The Ghostwriter

By Bruce Allsman

The Ghostwriter, a Malaysian supernatural horror novella by Bruce Allsman

 

To a struggling freelance writer, a hundred thousand ringgit ghostwriting contract is an extremely lucky break. Is it too good to be true? Although true, it is really not good at all. This is because the final sacrifice is far greater than a mere hundred thousand ringgit.

 

When offered a lucrative contract to ghostwrite the memoirs of Datuk Ong Kim Siew, a recently deceased eccentric business tycoon, Vivian Tan, a freelance writer, and her husband, Chris, a concert violinist, take up temporary residence in the tycoon's old mansion in the remote mountains of Pahang, unaware of an adversary with an evil design. Ah Yi, caretaker and servant at the old mansion, attends to their daily needs assiduously, but Vivian suspects that the old lady harbors ulterior motives. And when Vivian's slumber is disrupted by strange euphonious chants in the middle of the night, she resolves to seek the truth, unaware of a mysterious heinous plot fashioned by a supernatural force. Soon, they find themselves drawn inexorably into it.

 

Will Vivian and Chris succumb to the evil force or triumph over it?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bruce Yeoh
• Release date: Apr 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393873600

Book preview

The Ghostwriter

Bruce Allsman

All of the characters in this book

are fictitious, and any resemblance

to actual persons, living or dead,

is purely coincidental.

The Ghostwriter

Copyright © 2021 by Bruce Allsman

All Rights Reserved

Published by Bruce Yeoh

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

About the Author

Books by Bruce Allsman

Prologue

WHEN THE TIME CAME for one of them to die, they went down to the poolside of their mansion to carry out the eagerly anticipated propitious task. For over a year they had been preparing for this crucial moment, and everything had gone according to plan. It was a few minutes past midnight, well within the window of opportunity, when the sixty-year-old, Teh Ai Sim, pushed her seventy-year-old husband, Datuk Ong Kim Siew who was seated in a wheelchair, closer toward the edge of the swimming pool, at the deep end.

Are you ready, Kim Siew? Ai Sim asked when they reached the edge of the pool.

Is it time? Kim Siew asked.

Yes, she said and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Then I am ready. Well, what are you waiting for?

I'm going to miss you. She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

I will miss you too, he said. You know we must do this. We're not getting any younger.

I know.

You must trust the process.

I do, she said. It's just that I'm going to really miss you.

Trust me. Everything will be fine.

All right. Do you need my help?

No need. I can do it myself.

She stepped away from the wheelchair and prepared to do the thing that needed to be done. Seeing that he was eager and ready, she began the chants to help him with his journey into the other world where his soul would rest in peace for a while.

Giving one last push with his two frail arms, Datuk Ong Kim Siew wheeled himself over the edge of the pool, splashing into the calm water. Still seated in the wheelchair, his hands gripped the seat handles as he sank with it to the bottom, air bubbles rising to the surface. He struggled for a while and then went still. Then, as if lifted by an unseen force, his body rose to the surface and floated face down in the pool.

Ai Sim stared at the lifeless body of her husband and smiled.

See you again soon, my beloved Kim Siew, she said.

She turned around and strode back into the mansion.

Chapter 1

AT NINE O'CLOCK IN the morning after breakfast, Vivian Tan sat at the dining table before her laptop computer with a cell phone in her left hand pressed to an ear while she continued tapping at the keyboard with her other trembling hand. Damn, why the delay, she thought. Again and again. Why they always do this to her? She can't take this shit anymore.

Okay Mr. Ong, I'll call you again next week, she said calmly despite the rage rising within. She ended the call and gently placed her smartphone down on the table. Then she slammed her palm down hard on the wooden kitchen table.

Bastard!

She was sure the loud slam and her outcry could be heard by her neighbors in their apartments below and above her rented apartment, but she didn't care. They wouldn't care anyway because they too were noisy all the time. She looked up to find her husband, Chris Lee, staring at her from the kitchen doorway.

What's wrong Vivian? he asked and went over to sit at the table with her.

It's so frustrating, she said and sighed. Never mind. How was your debut performance last night?

Great, the crowd at the new club is more sophisticated than the old one, Chris said. They can appreciate fine music.

That's good. I'm so happy for you.

So, what happened just now? I heard a loud slam. Did you hurt yourself?

No, I'm just damn angry.

About what?

Chris, I really want to give up. Freelance writing isn't for me.

Why?

I hate it when clients always try to delay payments.

Yes, I understand. But writing is your passion.

But what can I do? My clients always don't pay on time.

But I see you're very happy when you write.

I am, but I don't know whether I can do this for a living anymore.

No Vivian, don't ever give up on your dreams. Remember, you told me to never quit on my dreams once.

I remember.

I'm glad you did. My music career is growing steadily, and I'm prepared to face the long journey ahead. I know it's not easy, but I have to fight for it every day. You have to fight too.

"Yes, I suppose I must fight. I love what I do. I mustn't quit.