GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 26: Yaknongyao

The forensic unit, police, and forensic doctor arrived at the scene after Singha was able to make contact. In less than twenty minutes, the place was crawling with people. Say and Darin had to investigate themselves, leading to widespread complaints and groans, reducing the eerie atmosphere significantly.

“How the hell did you find this car, man? King’s team has been looking for days and still hasn’t found it.”

“A ghost told me.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, the ghost of Thup told me.” Say looked towards a young man being treated by the medical team. “Found anything?”

“Fingerprints and drug paraphernalia.” Say held up the evidence bag for Singha to see. “We can definitely identify who it belongs to.”

“Alright, keep me updated. I need to find the last remaining doll.”

“Just looking for a doll gets you this battered. If you had to find a criminal, you’d probably die on the spot.”

Singha didn’t respond; he just watched Thup thanking the nurse.

“I think I’ll visit mom.”

“Today?”

“Yeah.”

“Should I tell you that last night when Rin was sleeping, she was sleep-talking?” Singha turned his gaze to his friend who was looking at Darin.

“What did she say?” Singha then looked at Darin, who was taking photos around the site. Say didn’t answer the question; he just took out his phone and handed it to the person next to him.

‘Ji, Jerunee, Chiittang… Nibbhanang… Akachami’

   Preennnn!!

The sound of a car horn echoed loudly around the area, making everyone look around for the source, but they couldn’t find which car it came from. Say and Singha looked at each other before silencing the recording on the phone.

“She was sleep-talking two or three times around 3 AM, so if you do anything or can carry something for protection, get something for Rin too.”

“And what else happened?”

“Nothing, but when I heard it, I was near her, with the handsome figure of Thao Vaisravaṇa and Suwannak too. If that’s what you wanted to know.”

“After finding the last doll, I’ll be away for a couple of days.”

“Where are you going?”

“Sisaket.”

“What for?” Say turned to look at Singha who was digging both hands into his pockets, then looked up at the sky, his sharp face showing a rarely seen seriousness, the last time he saw him like this was probably during the disciplinary hearing.

“To find the root of the problem, I think it started there.”

“Should me and Rin come with you?”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t know what I’ll encounter. It wouldn’t be good to drag you guys into danger.”

“But you can risk yourself like this?”

“Yeah.”

The two close friends chuckled softly; their job already had their lives hanging by a thread. At worst, it’s just death. When they had talked enough, Singha walked over and stopped in front of Thup who was looking at his right hand wrapped in white gauze.

“How’s the wound?”

“The nurse said it’s just a scrape, probably from when I fell.”

“Thanks.” The simple word, yet it made Thup’s eyes sparkle. The young man looked up to meet the older man’s eyes before standing up to his full height.

“Why are you thanking me, sir?”

“For pulling me back earlier.”

“Thank you too, Phii.”

“For what?”

“…for being safe.” Thup smiled widely until his eyes nearly closed. In his life, he had never managed to protect anyone because he was always too scared. This was the first time he didn’t just stand still, cry, or run away after seeing a ghost, but instead, he turned, faced it, and stepped forward to protect someone.

“I’m going to find the last doll.” Singha placed his hand on Thup’s soft hair. His deep black eyes met Thup’s brown eyes of different shades. “Want to come with me?”

“Yes, I’ll go.” Thup replied with a firm voice, without any hesitation.

It was almost noon before they could leave the first location. Singha stopped by a small roadside eatery to get something to eat; an empty stomach would be quite irritating, especially when being chased by ghosts.

“Order whatever you want.” Thup nodded vigorously and turned to order food from the staff. Once done, the young man started asking about the case, “Now that we’ve found Kun Meen’s car like this, what do we do next?”

“From the condition of Khun Meen’s house and her neighbors’ accounts, she doesn’t seem like someone who would use drugs. Otherwise, there would’ve been some evidence left at home. I guess the stuff we found might belong to the perpetrator who wanted to destroy evidence.”

“So, does that mean Khun Meen might have disappeared at the temple too?”

“It’s possible. Right now, the most suspicious place is that temple, and the most suspicious person would be the abbot.”

“Instead of being a true spiritual refuge.”

“And it’s also a good hiding place.”

“Each victim has their own troubles and worries.” Thup sighed before sipping some soup.

“Hmm.” Within Singha’s file, he had just added reports about what they found at the houses, various things. Each victim had life problems. It’s unclear what they did to become victims because it doesn’t seem like they just went into the temple and vanished. There were several days of coming and going before anything happened.

James is worried about the university entrance exam. When his older sister suggested he try praying, he might go to the only temple around there.

Jom has financial problems.

Orn has issues with pregnancy but hasn’t told her parents.

Meen probably has life problems too.

Nai likely has issues with the family of the staff here and his own parents, from what’s been told.

Thee is probably still grieving his deceased wife, but what about Kaew, a fourteen-year-old, what problems could she have when her family seems perfectly fine? There are no apparent issues.

“After finishing things here, I’ll go to Sisaket. Are you coming?”

“Are we going to investigate that policeman’s house and the murder case?”

“Yeah.”

“So, how are we getting there?”

“By train maybe, I’m too lazy to drive.”

“Then, can I ask my uncle to pick us up at the train station? He said we could stay at his place.”

“I’d feel bad. Let’s just rent a car and book a hotel.”

“But there aren’t many hotels around there, you know.”

“Let’s talk about it later. For now, hurry up and eat so we can move on to the next place.” Both of them managed to finish off the chicken rice in their hands and started their journey to the next victim’s garden home.

