死倒沟里的鬼火

偏僻的山沟里，一簇矮小狭窄的泥墙草苫的简陋屋子里，靠房门那边隔壁西面是一铺炕，炕上铺着破烂的秫秸席子。
东墙那边炕头有一扇玻璃窗。
其余的几扇全是糊着纸的窗，它就成了屋里白天唯一的光亮了。

儿时，我常常趴在窗台上，透过窗玻璃向西山沟张望：一条两边布满灌柳的小河套，从几里外的“死倒沟”的北侧蜿蜒而下，汇入北流的西河套主河。
那通往“死倒沟”的小河南岸是一条人行小路，直通小河尽头的“艾家坟”，那是一处高松林立，蒿草丛生的坟地，虽然方圆不到百米，可是因为它正在三条山沟的岔路口，向西直到山岗上的一座坟茔地，那里也是树木密集森严，常有狼群出没，晚上经常传出狼嚎叫声。
南边的沟塘子就是“死倒沟”。

这个“死倒沟”的名字是有来历的。
据说，那是在慌乱的年月，那里常有胡匪出没，一般很少有人敢在那里走，因为有一年，在沟里头的西岗上发现了一具，脑袋被砸掉一半，脑浆流了满地，旁边一块饭盆大的石头，上边沾满了脑浆和鲜血，这个死者衣衫褴褛哈爬在碎石堆旁。
据说可能是一个被仇杀者。
一直没有人来认尸。
后来被狼吃掉。
从那时起这里的人都把那道沟叫“死倒沟”。
自那以后，传说那沟里常传出鬼的哭声，那里的鬼总是学人喊话，你在沟门喊叫，它就在沟里学着你喊叫。
猪和羊跑到那条沟里就有去无回，谁也不敢去找。
几年之后的一年，一连三个月没下雨，天上刚长了点云彩，不一会儿就又散了。
老百姓都说是“起了旱毛”，是那个冤鬼搞的，有了点云彩，鬼就拿着扫帚把天上的云彩扫光。
于是，又修庙，又许愿，也都不灵。

当地的人就自动集结起来，拉着队伍，敲锣打鼓，走村串屯向老天爷求雨。
家家户户的门口都装一大缸水，求雨的队伍来了，就舀水望他们的身上泼，共同高喊：“求雨了！……”，

结果，老天还是不下雨，有的老人说：“问题在死倒那里，你求天有啥用！”，于是又去死倒沟祭鬼祈祷。

就在祭鬼的那天夜里，鬼真的出来了！太阳下山不久，西天边的彩霞刚刚消失，天蒙蒙黑，我和叔叔、哥哥在门前的石头碾盘上坐着凉快，还有东院的常大虎，他30多岁，膀大腰圆，有一股不听邪的憨劲，跟人说话唠嗑总是有个歪歪劲儿，你说东他肯定说西。
叔叔说：“天这么旱，也不知咱们是谁得罪了鬼……”话音还没落，大虎抢着说：“狗屁！我就不信，那来的鬼，谁看着了？”

“哎呀！鬼，鬼……”哥哥惊叫起来，用手指着死倒沟。
我们一看，吓了一大跳！像灯笼一样飘出了一个鬼火，飘飘悠悠，忽上忽下，忽隐忽现飞进了艾家坟就不见了，过了一会儿，从坟墓里又接二连三地飘出了四五个鬼火，有两个向西山坡的坟茔地飘去，有的慢慢就地上下飘动……叔叔赶紧拿木棍猛劲敲打碾芯上挂的漏斗，发出啪啪的响声，震到西沟里哗哗回响，可是，鬼火还是一点没理睬，照样飘悠不停。

“你还犟不？这回鬼来抓你，咋办！”叔叔埋怨地说。

“明天，我去把坟给它掘了！”大虎好胜地说。

“有能耐，你现在就去，等明天，不就是狗熊了！”叔叔激他。

这一激大虎真地来了虎劲，顺手抄起一条木棍，不容分说就向鬼火跑去。
不一会儿他就冲到了艾家坟，冲到鬼火旁，他抡起木棍就打，可就是却打不着，有的飘走了，有的在他的身前背后旋转，忽高忽低地飞。
此刻叔叔又一边敲漏斗，一边高声喊：“大虎，快回来！快回来……”我们都一起跟着喊起来。
大虎听了就往回走，这下可坏了，鬼火在后面跟来了！他回头一看，吃了一惊，丢了木棍就往回跑，鬼火追得更凶了，几乎是紧紧跟随。
大虎一直跑过了西河套的灌木丛，鬼火才不再撵他。
他跑到，一头栽到炕上，吓得害了一场大病。

大伙都说：“这回是大虎给惹下大祸了！这雨是不能再给下了！”

“等着饿死吧！”

“这个大虎可真虎，还敢打鬼！……”

