''Demon Possession''

Ghost Story of Demon Possession: I heard this story from my grandmother when I was very young. It's been almost thirty years since then, but the details of the story are still vivid in my mind. Perhaps it left a terrifying impression on me as a child.

My grandmother's hometown is in Ninh Binh, a small province in the northern part of Vietnam. My grandmother knew someone named Nhiêu Trinh, who was seventy-three years old at that time. In her village, everyone was close-knit, especially Nhiêu Trinh, who was an exemplary woman that all other women looked up to. Throughout her life, she lived for others and never hesitated to help those in need. Almost all the women in her village, as well as neighboring villages, relied on her when giving birth. She was famous for being a skilled midwife, and what made her special was that she never asked for payment. Her family was poor, and they valued relationships more than material possessions. That's why her relatives and neighbors respected and loved her, and even children in the village called her "grandmother." People often brought her gifts, no matter how small, such as old sweet potatoes or betel nuts.

My grandmother's parents passed away early, so she had to take care of her younger siblings. She didn't get married until she was thirty years old, and she married Nhiêu Trinh (a high-ranking official in their village). His family was also rare, having only one son from his previous marriage. However, none of his previous wives could bear him a child. When Nhiêu Trinh married my grandmother, she gave birth to a son a year later. He was like a precious gem to Nhiêu Trinh, and my grandmother was treated kindly because of her son. Although Nhiêu Trinh had multiple wives, they all got along and shared everything. They all loved and spoiled the child, giving him whatever he wanted.

As time passed, Nhiêu Trinh and his previous three wives passed away. My grandmother was left alone to raise her son and take care of everything in the village.

When Truc got married, his mother was very happy and hoped that her daughter-in-law would quickly give her grandchildren. After 16 years of marriage, Truc finally had a son, fulfilling his mother's wishes partially. However, she still longed for more grandchildren from Truc. She took care of her grandson, Vinh, who was only three at the time, until her old age when she worried about being separated from him. When she passed away, her family mourned her and took care of her funeral arrangements. Strange things happened on the night of her passing, such as the continuous chirping of a bird, the howling of the cat, and the barking of the dog, which made people feel uneasy.

Over ten people stayed awake all night watching over the coffin. A group of young people huddled together, telling ghost stories while a few elderly folks gathered to chat about village harvests. Bà Nhiêu Trinh's coffin was located a few dozen steps away. Around 3 am, there was a sound, at first unnoticed, but it grew louder and more distinct. People speculated what could have caused it - some said it was a mouse, others thought it was a dog scratching. No one dared to admit that the sound came from the coffin because no one believed it. Suddenly, Vinh jumped up and claimed he heard his grandmother calling him. He stared at the coffin where she lay. Everyone fell silent, even the animals stopped their noises. In a suffocating atmosphere and silence like before a storm, bà Nhiêu Trinh's voice echoed from the coffin, "Let me out, let me out. I'm still alive." Everyone ran out of Truc's house, without anyone prompting them.

Curiosity can often bring trouble and lead to mistakes. After walking away from Truc's house for a while, everyone stopped and gathered in one place to listen intently. After a while, nothing happened, and some young men dared each other to return to the house to see if anything had changed. Truc and his wife were in such a hurry to leave that they forgot Vinh. The boy had never been alone until now, yet he didn't cry or make any noise. Truc led the young men back to the house, pretending not to be afraid despite his heart pounding inside. By the beginning of summer, Vinh started talking in short sentences. As for who he spoke to, nobody knew. He said his grandmother was not dead but only asleep in the coffin, waiting for Truc to let her out. Upon hearing this, Truc no longer felt scared and quickly retrieved his mother's coffin from the house.

Upon arrival, Truc heard Nhiêu Trinh whisper "Truc darling, let me out, I'm tired of lying down. Who tied me up so tightly?" Hearing this, he was even more convinced that his mother was still alive. He quickly opened the casket to release her. Everyone had returned by then, overjoyed to see her alive but still anxious. A group of young men lifted her out of the casket. Oddly enough, she seemed much heavier than before when she was as light as a child. Mr. Bach, who had previously personally embalmed her, now unwrapped the layers of cloth and scolded himself for being careless about leaving her alive.

As they removed each layer of cloth, no one noticed that Nhiêu Trinh was now speaking in a lively and agitated way instead of her previous calm demeanor. The final piece of cloth was removed from her mouth, and she glared at everyone, growling "So you all wished for my death, huh? I fall asleep for just a moment, and you're all preparing for my funeral?" They tried to talk to her, but she only complained and demanded food. Truc was ecstatic that his mother felt hunger, and since his wife had seen her mother-in-law wake up, she ran to the kitchen to cook rice porridge to help Nhiêu Trinh recover. Even though the porridge was still soupy, Nhiêu Trinh was so hungry that she bravely scooped up a bowl. The porridge was hot, but she seemed to have no sensation at all. It was probably because she hadn't eaten for ten days or had any water while lying stiff in the casket. She urged her daughter-in-law to go back to the kitchen and bring more.

