THE GHOST WHO WAS AFRAID TO DIE

This story is not fictitious, it was related to me by my brother Donato (Atong) Costes quite sometime ago.

When we were still in Asingan, my brother operated a McCormick rice thresher ( locally called a TILLADORA) ..It is a big machine ( ran by a tractor) that refined the stalks of palay.The rice stalks were thrown into the machine and palay came out in one opening at the bottom...Anyway, during the harvest season my brother brought the machine ( together with a tractor and a crew of workers ) to different barrios of Asingan to thresh palay. One of these is Macalong. Sometimes, they thresh at night in the rice fields when it is cooler. My brother, who is quite fearless ( and I will tell you why later ) would pass by the cemetery on foot almost every night if his TILLADORA is stationed in Macalong.

Now during those days there were some pranksters who liked to hang out in the Asingan cemetery at night.It was their idea of a "happy hour.".Proves to you that ghosts do not exist in the" white house". But what these guys did, after some bottles of MARKA DEMONYO with "pulutan", would be to scare passers by. One way is by donning on a white bedsheet, stand on one of those tombs near the wall facing the street, make those blood curling wails and wave both hands at passersby. Well, any "victim" given the situation ( darkness and solitude of the cemetery ) would really be scared shitless if he/she saw that "apparition" jump on top of the cemetery wall.

My brother heard about it but as far as I know, he did not believe in spooks. Even if his workers warned him about going home late from Macalong, he merely said, "Oh, I will be okay.."

Then one night, his work was done at almost 1:00 am and he had to walk home to the Poblacion from Macalong. As he was nearing the cemetery gate, he heard some people screaming . It made him walk faster to check out what was the matter. There it was, the "ghost" of the "white house", waving its hands and wailing like a banshee. As my brother approached him, the "ghost" turned to him too and started his act.

From underneath his jacket, my brother took out a hand gun and pointed it at him. Immediately the ghost screamed and threw away the bedsheet.." Manong, manong do not shoot me! I am really _______( his actual name ). I know you!"

My brother shouted an expletive in Ilocano and he lowered his gun. The ghost dissapeared from the wall and he was never, ever seen again!---#