Folklore and the Supernatural

[Draft completed] Publication begins on October 15, 2027

Rural literature + folk horror + inexplicable terror

An anthology of stories, traditional supernatural fiction. The ghosts have no reason and cannot be communicated with. They act on obsession and instinct.

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● Blurb:

Many years later, Mantun would still dream of the days when he went from village to village with his grandfather, selling goods as a child.

In his dreams, sometimes he lay on the ox cart, sometimes he sat in a wooden basket. Aromatic snacks and candies were piled all around him, and whenever he looked up, he could see his grandfather's sturdy back.

Bells jingled. The mule cart swayed, the bamboo basket swayed. He followed his grandfather over mountains and through villages, walking from dawn till dusk, their shadows stretching long, long behind them...

In a daze, he seemed to hear his grandfather calling again: "Manwazi, we'll reach the next village soon. Tidy up the basket. Time to get off."

*

1. "Lijia Village"

Red candles still burn, locking a bride in her chamber. The child in her belly turns to ash in her hands. One day, he is forcibly taken away. The grieving mother weeps blood, but he never returns.

2. "Ji Village"

"The Merciful Goddess bestows her blessings. Great fortune, great fortune. May joy greet us when the coffin is opened."

3. "Guilang Village"

The villagers of this little fishing village live by fishing. People are born on boats and die on boats. The churning waves carry not only fishing vessels, but also one wooden boat after another bearing corpses into the depths of the sea. When fog blankets the water, these boats laden with bodies return to their loved ones in another form.

4. "Rain Town"

The little town is shrouded in endless drizzle, and clear skies are a rare sight. In the damp, mist-covered woods, a bride in red pulls off her veil. Her beastlike eyes, brimming with tears, stare fixedly at the person before her. Her voice is sorrowful: "Father, I don't want to marry."

5. "Wotu Village"

A suona horn sounds, spirit banners flutter, and paper money falls like snow onto the fertile black earth. Every inch of the soil, dark red and black, is soaked with blood.

Theme: Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.