if he finds out later that he died, how will he feel?"

“I'll know soon.”