GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 24: A Meaningless Apology

“Make something to eat yourself.” were Singha’s last words before he walked out the door.

After returning home, both went to take a shower. Thup spent his time cleaning the house to keep his mind off the events of the afternoon. Meanwhile, Singha secluded himself in his study. It wasn’t until evening that the older guy came downstairs, dressed in a fitted black t-shirt and matching jeans.

Once Singha left the house, Thup, unsure of what else to do, decided to pick up his drawing supplies that he had brought from his condo, setting them up on the living room table, and continued sketching from where he left off last time. Now he was certain that there were only three ghosts attached to the doll: one was an older ghost woman with white eyes, her lips torn to her ears. Another was a young girl without eyes, similar to what Darin encountered, and…

A woman with red thread hanging loose at her eyes and mouth, the ghost girl he had seen since childhood. Although he felt some fear, she had never done anything violent to him.

Why was that?

Singha, having just parked his car, lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, his sharp eyes gazing at the towering condo with a neutral expression before he picked up his phone to his ear.

“I’ve arrived.”

“Coming up, I’ve left the keycard at the counter.” After saying this, King hung up. The thick hand dropped the cigarette on the floor before crushing it with his foot until it was obliterated. The dissatisfaction made Singha arrive at the young detective’s door within minutes. He knocked three times before it opened, revealing a tall man in a white bathrobe.

“Whatever you want to talk about, let’s hear it.”

“Come in first.” King stepped aside to let Singha enter.

“Speak quickly, I need to leave.” Singha sat down on the sofa, propping his feet on the coffee table and leaning back nonchalantly.

“I’ll take a shower first.” a cold beer can was pressed against Singha’s cheek before being placed on his lap.

“How long are you going to stall?” The young inspector picked it up, opened it, and took a calm sip.

“Until you act like you used to when we were together.”

“Something from that long ago, should I remember it?”

“Are you sure you don’t remember?” Singha’s chin was lifted to meet the eyes of the person standing behind the sofa, “Or should we jog your memory?”

“Do you dare?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?”

They locked eyes, neither yielding. King leaned closer, reducing the distance between them until their noses touched, and Singha warned in a tone that was once again elevated by Khem.

“I asked, do you dare?”

“I miss you.” King said softly, gently stroking Singha’s chin.

“And what am I supposed to do with that statement?”

“Let’s get back together.” Singha chuckled in his throat before pushing King’s face away from his sight.

“We never even dated. So what are you on about?”

“But you like me, and you know how I feel, Singha.”

“What makes you think that?” The man took a sip from his beer, his expression bored. He looked out the long glass window that stretched from the left wall to the right.

“Are you going to say what happened in the past was just casual?” King walked and stopped in front of the visitor, his gaze cold as he looked at Singha.

“And wasn’t it?”

“Then let’s just do it casually today too.” King lunged forward, pressing Singha down onto the sofa, his disappointed eyes not leaving his former lover.

“Are you sure you want to keep acting like this?”

“Mhm.”

“It’s annoying, you know.”

“And isn’t that kid even more annoying, following you around like a puppy?” King bent down, nuzzling the strong neck affectionately, hoping the person beneath him would play along like old times.

“Not really.”

“How long do you plan to keep him around?” King slipped his hand under Singha’s shirt, caressing the well-defined muscles expertly.

“Get to your point.” Singha pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pants pocket, lighting up even as the person on top of him continued kissing his neck.

“Dad said he’ll offer you a new position in the Department of Special Investigation.” white smoke floated up into the air.

“In exchange for?”

“This is a big serial case. If you catch the culprit, it’ll be beneficial.”

“Huh, beneficial for who? Me, you, or your dad?” King left love marks on the neck before moving down to Singha’s abdomen.

“We all benefit from this, just let me handle it.”

“Is your business just this, King?”

“Still as hot as ever.” King said, admiring the muscles unabashedly.

“So, do you want it?” The young inspector took a last drag of nicotine before flicking the cigarette butt to the ground, his sharp eyes looking down at the person now at his feet with an emotionless gaze.

“Heh, take it off.”

“I mean, do you want my foot?!?!” A foot slammed into King’s chest without holding back, toppling him off the sofa to the floor, losing balance. Before he could get up, his bathrobe collar was yanked forcefully, and heavy punches landed on his left cheek until it went numb. King could barely see how many times he had been hit.

