Ghost Bride

Sammy looked at the candle that was flickering in the small dark room. It cast a golden sheen on the dead boy’s face. The two of them were quite alone. She could see the beginning of a beard on his chin, which would never mature into anything, beyond a bit of dark scruff. He had been almost eighteen when he died of fever. His name was Chol Son. He laid there quite dead and strangely handsome - in a beautiful black suit, white shirt, and black silk tie – the best that money could buy.

He died over three days ago and the fumes from the dry ice he lay on - made her eyes water. He would lie like this for another four days until the wedding ceremony.

He was to be her husband – her corpse husband. Her father desperate for money after the collapse of yet another one of his failing businesses; had sold her for a bride price to be Chol’s spouse in the afterlife. She still could not believe it. How could such a thing happen now a days.

She would worship daily at the family shrine saying prayers for his departed soul: - adopt and mother children that would be raised in his parents’ home to continue the Son family name. He was their only son and had died unmarried and childless. It was a catastrophe for a family that must have a male heir to carry on the family name and run their farming business. The largest in our small rural town in South Korea.

His marriage to her would help him get into the highest realm in heaven, his parents believed – a level restricted only for those blessed in matrimony. She would live as a celibate widow for the rest of her life and be at the beck and call of Chol’s parents – both of whom scared her. She was a ghost bride, a very unhappy one.

She still had four days of sitting with Chol’s corpse left. She greeted his family during the visiting hours– said prayers – nodded numbly to questions on the wedding.

After visitation was over, she sat alone with his body till bedtime. She was supposed to continue praying but all she could do after everyone left - was fidget. Her mind was a jumble of racing thoughts and roiling emotions. She had no idea how she was going to get through these next four days, much less the ceremony and the decades that would stretch beyond it.

A beautiful red hanbok was being made for the wedding. It would be embroidered with cranes and butterflies. They had been in yesterday to re-measure her slight frame. It would look lovely on her. She was a very pretty girl with big dark eyes, delicate, fairy like features and a beautiful smile that would light up a room when she was happy. She was not smiling now. They had to take in the dress because she could not eat – could barely swallow and was losing weight. She was able to sip green tea but that was the only thing she could keep down.

She stared at Chol’s face in the darkening light. It was starting to form shadows around the eyes that made it look more like a skull. She had known him when he was alive. They had attended the same village school for years. He was in the same grade. He was a quiet boy. He had not teased her like the others over her hand me down clothes. He often came to school bruised and limping. She had wondered if someone was beating him. She so wished he had not gotten sick.

Only two weeks ago – she had received her acceptance into nursing college. She had made it in on a scholarship with her good grades. She had been so excited. It meant moving to a big town to stay with an aunt, getting a part time job for living expenses and working hard for four years. But she would be able to earn a living and get away from her grinding home life – and her alcoholic father who had gambled away their fortune after her mother Hana had died.

He had not always been so reckless but losing Hana – had broken him in a way she did not really understand. The only thing he seemed to care about was drinking until he passed out. She would come home from school most days to find him sitting at the table surrounded by soju bottles either unconscious or near it – mumbling or crying. It was a tough job hauling him to his bed in the sole bedroom in the back of their third storey flat.

She slept in the floor in the living room which she would clean before she went to bed. There would be no evidence left of his wasted day by the time she was done. She had no doubt that he would drink away what was left of her bride price within the year.

It was an impossible situation. There was nothing she could do to stop the wedding that would not land her father in jail or worse.

It was to get even more impossible because – she saw Chol’s finger move.

She jumped up in shock. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? She stood frozen. The sound of her ragged breathing bounced off the walls. Ten minutes passed and nothing else happened. She slowly went over to his coffin to get a closer look. She touched his hand. It was ice cold. There was no breath coming from his mouth or nose. But still, she could swear she had seen his finger move.

She started to shiver and moved back to her seat next to the coffin. They had locked her in. There was no point banging on the door. She had tried that - they would ignore her until mealtime. She must simply be overtired.

She was looking down at her trembling fingers willing them to be still - when she heard someone hesitently clearing their throat and looked up to see his apparition sitting up out of the coffin. It was completely transparent - except for his eyes which seemed intensely alive, curious, and very gentle.

He turned around to fully look at her. “You are Sammy. I know you. What are you doing here?” She heard him say in a hoarse whisper. She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out but a high-pitched "Heok". She closed it again, swallowed and finally said in a rush “You are dead. You are dead. You died three days ago. I am to marry you. I am your ghost bride.”

He shook his head. “What? I remember being sick and then there was a lovely dream, where I floated out of my body and flew around the village. I saw my mom and dad. My dad was sleeping but my mom was crying. Hmm, So I died?” He asked almost puzzled by the information. “I don’t feel dead though” he said. “Let me touch you. “Before she could move, he had reached out and taken her hand. His fingers were cold – It felt like a chill rippling across her skin.

He could see her start to shake, so he let go of her hand. Then he stretched, sighed, and climbed right out of the coffin to stand awkwardly to one side of it, looking around the room as though unsure what to do next.

