The Way Things Are

(note that all the ancient details used here are true)

Have you ever wondered where people go after they die? Because that's something I've always wondered ever since I've moved into my new home in Beijing.

It's a good place, pretty close to my university as well. Getting into Peking university wasn't easy of course. I had to work really hard, and now I'm separated from my family. This is actually the very first time I'm living by myself. Shanghai is pretty far from here so it's better to live in a rented place till I find a proper job.

Actually it's been a month so far since I moved in and I found a part time job as the receptionist during the weekend in a small café close to my place.

I was just sitting by the window reading my assignment until my phone rang. It was a late Tuesday afternoon and I was too bored to get something to eat for tea. Just like I guessed. Facetime.

'Heyyy, there's our little girl' Dad Wang said beaming with his face close to the phone.

'Heyo, dad Wang' I smiled sitting down on the floor, 'How's it going you guys?'

'Me? I'm fine' he said, 'Shawn, come speak to Mia!' he shouted over his shoulder.

'I didn't know she was calling' I heard dad Shawn's voice in the background.

'Where were you?' I asked him as his face appeared next to dad Wang.

'What's up, Mia!' Dad Shawn said, grabbing the phone in turn.

'Hi daddy' I gave a happy grin. Yeah, I have two dads and yes I'm adopted and my name is Mia.

'I was just checking on the sauce, we're making pasta' he grinned and moved close to the screen, 'Did you eat Mia?'

'Dinner? No,' I said. Dad Shawn is pretty serious when it comes to my diet. Back in Shanghai he made sure I had plenty of food.

'You didn't have tea did you?' he fumed, 'Are you going to starve yourself when we're not with you Mia?'

'Jeez, calm down' Dad Wang intervened, 'She's probably not hungry, right Mia?'

Dad Wang is always the one who takes my side whenever something happens. I guess it's because he's a university lecturer and knows the young generation unlike dad Shawn. I'm not saying dad Shawn's bad but he can be a bit overprotective at times. Dad Shawn is Australian, he has brown hair and brown eyes and he works at a law firm. Dad Shawn is handsome but Dad Wang, he's pretty. I really like his shoulder length black hair which he keeps up in a half bun. They're literally the greatest dads in the world. I look more like dad Wang, probably because I'm Chinese too.

'Yeah, I ate a lot of lunch, so I really can't have anything for tea' I mumbled.

'Hmph!' Dad Shawn said, 'How is the place? Is it good? No rowdy boys or loud parties?'

I chuckled, 'No dad, I'm fine, but-'

I stopped as I remembered what happened last night. Long hair. Fancy clothes. Loud footsteps.

I shivered as goosebumps broke through my skin.

Dad Wang looked alarmed as he noted the look on my face, 'Sweetie what's wrong? Did anybody trouble you?'

'N-no, I'm fine, I just-'

'No tea! That's the problem, you're going to get gastritis' Dad Shawn shouted behind him.

'Shawn, no'

'Guys, can I talk to you later?' I asked, suddenly not feeling well. I really wanted to talk to them but I didn't know what to say. They might think I'm crazy.

'Sure, love' Dad Wang said, shoving dad Shawn out of the way, 'You must be tired, take a rest'

'Mmhm' I said, 'Love you both'

'I love you too, don't forget to brush'

'Dinner! Have dinner, or else I'll-' Dad Shawn started.

'Shawn can you just-'

I hung up and collapsed flat on the floor.

I could barely remember what happened. Last night just after I settled into bed I thought I heard footsteps outside the window. I'm not a fan of curiosity so I decided to stay put. And that's when stuff went wrong. I started to hear it inside the house too. Finally when I couldn't stand it anymore, I opened the door and stepped out with my tennis racket. The moment I stepped out the noises stopped. I exhaled in relief and was about to go back when I heard a sound from the kitchen. I levelled up my tennis racket, took a deep breath and wished I never moved from Shanghai. What I saw next was clearly imprinted to the base of my skull and I know that I'll never forget it.

There was nothing in the kitchen. I groaned in frustration.

'What the hell is going-' I froze.

I felt a cold breeze behind me and a slight tinkling sound. I wanted to get away from there, something was behind me and I could feel its cold breath on my exposed neck. I slowly turned back. The first thing that registered in my head was the long hair. If this is what you call a ghost, then so be it. Pale skin, long hair and some sort of clothing made from a shiny material. I saw my scared reflection in its pure black eyes and then…. And then…. Nothing. By the time I got up it was already morning. I guess I sort of fainted.

That's just it, it was like such a brief memory. All I could focus on was the stinging pain on the base of my head. That's when I decided to stay home. I'm not sure if it was a dream or some sort of hallucination but I wanted to get it out of my head. So I decided to focus on my university assignment.

