Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4567 | Page 66

The New Tales of Old Shanghai
Heep Yunn School, Lam, Happy - 15
‘T
he Qiu mansion, which is rumoured to be haunted by the spirits of the former owners the Qiu brothers as well as
their many exotic pets, has been demolished by the construction company Bob the Builder, who have released an
official statement deriding the rumours as ‘fantasy’ and will begin construction work today.’
I turn off the radio as I pull into the parking lot, and turn to Tim, who is working on our construction blueprints.
My face breaks out into a confident grin. ‘See? All this business about the land being haunted is bringing in publicity for us!
Do you think we could capitalise off it somehow, maybe build a temporary ‘haunted house’ while we figure out the
construction details?’
Tim nods distractedly, eyes glued to his laptop. He’s looking a bit off today, and keeps scratching at insect bites on his arm.
After giving several monosyllabic responses, he finally notices my gaze and realises that I want an actual proposal. He
hurriedly slams his laptop shut and begins rambling.
‘M-Maybe we could have outdoor screenings of horror films at the construction site- that’d be more cost-efficient.’ He
suggests, fidgeting with the buckles on his safety suspenders nervously.
I nod approvingly, and Tim looks relieved as he goes on, taking out a leather-bound schedule planner from his shirt
pocket.
‘Our construction application’s been approved, and Mary picked the permit up yesterday.” He pauses briefly, shifting
uncomfortably in his seat, before continuing, “She’s called in sick today because of an infected insect bite, but we’re free to
start work.’
I force a chuckle to hide my annoyance. ‘Either our crew is particularly susceptible to insect bites, or you young people are
coming up with new creative excuses to slack off.”
“I-I doubt it’s the latter, sir.” Tim took out a file from the glove compartment, with “Henry Lin’s Medical Report”
scribbled hastily on the front, and handed it to me.
“Henry Lin?” I scratch my chin, “The kid who went all ballistic on his manager last week because he wasn’t offered a
raise?”
“Yes, and he was sent to the emergency room shortly after, because he started sweating profusely and passed out on the
streets. It’s rumoured that the lizard that possessed him. Even the doctors seemed clueless, but I suspect he got bitten by
something venomous in the construction site.”
“Wow, what type of insect bites are these?” I asked as we got off the van and headed towards the city.
‘Well, it seems that the same kind of insect’s been biting everyone, including Henry – the same rash, the same raised
bumps, the same stingy itchiness. The medical team from our company says it’s probably biting midges.’
I hold up Tim’s arm to examine the wound and frown. This is an unforeseen inconvenience, but so long as it doesn’t delay
production, there’s nothing I care to do, or can do, about it.
I take a sip from my coffee. ‘What’s on the itinerary for today?’
‘Well, we have meetings with residents to sort out any issues they might have with the construction process, and after that
we’re going to check out the site first-hand.’
“That means a long day of negotiating and diplomacy for me, trying to keep the locals happy while protecting the
company’s interests. Sounds like fun.” I mumble with a scowl, packing up the box files.
Little do we know what we have ahead of us.
The first meeting is with a group of local elders, and Tim quickly runs them through the construction schedule and
compensation, finishing by asking for questions.
An old man stands up to speak, and the others, who had previously been discussing quietly amongst themselves,
immediately fall silent.
‘Mr. Tim, are you not aware of the local… beliefs concerning the now-demolished Qiu mansion? Has the glaring fact that
this place is haunted not occurred to you yet?’