10,000 Years of Strangeness: A Paranormal Primer for Ancient and Modern China

Part II: True Tales from the Locals

Chapter 8-2: WeChat about Ghosts: A Real Horror Story—微信鬼-一个真实恐怖故事

(from here)

Previous Chapters 前章: Part 1: Chapter 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5-1, Ch 5-2, Ch 5-3, Ch. 6

Previous Chapters 前章: Part 2: Chapter 7, Chapter 8-1

China has come a long way since I first got here. Modernization has continued at an incredible pace. The lives of the people have improved greatly and as a result a lot of social problems that plague the developing world that used to plague China have greatly diminished. However, as in all developing countries, certain social ills haven’t completely gone away and new ones have arisen. Even the wealthiest and happiest countries still have their share of problems.

A story that pops up from time to time in Chinese media is of abandoned babies. Sometimes it’s a baby girl in a rural area where the tradition of male children being preferred tenaciously hangs on. Other times it’s a baby of either sex abandoned by a family too poor to raise it, or born with a disability, or a young single mom trying to avoid shame. The stories are often heart-wrenching when they make the news, while others are heart-warming due to the work of good Samaritans. A few examples can be seen here, here, and here.

Young mother stops to breastfeed an abandoned baby on the street from 3rd link above

Thank God for this compassionate young lady who prevented one more horror story like the one below, which by the way, @steemcleaners, is another original translation.

(from here)

A young college student on her way home one night, passed by a derelict nursing home that was on her route. To her horror and profound grief she saw an abandoned newborn at the edge of the lot. She squatted down next to it in order to check it out, but the poor creature had already passed away, so there was nothing she could do for it.

“His final moments must have been terrifyingly desperate and lonely,” she thought to herself. “No family. No name. No life.”

She swallowed her feelings and proceeded home through the darkness.

Thoughts of that poor baby having his little life snuffed out just as it had barely begun haunted her all the way home. How could a human being do such a thing? Why couldn’t the parents put it up for adoption? She herself knew a young childless couple who would gladly have accepted it. The pain of confronting an infant or toddler who has their life cruelly robbed from them either by accident or design is too much to bear. It is, truly, one of the most dolorous things in the world to witness or contemplate.

(from here)

Sometime after midnight, she awoke to a baby crying. It sounded as if it was right next to her, but of course she didn’t have a baby, nor was she babysitting anyone. In fact it sounded as if the baby was lying on the window ledge judge outside her room. She threw off the covers and got up to her knees and peered out. Nothing.

(from here)

She lay back down haunted by her thoughts when she heard the wailing again. She began to sweat with fear. Again, this time cupping her hands around her eyes for a better look, she checked the window and saw nothing but the dimly lit black of night. Desperate and grieving she began to sob, saying to the child, “There’s nothing I can do for you! It’s time for you to go where you need to go so all this can be over, and you can be happy!”

Just as she finished saying this, the crying stopped, and a strange, profound peace came over her.

(from here)

You can help prevent real horror stories like the one above. Consider checking out International China Concern to find out ways you can help. 也有中文. Or meet their kids. The children will thank you.