My place is a pretty decent modern looking home. There's no way it could be haunted, in the middle of Beijing? There was only one floor and neighbors all around me.

I let out an exasperated sigh and wiped my sweaty hair off my forehead. Should I look for the history of this place? Neighbors are usually nosy, if there really was something off about this place, nobody told me, or my dads. Marketing trick?

I finally decided to text Jadie. Jadie's my best friend back in high school. Both of us managed to pass our entrance exams and get qualified to enter Peking. If I couldn't figure out something, she's the sort of person who could.

I texted her my entire story. She replied almost immediately, You wanna take a call?

The call lasted for more than one hour, both of us had so much to say. Jadie, like usual, did NOT think I was crazy. I haven't gone crazy for a long time and apparently she's been wondering if I've become a normal boring university nerd. Thankfully, she had some advice but unfortunately, her advice is a bit risky.

You're not even sure of what it actually looks like, you need to find something unique like a clue. How am I supposed to find out what it is if we don't know what we're dealing with? On the other hand, it would've killed you if it wanted to but seeing that you're still alive, I'm guessing it means no harm. Why don't you get a clear look and then describe it to me tomorrow?

Ugh, the first experience was horrifying enough and now she wants me to go on a night hunt again. Then again, she was right, why didn't it harm me?

Having all these muddled thoughts in my head, I managed to wolf down a few slices of toast. I decided to stay up till I heard those footsteps.

Around 11.30 just as I was about to nod off I heard the footsteps. More closer this time, maybe outside my bedroom door? I took the racket and opened the door just as I heard the footsteps venture further down the corridor. If I'm to take a good look, then I shouldn't be seen. I took off my bedroom slippers and moved noiselessly upon the cold wooden floor. The sound of the footsteps have stopped somewhere around the living area. I peeked around the wall and sure enough, there it was. Luckily, today's moon was on full brightness mode. The light shone through the large windows onto the ghost. It shimmered and shone like a hologram. I took a deep breath and slid across the floor to the back of a sofa to take a closer look. It hasn't moved. I'm so graceful. It was turned away from me and I could only see the back. As I squinted, I realized the description I gave to Jadie was so wrong. From far, it looked nothing like a ghost. More like a warrior. A dead warrior. From its stance I could tell that it was male. His long hair was tied back in a high ponytail. His robes were torn and tattered but hasn't lost its color. A deep blue with gold embroidering. I ducked as he turned. Cautiously I sneaked a peek over the sofa. He was certainly handsome and probably someone wealthy too. He wore a battle armor along with the boots. I figured out where the tinkling sound came from. Around his waist was a fancy beaded rope and on it was a small greenish tablet. An empty sheath hung from his waist. He seemed interested in the things I've left on the coffee table. I watched in wide eyed horror and admiration at the well built figure. He was completely shaved and his thick hair had two small braids accessorized in various shiny beads. Moonlight shone off the pair of long earrings. Talk about a fancy ghost, he doesn't even belong to this generation.

By then I've completely memorized a description worthy of an essay, all I had to do now was to get away without being seen. He doesn't have a sword, sure but what if he can strangle me.

I swiftly moved back to the wall while crouching down. I don't know if he saw me or not. But I didn't care, I just wanted to get into my bedroom. Once I was in my room, I tossed my racket away and broke out in sweat. I saw a ghost. I saw a ghost. I saw a ghost. I grabbed my phone from the bed stand, typed away the description before I could forget and looked at the time.

00.10. I let out a sigh and waited a few more minutes to see if he would come in. I dozed off and woke up in time for my lectures.

I couldn't pay attention to anything, not even to my crush who was sitting in the front row. Jadie read the message, but we couldn't speak because she came in late. She had to sit in front because my row was filled.

Just as the lecture was over she slung her backpack across her shoulder and came up to me, 'You-cafeteria-now'

I looked across the table at my dark friend as she pulled out her laptop.

'I wish you'd paid attention earlier. Your description was so easy to guess. I've already figured it out'.

'Figured what out?' I inquired pulling my chair right next to her.

'Who he is, duh' She gave me her usual exasperated look, 'I mean like who he might be'

She opened Wikipedia and scrolled down.

'Look, according to what you said, he's obviously a warrior. And this is Beijing', She adjusted her specs and looked sternly at me, 'And what are the most famous dynasties connected to Beijing?'

'Qing and Ming?' I asked.

'Hmph, glad to know you know that' Impressing Jadie's pretty hard, 'So, the description of your ghost is too old to be someone from the Qing dynasty. Qing was the last dynasty that lasted from 1644 to 1912. Their clothing wasn't that old-fashioned. Your ghost's clothing is way too ancient. So I'm guessing he's from-'

'The Ming dynasty!' I guessed.

