水猴子：河里拖人的小东西

By the rivers of the north and south, many children have heard of the "water monkey."

The legend goes like this: there is something in the river that looks like a monkey, covered in black fur, with long nails and great strength. Someone swimming in the water feels something grab their foot; a tug, and they are pulled under. The next day, when the body is pulled up, there is a dark bruise in the shape of a handprint on their ankle, or several scratches.

Elders tell children that it is a water ghost looking for a substitute: someone who drowned must find a living person to take their place before they can be reincarnated. So those who bathe in the river, especially at noon and dusk in summer, are most likely to encounter one.

Some say the water monkey is actually an otter; some say it is a drowned person who has been soaking in the water for too long, gnawed by fish, swollen and deformed, until they look like a hairy monkey; others believe it is just river weed tangled around a person's leg. A more common explanation is that a swimmer gets a leg cramp, panics, and sinks; while struggling, their foot is marked by the river weed.

Drowning, however, is never just a legend. According to disease control authorities, drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death among children in China, and it happens most frequently during the summer vacation. So whether it is the water monkey or the water ghost, parents in the village use it to scare their children: you are not allowed to go into the river alone.

#Paranormal #网络转载 #未解动物