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On the night of the Hungry Ghost Moon, when spirits can briefly return to the living world, Jodi Wu and her best friend sneak into Portland's Chinese Garden and Ghost Museum. Kneeling before the pond where Jodi's toddler drowned one year before, they leave food offerings and burn joss paper-and Jodi prays that Ella's ghost will return for the night.
To distract Jodi from her grief, the two friends tell each other ghost stories as they explore the museum. They stop at the main display, a centuries-old pair of lotus slippers belonging to a woman whose toes were broken and bound during childhood. While reading the woman's story, Jodi hears her daughter's voice.
As Jodi desperately searches the garden, it becomes apparent that Ella isn't the only ghost they've awakened. Something ancient with a slow, shuffling step lurks in the shadows...
Kelsea Yu is the Taiwanese Chinese American author of the 2022 Shirley Jackson Award–nominated novella, Bound Feet; the 2025 Children’s Book Council Award–winning novel, It’s Only a Game; and the novella, Demon Song. Dozens of her short stories and essays are published in magazines and podcasts such as Clarkesworld, Apex, Nightmare, PseudoPod, and Fantasy, and in award-winning horror anthologies such as Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic, Classic Monsters Unleashed, and Death in the Mouth. Kelsea lives with her husband, children, and a pile of art supplies in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on Instagram as @ANovelEscape or visit her website KelseaYu.com.
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