In the remote seaside village of Shilei, on the third evening of October, a dense fog rolled in from the ocean. The fishermen whispered that such fog only appears when "it" draws near.
No one would explain what "it" was.
I'm a folklorist, traveling to record obscure myths in forgotten corners of the country. I hadn't planned to stay, but the heavy fog left me stranded in this silent, haunted village.
I found shelter in the home of an old fisherman, Lao Xie. That night, he offered a single warning:
"Don't go near the dock after dark. Don't look at the sea."
When I asked why, he simply muttered, "If you gaze at it, it remembers you."