“Singha!!!” When he found an opening to escape the onslaught, King kicked Singha’s knee joint, pinned him to the floor, and punched his right cheek with full force.

“You’re still the same, only interested in benefits.” Singha countered with a punch, knocking King to the side. “Want to know why an apology today is so worthless?”

Singha straddled King, raining down punches mercilessly. The cheekbone, as broken as the lip, started bleeding. Singha then stopped his hands.

“Because on that day, you never thought to apologize to me.” The thick hand let go of King’s collar before standing up to his full height. He looked down at the man sprawled on the floor with colder eyes than ever.

As Singha was about to step over King’s body, his ankle was grabbed first.

“If I had apologized that day… would I still lose you today?” Singha didn’t answer. He simply freed his foot from the grip and walked forward without looking back.

The sound of the closing door made King slowly close his eyes. He knew what kind of person Singha was. Old memories flooded back, and he could only laugh at himself. If he hadn’t done it then, he might still have the person who just walked out by his side now.

‘King, just tell him I didn’t do it!!!’ Singha was handcuffed to the table after causing a big scene upon learning the truth.

   ‘Yes! He arrested the wrong suspect, so the real culprit got away.’

   ‘King!!!’

   ‘And what about the shooting of the officer?’

   ‘…He missed.’ King dodged the gaze of the person in front of him. It wasn’t a look of anger or vengeance, but one of disappointment.

   Since that day, his relationship with Singha has been severed beyond repair.

Thup took a brief break from drawing. He went to prepare a simple dinner to eat in front of the television. Even though a cooking variety show was on, intensely competitive, he had no mind to watch. His beautiful eyes kept glancing at the clock repeatedly. Now, the short hand was pointing at nine, but there was still no sign of the older man returning.

“Should I call and ask?” Thup muttered softly to himself.

Almost twenty minutes later, while he was washing dishes, the sound of a car in front of the house made his heart beat faster. Thup quickly dried his hands before rushing to the front door, but when the door opened, the smile he had faded away.

“Phii, what—”

“Why aren’t you in bed yet?”

“Why do you have a wound?” Unconsciously, Thup raised his hand to cup Singha’s face. The bruise and cut on the right corner of his mouth caused him to gently brush it with his thumb.

“Just a small matter.” Singha gently pushed Thup’s hand away before heading upstairs without another word. As he was about to take off his shirt to change into pajamas, the bedroom door opened, and the young man poked his head in.

“Phii, can I come in?”

“Yeah.” Singha replied, removing his shirt and wrapping a towel around his waist to change his pants. “What’s that you’re holding?”

“…Let me apply some medicine, please.” said Thup, standing at the doorway, averting his eyes towards the bed until Singha finished changing. He still wasn’t used to seeing the older man’s bare upper body.

“Why such fuss over this small wound?” Thup said as he saw the homeowner sit down on the bed. He then approached and sat on the floor in front of the young inspector.

“Even a small wound is still a wound.” Thup said while squeezing ointment onto his finger, preparing to apply it. He glanced and noticed a faint red mark on Singha’s neck. His face brightened slightly, but his eyes dimmed, mirroring his feelings. “Didn’t you understand when talking to Khun King?”

“Yeah.” Singha replied nonchalantly, allowing the kid in front of him to apply the ointment to the corner of his mouth. He then picked up his glasses and documents from the bedside table to continue reading.

“I should have gone with you.”

“What would you have done there? Take care of yourself first.” Singha glanced up and then lightly tapped Thup’s head with the rolled paper. “Will you train me, Phii? So I can help you with something.”

“Train? Someone as soft as you?” Thup sat cross-legged on the floor, massaging Singha’s legs as they talked.

“I work out too, you know. Not that soft.”

“Wouldn’t you be better off fighting ghosts?” Thup quickly shook his head like a rattle. “You’re not ready for that yet.”

“Hmph, then how do you plan to help me?”

“Even if I can’t help much, I still want to help. At least, I can break down the door for myself today.” Thup said softly, looking up at the person sitting on the bed. He hugged the older one’s legs and rested his chin on the knee under the black sweatpants.

“Want to help?”

“Yes.”

“Then come up here and give me a proper massage, I’m going to sleep.” Singha removed his glasses, placed everything on the table, and lay face down on the bed. He had exhausted both his mind and body today and didn’t feel like doing anything more.

