Fear Factor

Yesterday we explored OCH. In the day, thankfully. Not wasting any time once we got permission. But all the elation I felt on getting permission disappeared the second I saw the building on the hill and the leaf- and litter-covered staircase leading up to it. It lurked over the chalets like some grim, disapproving old man, daring the kids to trespass on its property.

I don't want to give too much away, but its reputation is well deserved. The place is incredibly spooky. Just in case, I brought along joss paper and incense, which came in a nifty set together with candles and a small packet of tea and biscuity things for just $2. Surprisingly, Audi and Farid were pretty eager to help with the prayers and burning. Andrew was, as expected, skeptical about the whole thing. I'm not really religious, but just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it can't reach out and hurt you. Like I don't believe in guns, but they'll shoot me just as dead.

In any case, I'd rather just burn some things, say a little prayer, and go around with peace of mind that if there should be "good brothers" around, as the Chinese call them, they may be appeased by our offering and not annoyed at us just crashing through their house.

The place is a maze. From what we've explored of it, it's incredibly confusing and I can imagine it'll be easy to get lost in. And because it's built on a hill, some areas don't make sense; you're on the fifth floor and suddenly it seems as though you're on a ground floor. It really adds to the creepiness, not that it needed help. Some areas were ok, but there were certain rooms where the hair on the nape of my neck literally stood on end. It seemed as though there was a change in the atmosphere, almost.

I'm so not looking forward to next Saturday. We'll be going in at night. We joked that maybe we should get a priest to come in and do a little ritual. Now, I'm flipping through the Yellow Pages looking for one. Better safe than sorry.