The Hungry Ghost
Page 18
Dad goes on talking, telling me little things about Emma, helping me remember. We sit there, holding each other, while I’m hearing echoes of Emma’s giggles and seeing her shadow nearby.
I think about her and Ling. Two sisters. Both forgotten.
From now on, I’m going to remember both of them; grieve for both of them. They might be dead, but they will always be part of my life.
“Have you got a photo of Emma?” I ask, much later, when my eyes are only leaking.
Without a word, Dad pulls his phone out, opens a folder and lets me scroll through the pictures. Many of them are of both me and Emma. There are two photos I recognize, because I saw them in Dad’s work office: the one of the kicking, smiling baby that I thought was me; and the one from the beach where I’m falling into Dad’s arms and Mum looks so happy, sitting on a beach blanket next to a little girl with flyaway hair.
“Will Mum get better?”
“I believe so. Astrid says the treatment’s working. None of us realized how much she needed help. I’m sorry about that, too.”
The sliding glass door opens. Clementine is silhouetted against the light from the lounge. “Do you need anything? Something to drink perhaps?”
“Tissues,” Dad says.
Clementine comes closer. She pulls a packet of Kleenex out of her pocket and throws it to Dad.
“Are the tw—Are Eddie and Billy still awake?” I ask.
“Maya’s getting them ready for bed.”
“Would it be okay if they came out here for a bit? Perhaps they can also burn some money. Or is that too dangerous?”
Dad frowns. “I’m not sure—”
“If you help them, Freja, they’ll be fine.” Clementine smiles.
Five minutes later, Billy and Eddie run across the lawn, calling, “Frej-ja.” Instead of heading for Dad, they throw themselves at me.
“Careful!” I wrap my arms around them. “The fire’s very hot.”
When they’re sitting next to me, I help them, one at a time, toss a paper one-dollar note into the flames.
“Where birdie gone?” Eddie asks when his note curls up.
I give him another.
“Here birdie!” He crumbles it in his sticky hand and holds it to his chest.
Billy’s more interested in the photo that’s lying in front of me.
“That’s Ling.” I let go of him to point at the little girl with her arms around another William. By the frangipani trees, Ling’s still dancing in the smoke from her bonfire.
“Ling,” Billy says and follows my gaze.
When Ling waves, he waves back.
Clasping the twins, I lean backwards until the three of us are lying on the blanket. Eddie snuggles into my arm, but Billy wiggles.
“Look!” I say and point at a spark from the bonfire.
Billy stops fidgeting. Eddie points his own little finger. Together we trace the twinkling fleck up, until it vanishes against the murky, yellowy sky.
I can’t see the stars, but I know that they’re there—an infinite number of lights in my expanding universe.
GLOSSARY
aiyoh Exclamation meaning “Oh no!” or “Oh dear!”
alamak Exclamation used to express shock or surprise.
ah ma A Chinese word for grandmother.
amah A Chinese word for nanny or nursemaid.
ang mo Singlish slang for a white person.
berhati-hati di ruang platform “Mind the gap” in Malay.
blur like sotong Literally means “blur like a squid”. singlish expression used to indicate that someone is clueless.
chi (or ch’i) Life force or energy flow, which plays an essential role in feng shui.
chicken rice A dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and cucumber garnishes.
can A one-word shortcut to saying, “Yes, I can” or “Can you do that?”
cannot A one-word shortcut to saying, “No, I can’t” or “No, you can’t.”
carrot cake A savoury omelette-like dish of steamed white radish that is fried with eggs, garlic and rice flour.
catch no ball Singlish expression that means to fail to understand something.
don’t anyhow A phrase that means “Don’t [do something] haphazardly” or “Don’t [do something] willy-nilly”.
dosa A thin South-Indian pancake made from a fermented rice-based batter that is usually served with a lentil-based stew and chutney.
feng shui A traditional practice originating from ancient China, which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. Using feng shui principles, yin and yang are balanced to optimize chi.
getai Live stage performances held during the Hungry Ghost Festival to entertain both the living and the dead.
hawker centre A market in which individual vendors sell a wide variety of inexpensive food.
hell guards Ox-head and Horse-face are the guardians of the realm of the dead in Chinese mythology. Both have the bodies of men, but Ox-head has the head of an ox while Horse-face has the head of a horse.
hungry ghost festival A traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. During this month, ghosts—especially of those forgotten by their descendants—are on holiday from the realm of the dead and roam the streets to seek food and entertainment. The living make offerings of food and paper effigies to appease these roaming spirits.
je suis “I am” in French.
kampong A Malay word for village.
kimzua Literally means “gold paper”, and includes the effigies and hell banknotes that are burnt as offerings to appease ghosts.
kueh pie tee A tiny, thin and crispy pastry shell that is filled with a mixture of vegetables and shrimp.
lah Singlish slang often used at the end of sentences to add emphasis.
