KHEMJIRA, Chapter 6:

  Jett was talking with the bus driver, as he had previously told Khem he was going to retrieve the sacred necklace. Khem, therefore, separated to help others unload the luggage to store at the village’s primary school, which was not far away.

During the school holidays, the roof of the school will be repaired, and a new library will be built within the school premises. The temple roof will also be repaired and expanded where necessary. Additionally, water filtration systems will be installed at various points around the village to provide clean drinking water for the villagers. The team will also visit each house to check if any villagers need help with anything, and if it’s something they can assist with, they are more than happy to do so.

After all the details have been communicated, everyone will disperse to rest at their leisure, saving their energy for the next day.

“Now, I will announce the names of the householders by house number. Please raise your hand if you hear your name; the volunteers will come to you. House number thirty-six, Girl Ampai…”

For accommodation, the volunteer group has been divided into ten groups of three members each, with two members, Jett and Khem, left over. However, Jett has already mentioned that they would find accommodation on their own.

We will be staying with the villagers that Jett coordinated with the village chief. Each selected house has more than two family members to help look after the students.

One thing Jett didn’t tell anyone is that all ten houses belong to individuals who possess magical abilities.

This village is located at the foot of a mountain near a forest. Known for its forest, aside from wildlife, there are also wandering spirits and ghosts. Villagers often venture into the forest to gather items to sell, or to collect herbs to boil and drink, especially since the nearest hospital is many kilometers away.

However, entering the forest isn’t something anyone can do. Some people without magical protection have been known to wander lost for weeks, nearly losing their lives. Therefore, it’s necessary to learn occult arts for protection against unseen dangers.

In modern times, however, those with magical abilities are rare.

Considering the incident that occurred on the tour bus earlier, Jett thought it wise to have the club members stay with these knowledgeable villagers.

The village chief and many villagers are aware of the incident. They have promised to protect and look after the children who have traveled far to help develop their village’s living conditions in return.

“House number forty-six, Boy Chaiya and Boy Kaew.” After mentioning the last host’s name, the two kind-hearted village chiefs raised their hands in unison. The group led by Chanwit, consisting of one man and two women, then walked towards them.

“Alright, from now on, please rest well, and we’ll meet at the school at seven in the morning. Let’s not be late.” concluded the club president. After that, he turned off the portable microphone and speaker, packed up his things, and everyone dispersed.

“Come on, Khem, I’ll take you to the monk.” Jett said, helping to pick up Khem’s clothes bag from the ground and sling it over his shoulder, followed by the bedsheet. Khem hugged his belongings, following Jett with mixed feelings of worry. He imagined the monk as someone similar to the abbot he knew, likely covered in tattoos, stern-faced, ready to strike with a cane the moment Khem stepped into his home.

“What if the monk chases us away?” Khem couldn’t help but ask, remembering that Jett had just confessed on the bus that he hadn’t informed the monk about Khem staying over. They might have to rely on whatever good karma they had left. Every step Khem took was filled with fear, but now that they were here, turning back seemed impossible.

“Don’t be scared, I’ve got a last-ditch plan.” Jett grinned wickedly. Khem didn’t know whether to laugh or be scared, but decided to go with the flow. If you don’t try, you won’t know.

Jett and Khem walked towards the western part of the village, going in the opposite direction of everyone else, heading where it didn’t even look like houses existed.

Again. These two are doing something odd, separate from the group.

Chanwit felt uneasy and wanted to follow them. For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off them, even though he wasn’t usually one to meddle in others’ affairs to this extent.

“What are you looking at, Chan? Aren’t you coming?” asked the female friend who was staying at the same place, following Chanwit’s gaze, but all she saw was a dark path and banana trees by the road.

“Nothing, let’s go.” Chanwit adjusted his glasses as he answered, then turned to follow the host who had already walked a considerable distance.

Until he found an answer for himself, Chanwit would keep an eye on Jett and Khem to see what secrets they were hiding.

Some parts of this village still lacked electricity. Jett used the flashlight on his phone to guide them to the monk’s house at the end of this road, walking past banana plantations and rubber trees that lined the path on both sides.

The eerie whistling of the wind could be heard, and the deeper Khem walked into the forest, the more his heart filled with trepidation. The cold wind made the hairs on his body stand up, and he clutched his blanket tightly, looking around with suspicion, but all he could see was darkness.

Khem, frightened, couldn’t help but ask:

“Are we almost there, Jett?” Jett raised his finger to his lips, signaling for silence without hesitation.

“Shh. Don’t make any noise. Don’t acknowledge anything you see. Just follow me quietly.” Khem swallowed hard. He didn’t dare ask more because so far, by following Jett’s instructions, he had managed to survive until now. Whatever Jett said, Khem was ready to comply.

Jett tried to keep his mind focused, not letting his fear, a natural human response, distract him. The atmosphere was too strange.

The forest was too quiet…

No sound of birds.

No sound of insects.

Only the howling wind, seemingly on the verge of turning into a storm.

Something bad was surely about to happen.

Finally, Jett and Khem arrived. Khem looked at the large traditional Thai house surrounded by tamarind trees as tall as a person’s head. Tamarind trees are believed to protect against and repel bad omens. Khem had noticed that other villagers also planted them, but only a couple of trees at most, unlike here where they formed a fence around the house…

“We’re here. When you see the master, make sure to bow respectfully.” Khem swallowed audibly again as his blanket was taken from him. His wide eyes looked up to the second-floor balcony of the house, where two kerosene lamps provided light, casting it down below.

Previously, Pharan had become aware of everything that happened since the bus carrying his disciples nearly met with an accident due to the forest spirits, as told by his “spirit followers.”

“Were there a lot of them?” He had asked while he was still asleep, opening his eyes upon receiving the answer.

“The whole forest was full of them, Master.”

Pharan walked over to sit in front of the Buddha statue, lighting three incense sticks and clasping his hands in prayer, focusing his mind on helping his student.

However, Jett’s mind was so filled with fear that he couldn’t maintain his focus, his concentration scattered almost beyond control. He could only chant prayers for divine protection to keep them safe. Thankfully, he remembered one mantra, which had narrowly saved his life.

All of this was because he got involved with that kid named Khemjira.

But it seemed that Khem’s karmic debt was not with an ordinary ghost. It could summon dozens of hungry ghosts to gather in one place, when typically these spirits are solitary and avoid even their own kind.

To have such power, one must have accumulated karma for hundreds of years, gaining immense strength.

“Phii Jett is bringing that friend here, Master.” ‘Thong’ , a spirit disciple in the form of a twelve-year-old boy, crawled over to whisper. This made Pharan’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

Such stubbornness was indeed inherited from generation to generation.

But it seemed Jett cared deeply for this friend, enough to disregard warnings and even dare to bring him here. He was genuinely curious about what kind of kid this was; if he didn’t like what he saw, they might have to spend the night under the house with the spotted dog.

A mixed-breed dog ran out to bark at Jett and Khem. When it heard Jett call out, it stopped barking and approached to nuzzle their legs. Jett gave it a large boneshaped cookie he had prepared for this purpose as a passage fee, and the dog ran back under the stairs to chew on it.

Khem and Jett didn’t have to wait long before the light from the upstairs balcony flickered, revealing the figure of a man slowly walking out. The man stopped at the wooden fence, looking down at Khem with an expressionless face.

From where he stood, Khem couldn’t clearly see the man’s expression, but his heart thumped violently, causing him to clutch his shirt over his left chest with shock.

What was this feeling…

Pharan looked at Khemjira’s face, half-illuminated by the lantern light.

The moment their eyes met, countless scenes from past lives flooded into Pharan’s mind without warning.

Pharan had known since he was young that he could remember his past lives, but he had never desired to recall them. He never wanted to know who he was or what he had done before; he only wanted to live in the present and lead a simple life like an ordinary person.

Remembering or not, it served no purpose, that’s what Pharan had always thought.

However, at this moment, he felt a peculiar sensation in his chest. The face of Khemjira greatly disturbed Pharan’s mind.

This boy was his lover from a past life, from whom he had been separated.

His sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he looked past Khemjira.

And the man standing behind him…

Khem swallowed as Pharan descended from the second floor holding a lantern. He stood rigidly like Jett, who didn’t dare even to greet the master, the atmosphere around the master making one feel uneasy, with chills running down the spine, despite his handsome face showing no emotion.

Khem held his breath as the master approached, the scent of a cool fragrance tickling his nose. He saw the tattoo of a pair of magpies and lotuses on the master’s chest, clear as day, but he didn’t dare look up to see what the master was doing.

Pharan paid no mind to Khem, who was trembling. He slowly raised the lantern above the young man’s head to see the face of the person standing behind him more clearly.

The other thing was a tall, slender young man dressed in khaki, indicating a government job, but his clothes were stained with blood down to his trousers. His skin was pale, almost a light green, and one eye was rolled up so much that the pupil was barely visible, while the other stared at him in astonishment.

Pharan spoke emotionlessly:

“It’s you.”

This spirit’s name was “Chayot.” but in a past life, he was bound by blood to Pharan as a sibling.

  Memories, half-remembered, flowed into Pharan, telling him this.

     KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 5:

  Khem had run to the end of the bridge, but just before he could jump, he was pulled back from behind.

Khem opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the face of his best friend.

“Hey, Khem! What are you doing?” Khem looked at Jett’s alarmed face in confusion, then glanced around and realized he was standing at the edge of the balcony.

How did I get here…

  Khem’s eyes widened as he realized the cause, almost collapsing to the floor, but Jett supported him.

“Jett, just now, I…I was dreaming.” Khem hastily recounted his dream to Jett, his voice trembling. Upon hearing this, Jett grew even more frustrated, quickly pulling Khem back into the room and locking the balcony door.

“I think the master’s talisman might be losing its power.” Jett said after sitting Khem down on the floor to talk. Hearing this, Khem swallowed hard, his tightly clasped hands turning cold.

“Normally, one of the master’s simple talismans would last for years. This ghost must be extremely malevolent.” Jett continued, noting that Khem had heard a woman’s voice urging him to go to the water, when in reality, it was leading him to the balcony on the fourth floor to jump off. Such malevolence likely indicated it was the karmic creditor of Khem that the master had mentioned.

Khem’s face was pale, drained of all color. If Jett hadn’t woken up just in time, something terrible could have happened. The thought alone made him want to cry.

“Sorry, man, Khem, you almost went away. If no one had woken me up, I probably wouldn’t have woken up.” amidst the fear, curiosity arose. Khem furrowed his brows slightly, his eyes still red.

“Who was it?”

“I don’t know, but it was a woman’s voice, she called me Jett, and when I woke up, you were standing right there on the balcony. I think it might be some spirit looking out for you.” Khem’s heart beat faster. He could only think of one person, the only important person in his life who was no longer alive in this world, the one who had always cared for him even in her last moments.

“It must have been Mom…” Khem cried uncontrollably, both scared by what had happened and relieved that his mother’s spirit was safe.

Jett let Khem cry for nearly ten minutes, not being very good at consoling people, he just handed him tissues to wipe his tears.

“Jett, I’m scared to sleep now.” Khem said after he finished crying.

“Yeah, me too.” Jett glanced at the wall clock then turned back to say, “Let’s watch a movie. It’ll be morning in two hours. We can sleep on the bus.”

Khem nodded in agreement. Once he regained his composure, he didn’t forget to say something.

“Thanks for saving my life, Jett.” Jett ruffled Khem’s hair.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. When we get to Ubon, I’ll take you straight to the monk. He’ll definitely help.”

Jett had planned it out. If the monk didn’t want to help, he’d hand out his phone number to every young woman in the village.

Arriving at the university, both Jett and Khem were in a state of sleep deprivation. Upon arrival, they had to wait for the tour bus with others who hadn’t arrived yet. Unable to bear it, Jett dragged Khem to buy some coffee.

“One iced Americano with an extra shot.” Jett ordered first.

“Yes, and what would the other gentleman like?”

“An iced cocoa, um, make it strong.” Khem answered hesitantly, also sleepy but finding coffee too bitter for his taste.

Hearing this, the staff smiled indulgently but didn’t comment further, quickly turning to prepare their orders.

After getting their drinks, they walked out of the shop to sit in their usual spot, watching the seniors and other club members going back and forth until they felt dizzy. By the time they boarded the bus, they had just finished their drinks.

Jett suggested sitting near the back. He took the window seat and had Khem sit in the aisle, fearing that Khem might see something strange during the journey.

But after a while, they couldn’t resist the sleepiness and both fell into a deep slumber.

When they reached a gas station, which was a rest stop, Jett woke up. He furrowed his brows, looking around, realizing this wasn’t the usual route people took. Seeing that Khem was still asleep, he slowly got up to talk to one of the senior staff members, calling out to her by the name tag around her neck.

“Excuse me, Phii Sam, why are we going this way?”

“Oh, Nong  Jett, um…the club president didn’t want to arrive too late, thinking we might not have enough time for activities. He consulted with the driver, who suggested this route, saying it was shorter.” Jett furrowed his brows.

“But this route is dangerous.” Jett wasn’t lying; from here on, there would only be forest, no more gas stations to stop at, the road was narrow and secluded. Although he had used this road before with the master, the master would never take this route unless it was an emergency.

Because it was known to be a haunt for spirits.

This road might get them there faster than the main route, but what if they actually arrive dead?

“Oh, well, too late to mention it now, Jett. I’ll tell the driver to drive slowly, alright?” Sam gave a strained smile, respecting the political figure’s son and the main sponsor of the event. The decision was made in the morning without informing Jett beforehand. She didn’t expect him to be this displeased.

Realizing that arguing would only stress them out, and they were unlikely to change routes now, Jett nodded and went to buy some snacks and butter for Khem in case he woke up hungry.

And he quickly ate something to stay awake. From now on, he won’t be able to sleep.

As the bus entered the forested area, the atmosphere began to change. Jett started seeing shadowy figures resembling people emerging from both sides of the road. But even more alarming was their number, and how they chased and clung to the bus.

Jett jolted when a spirit climbed up the window to stop right in front of him. It seemed to look past him towards Khem, who was still fast asleep, and other spirits began to gather at their window.

Jett steadied his mind, silently reciting a mantra, staring intently at the dark mass in front of him.

“Itisukato, Araham Puttho, Namoputthaya…”

The dark masses in front of him started to retreat, some jumping away, but new ones kept appearing incessantly. Jett chanted continuously, thankful he had brought a large bottle of water. Otherwise, he would have died of thirst.

At that moment, Jett didn’t realize that someone else, sitting across the aisle from him, was watching him with suspicion.

“What is Jett doing, mumbling to himself for nearly half an hour now?” That was what ‘Chanwit’ was thinking.

Chanwit knew Jett and Khem as freshmen from the same club, but they weren’t particularly close. He was sitting in the aisle seat next to where Jett and Khem were, giving him a clear view of what they were doing.

  ‘They look like they’re playing with spirits like in the movies,’ Chanwit glanced at the sleeping Khem. Although he wasn’t one to believe in black magic or occult practices, he found Jett’s actions unsettling for some reason.

Jett and Khem were close, but Khem seemed naive, possibly being tricked. He should find a moment to warn Khem to be careful of Jett.

At that moment, Jett, who was in the midst of chanting, suddenly forgot the verses he had learned when he looked up and saw dozens of tall, shadowy figures emerging from the forest.

“Shit…” Jett exclaimed in disbelief.

“Ghosts of the dead.” with such numbers, and encountering them in broad daylight like this, honestly, Jett had never experienced anything like it before in his life.

A piercing, ear-piercing screech reached Jett’s ears, but it seemed like no one else could hear it.

They’re following Khem.

Jett broke into a cold sweat, frantically trying to recall the monk’s chants and started reciting again, but to no avail; none of the spirits disappeared from his sight. Some of them were so close they were almost touching the bus’s window. One of the ghosts standing in front of the bus made a gesture towards them, prompting Jett to raise his arm to shield Khem and immediately close his eyes.

