''The Ghostly Bridge''

True Ghost Story: "The Ghostly Bridge" - These are stories that I have heard from people who have witnessed them firsthand. So when I remember and write them down, it doesn't feel as creepy as a fabricated story. It may also be because I didn't study much, so I wrote based on memory and emotion. I mainly write these stories for those who are interested in exploring the spiritual world or for entertainment purposes only. Personally, I am a guy who likes to read ghost stories, watch horror movies at night, and snuggle under the covers. Sometimes, when I remember some scary stories and get scared alone, I just share them with you all on this page.

The Bridge...

This bridge spans a small stream connecting hamlets five and one. The bridge is built of cement and coated with lime, so locals call it the Lime Bridge. Before the bridge was built, people from my hamlet had to go through hamlet two to get to hamlet one, which was quite far away. So, since the bridge was built, it has been very convenient because the market, commune office, and school are all located in hamlet one. However, after a few months of the bridge's completion, people started spreading rumors about a ghostly apparition called "ma da." Many people who had to cross the bridge at night claimed to have seen a puddle of water on one end of the bridge that extended to the other end; the puddle had a strong, putrid odor and was sticky. What's more, this phenomenon only occurred on the fifteenth or thirtieth day of the lunar month.

This story has become so frightening that people from my hamlet only dare to cross the bridge during the day. If they want to cross at night, they must go in groups of four or five. The setting around the bridge is even scarier. On both sides of the bridge are tall coconut trees, and at night, they look even more ominous. Moreover, there is a swirling stream of water under the bridge, making a sound similar to a howl when crossing it at night. To make matters worse, there was an incident where someone drowned in the water because a group of kids went fishing there, despite being banned by adults from going near the stream and bridge.

A young boy recalls a tragic incident that occurred on a bridge involving his cousin and now, on the night of the thirtieth day, he encounters a mysterious figure sitting on the edge of the bridge. Despite his fear, he tries to ignore the figure and walks by quickly but feels an eerie coldness that reminds him of being submerged in water at night.

The cold made me shiver, but strangely, though I felt cold, sweat poured down like I had just taken a shower, wetting my shirt. I turned to call Aunt Nga (I still thought it was her), but my instinct told me not to. Suddenly, I saw the person's head looking up and turning towards me. I ran away, but as soon as I crossed the bridge, I heard a child's laughter. I turned around, and the person on the bridge disappeared, replaced by the shadow of a child. It was Son, wearing the same clothes he had on when he drowned. I fainted, and when I woke up, I was in a hospital surrounded by family and friends. Weeks later, Hai, a pork vendor, had his own ghost encounter on the same bridge. He felt a strong force that caused him to fall off his motorbike, and he saw a dark figure jumping from tree to tree before plunging into the water with a loud splash.

In the village, people invited a shaman to expel evil spirits. They believed that a ghost often seeks someone of the same age to possess and be reincarnated. During the exorcism, Hai suddenly sat up with his eyes closed, murmured and drooled. The shaman asked who he was, and he replied in a woman's voice that he was Sáu Xê, who drowned there years ago. She had been looking for someone of her age for possession and almost succeeded with a child. However, Hai was lucky to escape. Later, he revealed that he died while fishing and was pulled into the water by an old man who clung to his fishing line. People were moved by his story and felt sorry for him.

Then the teacher advised him to ask for prayers for deliverance and he agreed, and then it was resolved. When crossing the bridge, they no longer felt scared as before... However, the gloomy scene and this story still haunt me in my mind.