“都怨你激大虎去打鬼，才惹的祸。
”有人埋怨叔叔。

事情并不像大伙想象的那样，隔不几天却下了一场透雨，旱象完全消除了，鬼火再也不出来了。
一切就又平静下来了。

自那次东院大虎给鬼火追辇，成了邻居之间闲谈的热门话题。
我也经常在晚上哈爬在玻璃窗前，向河西死倒沟的坟地里张望，害怕那里的鬼再出来……

那天东院家里来了一个客人，是个城里的中学老师。
我们正在碾盘上坐着，又讲起了大虎打鬼的话题。
这位老师笑了，他说：“哪里有什么鬼呢！鬼火其实是磷火，多发光于干燥的夏季，因为晚上天黑了，人们才能看到他的光。
多是死人的头发、碎衣物等腐烂，干旱中逢潮湿发出的磷光，鬼火辇人，是人跑动带起的风，把那些含磷飘浮的东西吸引，所以它就跟着人跑，（辇人）了。
有人曾把鬼火用网兜住，原来是一团头发或腐烂的棉絮发光，那里有什么鬼，原来它就是鬼火”。

“那为啥死倒沟里的鬼学人喊话呢？……”我就把猪牛失踪那些事都说了。

那位客人老师告诉我们：死倒沟的鬼学人喊话，那是山沟的回声，猪羊跑进沟里就不再回来，那是被狼吃了兴许是跑丢了。
听他这么一说，我们觉得很有道理，原来是这么回事！

六十年后的今天，那里已经变成了果树园，前年天旱又搞了“人工降雨”，年年苹果、桃李丰收。
成了一个游人观光的好地方。

【编者按】现实中的害怕，其实就是无知，好像生活在我国的许多人，少年时都有过这样的经历，这也揭示了一个真理，无论什么事物，总是要弄清它的根由，不然，就剩下无端的恐惧。
【编辑：鬼怪吧】

Introduce:In devious gully, in the pallet house of the slimy wall careless cover with a straw mat with short and narrow tuft, rely on a door there next door west it is one shop bake or dry by the heat of a fire, there is tattered kaoliang stalk matting on kang.
The warmer end of kang there has the wall east a glazing.
A few of the others are the window of burnt paper completely, it became the exclusive by day brightness in house.
when, I often bend over to go up in windowsill, pass through pane to look around of west hill channel: A both sides bestrews the little the bend of a river of fill willow, from a few inside and outside " pour channel to death " boreal side is winding and below, collect boreal shedding on the west the bend of a river advocate river.
That is led to " pour channel to death " brook south bank is alley of travel of a person, at direct brook " Ai Jia is graveyard " , that is to be in Gao Songlin to stand, the cemetery with Hao unripe brushwood, although circumference is less than 100 meters, but be in because of it the fork crossing of 3 gully, xiang Xizhi reachs the ground of a grave on hillock, arboreous and concentrated forbidding also is over there, often have a wolf group appear and disappear, often come out in the evening wolf wail cry.
The channel pond south child namely " pour channel to death " .
This " pour channel to death " the name is pedigreed.
Allegedly, that is the days in fluster, there often is introduced from the northern and western nationalities or from abroad bandit to appear and disappear over there, general and very few someone dare go over, because have a year, a body discovered on the Xi Gang of channel within, the head is broken half, brains shed full ground, on the side the stone with big basin of a meal, brains and blood were stained with above, this dead is dressed in rage with a ha climb to pile in clastic rock by.
Allegedly the likelihood is by kill in revenge person.
Identify dead body all the time without the person.
Be eaten off by the wolf later.
The here person since thenceforth calls that channel " pour channel to death " .
Since then, fokelore often comes out in that channel the cry of ghost, the ghost over there always learns person propaganda to the enemy at the front line, you are in channel door is vociferant, it is learning you in channel vociferant.
Pig and sheep run in that channel to have go notting have time, everybody dare search.
A year of summer after a few years, 3 months do not have in succession rain, the sky just grew dot cloud, did not come loose again a little while.
Common people says is " had drought hair " , ghost of that bad luck is done, had dot cloud, ghost is taking broom to sweep ethereal cloud smooth.
Then, build temple again, promise again, also be ineffective.
Local person builds up automatically rise, pulling a troop, beat gong play the drum, walk along a village to string together collect to beg rain to God.
The doorway of every family installs a crock of big water, the team that tries rain came, hope to be spilled on their body with respect to bail, shout jointly: "Beg rain! …… " , result, old day still does not rain, some old people say: "The question is falling to death over there, you beg a day what to is used! " , pour ghost of channel hold a memorial ceremony for to pray then again.
Be in of ghost of hold a memorial ceremony for that day at night, ghost came out really! The sun is downhill before long, the rosy clouds of Western Paradise edge just2828