All these actions did not go unnoticed by Chanwit, who was watching intently, his brows furrowed, his demeanor suggesting he was still questioning.

Screeeeeech!!

“Hey, what’s happening!”

“Scream!”

When the bus suddenly braked and started swerving, Jett decided to get up from his seat and make his way to the driver’s area with difficulty. Chan wanted to follow but was held tightly by his friend sitting next to him, unable to move, and could only watch Jett go.

Jett reached the driver’s zone where both the driver and his assistant were passed out, unconscious. The driver’s eyes were rolled back, his mouth agape with drool hanging, indicating his spirit had left his body, likely from seeing the apparition clinging to the front windshield, which Jett could only see as a dark, blurry femalelike shadow hanging its head down.

Jett quickly took off his own Buddha pendant and put it on the driver, holding the steering wheel with one hand while the other was clasped in prayer, asking the spirits of the forest to return the driver’s soul, or “khwan.” Then he chanted a newly remembered mantra:

“Sabbe Deva Pisajewa Alawakathayo Pi Ya…” The dark shadow in front of them writhed briefly before being whisked away by the wind.

Gasp!

The driver’s assistant woke up first, and upon seeing the situation, he screamed in shock, quickly took over the steering wheel from Jett, and shouted to wake the driver. After a few shouts, the driver jolted awake with a dazed look, and together they managed to steer the bus back into its lane.

Jett, breathing heavily, wiped the sweat from his face, thinking the danger had passed. He turned back, planning to ask for his ancestral pendant back from the driver once they reached their destination.

“Jett, what happened?” Khem asked when Jett returned to sit beside him. Woken by the shouts and chaos, Khem had seen the bus swaying dangerously close to the edge of the road.

Khem figured Jett must have gone to the driver and done something, because soon after, the bus stopped swaying and realigned itself on the road.

“I’ll tell you when we get there.” Jett said, not wanting others to overhear. Khem nodded, making room for Jett to sit and rest, then handed him water to drink.

“You truly are my friend.” Jett, who had been chanting until his throat was dry, drank almost the entire bottle. Khem gently patted his friend’s head.

“You did great, Jett.”

“Should I start barking now?” Jett asked, causing Khem to laugh before getting a light tap on the head. They chatted about other things for a while before both fell asleep, as Jett assured they were now out of danger.

All these actions were almost constantly observed by Chanwit.

The tour bus arrived at the village in Ubon Ratchathani in the late afternoon, where the village chief and familiar villagers came out to welcome them. After that, they helped unload the luggage from the bus.

Jett took the opportunity when not many were paying attention to him to go and retrieve the sacred necklace from the driver.

“Hey kid, thanks a lot for stepping in to help. Otherwise, things would have gone really bad.” ‘Uncle’ said as he placed the necklace back into the young man’s hand. The assistant driver had recounted the incident when he woke up to find the young man helping to steady the bus, and even gave him his own sacred necklace to wear.

Jett nodded, took the necklace, and put it back on before asking out of curiosity,

“Uncle, what did you see? Did you know you were so shocked you lost your spirit? I had to call out to you for so long before you came back.” The driver swallowed hard, brought his own Jatukam amulet to his forehead in a gesture of apology, and said,

“I saw a woman in ancient Thai dress, who looked like a servant from the old times, very pale with visible veins, long hair hanging down from above, small black eyes, and dark lips that were grinning.”

   KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 4:

  In the silence of the night, inside the monk’s quarters of Phra Pinto, in his dream, there appeared the figure of a young woman wearing a white blouse and a traditional Thai skirt, sitting with her hands clasped in prayer at the foot of the stairs to his hut. Phra Pinto stood at the top, looking down at her.

“It’s been a long time since we last met, Mae Khae.” Phra Pinto spoke, and the woman bowed three times before looking up with a faint smile, her once beautiful eyes now showing signs of fatigue and sorrow.

  “Paying respects, reverend brother.” Said “Khae.” or “Khaekhai.” Phra

Pinto’s deceased wife who had passed away over seven years ago. Yet she still lingered by their child out of concern, occasionally entering dreams to convey messages.

  “What brings you here this time?”

  “Reverend brother, please prevent Khem from returning here.”

  “Why?” asked Phra Pinto, and Khae Khai proceeded to explain what had happened to Khem.

  “The protective powers in the amulet blessed by the master have faded. Khem’s luck has started to wane, and he’s been having accidents frequently. But after meeting a friend, he has found something to protect him, keeping spirits at bay…including myself.” She added in a quiet voice at the end. She, too, was considered a spirit.

  “…”

  “The boy’s name is Jett, he’s a disciple of a master, with a much stronger spirit than Khem’s, and he’s been helping him all along.”

  “…”

  “If Khem is away from Jett during this break, I fear that this time, they might really take our son away.” Khae Khai said with tears before bowing again to the ground.

  “…”

  “Please help our child once more.” After that, everything in the dream slowly faded, and Phra Pinto woke up.

  After Khem had the handkerchief with the talisman from Pharan, Jett’s master, things returned to normal for him. Accidents, whether small or large, ceased to occur frequently. And the recurring dreams of the old Thai house from two different eras no longer came.

As for seeing spirits, Khem still had the ability, but because they weren’t aggressive towards him, and with the monk’s talisman on him, he wasn’t as scared anymore.

However, since that day, Khem hadn’t dared to draw his mother’s portrait again.   Now, nearly six months have passed.

The old portrait, which Jett had crumpled and discarded, was taken by Khem to be burned at the temple, where he then offered merit to appease the spirits as suggested by Monk Pharan.

This period was the time for final exams, and soon Khem’s university would be closing for the term.

While Khem was hanging out laundry on the balcony, his phone rang. Without needing to look at the screen, he knew who it was.

“What’s up, Jett?”

[Khem, got any plans for the term break?]

  “Well, my abbot is unwell. I was planning to go visit him. Why?”

[I wanted to invite you to join our volunteer camp. At first, the seniors planned to go to Ubon Ratchathani, which is my hometown. I suggested we go to the village where my monk lives, there’s a lot of development needed there.

Plus, you’ll get activity credits, and I figured it’s a chance to take you to see the monk.]

  The club Khem and Jett were part of was a volunteer club. Usually, every year they held camps in nearby provinces, but this year the university had provided a larger budget, allowing them to go as far as Ubon Ratchathani.

For Jett, he had initially planned to bring Khem to see the monk during the term break. But since the club was organizing a volunteer camp in his hometown area, it was a perfect opportunity to do some good deeds together. He proposed they go to Monk Pharan’s rather remote village, which would allow him to bring Khem directly to the monk.

At first, there were objections because people were worried it would be too tough, but Jett convinced his father to sponsor the event, and the seniors agreed to it.

[So, what do you say? Want to join? I really want you to come.] Jett asked, and Khem hesitated for a moment before responding.

“Let me call and ask the abbot first.”

[Okay, let me know.]

  “Alright.” After Jett hung up, it wasn’t long before the abbot, Khem’s father, called. Khem hadn’t even had the chance to call him yet.

“Paying respects, father abbot. How are you feeling?” Khem asked first, then furrowed his brow slightly when the abbot replied:

[I am well. No need for concern. During the break, you don’t need to come back to visit.]

  “Oh, is that so?”

[Yes, if there’s somewhere else for you to go, go there. It might be for the better.] Khem’s heart skipped a beat.

“father abbot, do you know where I plan to go?”

[I’m just saying, follow your heart. Take care of yourself while you’re away.] Khem bit his lip gently before nodding and responding, agreeing to whatever the abbot suggested.

“Alright, father abbot. Please take care of your health too.”

That night, Khem called Jett back to confirm and asked him to sign up with the club on his behalf. The travel was set for the following week after the exams, with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

Before the departure day, Jett stayed over at Khem’s place. They planned to go to the university together to catch the bus the next day.

“Khem, pack more clothes.” Jett said, lying on the bed, watching Khem pack.

“Why? It’s just a four-day trip, isn’t it? I’ve already packed two extra sets.” Khem replied without turning around.