While they waited for her, she saw a bunch of bananas on top of the casket and asked someone nearby to give her one. The bananas were freshly cut, still green, but Nhiêu Trinh enjoyed each one bite by bite. Perhaps the way she ate now was called swallowing hastily because without teeth, how could she possibly chew? After sitting with her for a while, everyone began discussing what to do next. However, Nhiêu Trinh didn't want that because she still wanted to talk. After the last person left the house, she was still talking. It wasn't until six in the morning that she yawned and said she was tired and wanted to sleep. Truc helped his mother into bed and urged his wife to clean up everything used for the funeral. As for the casket, they left it in the corner of the house, as it was customary in the countryside to keep it as a storage space for clothing when there were elderly members in the household.

Throughout the day, Nhiêu Trinh remained motionless despite Trúc's repeated attempts to invite her to eat. Trúc had to occasionally check her pulse to see if she was still alive. She was weak and her breathing was irregular, unlike the previous night when she was flexible. Vinh cried for his grandmother but she did not open her eyes until six in the evening. She immediately asked for food and scolded Vinh for not letting her sleep. Trúc's sister had prepared porridge which Nhiêu Trinh devoured without waiting for it to cool. She ate bowl after bowl until Trúc's sister had to bring the entire pot. After eating, Nhiêu Trinh put on a hat made of leaves and left the house. Her agile gait made her appear younger than her age and her recent brush with death. Trúc was curious about her wearing a hat since the weather wasn't sunny anymore, but he didn't ask because he believed that someone who came back from the dead would have different habits than before. Outside, she met people from the neighborhood who were glad she survived, but she responded disdainfully. She stopped at Bách's house, where she drank water and snatched the last sweet potato from Bách's grandson, making him cry. Back home, Nhiêu Trinh kept eating until there was almost no food left. Vinh kept looking at her with confusion, while Trúc and his sister only had a few burnt rice grains and some vegetables. Nhiêu Trinh sat on the bed, sipping green tea while talking alone. Trúc and his wife went to bed, but they could still hear Nhiêu Trinh speaking incessantly. They were unsure what was happening to her and eventually fell asleep.

Early in the morning, Truc woke up to go to work in the field and found his mother lying weakly on the bed. He suspected that she hadn't slept well because of her restlessness the night before. He asked his wife to take care of his mother while he went to work as a farmer. However, his mother's condition did not improve throughout the day, and their neighbor lost a hen unexpectedly.

In the evening, when Truc came home to visit his mother, he couldn't find her. His wife informed him that his mother had finished eating boiled cassava and went out wearing a hat. She also mentioned that Truc’s grandmother brought Vinh over to help clean the house but ended up hitting him with a broom because he wanted to be carried. Truc saw that his mother's behavior had changed, and even children in the village were afraid of her eyes, which looked like glowing cat eyes. There were frequent reports of chicken thefts, and people suspected a fox was lurking around. Everyone was concerned and tried to keep their chickens safe, but they still went missing regularly. People also noticed that the hens stopped making noise when they were touched, unlike their usual loud squawks. The villagers attempted to catch the thief, but all efforts failed.

In Anh Truc's house, strange things keep happening. Mrs. Nhieu Trinh is becoming healthier and younger-looking, with new teeth growing and her hair turning green. She no longer spends the whole day lying down but wakes up every noon feeling healthy. However, she has also become more aggressive towards her grandson Vinh, who is now scared of her. Her appetite has increased tremendously, and she prefers fresh food. One day, when Anh Truc's wife bought fresh fish from the village pond, they found out that Mrs. Nhieu had eaten them raw.

The village has changed significantly since Mrs. Nhieu's resurrection, and people no longer call her "grandma." One afternoon, a stranger visited the village and asked about any strange occurrences. When he saw Mrs. Nhieu, he recognized her as the old lady who died and came back to life. He told the villagers to get in touch with him secretly if they wanted to save Anh Truc's family, without letting Mrs. Nhieu know.

Upon arriving, Tham hesitated to speak up and stood outside the alley because she overheard Ba Nhieu shouting inside. She saw Mr. Truc and his wife standing nearby. Suddenly, Ba Nhieu mentioned Tham's name and threatened her. Tham was terrified and quickly ran away. Later, when she told an old customer what had happened, he warned her to tell Mr. Truc to meet him the next morning for a dangerous and urgent matter. Tham didn't dare to return to Mr. Truc's house, so she asked a neighbor to deliver the message. The next day, Mr. Truc met with the old man and learned that his mother had been possessed by a demon since her death. The demon would soon transfer to Mr. Truc's baby. The old man gave Mr. Truc three red amulets and warned him to be careful.

Upon returning home at noon, Mrs. Nhieu demanded to eat and held onto Vinh tightly. Anh Truc suggested getting Vinh's haircut, but Mrs. Nhieu refused. She spent the day at home with Vinh, who cried all day. In the evening, Mrs. Nhieu's behavior became erratic and frightening, threatening to consume the village. On the 99th day, she appeared happy and anticipatory. When Truc tried to take Vinh away, she chased after them. Truc threw three talisman papers at her, the last of which hit her chest and caused a terrifying transformation. Mrs. Nhieu died a hundred days prior, and her body was unrecognizable.

On that day, Mr. Truc once again placed his grandmother in the coffin that she had previously been in more than three months ago..

The above story is almost a century old, my grandmother was only 13 at the time. She passed away 25 years ago at the age of 87.