My House of Horrors

The third-floor basement was wet, dark, and dim. The host, Yellow Wolf, held his phone and started his so-called ‘exposé’.

“I am not going to introduce this Haunted House any further. Just by searching the name online, you can find countless legends, but it is hard to tell which are real and which are fake.

“There are many ghost stories that extend from every single scenario here, like dolls that follow you everywhere, student mannequins that show up at any time and any moment, a ballpoint pen that will curse you once you ask it about love, and so on.

“There are more ghost stories than that, and I believe everyone must be curious, how many of them are real, and how many of them are fake? Today, I have personally arrived at this Haunted House to find the answer for you.”

He took out a piece of white paper and a ballpoint pen from his backpack and slithered into an empty sickroom. “The story about the Pen Spirit is the most famous on the internet. According to the rumors, it was a man by the name of Fei Youliang who first used his sincerity to persuade the Pen Spirit to appear. He was the first one to have met the real Pen Spirit inside this Haunted House, and he was the first visitor to have been sent to the hospital after a Haunted House visit. At the time, many visitors were there to bear witness, so it must be real.”

Glancing at the chat, Yellow Wolf placed the pen and paper on the bed. He put on a serious expression. “Now, I will personally attempt this game. Yes, you heard me correctly. I will attempt to livestream a Pen Spirit game for you right inside this Haunted House that is filled with ghost stories!”

The atmosphere was hyped to the maximum. Yellow Wolf placed the phone by the pillow while he stooped down on the other side of the bed. He picked up the ballpoint pen that he had brought with him.

“My dear friends, I am going to start now. I hope none of you will blink in the next second because I too have no idea what will happen,” he uttered in a convincing tone as he carefully placed the ballpoint pen perpendicular on the white paper. “Pen Spirit, Pen Spirit, you are my spirit from my previous life, and I am your spirit in this life. Can you tell me who my future wife will be?”

Inside the dark sickroom of the Haunted House, there was nothing but silence. In his environment, Yellow Wolf trained his focus fully on the tip of the pen. One second, two seconds, when it was the third second, Yellow Wolf’s pinkie that was hidden from view by his palm hit the body of the pen, which caused the pen that stood above the paper to move imperceptibly.

“Look, it’s here!” Yellow Wolf’s expression was filled with terror. He glanced toward the camera and placed his index finger on his lips to make a shush gesture. Without moving a muscle, he stayed next to the bed for another minute before slowly standing up.

He picked up the piece of paper and showed it to the camera, pointing at the minute dash on it. “You can see it for yourself. After I started the game, the pen did move on its own! The Pen Spirit has appeared! With regards as to why it didn’t stay, I believe that’s because it is afraid of my jade pendant.”

Training the camera back on himself, Yellow Wolf whispered in a façade of fear. “I know you still might not have believed me, and this smudge isn’t going to explain many things, but I shall use my diviner’s power to determine and see if there is Yin energy gathered at this place.”

Yellow Wolf walked out of the sickroom. “The corridors here are very dark. Probably because it has been built underground, walking through it gives you chills.”

Turning the camera, Yellow Wolf aimed it behind him. “The dolls and mannequins did not show up, but I discovered something even scarier.”

He pointed at the doors down the corridor. “When I entered the room earlier, many doors of these sickrooms were left half-open, but now, take a look again. Most of the doors have been completely opened! It feels like something has escaped from these rooms!”

Messages flooded the chat. Some of the viewers noticed this discrepancy as well and had started their own prediction. Of course, some still harbored suspicion, believing that this was all an act by Yellow Wolf.

“I know that many of you still do not believe me, so I will use this method taught to me by my grandfather to seek proof for you. Actually, my grandfather warned me against using this except for in emergencies, but for my dear friends, I shall attempt it today.” Actually, Yellow Wolf was not afraid at all. He had prepared the script with Lee Jiu already, and he believed that it was Lee Jiu who had opened those doors.

“This method is called walking through the Yin Door, also known as ‘feeding the Yin rice’.” Yellow Wolf took out a small black pouch from his pocket. It was strangely wet, and opening it revealed a clump of white rice. “You place the Yin rice at the junction and then walk down the corridor, passing through the other doors. When you reach the fourth room, place the rice at the door, walk into the room, and stomp your feet four times.

“After that, spread a few grains of rice in the room and walk out. If the pattern of the rice outside the door has become different from how you laid it down earlier, then enter the room again and repeat the process four times. If the place is haunted, when you enter the room for the fourth time, you will see a ‘stranger’ because you won’t be entering your own home—you will have travelled with ‘them’ across the Yin door.

“This is the method that has been used by my ancestors to examine haunted houses. Of course, please do not try this at home. I do not wish harm on any of you.”

After saying all that, Yellow Wolf walked to the stairs and placed a small mountain of rice at the mouth of the staircase. Strangely enough, after he left, the mountain of rice did reduce conspicuously in size.

“And we shall start now.” Yellow Wolf took a deep breath, and a severe countenance came over him like he was doing something extremely dangerous. He placed a few kernels of rice outside the fourth sickroom and then opened the door and stepped into it.

He aimed the camera around the room so that he could take down everything in view. “I need everyone to remember the placement of the objects in the room because they might change their locations later.”

Messages crowded the chat box. Yellow Wolf fixed the phone on the bed, and it was the perfect angle to look at the door.

“Be careful, a stranger might enter the room later.” He warned and walked out from the room. After placing the rice, he closed the door.

When the door was closed, thus shutting him away from the camera’s view, Yellow Wolf took out another phone and made a call. After it rang twice, he ended it. This was a code that he had devised with Lee Jiu. He glanced toward Lee Jiu’s hiding place, but the latter did not give him any response.

“Where is the man? Still putting on make-up?” Yellow Wolf did not dare disappear too long from the livestream. A few seconds later, he pushed the door open and rushed to the camera with this urgent look on his face. “I think I heard footsteps! They came from the stairs! Something is coming, and it is coming to me!”

Then, Yellow Wolf put down more rice and walked out of the sickroom again. He looked down the corridor, and it was completely quiet like a black ocean. He called Lee Jiu on his phone again. It rang four times, and there was no answer. “Is he really doing this to me at a time like this?

Agitated, Yellow Wolf felt the back of his neck starting to itch. “He’s not answering the call, so what is he up to?”

He scratched his neck heavily. “How come it feels like someone is sitting on my shoulders?”