“I don’t know, you might end up staying with the master until the term starts.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Not crazy, I just don’t want you to come back and be alone. I might have to stay home to help with family business during the whole break.” Khem considered this, wanting to reassure Jett not to worry, but honestly, he was scared too about being alone, so he asked:

“Then…can’t I just stay at Jett’s house?”

“It’s possible, but how can I help you there? Being with the master is the safest place for you.”

Khem’s face showed concern.

“Will it bother the monk…?” Khem felt hesitant; after all, Monk Pharan didn’t even know him, unlike Jett who was his friend.

“You don’t have to worry about that. The monk’s house is as big as a temple, a small guy like you won’t take up much space.”

“But I feel bad about imposing, and besides, the monk already said he doesn’t want to get involved with my issues.” Jett slapped the bed with a loud thud, making Khem jump.

“This! This is the face! Remember this expression, when you see the monk, just make this face, guaranteed to soften his heart a hundred percent!” Khem’s eyebrows twitched, almost throwing his deodorant at Jett, “You talk too much, how do you know the monk will soften up?” Jett shook his head, recalling his days from when he first became the monk’s disciple up until now, then he gave a sly smile and answered.

“You’re exactly his type.”

“Cough!” Khem choked on his own saliva, then grabbed something to throw at Jett, who easily dodged it.

“What are you talking about? That’s a monk master.”

“My master, not yours. Trust me. If you want to save your little life, do what I say.”

Khem glared at him, “If I do what you say and it still doesn’t work. I’ll be the first ghost to haunt you, Jett.”   Jett laughed heartily.

“Yeah, I’ll even tear up the monk’s talisman and throw it away for you.”

When it was time for bed, Jett laid out a mattress on the floor next to Khem’s bed, just like he always did when staying over here because his sleeping habits were like clockwork, always waking up with his head at the foot of the bed, fearing that one good night he might accidentally kick his small friend off.

“Sweet dreams, Khem.”

“Sweet dreams, Jett.” Jett chuckled at Khem’s sarcastic reply; his friend’s reactions were what made him enjoy teasing him.

After turning off the light, silence enveloped the room, and soon both Jett and Khem fell into a deep sleep.

Khem was dreaming again…

  He dreamed of an old, large Thai-style house by the river. Khem saw the lifestyle of the people in the house, a young girl of about eight or nine playing mischievously with the servants, and a noblewoman in traditional Thai attire, weaving flower garlands. This time, the dream seemed clearer than before. Khem looked at the face of the young woman and softly exclaimed,

  “Mother?” The young woman had pricked her finger with the needle while stringing flowers. The maid, who was sitting and weaving garlands below, quickly crawled over to check her wound. Khem, with concern, intended to go to her, but as if pulled back by an unseen force, he was transported to the eggshell-colored house from a different era.

  As always, when Khem dreamt of the ancient Thai house, he would be brought here without much chance to observe or do anything more than watch, looking through the windows from outside.

  Khem often saw a couple, though he could never clearly discern their faces.

Sometimes, he would see only a woman, looking forlorn, eating alone in the house.

  And there would always be a chilling male voice from behind asking if he wanted to stay here, but Khem never responded. Not long after, he would wake up.

Lately, he had become somewhat numb to it, until receiving the talisman from Jett’s master, after which he stopped having these dreams until now.

  This time, the atmosphere felt strange.

  Khem saw no one, not even the lady of the house at the dining table…

  A cold shiver ran down Khem’s back again, making him straighten up. He felt someone standing behind him but, as usual, couldn’t turn around to look.

  Khem was certain it must be the owner of the mysterious voice that always asked if he wanted to stay, but this time, the other party remained silent, no matter how long he waited.

  Usually, Khem would wake up after the voice spoke, but several minutes had passed, and he was still here.

  Khem began to feel anxious, to the point where he spoke first.

  “Why aren’t you speaking?”

  The ruler of this dream dimension was overjoyed to hear a response from Khem for the first time, but it couldn’t voice out to send him back to reality because another malevolent spirit’s pale hands covered its mouth from behind, while its legs wrapped around and tightly clenched its waist, causing pain.

  How did it get in here? That was the question echoing in its mind now.

  Normally, it was already difficult to deal with this evil spirit. This time, it seemed like its power had grown even stronger than before, to the extent that it could encroach upon others’ territories, which was very dangerous…

  Khem didn’t get an answer, even though he could still feel the presence of the mysterious voice behind him, but instead, he heard another voice that felt very familiar.

  Khem…

  “Mother? Is that you?” Khem’s body trembled with urgency, it was the first time he had heard his mother’s voice so clearly.

  ‘Help me, I’m in so much pain.’

  “Mother, where are you!” Khem shouted in panic upon hearing his mother’s voice in pain, and without thinking about looking back, he rushed out to find her.

  The mysterious man who owned this dimension was now wide-eyed, yelling out loud,

  ‘Don’t go!’

  Khem returned to the first Thai house, still hearing his mother’s cries for help in his ears.

  “Mother! Where are you!” Khem cried. He ran around the house, now seemingly abandoned, as if it had turned into a desolate place. Then Khem heard another woman’s voice he had never heard before.

  ‘Come to the pier,’ the voice was slow and cold, showing no emotion, but Khem felt that the speaker was smiling…

  He didn’t have time to care, knowing where the pier was, Khem ran out of one of the bedrooms directly to his destination.

  Outside, it was pouring heavily like a storm. Khem saw his mother’s figure clinging tightly to the edge of a mooring post on the bridge, her lower half submerged in the swift current.

  ‘Khem, help me, help me!’ Khem heard his mother’s voice even though he was still far from the spot, and then his eyes widened in horror as his mother could no longer hold onto the post.

  She disappeared from sight as if she had never been there.

  “Mother!” Khem’s heart was torn in that instant; he shouted for his mother amidst the raging storm, rushing forward intending to jump into the river to save her.

  Jett was in deep sleep when suddenly the voice of a woman shouted into his ear:

  “Jett!”

  Gasp!

Startled awake, he sat up abruptly, pulling off his cartoon-patterned sleep mask. The first thing he saw was the balcony with the light still on, and he noticed his small friend, who should have been asleep on the bed, was up to something.

“Hey, Khem!”

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 3:

  Khem’s legs were shaking so much he collapsed onto the floor. Just then, his phone vibrated, so he pulled it out of his trouser pocket and answered without waiting for the other person to finish speaking.

[Khem, you…]

  “Jett! Jett, help me!”

[What’s wrong? What happened?]

  “Please, come over, Jett, hic, sob.”

At that moment, Jett, who was drying his hair, widened his eyes in shock, threw aside the towel, grabbed his motorcycle key, and rushed out of the room.

“I’m on my way. Stay calm and don’t hang up!”

Jett arrived at Khem’s apartment in less than ten minutes on his motorcycle. After parking, he ran up to Khem’s room and started knocking. However, after a long time of knocking, nobody opened the door.

“Khem, it’s me, Jett. Can you hear me?” The knocking turned into pounding, and he tried twisting the doorknob frantically.

Click

Suddenly, the door, which was locked from the inside, opened. Jett didn’t hesitate and immediately pushed it open.

“Damn it, Khem!” Jett found his friend passed out on the floor, with an easel set up in front of him.

“Shit…” The terrifying face of a woman in the painting gave Jett goosebumps, prompting him to quickly walk over, tear it off the easel, and crumple it up.

Jett tried to wake Khem a few times, but he wouldn’t stir, so he had no choice but to carry him out of the room, intending to take him back to his own place for the night.

Jett lived in a condominium that his mother had bought as a gift for him. His family was quite wealthy; both his parents held high-ranking government positions.

That night, Khem ended up with such a high fever that he couldn’t go to class, so

Jett had to attend alone to take notes for him. At noon, he came back to check on Khem, ensuring he ate and took his medicine before heading back for the afternoon session.

“Khem, I’m going home tonight. You stay here for now.” Jett told Khem, who was lying on the bed with a cooling gel pack. In truth, he wanted to take him along, but he was afraid Khem might collapse on the way.