'Exactly, it lasted from 1368 to 1644, before the Manchu, under leader Nurhaci (a tribe, formerly known as the Jurchen people) defeated Li Zicheng's forces after the Chongzhen emperor committed suicide. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that your fancy ghost is a dead warrior from the Qing reign.'

I was dumbstruck by her intelligence. Of course, being born in China, I do know the history but I didn't know how to apply it like Jadie did.

'What else, Tutor Jadie?, I begged her.

'Well…' She adjusted her specs again and sat up straighter, 'You mentioned something green hanging from his waist right? That is mostly likely to be a jade tablet. I've heard that palace officials usually carry their name and rank stamped on a jade tablet. He's probably a general or an army commander or something. I gathered it from his clothing too that not only was he wealthy but he's also a high ranking officer'.

'You mean…. He died in war,' I said.

'Yup, probably in the battle against Nurhaci'

'Wow, a war hero' I said, 'But what's he doing in my house?'

'Listen, this may sound crazy but sometimes ghosts get attracted to family lines' Jadie said.

'You mean-'

'You might be a descendant from his family, I know you took dad Shawn's surname, Bekett, but you're adopted', She continued, 'Your real surname could be connected to the ghost's surname, but I'm sure whoever left you didn't bother leaving a note or anything'.

'Uh, I'm not going to bother looking for surnames, definitely not going back to my depressing baby days', I said, 'Maybe I'm his descendant or whatever but it's not important, I just want to know why'

'Mia, I don't think there's a reason…. It depends on the blood relation and his last stand I suppose'

'So he's just attracted to me and the house?'

'That's the best possible explanation', Jadie pondered, 'He's a wandering spirit killed in war. His anger and resentment won't let him have a proper rest. That's what happens to most dead warriors I guess. They can't let go of their human emotions, so they're bound to wander around aimlessly'.

'That's kinda sad... living aimlessly', sighed, 'Maybe I should try talking to him, if I'm related, I don't think he'll try to kill me'

'Um, I'm just saying, but there's a possibility that you might be related to the Li's' Jadie said looking at me experimentally, 'You know, from the family tree of Li Zicheng, I don't think it's from him, but he had an older brother and a nephew. A palace's high ranking officers usually tend to be sons or relatives. So you know…..'

'Hah, so am I Li Mia or Mia Li?' I asked.

'You're Mia Bekett, and that was just a hypothetical assumption, don't think about it too much'

'Ok, so I have a family ghost who's attracted to me, which is not weird at all' I mumbled rubbing my eyes.

'It is weird, Mia' Jadie said, 'But I suppose you could try and interact, but, since I've helped you such a lot…. maybe I could-'

'No, nada, he's my ghost' I decided, 'I can see him because he's related to me, what if he won't like others?'

'Ugh, true true' Jadie agreed.

And that was that. End of the day.

I had another call from dad Wang just after my dinner of roast fish and salad. A lot of weird things are happening, but not weird enough to call the police, I had joked. But I had to get to the bottom of this. I need to know if he's friendly or not. If he is then I can have a nice housemate. If he's not, I might need to talk to the parish priest.

I didn't even know what to ask him. What if he can't speak? What if he's an angry ghost? Damn it, why me, just when I started my uni life.

I wasn't in the mood to talk to my dads so I decided to have an early dinner and wait for fancy ghost in the living room. I wonder what he does once I'm asleep, does he look out of the window at the unknown world, go through my homework, read my diary….

I changed into my pj's and settled on the sofa with a cup of hot coffee and went through all the Hwarang episodes I missed. I stopped watching about five minutes before 11.30. What if he finds modern technology frightening? I didn't want to scare a ghost. That would be ironic.

I was afraid I'd doze off so I took another coffee and switched off the lights. As usual, I heard the heavy stomping of his boots in the corridor behind me. I took a deep breath and exhaled, I can't run, not now.

I stood up with the window behind me as he appeared from the corner. His pale face showed no emotions as he scanned me.

'Hi' I forced myself to speak, 'Um, if you're not going to kill me, can we talk?'

He moved closer to the sofa and I took an involuntary step back. He stopped advancing as he realized I was afraid of him.

Can he understand me?

'Do you speak English? My Chinese isn't very good so…' I ventured.

He tilted his head inquiringly and his earrings shone in the dark. He looked like a curious child, which put me at ease. I decided to take things slowly, without any sudden movements. I felt like a lion trainer who's trying to put the animal into his cage.

'Uhhh, I'm going to sit on the floor' I sat right down in front of the window, 'You can join me if you like'. I patted the floor next to me.

He looked down and frowned, his face scrunching in distaste. Definitely a posh dude.