Singha’s car parked in front of the fence of the garden home, which spanned several square meters. The elevated wooden house inside made the atmosphere here seem eerie, sending chills down their spines.

“Should we just go in, sir?”

“Hmm, I’ve already called and asked his kids. They’ll arrive in Thailand tomorrow morning, but this matter is urgent, so we can’t wait.”

“Uh… then let’s go in, I guess.”

“If you see anything, call out. Don’t go wandering off on your own.”

“Yes.” The two entered the house without needing to pick the lock as before, because Thee’s children had told them where their father usually kept the keys.

The cool atmosphere after the rain, combined with the shade of the trees, made Thup rub his arms for warmth. After scanning the area, he didn’t see any ghosts, spirits, or wandering souls around, probably because this place hadn’t seen many deaths. It wasn’t a crossroads or a junction.

The underfloor area was nicely tiled, with a hammock and a storage cabinet for gardening tools neatly arranged. From the decorative flower pots and the thriving garden vegetables, it was clear the homeowner was quite diligent.

The creaking of the stairs with each step made Thup reach out to grab the hem of the older man’s shirt.

“What’s the head on a Friday?” Singha started a conversation to break the silence, knowing the kid behind him was trembling.

“It’s an ox head, named Yaknangyao, the Mae Sue for Fridays.”

“What else do you know?”

“I know the general legends about these guardian spirits, from tales and myths. They’re just deities protecting infants. Why someone would use this for evil, I don’t know.”

“You’re saying these spirits protect newborns, right?”

“Yes.” Thup replied while watching the older man unlock the house door.

“One Mae Sue for a specific day, how much can she take care of all the kids born on that day alone?” And if there are seven Mae Sue…

“Yes?” Singha hadn’t responded yet when the wooden door slowly opened. Inside, the room was neat with furniture and appliances well-organized. Light streamed in through an open window, probably left open by Uncle Thee before he went to the temple every day, but who would’ve thought he wouldn’t return.

“Let’s search slowly.” said Singha before he started looking around, just like Thup who walked towards the cabinet beside the television. A family photo full of happiness made Thup smile, but then he remembered the two sitting in the photo would never see their children again. His smile faded; after all, he himself had neither father nor mother.

Meow~

The sound of a cat and a cold touch on his leg made Thup look down.

“Here’s a cat.” The young man crouched down and stroked the black cat that was rubbing against him. “Is this Uncle Thee’s cat?”

The golden eyes sparkled as they stared at Thup before leading him to a room on the right. He got up and followed it, the black paws scratching at the door as if wanting to enter. Thup reached out, turned the doorknob, and pushed in.

“It’s the prayer room.” Thup stepped over the threshold and sat down in front of the altar. The wilted flowers in the vase indicated no one had been here for quite some time. The black cat from before comfortably lay down in front of Thup.

Meanwhile, Singha started by searching the bedroom, as it was the most private place. Often, when you find dolls, it’s in places like this. He carefully inspected the room to avoid damaging anything. A foul stench led him to stop beside the bed before he slowly pulled back the blanket.

The remains of a dried black cat stuck to the mattress made Singha sigh. It didn’t look like what Darin had secretly photographed from the temple; it had either died from starvation or old age.

“Phii?”

“What’s up?”

“I found it.”

“Where did you find it?”

“In the storage room.” he seemed to have died.

“How did you find it?” The boy’s expression at the door made Singha put the blanket back down.

“That cat led me there.” Thup stared at the bed before noticing the spirit of the black cat that was previously weaving around his legs, “The cat was very old. Usually, the old man would feed it, but when he didn’t come back, it went to lie in there… because that place smelled most like him.”

“Hmm, bring it here.” Singha took the broken doll from Thup, put it in a bag, “Let’s go back.”

“Can I bury it? Just a moment is enough.”

“Bring it down, I’ll dig a hole.”

“Thank you.” Singha walked outside but not before glancing back at Thup, who was wrapping the cat’s remains in his arms. The young man was talking to his feet as if speaking to the cat itself. Who knows what he’s been through, but from his expression, though normal, his dull eyes suggested he’s been dealing with death all his life.

Singha used a shovel under the house to dig a small hole under a tree within minutes. Once done, Thup, who was waiting, gently placed the white cloth bundle into the hole. The young man raised his hands in prayer before smiling at the air.

“Next life, be born as a human, there’s lots of fun stuff to do. If you think that it might be a bit tough, then you can go find the old man, there is no need for you to stay here now.” Thup reached out to stroke the adorable cat spirit before it meowed gratefully, licking his hand, then its spirit faded away, “It’s done.”

“Then let’s go back.” Singha watched the young man quietly walk back to the car.

On the way back to the station, Thup seemed more subdued than usual. This time, he was the one to initiate the conversation.

“Do you encounter this often?”

“What?”

“Things like this…”

“…happens often, you know. The first time was probably when I was around six years old. I had a puppy I used to play with regularly at the temple, but one day, it just wasn’t warm anymore. I kept playing with it like that until the old monk told me it was just its spirit because it had been poisoned a month before. It wouldn’t go on to the rebirth cycle because of me. I wouldn’t let it go. After that, I encountered this kind of thing often.” Thup spoke while looking at his own palms; it was something he had experienced many times, but he never quite got used to it. “I guess I’m not that scared of animals.”

“If you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to force a smile. I won’t say anything.” Singha gently ruffled his soft hair.

“I’m really scared, you know. Scared that one day, the spirit I see will be someone I know. I’m more terrified of that than all the ghosts I’ve seen so far.”

“At least you get to say goodbye.”

“Saying goodbye isn’t that easy.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Saying goodbye is really not easy.

  

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