“When will you be back?” Khem asked with a hoarse voice.

“I’ll be back on Sunday.” Jett answered.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” Said Jane, or “Sis.” Jett’s older sister, with a sweet smile as she leaned against the door frame watching them.

Jane was an office lady, five years older than Jett, and she occasionally stayed over here. This time, Jett called her to look after Khem over the weekend while he was away visiting his family in another province. Of course, nothing in life comes for free; Jett had to pay for her new lipstick, which cost several thousand baht, as her fee.

“Thanks, sis.” Jane, whose salary was still intact, replied with a sweet smile.

“Sure thing.”

Jett took a flight back to Ubon Ratchathani, spending over two hours traveling in the morning of the next day. He went to see “Pharan.” The shaman he respected as his master. The master lived in a large traditional Thai house at the end of the village, quite a distance from the other villagers, almost into the forest.

It was well known in the village that Pharan was skilled in exorcism and treating various ailments. He had many disciples and now mostly waited for people to come to him. Most of his clients had bad luck, were cursed, or were being harassed by spirits to the point of despair. In his spare time, he made and sold amulets to make a living.

There were two things Pharan would not do: cast spells to harm others or interfere with karmic debts.

A man in his early thirties walked out from a corner inside the house and sat down at his usual spot covered with a dark carpet. Behind him was an altar with a Buddha statue, surrounded by traditional offerings like silver and gold umbrellas, similar to other spirit mediums’ settings, but since Pharan practiced white magic, there were only Buddhist images on his altar, no spirits.

Jett gave a flattering smile and quickly raised his hands in a respectful wai, but before he could speak, Pharan interjected in a stern voice,

“Jett, what have you brought into my house this time?” Jett, who was clasping his hands in prayer, felt a chill run through him before forcing a nervous smile.

“Haha, just as expected from the monk I respect.” Jett quickly took out Khem’s handkerchief from his pocket and placed it on the golden tray beside him, along with a piece of paper containing Khem’s real name, surname, and date of birth, then set it in front of the monk.

“Master, could you please see if there’s anything you can do to help?” After that, Jett recounted Khem’s situation to the monk.

Pharan felt like kicking the troublemaker out of the room, but the faint pleasant scent from the handkerchief drew his attention, making him bend down to examine it closely.

The scent was nice, but sometimes it was mixed with the stench of spirits, more than one, and one of them was quite powerful…

Pharan placed it back and pulled out the paper with someone’s name and birthdate written on it to read.

‘Khemjira, Jantrapisut’ The young man furrowed his brow.

Khemjira?

Strange. He felt oddly familiar with that name, though he couldn’t recall where he had heard it, so he stopped trying to remember, read the birthdate, then took out his own notebook and pen, writing down the numbers and calculating.

Several minutes passed before he finished, the result being quite alarming.

“Who is this?” Pharan asked while still reviewing the numbers in his notebook.

“He’s my friend, Monk. How is it looking?”

“Tell your friend to do whatever he wants to do quickly. He’s definitely going to die within this year.”

Jett turned pale, spoke urgently,

“Ca-can’t you help, Monk?”

“I’ve told you, I don’t interfere with karmic debts.” Jett clenched his jaw, looking at the monk with reluctance because if the monk said this, it meant he could help but chose not to…

“Oh, please, even just a little would help, Master, have some sympathy. Khem is a good person, he wouldn’t even dare swat a fly or step on an ant, right?” He hadn’t even finished speaking when the monk raised a finger to shush him, causing Jett to pull back his neck in embarrassment.

“Jett, other people’s karmic debts are not something you should meddle with.

Just because someone is good in this life doesn’t mean they were good in past lives. You yourself should be careful, don’t think just because you’ve got strong luck nothing will happen to you.”

Jett’s face fell immediately, knowing that the master was firm and spoke decisively, never changing his mind easily, but he couldn’t help but argue.

“Khem is so pitiful, Master. His mother died, his father became a monk for life when he was young, his maternal relatives wouldn’t take him in, and his paternal relatives abandoned him, taking his money with them. During high school, no one would befriend him because they feared the curse. It’s only me who dared to be his friend…”

While he was looking down, still grumbling, Jett didn’t notice that Pharan was writing a protective talisman on a piece of cloth, which he then tossed in front of him.

“Take this, that’s all I can do.”

Normally, one of Pharan’s ghost-repelling talismans would cost five to six thousand baht and was very effective, as confirmed by actual users like Jett. No spirit could enter Jett’s room.

Jett didn’t know if it was given out of annoyance or pity for Khem, but he was so happy he almost jumped to hug the master, though he only thought about it because if he actually did it, the spirits in the house might break his neck.

“Thank you so much, Master!”

Jett flew back from Ubon Ratchathani early on Sunday morning, and upon arriving in Bangkok, he quickly took a taxi back to the condo, finding Khem had recovered from his illness.

“I’m leaving now.” Jane said, shouldering her bag before leaving, not forgetting to add a last remark,

“Jett, be careful, his ghost is strong. Last night they were all over the balcony.” She said with a somewhat fearful expression before rushing out of the room.

Soon after, Khem came out of the bathroom.

“Oh, has Sis Jane left already?” Khem blinked and asked.

“Yeah, her boyfriend was waiting for her downstairs so she left in a hurry.” Khem looked disappointed upon hearing this.

“I haven’t even properly thanked her.” Over the past two nights, Jae Jane had stayed awake to watch over him. Khem didn’t quite understand why she was so dedicated, but she had told him one thing, “I’m too scared to sleep, Khem.” At that time, Khem had a terrible headache, so he didn’t press her to sleep.

Jett ruffled Khem’s hair affectionately, deciding not to tell him what Jae had said, thinking it would only make him worry needlessly.

“Yeah, sis will come over again next time, we can thank her then.” Seeing Khem nod, Jett pulled him over to sit on the sofa and handed him back his handkerchief, which now had white inscriptions on it.

“Thanks, oh, there’s a talisman too.” Jett nodded.

“…”

“Yeah, keep it with you. The monk’s talisman can ward off spirits, but it might only work for a certain distance.” Khem quickly tucked it into his shirt pocket, feeling strangely comforted.

“And what did your monk say about my situation?” He looked up, eager to know.

Over the past two days, if it hadn’t been for Jane’s companionship, Khem would have probably been driven to madness or shock from his recent experiences. He was dying to know if Jett’s monk would agree to help, but the area had poor phone reception, so they hadn’t been able to communicate.

Khem didn’t want to go through something like that again.

“Sorry, I tried. But the monk doesn’t really want to get involved with karmic debts.”

Karmic debts, huh…That’s worse than your average ghost story, right?

  Khem bit his lip, his spirits sinking.

  “Hmm. It’s okay. I understand.” Jett, seeing his friend’s dejected look, felt a surge of determination.

“You don’t have to worry. I won’t let you die easily. I’ll find another way myself.” Hearing this, Khem’s hope was reignited.

“Is there another way?” Jett shrugged.

“Nah. Same old way, but this time I’m taking you with me.”

“Huh?”

“Even I soften up when I see your face. Let’s see if the monk can stay hardhearted then.”

Khem stood there with his mouth open, the logic baffling him.

     KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 2:

  Finally, the university term started.

Khem looked at himself in the freshman uniform with a proud expression in front of the mirror, then slung his cloth bag over his shoulder and stepped out of his room.

It took Khem exactly one hour to walk from his apartment to the university. Tired from the walk, he stopped to buy some water from a stall near the lecture building, still having plenty of time before his class.

“I don’t need a straw, please.” Khem told the vendor who was offering him a plastic straw. If it wasn’t a biodegradable straw, Khem would rarely use one, showing he was quite environmentally conscious.

As he moved to stand by the stall, in the moment he was about to drink, his eyes caught sight of a flower pot that was about to fall.

‘Oh no!’

  “Watch out!”

Khem heard someone shout a warning, but even though he wanted to dodge, his body wouldn’t move, as if it was pinned in place. Just as the pot was about to smash into his head, someone rushed in, colliding with him, and they both tumbled to the ground.   Crash!

