I felt my back getting colder and colder, my heart was pounding, my whole body was tense, and I didn't dare to move at all.
Just then, I felt as if I was patted on the back. The touch felt like a hand or a rough, withered branch.
I felt a chill run down my spine, and my body trembled slightly. Remembering what the old man in the village had said, I didn't dare to turn around and look.
But then, I felt something touch the back of my neck; it was cool and a little damp.
My heart was in my throat. I reached into the basket on the front of the electric scooter and took out a steel lock. I gripped it tightly in my hand, and the veins on my arm bulged because I used too much force.
"Hey, young man, what are you waiting for here? You won't answer when I call you."
Just then, a faint voice came from behind me. I couldn't tell if it was male or female. It felt ethereal, as if it were from a very far place, or as if it were right behind me, or even right next to my ear. I could almost feel the cold wind blowing from the voice behind my ear.
I gritted my teeth, having reached the point of no return. Suddenly, I steeled myself, gripped the steel lock tightly in my hand, and abruptly turned around to look.
But what I saw made my eyes widen. I saw an old woman in her seventies or eighties with a pale face, less than half a meter away from my nose. Her eyes were green, her skin was rough and dull like old tree bark, her mouth was cracked, and she had a few sparse teeth. I could vaguely see her scarlet tongue inside. Her hair was messy, and she was wearing a dark green floral dress.
The old woman had a smile on her face, but the wrinkles on her face were so deep and creepy that it looked like a human skin covering a skeleton.
I was so scared that I jumped off the electric bike, and the steel lock in my hand slipped and fell to the ground.
I stumbled backward, tripped over something, and landed hard on my bottom.
The old woman was still wearing a pair of green embroidered shoes, and she took small, quick steps, as if floating in the air, as she kept approaching me.
I braced myself on the ground with my hands and kicked my legs wildly as I backed away.
But the old woman got closer and closer to me, and in the blink of an eye she was in front of me. She stuck out her scarlet tongue and licked her lips, a sinister smile on her face, and said in a low voice, "Young man, come to grandma."
Cold sweat poured down my forehead. I tried with all my might to back away, but no matter how far I retreated, the distance between me and the old woman kept getting closer.
The old woman floated in front of me in the blink of an eye, leaned forward slightly, and slowly approached my face.
"Don't come any closer!" I yelled, closing my eyes in fear.
Just then.
A clear voice rang out from behind me, "Zuo Changming, what are you doing sitting on the ground?"
When I heard that heavenly voice, before I could even open my eyes, I felt a warm arm supporting my arm. Perhaps because I was too heavy, the warm arm pulled me up twice but couldn't.
I opened my eyes and saw An Lili standing in front of me. Her face was flushed red, probably from exerting too much force.
"Lili, hurry back inside, there's something dirty here." Seeing An Lili made him feel a sense of warmth, but then he remembered something and urged her on.
"What?"
"What did you say?"
An Lili asked, looking puzzled.
“A ghost! There’s a ghost here, right there,” I said, pointing in the direction of the old woman.
An Lili looked in the direction I was looking, and then burst out laughing, "She's my grandma."
"Ah!" I exclaimed and quickly looked over. I saw an old woman in a floral dress standing three or four meters in front of me, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
"She, she, she, how could she be here?" I asked hurriedly, still looking terrified.
Just a moment ago, an old woman who looked terrifying, like a ghost, was standing right in front of me, sticking out her scarlet tongue as if she wanted to eat me up. How did she suddenly become so far away from me, and not so scary at all, except that her hair was a little messy?
“Excuse me, she’s my grandma. This is my home, so of course she’s here. She’s old and her mind isn’t quite right; she has Alzheimer’s. Are you alright?” An Lili pointed at the old lady and rubbed her other hand around her ear twice as she explained.
"Oh, oh." I heard An Lili's words and glanced at the old lady again. The old lady smiled at me and there was nothing scary about her.
I stood up and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. The chilling feeling from before had vanished. Could it have been my imagination? Yet it all felt so real.
"I'm sorry, Zuo Changming. I hope my grandma didn't scare you. It's all my fault for not explaining things to you beforehand. My grandma went out for a walk after dinner, and I was just about to go find her," An Lili said apologetically.
"No...no, I just tripped and fell, and I was hallucinating." I quickly waved my hand, picked up the steel lock from the ground, and stood the electric scooter up, securing it with a brace.
“It’s my fault for not explaining things clearly. Why don’t you come into my house for a cup of tea before you go back?” An Lili pulled her mentally ill grandmother behind her and told her to go back inside first.
"No, it's getting late, I'll head back now." I waved my hand, turned the electric scooter around, and got on.
"Wait a minute." An Lili came up to me, tugged at my clothes, and handed me a small yellow triangular pouch charm, saying, "This is a good luck charm. It will bring you good fortune. I hope you will be safe and sound in the future."
I was slightly taken aback. It turned out that what An Lili wanted to get for me when she got home was this amulet. If it were any other item, I wouldn't have wanted it, but I really wanted this amulet. I reached out and took the amulet, put it in my pocket, and felt a warm feeling well up inside me. I smiled and said, "Lili, thank you. I really like this amulet, so I'll accept it."
"I'm glad you like it." An Lili reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling as she said, "This amulet should be carried on your person, not put in your pocket."
"Oh, I don't know what to give in return for receiving such an expensive gift from you." Upon hearing this, I took out the amulet, put it around my neck, and placed it on my chest.
“You’re welcome. I have another one. My grandma got it from a temple. I heard it’s very effective. I’ll wrap yours up. It won’t get wet when you take a bath. You should wear it all the time,” An Lili said with a smile.
"Okay, thank you again. I'm going back now. Good night." I waved to An Lili and rode my tricycle home.
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