Ghost Boys: The Curse of Summoning Boys

Do you know about the “boy-maker” method?

Our village has it!

Any woman who uses this technique will quickly conceive and, after eight months, give birth to a boy.

At first, my grandmother didn’t believe in it.

But as more and more women in the village gave birth to boys, my Auntie Pearl couldn’t sit still any longer!

…

Ever since my mother died during childbirth, Auntie Pearl has lost two children, both mysteriously stillborn.

The villagers say it’s a curse on our family that our babies never survive.

But only I know the truth—it’s not like that at all.

This was Auntie Pearl’s third pregnancy.

Her belly was sharp, and she craved sour foods. Grandma was certain Auntie Pearl would have a boy this time.

So, she took extra care.

Every meal, she made sure Auntie Pearl had chicken and duck—foods only eaten during Christmas.

The sound of a loud baby’s cry echoed from Auntie Pearl’s room.

Grandma smiled so wide, her teeth almost disappeared.

“Listen to how strong my grandson’s cry is!”

Soon, the midwife opened the door and stepped out, holding the wrinkled little baby in her arms.

The baby’s face was scrunched, and it looked a little… ugly.

“Come on, come on, let me see my precious grandson,” Grandma eagerly took the baby from the midwife’s arms.

The midwife hesitated before speaking, waiting until Grandma uncovered the baby’s swaddling cloth. When she saw what was between the baby’s legs, her face turned pale.

Her voice, sharp and shrill, almost pierced the air.

“It’s another girl! How dare she be born after all the chicken and duck I fed her!”

I thought Grandma was about to throw the baby on the ground, but the midwife was quick enough to catch her.

“Boys or girls, it doesn’t matter. You should relax; maybe the next one will be a boy.”

Grandma grumbled loudly as Uncle Vance puffed on a cigarette, casting a glance at the baby in the midwife’s arms but showing no interest in holding her.

The midwife awkwardly looked at all of us. I reluctantly reached out and took the baby from her arms.

The baby seemed to sense the lack of affection from the family and started to cry.

Poor little thing.

I mimicked what the other women in the village did and softly cooed, “It’s okay, little one. Don’t cry.”

After receiving her payment, the midwife quickly left the house.

The air inside was thick with tension, and the baby’s cries only made it worse.

I figured the baby must be hungry, so I handed her over to the weak Auntie Pearl. But instead of joy, Auntie Pearl only showed disgust at the baby’s wrinkled skin.

The baby didn’t get any milk, but I couldn’t let her go hungry.

Sighing in frustration, I ground some rice into powder, cooked it into a porridge, and carefully fed it to the baby.

Sure enough, after eating, the baby stopped crying.

Then, a desperate voice filled the room.

“Mom, please! Don’t let Vance divorce me! I promise I’ll give you a son next time!”

Grandma’s angry voice followed.

“You worthless thing, all your kids are a waste! How can I expect you to give us a son for the Whitfield family?”

“Mom, if it comes to that, let’s just use the method. After all, remarrying would be costly.”

It was my Uncle Vance speaking.

Auntie Pearl grabbed onto the suggestion like a lifeline.

“Mom, look at how many people in the village have used this method and had sons—it has to work.”

After weighing the pros and cons, Grandma reluctantly agreed to Uncle Vance’s suggestion.

I held the baby tighter in my arms. I hadn’t expected that they were going to use the “boy-maker” method to try for a son!