“Scream!!”

The sound of the flower pot shattering was followed by screams of shock.

“Are you okay!?” The man who rushed in to help Khem exclaimed, his face full of concern. The man had honey-colored skin, bleached blond hair, and wore a small black headband.

Khem turned his pale face towards the flowerpot that had almost hit him.

“Uh, thanks for helping.” He managed to say once his shock subsided, then let out a small yelp as he was pulled along.

“Hey, where are you taking me?” Khem asked in surprise. The other turned back with a serious expression, and intimidated, Khem followed without protest until they stopped under a frangipani tree behind the academic building where it was relatively deserted.

The man looked around before turning back to Khem and said,

“Dude, you’re being followed by a ghost.”

“…”

“If you don’t do anything about it, you’re going to die.”

Khem stood there, mouth agape, shocked by a stranger’s sudden proclamation.

With a furrowed brow, he asked,

“How do you know?”

“Just now, when the flowerpot fell, I saw it on the third floor. That was the ghost doing it.” Khem was still reluctant to believe, though part of him already accepted it.

Look at all the strange things he’d encountered since he got here.

“It’s okay if you don’t believe me. I just wanted to warn you to be careful.”   Khem hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“No, it’s not that I don’t believe you. I just don’t want to accept it.” The last sentence seemed more like Khem was talking to himself, “But thanks anyway. If you hadn’t come to help, I would’ve definitely gotten hurt.”   The other shrugged.

“No worries. I’m Jett, that’s my real name. And you?”

“My name is Khem…Khemjira.” Khem introduced himself. When Jett heard his name, he blinked, then looked him over more closely…

Khem gave a strained smile.

“My mom named me like a girl’s name to ward off bad luck.” Jett looked surprised and then scratched his head awkwardly.

“Sorry, I thought you were a girl because of your delicate features.”

“It’s okay, when I was younger, I looked more like one.”

Jett nodded as if to say, “I thought so.” Then asked, “So, which faculty are you in?”

“Fine Arts.” Khem replied.

“Whoa, same here, first year, right?”

Khem’s eyes widened, and he quickly nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Jett laughed at our coincidence.

“Cool, let’s be friends. First, can I have your LINE?” Khem was excited and happy, quickly pulling out his phone to add each other as friends.

“Let’s go to class first, we can talk about your stuff later.” Khem bit his lip and then nodded slightly.

They had classes until three in the afternoon. After class, Jett led Khem to sit at a marble table behind the building, the same spot where they had talked that morning.

“Okay, so, do you realize you’re being followed by a whole bunch of spirits like this?” Jett said bluntly without giving Khem time to brace himself. Earlier, Jett had talked to him using the formal thai pronouns instead, but now was using casual pronouns because it felt more natural, and casual pronouns seemed more intimate to say. For friends, people prefer mung and Ku rather than naai and chan, which Khem agreed with, preferring using ‘rao’ for himself due to habit.

Khem hesitated before answering.

“Not really…But there have been many times I felt like I wasn’t alone.”

“…”

“Plus, lately when I go places, I often see strange things.”

“Ghosts?” Khem was taken aback by Jett’s directness, then nodded in acknowledgment, causing Jett to raise an eyebrow.

“So, you see ghosts elsewhere, but you don’t see the ones close to you?”   Khem’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You can see them, Jett?”

“I see them, but not clearly. Sometimes it’s like grey smoke, other times black shadows.”

“…”

“Like when I first saw you, there was both smoke and dark shadows, swarming all over your back.”

“I’m seriously asking, what did you do to deserve this?” Khem swallowed hard. If he said he hadn’t done anything, it wouldn’t be entirely truthful, so he decided to tell Jett about the family curse. Upon hearing it, Jett fell silent, which made Khem feel down.

“Sorry for not telling you from the start.”

“…”

“If you want to stop being friends because of this, that’s okay, ouch!” Khem clutched his head after getting a light tap, looking bewildered.

“That’s ridiculous. Who would stop being friends for such a silly reason?” Jett said with a furrowed brow. Khem thought about his high school friends who had distanced themselves from him, but he kept quiet.

Khem smiled.

“Thanks, Jett.”

“If I didn’t want to be your friend, I’d have no friends at all.”

“Psh, Jett, you almost made me tear up.”

“Haha, your face is hilarious.” Khem’s expression turned sour.

“Can we continue?”

“You’re the one who led us off-topic. Anyway, there are many ghosts following you.”

Khem felt a chill again.

“Right now too?”

Jett scanned the area.

“Yeah, but they’re keeping their distance.” Khem bit his lip, feeling more anxious.

“It seems like you’ve got something powerful with you, or something’s protecting you. That’s why they can’t do much.” Khem undid a button and loosened his tie slightly, pulling out a sacred thread to show.

“I have this, I’ve worn it since I was a kid.” Jett leaned in to look closer, showing great interest but not reaching out to touch.

“Nice item, but its power has faded.”

“What?” Khem was stunned. “How do you know?”

“I just know. I’ve dealt with stuff like this a lot.” Hearing Jett’s words made Khem even more stressed because if the sacred thread’s power had diminished, it might explain why he was encountering more strange things lately.

“So, what should I do?”

“Take it easy, don’t stress. Just give me your real name, surname, date of birth, and something you use regularly.”

“Anything, right?”

“Except your underwear.” Khem blushed, but seeing Jett’s serious face, he realized he wasn’t joking.

Khem took out a notebook and pen to write down what Jett asked for, along with a white handkerchief embroidered with his name, which his mother had made for him before she passed away.

“Okay, oh, and in the future, don’t give something like this to anyone easily.” Jett said seriously, causing Khem to furrow his brows.

“Didn’t you ask for it?”

“How can you be sure I won’t use it for something bad?”

“Oh.”

“I’m just playing a scenario. You can trust me, but you can’t trust others, I just want to warn you so you don’t get hexed.” Khem turned pale and quickly nodded in acknowledgment.

“Good, I’m heading back to my hometown this weekend. I’ll consult with a monk about your situation to see if he can help.”

“Thanks, Jett.”

“Yeah. If you die, I won’t have a friend to hang out with.” Khem wanted to throw something at him.

“You’re so annoying, Jett, you’ve been at it for a while now.”

“Haha, damn, you’re even swearing at me now!” Jett grimaced.

“You’re such a pain, especially when someone’s stressed.”

“Alright, alright, come on, I’ll treat you to some cold bread, I heard the shop in front of the uni is good.”

Khem reluctantly agreed, following Jett like a chick following its mother, still a bit sulky but slightly confused about whether they were becoming friends too quickly.

Even though they had only known each other for less than a day, it felt like they had been friends for a long time.

Khem now fully believed that he was being followed by spirits.

Because Jett had told him that when he was around, the ghosts wouldn’t approach Khem, thanks to Jett’s protective amulets. Since then, Khem stuck close to Jett, going everywhere together except when they had to return to their respective dorms, and nothing major seemed to happen during those times.

There were still some minor disturbances though, like catching glimpses of things moving in his peripheral vision, hearing odd knocking sounds or objects falling, but nothing too severe.

Khem tried to keep himself busy, watching movies or reading books.

…

Today, after finishing his reading around 11 PM, he moved his chair to face an easel with a sketching board. The next class would assess their skills, judged by a sketch on any topic they were good at, whether it be landscapes, people, animals, or objects.

Khem was skilled at drawing people, and he planned to sketch his mother, thinking it was what he was best at.

His slender hand gripped a 2B pencil, aligning it perpendicular to the paper, squinting to gauge the distance before starting to sketch the initial outlines of a face.

Khem had practiced drawing his mother’s face frequently. The memories they shared were etched in his heart, always bringing warmth whenever he thought of her. This enabled him to draw her face from memory without needing a reference. “Miss you so much.” Khem smiled and muttered softly at the image of his mother’s smiling face as he worked on the details, but suddenly he felt overwhelmingly sleepy, yawning despite himself.

Ugh, not now, just a little more and it would be done.