“You do not look happy about being a ghost bride? Why don’t you run away? I could help you I guess” he pondered to himself. “I am pretty sure I don’t need a ghost bride.”

Her eyes wide, she declared “I am not happy at all! Would you want to be married to a corpse? No one could be happy about that. I will be a nanny to the children your mom and Dad adopt and be treated like a servant at best. I will never be free to do what I want. My life is over. And your parents scare me.”

He nodded sadly back at her “My Dad can be cruel, but I have never seen him beat a woman. My mom is terrified of him. You will be too, and it will not take long.”

Suddenly, the lock clicked and door to the room opened. Light spilled in from the corridor – it was Chol’s mom – Ah Jung with a tray of food. Chol moved aside slightly as she walked into the room. She did not seem to see him. His eyes grew moist as he looked at her. She smiled at Sammy and spoke. “Now, now, I must have you eat. If you do not, Mr. Son will get angry – please, please, do try to eat something, dear."

Chol walked right up to stand in front of her, but she looked right through him. He reached out to touch her face and she shivered and clutched her shawl tighter to her chest. “My, my, it has gotten cold suddenly, let me bring you a lap blanket. I will be right back.” She nodded and left hurriedly. Chol’s hand fell to his side, his shoulders slumped.

“I wonder why she cannot see you, but I can?” she asked him. Looking over to see him trying hard to recover his composure.

After a while, he blinked, and said “I do not know. It does not feel real yet. I am so young. Did they not take me to the hospital? “He asked. “Oh, they did – you had the best of care. Your parents did not want to lose you as I understand it.” she told him. He looked mollified and grumbled “well at least they tried.”

“Chol, what is it like to die, anyways?” He seemed to think hard for a moment. “Actually, nice, you float out of your body and suddenly you feel free, wrapped in love, and really curious. Like you know something wonderful is about to happen, but you do not know what exactly.” Looking over back at his body, he shrugged and said “I do not want to go back into that body now, but I am not sure what happens next. Or what I am supposed to be doing here.”

His was just so calm. Strangely, it made her feel better. He was acting so normal, like they were just chatting in the school yard. She was sure that this was the longest conversation she had ever had with him. Seeing him stand there trying to figure out what was happening - made it all less frightening. She felt less alone.

Suddenly, she realized, she was hungry. She had not eaten in days. She moved to where the tray was and lifted the cover. Dumplings! One of her favourites she inhaled them. Sad, there were only four. They were incredibly good.

He watched her eat. Saying nothing, but the wheels were turning in his mind. Finally, after she finished. He looked over and said “I think I can move around. Let me find out what is happening out there. I will be back.” Then he casually walked out through the door.

She waited for him. But he did not come back. At 10 p.m., they came to fetch her to her bedroom to be again, kept under lock and key. They were worried she would run away. There was a basin of water to wash in and a night gown to wear. Nothing to read, no phone, she was supposed to be spending all her time praying for Chol.

At about midnight, she fell asleep, only, to have a strange, vivid dream that seemed to go on and on for a very long time.

She saw her life unfolding.

She saw her wedding which went beautifully, with most of the small village in attendance. Her father was there, drunk of course, boasting, how beautiful his daughter was. The room was full effigies, meticulously made of all the things Chol would need in the afterlife. Ready to be burnt.

In her new life, there were long nights of tears, bitter scoldings, sometimes aching loneliness as she adapted to his parents and to his father’s will. But the children – two boys and a girl brought so much joy. She dearly loved them. In her dream, she saw them grow up and get married themselves – with each of the three weddings spin by grander than the last.

Through all of it, Chol was there too – his steady presence - quiet in the background - still not looking a day over eighteen and perfectly fashionable in his black suit.

She found him good company. He had a wry sense of humor that always made her laugh. He liked to play tricks that only she would understand. He always was thinking of her and was considerate in so many little ways.

He was consummate at running invisible interference with his father so somehow - she, nor his mother, ever felt the full force of his dad’s anger. She is not sure she would have made it through without his skill at deflecting his dad's temper.

Surprise presents would land in her lap. She learned to be careful not to say or even think that she wanted something. Or it could be on the doorstep the next morning, often with mixed results. His parents found it odd how so many little fortunate events could befall her. They warmed to the idea of her being lucky. Things that were lucky were prized more than anything else in their eyes. Her statue in the household gradually grew till she felt like their real daughter.

At other times, he would come to her with stern warnings – eyes flashing- a road not to take, a furnace that needs to be repaired – car brakes that need to be fixed. She always did what he told her to.

A busy, full life spun by in her dream until she was old and on her own death bed. She was having difficulty breathing; her body shrunken with age seemed to hurt all over - she ached to be released.

There was Chol, standing beside her, still young and handsome. With an expectant, happy look in his eyes, he leaned over and whispered “You know in your next life, we will be together again – both of us will be alive. All we need to remember from this one - is to be kind to each other: respect each other: and love with open hearts. You know that do you not? You will remember it – won’t you? It is simple really.” She smiled her biggest smile and looked up at him and said confidently “I do, and I will.”