Most Malaysians are familiar with these taboos, and Kopi Soh, for one, is no stranger to these tales: she recently released a book of spooky stories titled “Looking After the Ashes”.
Kopi Soh is a pseudonym used by this local writer who wishes to remain anonymous. “I got the name from the readers of my blog,” she says, explaining that the atmosphere on her blog was very much like a kopitiam, where people could just hang out.
“They started calling me Kopi Soh, the lady who owns the kopitiam and serves coffee.”
“Looking After the Ashes” refers to the ritual of inviting the deceased to return to be worshipped. This practice, she says, is called “chnia abu” in Hokkien, or to “invite the ancestors”.
Kopi Soh chose Penguin SEA as her publisher as they respected her choice to remain anonymous. “They also listened to my suggestions and asked for my input during the entire process of making the book,” she tells FMT.
The stories are both fictitious and based on superstition and taboo warnings she received while growing up, in addition to her real-life experiences.
“I think our belief in ghosts and the supernatural is closely tied to ancestral worship,” she says, explaining that she grew up in a large Taoist family that believed the spirits of deceased loved ones are able to help if they are shown the proper respect.
“I believe ghosts generally haunt for good reasons, maybe to avenge an injustice or a forced suicide, perhaps murder or a preventable tragedy.”
She adds that ghost stories can also have a strong moral message and serve as a reminder to live an ethical life.
Childhood games
Growing up in a Peranakan family, Kopi Soh heard many superstitions, most of which might sound silly but which she always abided by.
“A common one was about how pointing to the moon would result in your ear getting cut. I experimented a few times and it did, indeed, get cut each time I did it,” she says.
“Another warning my eldest aunt instilled in us was to always ask for permission and pray before peeing in public spaces” – something she still does until today. “When I go hiking and need to pee behind a bush, I always ask for permission from the spirits before doing so.”
One experience from her childhood revolves around the game “Spirit of the Coin”, which inspired one of the stories in her book.
“I was about 10 years old and was playing with the neighbourhood kids. We were calling out to spirits and managed to make contact with one. However, the spirit refused to leave, and it kept moving the coin around on the paper.
“We had to bribe it with sugar before it finally went back ‘home’,” she says, adding that this experience terrified her and she stopped playing the game for a while thereafter.
As a child, Kopi Soh could always be found with her head in a book or in the clouds daydreaming about something she had just read. “I loved to make up stories and tell them to my siblings during bedtime,” she recalls.
As she got older she began writing poems and eventually started her blog, which she called her “sanctuary” that “made people and myself feel less lonely” when she spent time overseas, as most of her readers were fellow Malaysians who became like family.
Horror and home
“Looking After the Ashes” is full of illustrations that help bring the stories to life. She worked closely with Malaysian artist KULit, “whose art I have admired for the longest time”.
Kopi Soh says her book might seem to be about superstitions and old wives’ tales on the surface, but upon closer reading, it actually looks at cultural and feminist issues.
She hopes that through her book, she is able to create awareness about the Peranakan people, especially for international readers who are unaware of her culture.
“This book is for anyone who wishes for a glimpse into a life that may be similar or different to theirs,” she says. “People who have migrated away from Malaysia might enjoy it as these tales may remind them of home.”
‘Looking After the Ashes’ is now available in all major bookstores in Malaysia and Singapore, and can also be bought online via Shopee, Lazada and Book Depository.