The Spirit Festival (Excerpt)
A Children's Storybook
By James Pao
The seventh month of the lunar calendar
is the month of the spirits
Where spirits and ghouls roam the realm of men
And people pay their respects to those
who came before them
And on the fourteenth of this inauspicious month
is the bewitching day of the Spirit Festival
Yet little Sue did not understand
what all the muss and fuss was about
For during the Spirit Festival people put on
elaborate shows for empty seats
or offer food to gods and spirits alike
Homes are filled with the scent of burning incense
as the streets echo with the sound of firecrackers
But on this special night, Sue will soon come to learn
that this is a time where mystery and magic fill the air
On the large dining room table
there was a great banquet prepared
with rice, and dumplings, and duck, and pork
The smell of which was enough to make anyone drool
Hungry, Sue ignored her mother’s warnings
and took a bite of what must have been
the most delicious pork bun she had ever had
But with each bite, she grew more dizzy
until she soon fell fast asleep
what she didn’t know was that
the food was supposed to be a respectful offering
to honor her ancestors that watch over her family
As she slept Sue felt a soft gentle breeze
as if her body was floating down a lukewarm stream
she opened her eyes and to her surprise
she saw herself quietly sleeping
The world around her began to spin
as the walls and floors melt into each other
and shadowy blobs emerged from every which corner
Panicked and scared Sue ran for the exit
Across the twisting hallway and down the flight of stairs
she didn’t even notice as she ran straight through the door
In the busy bustling street outside
and under the tender light of the full moon
Brightly lit houses were lined with red paper lanterns