''Demon Possession''

Ghost Story of Demon Possession: I heard this story from my grandmother when I was very young. It's been almost thirty years since then, but the details of the story are still vivid in my mind. Perhaps it left a terrifying impression on me as a child.

My grandmother's hometown is in Ninh Binh, a small province in the northern part of Vietnam. My grandmother knew someone named Nhiêu Trinh, who was seventy-three years old at that time. In her village, everyone was close-knit, especially Nhiêu Trinh, who was an exemplary woman that all other women looked up to. She was famous for being a skilled midwife, and what made her special was that she never asked for payment. Her family was poor, and they valued relationships more than material possessions. That's why her relatives and neighbors respected and loved her, and even children in the village called her "grandmother." People often brought her gifts, no matter how small, such as old sweet potatoes or betel nuts.

My grandmother's parents passed away early, so she had to take care of her younger siblings. She didn't get married until she was thirty years old, and she married Nhiêu Trinh (a high-ranking official in their village). His family was also rare, having only one son from his previous marriage. However, none of his previous wives could bear him a child. 

As time passed, Nhiêu Trinh and his previous three wives passed away. My grandmother was left alone to raise her son and take care of everything in the village.

When Truc got married, his mother was very happy and hoped that her daughter-in-law would quickly give her grandchildren. After 16 years of marriage, Truc finally had a son, fulfilling his mother's wishes partially. However, she still longed for more grandchildren from Truc. She took care of her grandson, Vinh, who was only three at the time, until her old age when she worried about being separated from him. When she passed away, her family mourned her and took care of her funeral arrangements. Strange things happened on the night of her passing, such as the continuous chirping of a bird, the howling of the cat, and the barking of the dog, which made people feel uneasy.

Upon arrival, Truc heard Nhiêu Trinh whisper "Truc darling, let me out, I'm tired of lying down. Who tied me up so tightly?" Hearing this, he was even more convinced that his mother was still alive. He quickly opened the casket to release her. Everyone had returned by then, overjoyed to see her alive but still anxious. Mr. Bach, who had previously personally embalmed her, now unwrapped the layers of cloth and scolded himself for being careless about leaving her alive.

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While they waited for her, she saw a bunch of bananas on top of the casket and asked someone nearby to give her one. . Truc helped his mother into bed and urged his wife to clean up everything used for the funeral. As for the casket, they left it in the corner of the house, as it was customary in the countryside to keep it as a storage space for clothing when there were elderly members in the household.

Early in the morning, Truc woke up to go to work in the field and found his mother lying weakly on the bed. He suspected that she hadn't slept well because of her restlessness the night before. He asked his wife to take care of his mother while he went to work as a farmer. However, his mother's condition did not improve throughout the day, and their neighbor lost a hen unexpectedly.

The village has changed significantly since Mrs. Nhieu's resurrection, and people no longer call her "grandma." One afternoon, a stranger visited the village and asked about any strange occurrences. When he saw Mrs. Nhieu, he recognized her as the old lady who died and came back to life. He told the villagers to get in touch with him secretly if they wanted to save Anh Truc's family, without letting Mrs. Nhieu know.

Upon arriving, Tham hesitated to speak up and stood outside the alley because she overheard Ba Nhieu shouting inside. She saw Mr. Truc and his wife standing nearby. Suddenly, Ba Nhieu mentioned Tham's name and threatened her.

On that day, Mr. Truc once again placed his grandmother in the coffin that she had previously been in more than three months ago..

The above story is almost a century old, my grandmother was only 13 at the time. She passed away 25 years ago at the age of 87.