The footsteps came to a halt outside my door. I could hear the water falling of whatever stood there.
"Drip…"
"Drip..."
"Drip…"
The temperature in my dorm dropped instantly. I could see the corners of my door begin to pale as frost crept around it. Then I could see my breath, rattling out and making clouds in front of me. I clapped a hand of my mouth to quiet the room. "Maybe it'll go away." I thought. "I can't face it now… I'll lose!" Panic made itself known and tightened my throat, daring me to move my hand and gulp in the rapidly freezing air.
As the sun rises and frightens away the dark, the bell rang and whatever stood beyond my door was gone. I heard other students move through the hallway and the sound of moving water faded into silence.
I didn't dare move. I stared at the door in cold fright for several minutes until a loud knock pulled my eyes from the void they were lost in.
"Rat-tat..." Sounded as the knocker repeated.
"Shi Yong, open the door for me!" Came a familiar voice.
I came back to myself and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Just a sec!" I called.
I hid the amulet materials and opened the door for Gao Xinying. He stood there with his stupid grin holding a thermos. In his other hand was the cup I usually take to afternoon classes. "I must have left it there…" I thought.
"I heard you were sick." Gao Xinying said while pouring hot water into my cup. "Here. It'll help you fight off the cold."
"Thanks…" I said hesitantly. His smile warmed a little and he said, "If you get sick we all will. I'm doing this for the whole floor."
I thought for a moment and then raised a finger. "Hold on, I have something for you too." I went into my room and returned with one of the safety amulets I'd made. "Thank you for thinking of me. I want you to take this. It's a safety amulet. It'll bring you luck and keep you safe from…things." I cursed internally. "That could've come out better."
Gao Xinying's usual smile returned. His bottom lip tucked lightly under his top teeth and he looked like a sardonic beaver. "What?" He laughed, "You don't actually believe in the junk do you? Where did you get this?"
"That junk," I gave him a glare, "Is true. You don't have to believe in it, but it works. You treated me as a friend so I want you to have it. You can keep it in your pocket for all I care, just keep it. Please?"
His mocking grin faded away when he saw my look. He nodded his head a few times and tucked it into his front pocket. "I didn't know you took anything this seriously, besides You Xiaoqing." He said with a wink. I felt my face grow hot and I started to refute him, but he continued. "Did you see those footprints again?" He asked.
I nodded emphatically and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact I did. I think I heard them too. I've had…well… I've had a lot of encounters with ghosts ever since I was a kid. It's real, Gao Xinying, I promise I'm not goofing."
He studied me for a little bit and then bowed his head. "Well thanks. I guess." He shuffled from foot to foot for a second before continued. "If you're the weird expert, then I guess you're the one to talk to about my nightmare…" He looked at his feet. "Though I don't know if it has anything to do with a ghost."
"What nightmare? Tell me everything!" I told him, pulling him into the room and gesturing to my roommates bunk.
"It's happened a few nights in a row now." He told me, his eyes no longer avoiding mine. "I keep seeing a woman climbing out of our water tower. I almost recognize her, but at the last second I wake up. I swear I know her…"
"It's all about water…" I thought out loud. "Wet foot prints, flushing sounds, water dripping… that's it!" I stood up as the idea concreted. "It's the water tower. It has to do something with the eastern water tower!"
Gao Xinying looked at me in confusion.
"Don't worry Xinying." "I can take care of this."
He smiled politely and clearly uncomfortable. I thanked him for the water and reminded him to keep the amulet nearby. Our afternoon classes were due to start shortly so we gathered our things and headed that way.
When we got into class and sat to endure another thrilling history lesson, You Xiaoqing leaned over towards me from her desk. "Did you finish making the?" She shrugged her head back towards the back of the classroom and wiggled her eyebrows.
I gave her a look, but didn't reply out loud. Instead I mouthed the words 'water' and 'tower' a few times. She squinted at me for a second and then gave a shrug. I rolled my eyes at her and smiled.
Our next class was P.E., which consisted of thirty minutes of guided gymnastics and then thirty minutes of free choice. I chose to find my way to the playground nearest the water tower. Gao Xinying accompanied me, pretending to be interested in practicing a duo move on the jungle gym bars.