'Listen bro, I'm a normal girl' I explained carefully, 'I don't have a throne and this isn't a palace. So either you sit here and we have a nice talk or else you can just stand there making us both uncomfortable'.

I guess he realized that he wasn't going to get any special treatment so he reluctantly sat down heavily. Just a few centimeters away from me. He crossed his legs and looked at me like, talk.

'Fine, my friend kind of told me about who you might be', I said, 'So I just wanted to clarify some things. I don't know if you understand me because I can handle English better than Chinese and I also don't know if you can speak. BUT I might know some words you might be really familiar with. So correct me if I'm wrong'

He raised an eyebrow skeptically either because he couldn't understand me or because I was being so bold.

'Here I go' I started, 'You're a Ming and you died in battle. Defeated by Nurhaci-'

I broke off as his hand went instinctively to his scabbard. His eyebrows were furrowed and I could see a series of emotions flit across his face. Anger, hatred, sadness. I regretted bringing that up immediately.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-' I started but stopped as I saw him staring at me. I blushed, 'What?'

He gently took my hand and I flinched at the coldness of it. Then I was surprised that he could actually touch me. He could've strangled me for real.

'What are yo-' He placed my hand right on top of his heart and with his right he drew a line across his throat. I could feel no pulse, because he's dead..... obviously.

I looked closer at his chest and moved my hand a bit aside. Now that I noticed, there was a dark patch on the deep blue fabric along with a small slit.

'Is that-' I gasped, 'A sword- no wait! The slit is too small to be a sword wound. An arrow! It's an arrow wound!' I looked up at his face only to notice the deep bitterness etched on it.

'So that's how you died, someone shot you with an arrow' I mimicked a bow and arrow with my hands.

He bowed. I took his hand in mine, 'It's not your fault, you did everything you could I suppose'

What's happening right now seems really crazy to me. I'm literally consoling a ghost and I don't feel scared at all. Me fainting the very first time I saw him feels dumb. He's practically harmless, like a sad puppy waiting to be petted.

'Does it hurt? The wound?' I asked, pointing to his chest.

He tilted his head again like he didn't understand. I let go of his hand, 'Nevermind… I should teach you some English'.

I need to know if I'm related to him, or if he knows anything about it.

'Let me get my phone, I'll be right back' I left him seated on the floor and scurried for my phone.

I scrolled through google and figured it out: Mandarin.

'Ok, see if you understand,' I told him as he stared bewildered at the phone.

I typed the words, "Am I your family" In google translator and switched on the speaker. It said something like 'Wo shi ni de jiaren ma' or something along those lines.

'Understand?' I asked him.

A faint smile played on his lips. He took my hand once more and this time placed it on his lips, 'Jiating'.

I gasped, 'You-you can speak…. Mandarin?' Although his voice was barely a whisper I caught the words 'jiating'. With another round of typing I figured out that jiating means family.

'So Jadie was right' I mused and then realised he was still holding my hand.

I blushed and pulled away, 'Um, so I did want to know what my actual parents' name is but I decided against it. I don't want to go through all those things so I'm going to assume that I am a Li-' I broke off as he flinched at the mention of 'Li'.

'What- no way, she can't be that smart' I said.

'Really?' I motioned to him and then to me, 'We're Li's?' I asked.

His eye twitched but he bowed all the same.

'Ugh, why's she so darn smart!' I grumbled, 'Wait, so are you the older brother or his son or some other uncle?... nevermind I don't wanna know'

I glanced at his right hand which was on his lap. No wedding ring.

He was just sitting there looking mournful.

'What were you doing this entire time?' I wondered aloud looking out of the window. He didn't respond but stared sadly out of the window as a rain started to patter.

And that was how I got my late night housemate. I stay up late with his company. Sometimes chattering away, doing assignments or studying. I managed to teach him a few English words, but he was so stubborn and arrogant about it. Like he was proud of knowing Mandarin only. After a few days he could say 'yes' , 'no', 'ok' and a few more simple English words because it was tiresome to hold one sided conversations all the time. It felt like teaching a child to speak. I also found out that I can't touch him while he's unaware because then he's just like a hologram. But he could contact me anytime. I guess he has this gentleman-ness or something because he never does anything without asking me. Other than that, it's all ghost behavior's. I like being with him. It's just not lonely like it used to be. I get this sense of company and safety whenever he's around.

I don't know how long he's going to stay here and I don't even know what his name is. He might one day disappear and not come back the next night. He might decide to let go of his resentment and go wherever dead people go. Maybe I might leave before he does. Everything, everyday is just uncertain. Sometimes I fear the day he might not come to see me. But I can't stop that. I can't stop him from leaving and I can't avoid fate.

Because that is just the way things are.