Night of the Candle Lighting.

The lighting of lamps or candles is a specific ritual known as the act of ushering the deceased into a process of being called or invited. Every time lamps or candles are lit, there must be a form of reverence or exchange. If this is not done, what do we exchange as a consequence of this calling or inviting ritual?

On a morning during the early afternoon, I was around 8 to 10 years old, if I remember correctly. It was a time of mischief and youthful exuberance. Our house had a Bodhi tree in front, and it was in the chilly days of winter. During this season, our village would have numerous ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals. The majority of the homeowners in the village would bring lamps and offerings to invite their ancestors to participate in these events, which they did by speaking the invitations aloud to their ancestors.

During this time, there were many lamps in our house, as there were many ceremonies taking place. Whether it was weddings, funerals, or other events, there was a high demand for lamps. As a child, I used to play around, sometimes not fully understanding what was happening. I can't recall exactly what I was playing with my sibling, but it might have involved burning incense sticks. We finished our playtime, and with a sense of mischief, I decided to take one lamp and place it in front of a house located to the right of our home, near the pillar where I used to sleep. And that was the beginning of the story.

Initially, when I encountered her, I was probably lying down in the early afternoon of that day, and my dream was similarly set during midday. I dreamt that someone came to our house right at the spot where we usually placed our offerings and incense.

Who was this person at the front of the house?

Oh! She suddenly disappeared.

She was a woman with long hair, wearing a white dress, and she appeared briefly and then vanished as if she had come from my thoughts.

I woke up startled, realizing that I was dreaming. At that time, I wasn't aware that I was experiencing a layered dream within a dream. It was only when everything changed from daytime to nighttime, and I started to become confused about whether it was real or a dream, as I had just woken up a while ago.

And what I felt was that someone was really outside, similar to the initial dream. My subconscious mind made me look out the window, and that's when I directed my gaze towards the window, believing that I would meet her for sure. But I couldn't control my body; the window was left open, and the curtains, which were right in front, began to move, creating an eerie image. Suddenly, I found myself stepping out cautiously to see the person at the window.

Nothing could have surprised me more than this. There was a woman with an angry and vengeful look, a dark blue complexion, and red eyes. She extended her arm and pointed at me, her face elongated, and she shouted, "Why did you light the lamp to summon me?"

 "I will kill you."

I know this is a dream. I try to wake myself up, even though I'm in the dream, and I try to make myself wake up. I try to cover my ears and close my eyes in the dream, but my hand won't move, it just won't move. Then, not long after, I wake up.

"Darn."

"This dream again?"

"It felt so real."

It feels like I'm about to fall asleep again, and then I wake up for real.

This time, I hope it's for real.

I'm breathing heavily. I wake up at 6:00 PM, looking at the clock inside my house. I'm still worried about whether it's another dream or not. It's creepy right now, and it's already dark in the cold season. I'm scared because I'm afraid it's a dream, so I shout for someone in the house. My older brother comes into the room, worried.

Brother: "Why are you calling?"

You: "Please turn on the light."

You: "Turn it on, please."

You: "I'm begging."

Brother: "Alright."

Your brother looks puzzled and reluctantly turns on the light because you look very scared. You clutch the blanket and slowly open your eyes, looking at the window. The window still looks the same as in the dream, and everything feels the same, but it's even scarier because you're fully awake now. The only difference is that you didn't turn on the light in the dream. You're too afraid to close the window or speak directly. At that moment, you're very scared because the atmosphere feels so real, just like in the dream.

You decide to leave the window open like that, but your breathing is heavy, and it feels suffocating. The window has the breeze blowing in, along with the smell of incense that you lit earlier. You almost feel like it's heavier than in the dream. The smell, the color, the darkness, the eerie atmosphere, which you had been burning for a while, is strangely still there. You're afraid to even check if it's out. You're too afraid to take out the incense, afraid that you might be choked if you go out. You can't sleep either because of the smell of incense. You stay awake all night and then one day you get a fever. You've been inhaling the incense you've burned all day. Who would have known what you would encounter while playing tired like this.