Khem told himself, trying to keep his eyes open, but the sleepiness was overpowering his mind until his hand began to droop, and he eventually gave in.

Khem fell asleep right there.

He woke up with a start, glancing at the wall clock to find it was past 2 AM.

Shaking his head at himself, he decided to put away the easel.

“Damn!” Khem jumped up from his chair and backed away so fast that his hips hit the table behind.

The sketch of his mother, which was smiling, had transformed into a woman with only black, soulless eyes, and her smile had stretched grotesquely wide to her ears.

     KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 1

  As the new semester approached, Khem moved his belongings into an apartment that was incredibly affordable, though it was quite a distance from the university. But that wasn’t an issue for Khem, who preferred walking over driving or taking public transport, unless the distance was too far to walk. For classes, he just needed to wake up early to allow for the walk.

You might wonder if he came to study in Bangkok alone, without any friends joining him.

The answer is that Khem never had any friends because of the family curse known to everyone in his rural village. No one dared to get close to him for fear of bad luck.

Khem understood this well. Everyone loves their own life, and if it were him, he’d probably do the same.

But there wasn’t any bullying or boycotting. They talked normally; just not close enough to call each other friends.

One of the reasons Khem wanted to study in Bangkok was to make friends and have a new social circle.

After settling in, he went downstairs to find something to eat. This apartment not only had good rent but was also near a market. No worries about going hungry here. Ah, this Pad Thai stand smells good.

Khem stopped abruptly when the aroma of Pad Thai hit him, changing his mind from passing by to ordering instantly.

“One order of Pad Thai, please, Auntie.”

“Just one wrap?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t the other person want one?” Khem paused, slowly looked around before asking,

“Who do you mean?”

Thud!

The Pad Thai vendor accidentally dropped her spatula, her face paled before she gave a strained smile.

“Oh, sorry, my eyes are bad, dear. Here, forty baht.” Khem took it, paid, still somewhat confused.

While crossing the road, Khem accidentally stepped on his own shoelace, tripping and nearly falling onto the street before quickly retreating back. He intended to bend down and tie his shoelace.

Screech   Bam!!

Before he could even crouch down, Khem heard a loud noise nearby, causing him to hastily look up. His light brown eyes widened when he saw a speeding big bike just under a bus that was stopping to pick up passengers…

…right in front of him.

  Everything happened in a split second. If he hadn’t stepped back to tie his shoelace…

Khem thought about the family curse, then shook his head, trying to think positively to comfort himself.

It was just a coincidence, after all, nothing unusual had happened before.

Not knowing when he had instinctively grabbed the amulet around his neck, Khem backed away from the chaos and ran straight back to his room.

The next day, the incident from the previous evening had made it to the news. As Khem was about to pass through the lobby to head back to his room, he stopped in his tracks, looking up at the TV in the common area broadcasting the scene of the accident.

“Last night, a tragic incident occurred. The driver of the big bike with license plate number กข XXX, crashed into the rear of a bus that was stationary and picking up passengers, resulting in immediate death.”

  At the scene…preliminary reports indicate the deceased was a final-year university student…who had just returned from a celebration with friends.

Khem’s heart sank upon hearing that the other person had died on the spot. His arms hugged the water bottle he had just fetched tightly, as if it were a source of emotional support. He couldn’t help but think that if his shoelace hadn’t come undone at that moment, this incident might have resulted in more than one casualty…

There was just over a week left before classes started. After that day, Khem tried to live his life normally. Although the memory of that life-or-death moment haunted him, he knew that if he kept worrying, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Khem only thought that from now on, he would need to be more mindful and cautious than ever before.

“Done.” Khem said to himself. After buying second-hand items to decorate his new room to make it look more organized and inviting, most of which were unwanted by others.

He wiped his sweat once, the wall clock showing almost 10 PM, “Time to study.” Khem thought to himself before quickly sweeping up the trash into a black bag to take downstairs.

The trash bin was located in a quiet alley next to his apartment, with only the flickering light from a street lamp in the middle of the alley providing any illumination…

Like a scene from a ghost movie.

This somewhat eerie atmosphere made Khem look left and right cautiously before he hurriedly threw the bag of trash into the bin. But as he was about to turn and leave, something caught his eye, making him stop dead in his tracks, his brain trying hard to process what it was.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Khem glanced back to see what appeared to be a child, unidentifiable as either male or female, wearing a dirty white shirt, squatting and looking at the ground beside the large trash bin…

Khem was certain it wasn’t a living person because when he first approached, there was no one there.

The hairs on his body stood up.

What kind of person would sit by a trash bin in such a dark, secluded alley at this late hour!

“Gulp.” The young man swallowed hard before tearing his gaze away, his legs moving forward in hurried steps, almost running.

Was that a ghost? In his nineteen years, Khem had just seen his first ghost.

  As Khem half-walked, half-ran away, the child’s ghost slowly raised its head.

  Its lips slowly curled into a smile before its skinny figure stood up and began to stagger after the young man.

  Since that day, Khem started encountering more strange things.

First, he had three accidents within a week, which had never happened before, like tripping over nothing while walking, and nearly falling down twenty steps of stairs. Luckily, he managed to grab the railing that day. Otherwise, it would have been disastrous.

Second, Khem began to see spirits more frequently…

Like now…

Khem took a deep breath, pretending not to see the faint ghost of a woman in an office outfit standing with her head bowed in front of the door next to his room.

She had been standing there for three days now.

The room next to Khem’s was occupied by a working man and his young son, just the two of them.

When he first saw her, Khem almost called out to ask if she needed help, wondering why she wouldn’t go inside, but then he noticed she had no feet…So, he quickly opened his own door and went inside.

Khem thought she might be the wife of the room’s occupant, probably still worried about something and not ready to move on…

“Don’t…my…son…”

  The voice, though faint and faltering, was chillingly cold, making Khem’s heart sink. His hands shook as he tried to unlock his door, and by the time he got inside, he was almost relieved.

The young man’s legs gave out, and he sat down on the floor, his eyes burning.

Did she just say, “Don’t hurt my son”?

  Or had something happened to her son?

  That night, Khem could hardly sleep, thinking about what the female spirit had said. Part of him didn’t want to get involved because he had his own issues to deal with, but another part was concerned, fearing something bad might happen to the child.

The next morning, around eight, after the man next door had left for work,

Khem stood in front of their door. After much hesitation, he decided to knock.

The ghost of the office woman was still there, standing so close that their shoulders almost touched.

The door slowly opened, revealing a little boy, about six or seven years old, but because of a chain lock, it only opened slightly, just enough to see the boy’s face.

“Hello.” Khem smiled and crouched down to be at eye level with the child. “My name is Khem, I just moved in next door.”

The little boy didn’t reply but nodded in acknowledgment.

Khem peered through the gap unceremoniously, seeing several beer bottles lined up, and the place was cluttered and disorganized.

What’s going on here?

“Have you eaten yet?” This time, the boy shook his head, causing Khem’s eyelids to twitch in surprise.

The father went out to work without even feeding his child…

At the same time, Khem felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of pressure enveloping him.

“Would you like to have dinner with me? I’ll treat you, and I’ll bring you back after.”

The boy shook his head more vigorously.

It was then that Khem noticed a small chain tightly wrapped around the boy’s ankle, leaving a terrifying bruise on his pale skin.

Khem slowly smiled and said to the boy,

“Then wait here for me for a moment.”

Khem went downstairs, bought some congee, water, and snacks for the boy to eat.

The boy hesitated but seemed unable to resist his hunger and finally extended his hand to accept.

“Don’t tell my dad that I ate your food, please.” The boy pleaded with a hopeful look, making Khem feel both heartbroken and angry, but he nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I won’t tell.”

That evening, after Khem reported to the landlord, the police raided the room next door, arresting the man who was drunk and beating his son right there.

Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the boy was the child of his deceased girlfriend who had died in an accident last month. Currently, the man was deeply in debt; with his girlfriend gone, there was no one to help pay it off, leaving him with the burden, which led to his stress and subsequent violence towards the boy.