“I’m really good at massages, even the old monk praised me.” Thup eagerly climbed up to sit beside him, boasting about his skills to the older man with an excited tone.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“May I?” the young man said, his eyes sparkling. His heart was pounding so hard he had to raise his hand to hold it, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Once he settled down, he placed his hands on the tanned back, beautiful, and started to press down gently along the muscles.

“A bit harder.” Thup increased the pressure as requested by the older guy. He looked at the scattered wounds on Singha’s body, gently running his fingers over them.

“Let me know where you’re sore, okay?”

“Just keep massaging.”

“Phii Singh”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you decide to become a policeman?”

“…Because of my mom.”

“Did your mom want you to be one?”

“No. Just wanted to help.” Thup didn’t press further, sensing that this older guy was avoiding a direct answer.

“Is your job hard? What do you usually do?”

“Like what you’ve seen, just dealing with cases all day. Difficulty varies with time. Harder there.”

Thup looked down at where he was massaging, his beautiful eyes blinking rapidly before he glanced away at the room’s wall… Phii Singha’s waist was quite stunning.

“So… Do you get any time to relax with all this work? I see you working all the time.”

“Relax where? Every day there’s something.”

“You must be very tired.”

“Hmm.”

“Rest now.” Thup stopped the conversation to let the older guy relax as he should. He continued massaging for almost another hour until he heard the steady breathing from the person lying face down. Once sure that Singha was asleep, Thup stopped his hands and covered him with a blanket properly. “Good night, Phii Singha.”

The young man went downstairs to tidy up a bit before taking a shower, turning off the lights, and getting ready for bed. Seeing the older guy sleeping soundly, a smile spread across his lips. He had observed Singha’s daily work. Even though this older guy never complained about being tired, there were many times when he noticed Singha stretching or massaging his temples. It wasn’t expressed in words but through physical actions that often showed his fatigue.

Thup collapsed onto the bed, turning to face the older guy with a concerned look. He could easily not care, could just leave him be, but this person in front of him still brought him along, and even knowing he saw ghosts, tried to shield him from it. Despite often scolding him, he never once neglected his fears. His slender hand reached out to gently brush away the jet-black hair from Singha’s handsome face.

“I’ll try harder on my part, okay?” So you won’t have to be so tired, Thup placed his hand over Singha’s, slowly closing his eyes to fall asleep. “I promise.”

After twenty minutes, the sharp eyes that had been tightly closed opened. Singha looked at Thup’s clear face, well-shaped eyebrows matching his long eyelashes, a high nose bridge, and small lips. No matter how you looked at him, this kid seemed like he was of mixed heritage, either from his father or mother. A pity there was no background information. Singha glanced at the hand resting on his own before gently moving it away without waking the boy in front of him. He stared at the ceiling for nearly ten minutes before turning to lie on his back, contemplating what the kid had said – he heard all of it, and strangely, it kept echoing in his mind.

Singha decided to get up from the bed and walked out to the balcony. He picked up a menthol cigarette, lit it, and at the same time, pulled out his phone to call his close friend, wondering if he had gone back to sleep yet.

[Hello.]

   “Where are you?”

[At the lab, why? You want me to come collect King’s body?]

   “A wound like that won’t kill him.”

[So, what did he want to talk to you about?]

   “He wants to take this case for himself.” Singha exhaled white smoke into the sky. “To make a name for his father too.”

[Damn, why not let him try then? And throw in some ghosts too, would be great, // Say said not to speak!!!] Darin’s voice shouted into the phone, making Singha chuckle in his throat.

“Isn’t Rin going home?”

[Yeah, she said she absolutely won’t stay alone. So now she’s making herself a burden to me // how about some ghost ripping out your chest too?!]

   “Be careful then.”

[And where are you now?]

   “Home.”

[Wow, Khun Singha is getting domestic, but not sure if you are really into the house or someone in it.]

   “More like attached to the spot here, let me talk to him for a bit.” The back-and-forth bickering was nothing new to Singha.

[What’s up, Inspector? Because all they ever do is fight like this.]

   “Do you know any good places selling sacred items?”

[Don’t tell me you’re scared of ghosts now. How’s that? I told you not to disrespect them.]

   “Not for me, it’s for Thup.”

[Why give it to the kid? You said he doesn’t see ghosts when he’s close.]

   “Can’t have him clinging to me like this forever, it happened once today already.”

[Why, what happened?] Singha began recounting the day’s events to the person on the other end, while extinguishing his cigarette in a glass tray. [Shit, so many tricks and traps, why are they so keen on getting Nong Thup?]

