The nights in Fujian City always feel slightly damp.
The moisture rising from the ground, mixed with the musty odour of the old apartment, made the air feel unbreathable.
When Lin Ziang pushed open the door, the hallway lights flickered.
The single room at the end of the fourth floor was just over twelve square metres, less than a third the size of his home.
The walls were mottled and the ceiling fan made a soft clicking sound.
'It's good enough to live in,' the landlord said, cigarette in hand, handing him the key. 'All houses in Fujian City are like this. You're young, so make do for now.'
'Thank you,' Ziang smiled.
He put down his luggage and opened the window. Outside, there was a grey wall covered in moss.
A sea breeze blew in from the other end of the alleyway, bringing with it the smell of cooking fumes from the distant night market.
He took a deep breath and thought: At least I have a place to stay.
Not long after, the door next door rang. 'Hey, new here?' A man in shorts with a toothpick dangling from his mouth poked his head out. 'I'm Ah Hui, from next door.'
'Hello, I'm Lin Ziang.'
'Okay, I'll call you Ziang from now on.' Ah Hui walked in with a smile that made him seem like an old friend. 'Don't be fooled by this shabby building. It's actually quite safe. The walls are just a little thin, so you can clearly hear people arguing at night.'
'It's OK, I sleep pretty well,' Ziang replied.
'You sleep well? That's easy,' Ah Hui laughed. 'But this house has had a lot of tenants in the past. Some say it's haunted. Don't believe it; it's probably just rats. The woman selling food downstairs loves to tell lies.'
Ziang smiled. "I don't believe that."
But as he said that, the whisper he had heard on the train suddenly flashed through his mind: 'Son, the sea is surging outside...'
Those words sank into his heart like a drop of salt.
It was late at night.
Ah Hui had gone to bed early, and the lights next door had gone out quickly.
Zi'ang, however, couldn't sleep.
The air was damp and the sheets felt cool. The ceiling fan turned slowly overhead, creating a gentle rustling sound.
Zi'ang turned sideways and looked towards the corner, a dark shadow that seemed thicker than elsewhere, perhaps because of the light.
He rolled over and pulled the quilt closer to him.
But then he heard a faint sound.
It sounded like someone on the other side of the wall was scraping at the plaster with their fingernails.
Click—click—
The rhythm was slow and steady.
He held his breath. The sound paused for a few seconds, then shifted — this time it was coming from under the bed.
'Who?' he whispered.
Of course, no one answered.
He got out of bed hesitantly. As his feet touched the floor, a chill ran up his ankles.
The air in the room seemed to have suddenly been drained, leaving only the whirring of the ceiling fan.
He bent down and slowly peered under the bed.
There was a shadow, so deep that it was almost indistinct.
Something stirred softly in the darkness.
It wasn't a mouse or a bug; that "movement" was more like mist drifting on an air current.
His heart skipped a beat and he took a step back.
His breathing became ragged.
'Ah Hui?' he whispered.
A faint snore sounded from next door, as if nothing had happened.
Leaning back against the bed, he pulled out his phone and tried to turn on the light. Suddenly, he noticed a flicker on the screen.
An unidentified light flashed across the bottom of the screen, like a rune.
'What the hell...' he muttered, then turned the screen back on.
The time read exactly 2:03.
The dark shadow in the corner began to stir again.
This time, it was no longer blurry.
It was a tiny human figure, a silhouette seemingly condensed from mist. It crouched against the wall as if listening for something. Then, the figure slowly raised its head. Part of its face was blank, and its mouth was slightly parted as if it were whispering.
A fragmented murmur filled the air:
'Outside... the sea surges...'
At that moment, Lin Ziang's palms felt cold.
He suddenly grabbed the duffel bag beside the bed and casually tossed it into the corner.
'Snap!'
The light flickered a few times, brightening and dimming suddenly.
When he looked again, the shadow had disappeared.
Only a faint watermark remained on the damp wall.
'An illusion,' he gasped to himself. 'I must be too tired.'
He sat back on the bed and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.
But his heart was still beating heavily.
After a long moment, he slowly calmed down.
Silence returned to the room.
Looking down, he noticed something reflecting light under the bed.
At first, it was just a faint pinprick, but then it grew more pronounced, like a sliver of moonlight beneath the water.
He instinctively leaned over and brushed aside the old newspaper under the bed.
It was a small talisman folded into a triangle.
Golden threads were interwoven and the edges shimmered faintly.
The light wasn't blinding, yet it sent a shiver through his heart.
He reached out to pick it up. A corner of the talisman was missing and the ink had almost been washed away by moisture, but he could still make out the familiar mark in its centre — almost identical to the mark that had once appeared on his palm.
"..."
He froze, unable to breathe.
Outside, the wind blew through the open window and lifted a corner of the curtain. The sound of the wind was like a faint whisper passing by his ears.
'Son... Don't be afraid... The sea hasn't receded yet.'
The voice sounded like a dream or a memory.
He suddenly remembered the evenings spent by the sea in his hometown and the sound of wind chimes outside the Mazu Temple. When he was a child, he was afraid of the dark and would always feel as though a voice was calling to him from the far end of the ocean. His mother would simply touch his head and say, 'That's Grandpa Hai singing.'
Now, in this damp room in a foreign land, he could hear the same melody.
He slowly closed his eyes and felt the talisman in his hand gleam for a moment before fading quickly.
At dawn, Ah Hui pushed open the door, carrying two breakfasts.
'Hey, how did you sleep last night? It's rather gloomy here.'
Lin Ziang looked up, a dazed expression on his face.
'Not bad... just a little damp.'
'That's normal, Mr Lou. Don't overthink it.'
Ah Hui put down the buns and opened the window. Light streamed into the room. The water mark in the corner had completely dried, leaving no trace.
But Lin Ziang knew he had clearly placed the talisman on the table last night.
Now it was gone.
The wind blew in through the open window and rippled the sheets.
Under the sheets, a faint golden light seemed to glimmer.
He murmured softly:
'Is the sea really in this city?'