I paced the base of the water tower, daring any hint of Yin air to make itself known. There was no such aura.
"Was I wrong?" I thought.
You Xiaoqing and Xiong Ying came walking over to us. Xiong Ying called ahead in a shrill teasing voice, "What are you doing Shi Yong, did you lose your wallet?"
I rolled my eyes and said without looking back at them, "I don't have a wallet. You need money to have a wallet. So no," I threw my hands up in faux exasperation, "I didn't lose my wallet."
She continued anyway. I could hear the smile in her voice. "Ohhhhhh… so you lost your money?"
You Xiaoqing cut in sounding much more serious than her usual self, "Stop it. Xiao Yong, what are you looking for?"
I turned to the girls and cocked one eyebrow up, "Would you believe that I came here looking for… ghosts?"
"I trust you."You Xiaoqing said with a nod. She was cramping my newfound sense of humor.
Xiong Ying, on the other hand, burst into laughter. "Ghosts?" She guffawed. "It's not even night time!" Gao Xinying started to laugh alongside her.
"He probably couldn't even find a ghost at night time!" He added, refreshing their laughter.
Xiong Ying's demeanor changed at the drop of a hat. Her laughter stopped, her face reddened, and she darted to You Xiaoqing, whispering furiously.
"What do you mean it would be too loud?" You Xiaoqing asked incredulously.
"What are you talking about?" I asked the girls.
Xiong Ying turned to us. Her face was still very red. "Under the water tower is a pretty popular spot." She said. "You know, for couples." She leaned a shoulder at us to emphasize the word. "It gets a little raucous, probably too much so for ghosts." She smiled crazily and gave a short burst of giggles.
"Oh." I said, and cleared my throat. "Well then."
Over the next few days I proved my water tower theory wrong again and again. I sought it out every time I was on the east side of campus, but never felt a single pinch of Yin air. I made a list of other causes or locations, which ultimately led me to the boy's bathroom.
I could assume that I was the spirit's target because I could sense it. Plus it literally came to my door and huffed and puffed before Gao Xinying showed up. I remained vigilant as the days ticked off towards family weekend. Family weekend was a tradition amongst freshmen and sophomores to go home and visit their families. I think the older classmen made it up just to get rid of us, but it'd been a minute and I did miss them. That weekend I boarded the train and went back home to see my family.
Xiao Wen greeted me, pulling on my arm and showing me everything in the house like I'd never seen it before. She led me to her room and started flitting through her drawings. One had three people and a frog on it. "Who's the frog?" I asked.
"Brother!" She said with a smile that redesigned her face. I gave her a "why I outta" smile and tickled her to the carpet.
At the end of the weekend I gathered my things and made a special stop in my old room. In the bottom drawer of my bedside table was my previous collection of amulets. I sorted through the rows and rows of them, finally grateful that I'd organized them by type, and selected the ones I thought might help. "I'll really be able to do some good with these." I said, admiring the amulets in my hand.
When I got back to school I came across You Xiaoqing talking to a crowd of girls. She waved at me and bid goodbyes to the others. As I approached, I caught the tail end of the conversation.
"Did you hear that the dorm super got sent to the hospital? I heard he fell out the second story window. I know right? Word is that he had one of the fabled red hair ties on his wrist!" The girl speaking shrieked in mock fright and then laughed.
I quickened my step to get to her before she left. "Was he hurt?" I asked.
She gave me a pinched smile that read, "I'll tell you only because I want to, not because you asked."
"Of course he was! Who goes to the hospital if they're not seriously hurt?" She looked around at the other girls and rolled her eyes.
She started to walk away. I grabbed her arm lightly and squeezed. "Are you sure he had a red hairband on his arm? Did you see it?"
She shook free with a scowl and said, "No I didn't see it. Let go of me! I just heard rumors."
She started to step away and then turned back, "You're Shi Yong aren't you?"
I nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, why?"
She put her nose in the air. "Xiong Ying told me you were a gossip boy. I didn't believe her then, but now I do!" With that she walked away, nose still aimed at the clouds.
"So Xuan Hailin fell out of a window with a red hair band on his wrist." I thought. "It can't be an accident. I'll go check the dorm first, then the water tower."
I turned away from You Xioaqing and the other girl, walking with purpose. There was a ghost to catch.