Khem didn’t know what punishment the man received, only that the boy was now under the care of his maternal relatives.

Hopefully, he’ll have a happier life from now on.

  Just as Khem was about to drift off to sleep, he heard a whisper by his ear, but being too sleepy, he didn’t open his eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  “…”

  “Be careful.”

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KHEMJIRA, Prologue Chapter

  One late night in a small house located in an overcrowded community, the slender figure of Khem, an eighteen-year-old high school senior, was staring intently at the screen of an old computer. He was downloading university entrance exam results with an expression of tense anticipation.

To his left was a desk clock showing exactly midnight, and to his right, a small cake with candles providing the only light in the dark room.

The sound of ‘tick, tick, tick’ from the clock’s hands moving forward played in his head, adding more stress and pressure on Khem until he clenched his jaw tightly.

Finally, the results were out, indicating he had been accepted into the university and faculty of his choice.

“Yessss!” Khem exclaimed with joy, clasping his hands in prayer for a smooth university life, then leaned down to blow out the candle.

Yes, today was Khem’s nineteenth birthday.

In the dimly lit room with only the computer screen for light, the young man ate his cake while simultaneously exploring pictures of different areas of the university he had just been accepted into. Eating, looking, and smiling with happiness, until he glanced at the clock and jumped in surprise.

“Two in the morning already?”

Tomorrow, Khem needs to hurry to the temple to inform the abbot about this good news. With that thought, he quickly finished his meal, shut down his computer, washed the dishes, brushed his teeth, and went to bed.

In his deep sleep, Khem dreamed of something he had never seen before.

  In the dream, it seemed like an old film being projected, depicting an old Thai house from the era when slavery still existed.

  Khem saw a little girl playing in the house, with several servants chasing after her, but they could never catch her. The girl laughed joyfully, looking mischievous and having fun.

  Then, the scene shifted to an eggshell-colored wooden house from the time when cars were common in Thailand, the atmosphere reminiscent of the 1980s.

  Khem was standing in front of this wooden house, looking inside through the window in a rather impolite manner.

  He saw a couple, a man and a woman, dining together at the table, smiling at each other with happiness. Khem furrowed his brows at the sight, feeling his heart squeeze gently, prompting him to clutch his shirt over his chest.

  “What are you looking at?” a cold, stern voice came from behind him.

  Khem’s heart pounded heavily with shock, his body stiffened as he felt the breath of someone who had appeared right behind him.

  Khem tried to turn around to look, but his body wouldn’t move. The warm atmosphere around him gradually grew cold, making his hair stand on end. The eggshell-colored house before him transformed into an abandoned, desolatelooking dwelling.

  Khem gritted his teeth, trying to wake himself up.

  This is crazy, wake up Khem, wake up!

  “Do you want to stay here with me?”

  Khem jolted when he felt a gentle breath move closer, fear overwhelming him to the point his body began to tremble. 

  “Stay together, just the two of us.”

  “…”

  “Do you want it?” For a split second, Khem considered agreeing just to escape this discomfort, but then he heard someone’s voice in his ear.

  “Khem, it’s time to wake up, son.”

Gasp!

Khem jolted up into a sitting position on his bed, looking around his bedroom with alarm, checking if anyone else was there. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something had fallen nearby.

A tiger skin amulet necklace, which Khem had worn since he could remember.

When did it come off…

This amulet necklace was a sacred item, blessed by a monk long ago with powers to protect from unseen dangers. Khem’s mother had insisted he wear it at all times.

Even on the last day of her life, his mother had emphasized that he must never take it off.

The thing is, Khem was born into a cursed family, specifically related to giving birth to children.

If the child was a daughter, she would be safe.

But if it was a son, he would die before turning twenty.

So, his mother named him “Khemjira.” a name typically for a girl to ward off the curse, meaning “safe forever.”

Although Khem wasn’t particularly fond of the necklace’s design, he never disobeyed his mother. Whatever she said, Khem followed. After she passed away from illness seven years ago, he continued to wear it, seeing it as a keepsake from her.

Over the past eighteen years, Khem had gone through life relatively unharmed, with only minor accidents typical for someone a bit clumsy, but nothing serious.

Everything had been going normally until last night.

Since his birth, this was the first time Khem had dreamed, and it was a strange, frightening dream he couldn’t quite describe.

Khem tried to calm himself down. Although still unnerved by the vivid feeling from before, once he regained his composure, he picked up the amulet and put it back around his neck. Then he got up to shower and get dressed to visit the temple and see the abbot.

Khem took a bus taxi to the temple in the district where Abbot Pinto, his real father, was a monk. After his mother’s death about three years prior, his father decided to ordain for life. At that time, Khem was exactly fifteen years old.

Everything had been set even before Khem understood much about life; the master who had blessed him with sacred items instructed that his father should find an auspicious time to ordain for life to transfer merit to the family’s karmic debt, hoping it would extend Khem’s life. This was the reason his father gave him, and Khem remembered crying in refusal back then.

Khem only thought that losing one parent was enough. He didn’t want to lose his father too, whether by separation or death.

But ultimately, he couldn’t defy his father’s and relatives’ intentions. He stood there crying, watching his father shave his head and don the saffron robes, reluctantly walking into the temple’s ordination hall.

After that day, Khem went to live with his paternal relatives, as his mother’s side of the family refused to take him in, fearing he might carry the family curse.

Outsiders might think it was superstition, but everyone in the family and the village firmly believed because no male from his mother’s lineage had ever lived past twenty.

The relatives who volunteered to look after Khem were his uncle and aunt. They took the money provided by Khem’s father for his upbringing and his mother’s health insurance, using it to live comfortably abroad from the very first day they took him in, leaving him with just a few thousand baht in cash and an old house.

Khem didn’t want to worry his father just days after his ordination, so he kept quiet. Even though his father found out later, there was nothing to be done.

He lived alone in that house. Fortunately, the neighbors were kind, regularly bringing him food, and whenever he visited the abbot at the temple, he’d return with plenty to eat.

Moreover, Khem’s academic performance was quite good, so he received scholarships from the fourth year of secondary school through to the sixth year.

Thus, life during his high school years wasn’t particularly hard.

Oh, and for university, Khem also got in by competing for a scholarship.

“Paying respects, father abbot.” Khem said after entering the abbot’s quarters. He bowed three times to the ground before looking up with a faint smile, which the abbot returned with a gentle gaze.

“Hmm, the exam results are out, aren’t they?” Khem scratched his cheek awkwardly with one hand, while the other remained in a praying position.

“How did you know, father abbot? I was planning to surprise you.” Khem said. The abbot gave a small, fond smile.

“Yesterday, two novice monks left for their studies. They told me that the university term has begun.”

“Ahaha, well, I got into the Faculty of Fine Arts at a university in Bangkok…” Khem’s voice trailed off to barely a whisper, his hands still clasped in prayer, eyes sneaking a peek at the abbot.

“You have to go all the way to Bangkok, do you?” The abbot asked, his demeanor composed but his eyes showing concern.

Khem shrank a little, knowing how worried the abbot was about his safety, not just because of the lingering curse, but also because he would be alone without adult supervision.

But Khem dreamed of becoming an artist. He had been earning extra money by drawing all this time and had saved enough to afford his school supplies and rent a modest dorm room.

Khem wanted to excel in this profession; if he were to die tomorrow, he wanted to have lived his life as he desired at least once.

“The program I want to study isn’t offered here.” Khem stated truthfully, also wanting to affirm his stance.

Seeing his son’s determination, Phra Pinto, who had been a monk for many years, understood the truth about life, aging, sickness, and death – these were all natural to humans. He had done everything a father could do; the rest was up to fate.

“Hmm. Well then, study hard. Whatever you do, do it with mindfulness and caution, don’t be careless.” Khem’s smile grew when his father gave his blessing, and he quickly nodded in response.

“Yes, father abbot.”

They spoke a little more, then Khem paid his respects and left to finish some pending work.

  At that moment, Phra Phinto sat in meditation, watching his son’s receding back, along with the fading shadows of more than one mysterious spirit…

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