People says that spirits will linger at their funeral. I have my doubts until my own mum’s funeral a few years back.

It was only after my mum’s funeral and after her cremation and while my family(my dad and siblings) were gathering in our house, waiting to go back to Mandai to collect her ash. My nephew(in army that year) joined us for a while when he related what his friend told him. His friend(we will call him Bob) was at the wake for past 5 days and had help out every night.

Bob claimed he saw my mum hanging and mingle around the guest every night with a young girl and even described her clothing which is exactly what she wore when she passed on(my nephew was not even there and definitely not aware of the color and pattern of her sleeping attire).

At the last day’s ritual, Bob said her attire changed to a cheongsam which description totally matches her favorite attire given to the funeral guys to change for her which is worn below her black “gui-yee” black robe. Other than my dad and us siblings, none of our children is aware of our arrangement nor can anyone seen through the black robe in the coffin.

At the crematorium, Bob saw her linger around me and my brother and he came over to pat our shoulder for her. But he claimed she did not return to the house after the crematorium.

Everyone present was astonished at the accuracy of the clothing and description of the whole funeral, though we wondered who the young girl was.

It was after some asking and checking with many relatives, then we concluded high possibility the young girl was the baby she aborted and could have been another one of my sisters.

At least Bob said she was happy with the arrangement we had for her funeral which is a great console for all of us.