   “Don’t know.” Singha paused, then turned to look at the boy sleeping on the bed. “Thup mentioned once there was a female ghost following him, like she wanted something.”

[Singha… what ghosts want now might be lives, right?]

   “Tuesday, Wednesday.” Singha murmured to himself.

[What’s that about then?]

   “Thup was born on a Saturday.”

[So what?]

   “And the remaining days, have they been chosen or are they dead already?”

[What are you talking about, Singha, that’s creepy.]

   “Rin, go ask the kid in the nurse’s room what days those two were born.”

[Now?]

   “Yeah, let me know when you get the info.”

[Say, get up, let’s go together.]

   After hanging up, Singha walked back into the room. He approached the bedside and flicked Thup’s front hair lightly.

“Ugh.”

“Troublemaker.” The phone in his hand vibrated, drawing his attention. He opened to check the message, and Singha had to sigh upon seeing the information received.

DARIN: The kid named Bom was born on a Friday, Dear was born on a Monday.

   DARIN: Song, born on Sunday.

   SINGHA:What about the other one, the one who went home already?

   SINGHA:Have Lieutenant Khem contact to check if the kid made it home yet.

   Sunday, Two.

   Monday, Dear

   Tuesday, Jump

   Wednesday, Darin

   Friday, Bom

   Saturday, Thup

   Just one more day until Thursday, if this were a new selection, it means the killer has almost got all his victims. Just needs to act, or maybe… he might have already started.

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 23: Samolthat

“Who’s that kid?” the older man’s eyes turned to look as a deep voice came from behind, causing Thup to turn.

“Hello.”

“Back already? He’s a policeman.” Thup wanted to deny it almost to death, but if he said he wasn’t, he wasn’t sure if it would cause trouble for Singha.

“Police?”

“Yes, here about Orn.” as the father mentioned his daughter’s name, his eyes immediately darkened.

“Have you caught the culprit yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Then why are you here!!! Instead of catching the bastard who did this to my daughter!!!.” he shouted angrily and lunged forward to grab Thup by the collar, startling him.

“I… I…”

“We are doing our job, and it would be better if you cooperated, starting by letting go of my man.” a cold voice rang out before the wrist of the man in front of Thup was gripped tightly. Singha looked at Orn’s father impassively. He understood the anger, revenge, dissatisfaction, and grief, but lashing out at others like this would only lead to more trouble.

“Running around like headless chickens, yet haven’t seen the head of the culprit, and you still have the face to come to my house?!!”

“Calm down, dear, the police are trying to help.” The mother tried to soothe the situation with calming words.

“We are doing everything we can. If you have any clues about her behavior before she disappeared, or anything about Orn, it would be very helpful.”

“Huh.” The hot-tempered man released Thup’s collar, coinciding with Singha stepping in to shield him, “Clues? Isn’t that the police’s job?”

“Well, recently my child was sick. She vomited often, barely ate, and she lost a lot of weight in the last few days before she disappeared. Sob, I told her to come back early that day because I was going to make her favorite dish, but…” She covered her face and wept bitterly.

“I told you to stop her from hanging out with those friends, they’ll only spoil her, I was afraid one day she might lose her way.” The father’s mocking tone made Thup press his lips together. Was it because of this kind of attitude that Phii Singha…

“Would Orn go out with her friends often?” Singha continued to inquire, “Before this, she would go once or twice a week, but this month, Orn went to her friend’s house frequently, sometimes even staying overnight.”

“Was there anything else unusual?”

“She didn’t say much, but some nights when I come out to use the bathroom, I can hear murmuring from her room.”

“Is it… a chant or something?” Thup asked when he found a gap in the conversation.

“Probably, yes. I couldn’t hear it clearly.”

“That’s all I have to ask for now. If I find out anything more, I’ll let you know.” Singha gave a slight bow before walking back to his car.

“Phii, aren’t you going to tell them?” Thup asked once it was just the two of them.

“Let’s wait until the case is closed to tell them. Telling them now would just make them blame themselves for nothing.” Singha tossed two evidence bags on Thup’s lap; one contained a damaged doll, its head shattered, and the other had Orn’s notebook… and a pregnancy test.

“Phii Singha, I have something to tell you.”

“About?”

“I called my uncle back in my hometown.”

“Go on.” Thup started recounting everything he had heard from the beginning to the end, with Singha occasionally interrupting with questions, but mostly just nodding.

“That’s everything.”

“A policeman?”

