Once Upon a time, far from here, there were abandoned village houses in the Land of the High Mountains. Some of them had been empty for thousands of years, and some for hundreds of years. You know how empty houses break down, in fact some of them remain standing. The reason why those ones stand was because ghosts were living inside them. You see there lived a little ghost in one of the old houses. It is not known whether ghosts live. This little ghost was so cold in this abandoned house. He always wanted to be a real boy. Everyday, he would wipe the abandoned house all over, talk to the grass growing in the garden, sing songs to the ivy that surrounded the house.
Sometimes he would look at houses with burning lights and smoking chimneys other than the house he loved very much but felt alone in. He liked to walk the streets alone on rainy days. Sometimes he walked to places close to live towns. He had even been in such merry houses a few times. He stayed in the children's rooms, listening to their parents telling stories. He curled up on the edge of the stove. A little ghost can't heat a stove, of course, but people can. It was these rare times when our little lonely ghost was close to other children, families, when he wasn't cold. Unfortunately, these times wouldn't last very long. They felt the presence of the ghost, and they would become agitated. Their happy and peaceful environment would disappear. But the ghost couldn't stand to stay where he realized he wasn't wanted. He immediately goes back to his own lonely, messy, grass-covered house.
One day, he saw ghosts talking among decadent houses on the road to the cemetery. They were little uncanny ghosts, ghosts who like to scare people. The lonely ghost was afraid of these ghosts, but when he passed them, he heard them say words about turning into a real person, and he listened to them. "Is it really possible?“ he said. He turned to the tall one and said, "We know the black witch can do this, but I couldn't get her to accept whatever I gave her. Curse, witch!" he said and spat. The flowers that his spit touched, withered right over there. The Lonely Ghost asked where the Black Witch was. They told him that she was behind the Old Cemetery in the dark forest. He lived in a hollow in the giant trunk of the huge lime tree behind the cemetery.
So the lonely ghost moved away from the other ghosts that autumn day and entered the dark forest. Past the creepy bushes in the dark forest. He stopped by the rattle mushroom village. Eventually, he arrived at the cemetery's door. When he came in, he saw a huge pig digging a grave and chased the pig from there. As far as he was able to, he closed the excavated part of the grave. He found a piece of bone in the earth. He took it in his hand and headed for the back of the grave. He saw the giant lime tree in the back. Lights were spreading through its hollow. He immediately approached the tree. He looked at its huge trunk and knocked on the door that went into the hollow.
When he entered in the hollow, he found the black witch boiling something in her cauldron. She was mumbling as she was stirring it. The lonely ghost found himself a pleasant corner and stayed there until the black witch was finished. When the black witch finished her work, she turned to the lonely ghost and said, "Welcome!“. "Tell me what is it that you want"
The lonely ghost's eyes glittered. He opened his big eyes and said, "I want to become a real boy!“ Hereupon the black witch laughed. Her laughter was elegant and kind, like pearl drops. She then said, "Lonely Ghost, do you know how dangerous it is to be a real child alone?“ And the lonely ghost answered, "It's too dangerous to be a lonely ghost child as well!". Then the black witch sat next to the lonely ghost and told him: "If you become a real child, you have to eat and you have to be protected. It's full of dangers out there, and because you're invisible, you have to pay attention to things you've never paid attention to before." The lonely ghost listened to these, but he still wanted to be a real child. No one wanted him because everyone was afraid of ghosts. If he would be a real child, he could be one of the happy children in the houses he entered. Although the black witch said it wouldn't be the case, she couldn't convince him. He served a bowl of delicious soup to the lonely ghost while she was also getting one for herself. The ghost became surprised "But ghosts can't eat!“ he said. And the black witch said, "Go on, start eating, because you'll need to know." "If you want it so bad, then I'll only turn you into a real child for 100 days. But on one condition! If on the days when you're happy and safe are more than the days when you're unhappy, then I'll let you stay that way. Or else you'll go back to being a ghost! But in order for me to do that, you have to give me a bone from your ancestors." He give the black witch the bone he did not know if it was one of his ghostly ancestors, but which he had found in the cemetery and had brought with him. The black witch muttered magic words, took the bone, pounded it in an iron mortar, and then added a few strange materials to the bone powder, coil spring water, winter incense, northern breeze, and sweetgum resin. When she finished humming, all the ingredients were mixed together, and a drop of potion appeared. The black witch took the potion and dripped it into the lonely ghost's soup. The lonely ghost excitedly started sipping the black witch's soup. He felt himself change and transform with every sip. When the soup was finished, the lonely ghost turned into a cute real boy! He ran out in joy and excitement, and as he ran, he thanked the black witch forever.
