“I was out for an evening run one night, when I saw a lot of my neighbours under my block burning joss paper.
I am an atheist as well as a skeptic, and I didn’t believe in ghosts or the supernatural at all, choosing to look at the scientific side of things.
That night, after returning from my run, I was walking along the pavement beside the grass patch where my neighbour were burning joss paper.
I accidentally kicked over a couple of red candles used for the offerings, and the wax got onto my sneakers.
I tsk-ed out loud, visibly annoyed at ruining my shoes.
I then returned home and took a shower, before going to bed.
That night, I had a very vivid dream that I was being strangled by an old couple who looked like they were very angry about something.
The old man scratched my neck while the old woman tried to slap my face but missed, slapping my left shoulder instead.
They were shouting something that I couldn’t make out or understand, and they were really angry at me for some reason.
The dream was very vivid and it felt extremely real.
I later woke up from the dream and found myself inside the old couple’s HDB flat, where they were seated on an old wooden sofa and staring at me.
I thought to myself, how did I get here? I thought I was at home.
The old woman said that she was starving and was about to eat her food when I blinded her by stepping on the candles, she couldn’t find her food.
I thought back to earlier that day when I stepped on the candles and realised what I had done.
I turned around to run out of the house and the old couple was right there, in front of my face screaming in Chinese: “I’M HUNGRY!”
I fainted and woke up inside my room, I looked around my room and realised that it was just a dream – I had apparently “woken up” into another dream.
I then got changed and planned to head downstairs to the spot where I stepped on the candles.
I opened my bedroom door and to my horror, I saw the old couple again right outside my room.
They stood rooted to the floor and pointed right at me, screaming: “I’M HUNGRY!”
I then woke up again in my bed, it was yet another dream.
By now I’m starting to question my reality and I pinched myself as hard as I could, it hurt – I’m certain that I’m no longer dreaming.
I went to the toilet and looked into the mirror, I discovered marks on my neck as well as on my left shoulder.
I didn’t even change out of my clothes, I ran down to the grass patch under my block, to the spot where I stepped on the candles and clasped my palms together.
I apologised out loud for stepping on the candles and begged the spirits for forgiveness.
I am now a firm believer in the supernatural and I learned to respect and be careful around offerings now.”
Image source: Project Manhattan via Wikipedia Commons