“Yes, that’s what my uncle said.”

“We’ll need to check with the police again about where he was transferred to twenty years ago. Without a full name, we can’t really verify anything clearly.” Singha looked ahead with a blank expression. It seemed he needed to find these dolls as quickly as possible, so he could move on to investigate other matters.

Singha’s car stopped in front of the same townhouse they had visited before. Even though they had a search warrant, with no homeowner present, there was no need to present it to anyone. Singha opened the gate and walked inside, with Thup clinging to his shirt’s edge, still haunted by the memory of seeing the ghost girl there when he first opened the house door. A foul, rotting smell immediately wafted out from inside, forcing both of them to cover their noses.

“Go wait in the car.” Thup immediately shook his head when he saw his older brother turning to send him off.

“I can help you find the doll, you know.”

“Next time you see a ghost, don’t come crying for my help.”

“Well then…” Thup switched from clinging to the older man’s shirt to clasping hands with Singha, “This way, I won’t get haunted by ghosts anymore.”

“But it’s in the way.” Singha lifted their joined hands, swinging them back and forth with an annoyed look.

“Just for a moment, until we find the doll, please?” Thup squeezed the older man’s hand gently to emphasize, smiling until his eyes closed.

“If you become a burden, I’ll shake you off for sure.” Singha sighed before yanking the arm of the kid beside him to follow into the house.

The house was clean, all furniture intact, but there was an awful, rotting smell from somewhere. Both scanned the surroundings cautiously. No matter where Singha went, he dragged the kid behind him. Singha turned.

A creaking sound from above made them both look up. They exchanged looks before heading up the stairs step by step, the foul, decaying and musty smell intensifying, forcing them to grimace. As soon as they stepped onto the last stair, the previously closed door slowly opened as if inviting them in.

“Stay here.” Singha released Thup’s hand and walked straight towards the open door on the right.

Inside what should have been the coziest bedroom, there were talismans, dolls, and bloodstains on the floor. Singha took out his phone to photograph everything, including the blood patterns drawn on a pin.

“Thup, come here for a second.” Singha turned back to the door, but as Thup was about to enter, the door slammed shut abruptly. “Thup!! Hey, Thup!!!”

Singha kicked the door hard, but it showed no sign of opening. On Thup’s side, he tried banging on the door to help , unaware the older guy that a pair of eyes was watching him from the stairs slowly every time.

The sound of nails scratching against the wooden floor and laughter made Thup turn to see the figure of a woman with stark white eyes, smiling widely to her ears, her long tongue licking the stairs as she tried to crawl up. Thup felt fear gripping his heart.

“Thup!! Hey, Thup!!” The voice of his older guy and the sound of knocking on the door made Thup hesitate; he let go of the doorknob. It wasn’t just him who was of concern; just before the door closed, his eyes caught a glimpse of a talisman and blood stains on the floor. It wasn’t just any ordinary talisman.

It was a ghost-summoning talisman!

Hee-hee-hee.

The sound of nails scratching against the stairs grew louder, closer and closer, the ghost girl crawling towards him until she was almost upon him.

“Thup!!”

‘Saturday, Saturday, Saturday…’

   The taunting voice that pierced his eardrums forced Thup to cover one ear with his hand, shutting his eyes immediately because he didn’t want to see anything else.

‘You see this, you see it, right?’

   ‘Help me, please help.’

   ‘Think… of… think of dad.’

   ‘Heh, heh, full of ghosts, just full of ghosts.’

   “Get out, please get out.”

The presence of more than one voice made Thup’s hands shake uncontrollably. Right now, in front of him, there was more than one ghost; perhaps they were even staring at him. The stench, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe, the nausea he was feeling, the chilling cold reaching his spine, and the goosebumps all over his body – this was not good. Not good at all.

Bang!!!

Thup startled and inadvertently opened his eyes. In front of him was a woman, very familiar, one of her eyes sewn shut with red thread. The other eye, though still connected by some thread, allowed a peek at the eyeball inside. Her lips were also held by thread, looking like they could tear at any moment. She was standing in front of him, using herself as a shield between Thup and the dozens of ghosts.

“Damn it, what the hell are these ghosts? Thup, dodge!” Singha’s voice brought Thup back to his senses. He quickly moved away from the door as instructed.

Bang!

Bang!!

Bang!!!

Soon enough, the previously shut door was kicked open so hard it swung wide.