It was nice to be a real boy. It was nice to feel the air touches him in the face. It was nice to feel the wind blowing, and it was fun to run around. It was fun to fall, and it was fun to get all muddy. He didn't know how to clean up, but he thought he'd find a way. Then he ran until the towns he knew. He knocked on some houses. The houses he came before. Someone cleaned him up, fed him and put him to sleep, but they said he couldn't stay there, he had to go to his family. The same thing happened when he went to another house. Whenhe wandered all the houses he knew and still was told that he had to go to his family, the lonely ghost told them all his story, but no one believed him. Being a real boy was indeed hard work. He had been heartbroken when he was a ghost, but when his heart broke as a real child, it hurt a lot more. He was hurt so much that he had tears in his eyes. Most of his days were spent in unhappiness. One day other children made fun of him because he was motherless and fatherless, and that day he couldn't find anything to eat. He wanted to forget that he was a real child, maybe he did, and he cried so much because of the pity of his heart that he never looked to his right and left where he passed, and suddenly he fell into a huge well. The well he fell into was so dark and creepy. He started crying there.
At night, everything became darker, and the lonely ghost, now a real child, cried so much that his eyes were swollen, his sobs echoed in the well. And then, in the dark, someone got closer and said, "Oh my little one, what are you doing here," and embraced the lonely ghost. At that moment, the ghost was so hungry, so exhausted, and so afraid that, albeit with a loving tune, he was too afraid of the voice approached him in the dark that he fainted.
When he woke up, he was in a beautiful house with azure blue walls and a wood-embroidered ceiling, and a woman was sitting by his bedside. Baby, who are you, I opened the lid to clean the water tank, I forgot opening it, and it occured to me at night, and when I came, I heard you sobbing. Oh, it's all my fault, how do I know that you would fall! Oh, my stupid head" said the sweet, chatty little woman whose eyes were swollen from fuss and guilt. The lonely ghost didn't say anything thinking that she wouldn't believe him as well. And he was still feeling exhausted. She said, "Well, you've opened your eyes, my child, drink this good soup." And then she made him drink an excellent smelling tarhana soup. When he drank the soup, the lonely ghost felt good. Then she combed his hair, changed his clothes and told a good story so he could go back to sleep.
Days chased one another. The little chatty woman was a woman who lived alone and had birds, cats, chickens, rabbits in her house because she never liked loneliness. She even had a horse and a pony. But even that many animals, sheep, goats and cows, did not take her loneliness. But for example, when she was with this child, who she thought was small and lonely, she never felt alone. The lonely ghost spoke very little, but he loved the house and animals of that chatty little woman. He enjoyed going up the mountains and picking herbs, picking strawberries carefully planted on the sides of the house, climbing cherry trees. And most of all, listening to the little chatty woman caressing his hair and telling him fairy tales.
One evening, the chatty woman was telling a story, "My lonely child, if your memory comes, even if your tongue is opened, tell me who you are, where you are from. Even if you do, look how I have gotten used to you, how can I take you to your owner?" was the chatty woman grumbling and then the door knocked. By the time the chatty woman got up and opened the door, a thunder stroke and a storm started, and it started raining catastrophically. She opened the door and saw the black witch all dressed in black in front of her. She had to invite her in the house. And then she said, "My mute son, give this guest a cup of tea and some bread, I will close the barn doors and come. She quickly went out to close the barn doors. A lonely ghost who never spoke to the chatty woman gave the black witch tea and bread, just as the chatty woman said. The black witch didn't say anything. She just sat. The chatty woman came back inside. "Here you are welcome." she said, but then there was a strange silence. The black witch just sat there. She finished 3 cups of tea and didn't say anything. And the chatty woman must be uneasy about the black witch's condition that she never chatted. Finally, the lonely ghost began to tell. The whole story. How lonely he was, how he wanted to be a real child, the magic of the black witch, and then how no one wanted him, how hungry he was, how cold he was, how the children mocked him, how scared he was when he felll into the well. And then he told about their deal. That the number of happy days should surpass the unhappy days. And the little chatty woman asked "Which one has passed?" in a hurry. The lonely ghost replied "The days when I was unhappy must have passed, I couldn't count.". The little chatty woman hugged the orphan boy and cried. He did not say anything to the black witch, nobody questioned the wisdom of witches in that area. The chatty woman asked the lonely ghost what it means to be a ghost. She asked about his house, and if he could stay with her if he stays a ghost. She found out how they could get along. Then she shut up and turned to the black witch. And the black witch finally spoke and said, "Lonely ghost, you miscalculated. Happy days have already passed the number of unhappy days. Besides, in a new adventure, there is a lot of excitement, but happiness comes later. This house is beautiful, warm, and your love and happiness are genuine. Have a peaceful, happy and healthy long life with the chatty woman. Now that you're a real, happy boy, you can't be a ghost yet. Live your only life well, to your hearts's content. If you need me, call this stone, and I'll find you." she said, and got up, as she went out of the door, the thunder and the storm stopped and it became sunny. The chatty woman lived happily, and both the ghost, who was now a real child, and the chatty woman no longer felt alone. The lonely ghost who was now a real child and then was never alone again, lived a life full of adventure and happiness.