Part 1: True Singapore ghost stories, really
At the peak of his popularity, Singapore ghost stories author Russell Lee took over the imaginations (and nightmares) of Singaporeans, but readers never really knew if the stories are real or fake.
For some legit tales to make your skin crawl, we’ve enlisted the help of Grandmaster Chew, a “ghostbuster” and owner of “Ghostbuster”, a geomancy consultancy shop located in Katong Shopping Centre. His decade-long career in the art of the unknown has produced some true Singapore ghost stories.
Don’t say we never share!
The teacher with a problem
Mrs Wang is a teacher in a prestigious middle school in Singapore. A diligent worker, she felt that her good performance at work was never recognised by her supervisor. A junior colleague was even promoted before her, and it caused her great doubts about her own abilities. There were also some indications of marital trouble.
One of her friends recommended to see Grandmaster Chew. When she got there, Mrs Wang informed the master that she felt trapped in unhappy situations, both at work and at home.
Grandmaster Chew told her, “Your grandmother is following you around and she looks angry. It seems like she’s looking for something. A pair of beaded slippers. Was she a Nyonya?”
Mrs. Wang was surprised at his comments, “I didn’t tell you a thing about my family, so how did you know all of this?”
He continued, “It should be your grandmother who followed you. She wants something. Did she leave anything behind before she passed away?”
Troubled, Mrs Wang called her aunt. Coincidence or not, there was a pair of slippers belonging to her grandmother that was left behind at her aunt’s place. Mrs Wang brought it back to Grandmaster Chew, who performed rituals and burned the slippers along with some offerings to Mrs Wang’s late grandmother.
A few days later, Mrs. Wang’s husband seems like a new man. He no longer treated her as before, and to Mrs Wang’s surprise, he even remembered their wedding anniversary and planned a romantic dinner.
To top the cherry of a spiritual cake, Mrs Wang’s work went smoother and shortly after, she was promoted to the head of her department. Grateful for the help from Grandmaster Chew, she called to inform him about her change of luck, and he felt reassured that his work is helping people improve their life.
Moving on from a dead brother
Mr Chen has never had a smooth career. Once employed in a headhunting company, he’s had to face a lot of backstabbers at work, while encountering several unfortunate incidents in his life. One day he read about the Ghostbusters of Singapore in the newspaper, and he decided to go to Grandmaster Chew to decipher his Eight Characters (Ba Zi).
Once he laid his eyes on him, Grandmaster Chew said, “Do you often hear weird sounds? There are sounds in your home, and a ghost.”
“You have a room in your home where your family kept the stuff of your brother. Is there a license plate in the room?”
It turns out that Mr Chen encountered a stroke of bad luck two years ago. He and his little brother got into a traffic accident while on a motorbike. Mr Chen slipped by Death’s grasp with severe injuries but unfortunately, his little brother passed away.
Mr Chen replied, “Yes, it’s the one we were using when the accident happened. My mother has been unable to let go, so his room stayed as it was.”
Grandmaster Chew explained, “Human and ghosts should never walk on the same path. Your little brother is no longer breathing in our world, yet by keeping his belongings around, he will be unable to part with the living world and reach the Afterlife. By keeping his memorabilia, your family will keep feeling melancholic, lose money, remain unhealthy and in the worst case scenario, may need surgeries for health problems. You’ll have to face him and bid a proper farewell to your little brother.”
Afterwards, Mr. Chen went home to talk to his mother. That same night, his mother dreamt that his little brother asked not to be sent away because he didn’t want to be homeless and wander everywhere. The day after, Mr. Chen came to see Grandmaster Chew again to ask for advice about the worrying dream. The Grandmaster suggested that they could set up a memorial altar to worship their ancestors and make some offering to the little brother through that. Mr Chen dutifully followed all the instructions.
Thereafter, Mr Chen’s career improved and he even had the opportunity to work abroad for a few years. A while later, Grandmaster Chew instructed him to start his company in Singapore to be his own boss. His business thrived and to this day, he still keeps in contact with the Grandmaster.
This content was provided by Ghostbuster 玉皇玄学.