“Annoying.” Singha muttered as he emerged from the room, then walked over to pull Thup up by the hand, urging him to get up, and they both rushed downstairs. They exited the house immediately; staying inside for even one more minute wasn’t a good idea.

“Pee.”

“Let’s head home; we’ll find another time for the other two.” Singha suddenly stopped walking and speaking when the kid in front of him collapsed to the ground and hugged his leg.

“Thank… thank you.”

“Are you going to sit here or go home?” Singha squatted in front of Thup, lifting his chin with his hand to make him look up.

“Go… go home.”

“Then get up, I’ll take you back.”

Thup didn’t immediately comply; his legs were numb to the point of feeling nothing. He just rested his forehead on the knee of the older man.

“Just a moment, please. Just for a second.” His voice carried the same irritation as before, but Singha’s big hand simply rested on his soft hair, not pushing him away but gently stroking.

The previous events shouldn’t have happened. There wasn’t even a breeze, yet the door shut so tightly it wouldn’t budge no matter how they tried to open it. The shaky voice at the door made Singha try over and over to open it, and what made him even more anxious was the shadow under the door that suggested there was no one else in the room with Thup, just one shadow as it should be.

After comforting each other until they felt better, Singha drove out of the village immediately. If he had come alone, finding the next doll wouldn’t be difficult, but dragging along the kid who was still trembling in the passenger seat wasn’t exactly ideal.

“Phii?”

“Yes?”

“What about… the doll at Meen’s house?”

Singha glanced slightly at Thup. Despite being scared by a ghost, he was still worried about that haunted doll. Singha pulled out an evidence bag from his coat and tossed it onto Thup’s lap.

“Is this the one? Meen had several, but I wasn’t sure which.”

The young man looked down at the item on his lap for a while before nodding softly. His beautiful eyes gazed at the doll with a human body, an elephant head with a long trunk, and magnificent tusks, its head twisted backward.

“Yes, it’s an elephant head, named Samolthat, a Mae Sue for Wednesday.”

“And the talismans and scripts on the floor?”

“The talismans are for summoning spirits. I’ve seen the old monk put them in a chest after villagers asked for help. As for the scripts on the floor… I think they’re similar.”

“Why would Meen do this?”

“I think… they might not know.”

“What do you mean?”

“All the victims might not know what they’re worshiping. They don’t realize what they think they’re bowing to asking for peace of mind… is waiting to devour them.”

Singha stopped by the station again to hand over the two dolls to Say for examination, along with a notebook, a pregnancy test from Orn’s house, and photos, as well as bloodstains from Min’s house.

“Get out.” This time, Singha didn’t tell Thup to wait in the car. The events had proven that even a split second and less than a meter could nearly get this kid’s chest ripped open by a ghost.

“Hey Say, hey Rin, I brought you some stuff.”

“Three items aren’t enough, now you’re bringing more, Singha!!” Darin exclaimed as soon as he saw his friend carrying in four new evidence bags.

“Yeah.” Singha replied lazily, not wanting to argue, just a simple acknowledgement.

“Yeah, what do you mean ‘yeah’!!! And what have you been doing, looking exhausted like you’ve run eighty laps?”

“Yeah. I was running from a ghost.”

“Huh?!”

“Trying out a new experience?” Say asked, not too seriously. “We’ll talk later, I’m taking Thup home first. This case is the heaviest.”

“Wait up, Singha, King came looking for you, told me to tell you when you come back I should remind you.”

“Remind me?”

“Meeting this evening, at the condo, with him.”

“The condo? What the hell, can’t he meet somewhere else?”

“That’s why it’s messed up, that’s why you’re meeting there. Just be careful.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t just get hurt lightly; you can’t afford to get your ears chewed off, or you’ll be interrogated again.” Say warned, before placing all the evidence on the table.

“If I call you, it means it’s serious. See ya.” Singha said, and he and Thup walked out of the forensic department room without haste, but not far along, the younger one tugged at the older man’s shirt.

“Are you really going, Phii?”

“Going where?”

“To… meet Khun King.”

“Uh, right.”

“But then…”

“Didn’t you say you could not stay at home, even if there’s a monk?”

“I’m not worried about that…” Thup muttered to himself, “I’ll be back in a flash.”

“Yes.”

From both their statuses, Thup felt a slight unease in his heart, not knowing what it was, but one thing was certain: he didn’t want this older man to go. He didn’t want him to meet you, King. He didn’t want them to be alone together.

