The Kisses Underwater

It's Halloween season! We went to a pumpkin patch and got lost in corn mazes. Naturally, ghosts were everywhere.

In both Eastern and Western cultures, ghosts are often portrayed as vengeful spirits. In Ring, a 1998 Japanese horror movie, the female ghost crawls out of a TV set to attack people. The fact that she appears in an everyday object, as opposed to a gruesome venue like a graveyard, makes her one of cinema's most terrifying ghosts.

However, there are plenty of benevolent ghosts. In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to witness the love and optimism in different families. In this case, the ghost, rather than the man, seems to possess more humanity.

In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the most famous collection of ancient Chinese horror stories, ghosts and humans even get married. A beautiful girl named Nie Xiaoqian (聂小倩) dies at 18 and becomes a ghost. A demon coerces her into murdering men who lust after her beauty. Most men cannot resist her, except for Ning Caichen (宁采臣).

Moved by Ning's virtues, Nie pleads to Ning:

"I have fallen into the dark sea and cannot reach the shore. Your noble spirit soars to the heavens; surely you can save a life and relieve my suffering. If you would be willing to gather my decayed bones and return them to a peaceful grave, it would be like giving me a second life." (妾堕玄海，求岸不得。郎君义气干云，必能拔生救苦。倘肯囊妆朽骨，归葬安宅，不啻再造。)

Ning finds Nie's remains and buries her properly. In gratitude, Nie protects Ning from the demon's relentless pursuit. In the movie adaptation of the story, Nie hides Ning underwater so the demon can't smell him. To keep Ning breathing, Nie kisses him repeatedly. Who would have thought a story about a ghost could get so romantic?

Even more touching is Nie's offer to devote her "second life" to serve Ning. Ning brings Nie home, and although his mother is initially reluctant to accept a ghost as a helper, she eventually changes her mind after witnessing Nie's dedication.

After Ning's wife passes away, Ning and Nie get married and have two children. Blessed by their union, Ning excels in the civil service exam, and they live happily ever after.

The moral of this story is about second chances. A second chance is possible as long as you are determined enough to free yourself from the forces that control you. It certainly helps if you're fortunate enough to encounter a good-hearted person willing to help you "bury" your past.

Ning and Nie serve as each other's helping hand. Thanks to Ning, Nie gains her second life, and thanks to Nie, Ning passes the exam and has two children. This tale shows that there is a way for ghosts and humans to coexist — not just during Halloween.