The Dead

The earth full of the dead, they hold up land and wander streets. Come to door, pretend they are beggars.

Alone. I hear knock-knocking, strange voice. I very still. Silent.

The New Gold Mountain full of devils. They have red hair and big nose. They all look alike.

My husband goes to the New Gold Mountain fourteen years ago. He says the devils make him pay to get off the ship. He pays for the ship and then he still have to pay. All the money. One hundred pound, he says. Because we are Tong people. Chinee, he says. White devil page 130 don't have to pay and black devil don't have to pay, only people from the Middle Kingdom. This is poll-tax, he says, this is why I do not go with him.

I wait ten year and he comes back. Buys a concubine. Bitch concubine that men go nerve-sick over. Her father gambles fan-tan and pak-a-poo and smokes up the money. Ha! Then he sells her to buy opium.

My husband teaches her to read some devil language so she can pass the devil test. He takes her with him. Fuck her grandmother. She is first woma n to see New Gold Mountain.

Husband is Number One Son; I am the wife. Every day I get up first. Use rice stalks, light the stove; boil the water, steep tea. Feed the fire with sticks from lychee orchard. Feed Mother-and-Father-in-law.

Every day I get water from river. Carry two big pails, swing my hips, swing the pails on shoulder pole. Every day do what Mother-in-law says.

Husband have brother: Number Two Son. He go with Husband to New Gold Mountain. His wife have small feet like rich man's wife, so does not work in field.

She writes the red scrolls, so we do not pay a scroll-writer. Around the door she writes, In and out of the house, walk in peace. She writes above the fireplace—to protect us while cooking. On both sides of window, she writes. She writes the red paper scrolls with long, curl black ink, so the devils and ghosts do not come.

She writes the letter to my husband. I say to her, Tell him I am good wife—do everything Mother-in-law says. Tell him, Send plenty money. Tell him, Come back. She tells him I am useless, no-good wife—I know. She tells him get concubine and not come back. She reads my husband's letters. Says, The concubine have a son.

The ghosts everywhere. On the graves: the dirt-hills with turf for head. There is no names. Where are the ancestor? Who can remember? The dead get dug up and bones put in urns. Lychee orchard full of urns. No lids, so dead can get out.

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I do not go to lychee orchard; I tell Sister-in-law, Go get sticks for the fire.

The river full too. Full of drowned ghosts. Girl babies, and boy babies who get sick and die. I tell Sister-in-law, Go wash the clothes in river, but she have small feet—I still have to bring back the water.

After we marry, my husband says, Stupid woman, scared of ghosts. That no ghost, just dirty beggar. He drink wine and tells me ghost story … Night-time, raining hard. He walk home on built-up earth of rice paddy. Drunk and cannot walk straight. Terrible ghost comes, coming to him. He is running; ghost is coming. He run faster, faster and ghost light still come, tumble over rice paddy. He fall into rice paddy and ghost still come, big shiny ball, roll and tumble to him. Cannot get up, ghost coming.

What happen, what happen? I hide head in hands.

Husband laughs. Ghost is afraid, just like stupid woman, he says. Ghost come closer, closer, then gone. Just rain on rice paddy.

Night-time. Raining. Cannot sleep. Ghost come. They stand over bed. I see head but no body. They all have girl face.

My husband says the New Gold Mountain full of white devil. They smell like sheep-meat and butter; they don't like Tong people. But not many ghost in the New Gold Mountain. Not so many kill themself or get killed. My husband says, you hear someone outside door in the New Gold Mountain, this not ghost, this Tong person or maybe, white devil. No ghost on raining night. He says in the New Gold Mountain all the ghost are ghost you know.

When I die, Mother-and-Father-in-law dead, Husband in New Gold Mountain. Who burns the paper money and incense and put out the food? Maybe after die, I go to New Gold Mountain. See Concubine. See Husband.