last time Can mean any time in the past.
moi “Me” in French.
monkey god Also known as Sun Wukong, a legendary hero—a monkey with superpowers, born from a magic stone—from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West.
moon cakes A Chinese cake eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place in the month following the Hungry Ghost Festival.
pantang To be superstitious.
pigsy A fallen deity in the shape of a man with a pig’s head, who is a companion of Monkey God in Journey to the West.
pontianak A female vampiric ghost from South East Asian folklore.
popiah A thin paper-like pancake that is filled with a stew that typically includes turnip, bamboo shoots, lettuce, Chinese sausage, prawns, bean sprouts, garlic and peanut.
roti prata A South-Indian many-layered fried flatbread that is usually served with a curry.
satay Grilled meat skewers that are served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce and cubes of compressed rice.
skat Term of endearment that means “treasure” in Danish.
singlish A variety of English spoken in Singapore, incorporating elements of Chinese and Malay.
yin Female, passive energy forces in the universe, according to Chinese philosophy.
yang Male, active energy forces in the universe, according to Chinese philosophy.
wah Exclamation used to express admiration.
wanton mee A dish of noodles, barbecued pork, leafy vegetables and dumplings that is served with a bowl of hot broth on the side.
wet market A market selling fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
MORSE CODE ALPHABET
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’m immensely grateful for all the stars in my universe—my friends and my extended family. Thanks to Marcus, August and Claus for their love and support, for our shared Singapore experiences and for their patience whenever I’m lost in my fictional worlds. And to my dad and my siblings, Dorte and Henrik, (all fellow veteran scouts) for always being there for me and for a childhood spent enjoying (or enduring) outdoor activities.
I’m eternally indebted to my brilliant editor, Sarah Odedina, for helping me shape this story through three very different incarnations of the plot. Sarah has been part of this journey from the initial idea, and I could not have written this book without her invaluable feedback in our discussions and at a memorable editorial meeting in Bukit Brown Cemetery in torrential rain. (You might have noticed our cameo in chapter fifteen.)
Heartfelt thanks to Tilda Johnson for making the text shine with her excellent line and copy edits, to Anna Morrison for designing yet another stunning cover, and to the fantastic team at Pushkin Press—I’m so proud my stories are part of the Pushkin family.
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Denise Tan, bookseller extraordinaire at Closetful of Books, for her early enthusiasm for this book and for sensitivity reading of the finished manuscript and correction of my Singlish expressions. Any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.
I would also like to thank the friends and writer friends in SCBWI Singapore, The Singapore Writers’ MG & YA Group, SCBWI Switzerland and the Cafe Schreiber group, who helped this story on its way, especially: Jo Furniss, Felicia Low-Jimenez, David Liew, Dave Seow and Annette Woschek.
Massive thanks to readers, teachers, librarians, book bloggers, reviewers, booksellers and authors who have supported The Missing Barbegazi. It has been a joy to befriend so many wonderful people from the world of children’s books, online or in real life. There are too many to name, but a few individual book champions must be mentioned, particularly Scott Evans and the PrimarySchoolBookClub, Louise (Book Murmuration), Naomi (Through the Looking Glass), Luna (Luna’s Little Library) and Catherine (Story Snug). Being able to share successes (and concerns) with other children’s authors is the best thing about social media, and I feel especially lucky to have connected with Sinéad O’Hart, Juliette Forrest, Victoria Williamson, Vashti Hardy and Piers Torday.
I will never forget our four amazing years in Singapore. Bukit Brown Cemetery is one of my favourite places on the island, but unlike Freja I also love the hustle and bustle of hawker centres and wet markets, Chinatown, Little India and the Arab Street quarter. I miss my morning walks in Botanic Gardens, late night strolls in Gardens by the Bay and hikes in MacRitchie. I miss the food, the MRT and the libraries. Most of all, I miss living in a cultural melting pot and, obviously, the wonderful people I met in Singapore.
Finally, thanks to the Bukit Brown Brownies, for gripping storytelling on their free guided tours of Bukit Brown Cemetery. I fervently hope this enchanting place will be conserved so future generations can discover some of its secrets and stories.
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About the Author
h. s. norup grew up in Denmark and has since lived in the UK, the US, Austria, Singapore and Switzerland, where she resides with her husband and two teenage sons. She has a master’s degree in economics and business administration and sixteen years’ experience in corporate marketing strategy and communications. When she’s not writing or reading, she spends her time outdoors either skiing, hiking, walking, golfing or taking photos. Her debut novel, The Missing Barbegazi, which was shortlisted for the Red Dot Award and named a Sunday Times Book of the Year, is also available from Pushkin Children’s.
Copyright
Pushkin Press
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Copyright © 2020 H.S. Norup
The Hungry Ghost was first published in 2020 by Pushkin Press
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ISBN 13: 978–1–78269–269–0
eISBN: 978–1–78269–270–6
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