   He really didn’t want to see things if he went back to that person…

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 22: Yakbrisut

Darin sat among the three young men, all staring at the laptop screen with intense expressions. She still remembered the chilling spine-tingling, numbing feeling when she saw those animal carcasses. Just seeing them, she could tell it wasn’t a natural death. The scattered incense sticks around indicated it wasn’t just once or twice.

“Here’s the abbot’s background.” King placed documents in front of Singha, “Anupab, aged sixty-two, ordained for fifteen years with the monastic name Phra Aum Rom, became the abbot at Santithamarat Temple five years ago.”

“Five years ago?”

“Hmm, according to history, it’s like that.”

“It matches the time frame of the murder incident before that.”

“Before that, he was a wandering monk, in one of the northern provinces.”

“Northern?”

Was there ever a medical treatment history there?

“Yes, it matches the location of the previous incident, right?” King looked at the object, not taking his eyes off it.

“Hmm.”

“But that is a monk.” Darin said with a trembling voice.

“Monks are humans too. Just because they wear yellow robes doesn’t mean they can’t do wrong.” Singha said with a calm face. “Right now, we don’t have evidence linking him to the murder. These clips alone aren’t enough; we need more solid evidence.”

“Uh… Singha, I have something else to tell you.” Darin called Singha with a worried tone, “Before going to the temple, I had a dream, uh… I saw a female ghost, and she kept saying Wednesday, Wednesday, do… Do you think I might die? Will I end up like the previous seven victims?”

Singha gently rubbed Darin’s head to calm him down. He knew how scared his friend was of ghosts, and he couldn’t assure her nothing would happen because even he didn’t know what exactly was going on.

“For now, don’t go anywhere alone. Either stay with me or Say for the time being. Meanwhile, I’ll have someone spy at the temple, Say will check the soil from the doll properly, and King, have you checked the CCTV yet?”

“It’s done. I’ll write up a report, but what’s clear is that out of six or seven people who went in at different times, none came out, except for Meen. It’s pretty clear it’s the work of someone from the temple.”

“Keep tracking where Meen’s car went. As for the doll, the ghost stuff, and other matters, I’ll handle it myself.”

“Singha.” King interjected with a flat expression.

“I need to visit the next victim’s house. Darin, take care of the kid in the infirmary.”

“B…but isn’t that kid also marked by the ghost?” Darin clung to Say’s arm despite being shaken off repeatedly.

“Thup said that kid mentioned Tuesday.”

“See?!?

“If these ghosts keep causing trouble, our investigation won’t get far.” Say complained before leaning back on the sofa, “I don’t know much about this, I’ll ask Thup later.”

“I have an idea!!” Darin shouted as she stood up, walked to her bag, and placed it heavily on the table. The loud thud made everyone look at each other, “Buddha statues! Amulets! Holy threads, holy water! Charms! I’ve brought everything!”

Darin took everything out and set them down before sighing in relief. She had brought everything from home to ward off ghosts and unseen entities. She wasn’t sure if they would work, but it was better than nothing, at least for peace of mind.

“Phii Singha.” a voice called from inside the room, drawing the attention of Singha and King.

“Told you to rest.”

“I can’t sleep.” Thup walked out and sat next to the older guy, looking curiously at the items on the table, “What are these?”

“Hey, kid Thup, these are my sacred amulets. Check quickly if they’ll work.” Darin pointed excitedly at the items she had worshiped many times, hoping they would be effective.

“I can’t tell, Phii Darin.”

“Oh?”

“Otherwise, would I still be getting haunted like this?” Thup said, shrugging slightly, which made Singha chuckle softly.

Singha stood up to his full height, gently ruffling Thup’s soft hair before walking into the inner room where a twenty-four-year-old man lay still on a bed by the window after receiving treatment. One of his wrists was handcuffed to the bed, and beside the bed, two people sat sleeping, unable to go home yet.

“Where’s the lieutenant?” Singha picked up his phone to call his trusted subordinate immediately.

[He’s out front, inspector, contacting the relatives of the kid named Jump.]

   “Have you reached them?”

[We’ve made contact. They’re in Satun and will return tomorrow.]

   “Hmm, okay, inform me when they arrive.”

[Understood, uh, and what about the other two kids, inspector?]

   “I’ll ask first.”

[Yes, inspector, and there’s one more thing, about Lieutenant Moo and Lieutenant EM today.]

   “Why?”

[Lieutenant Moo had an accident with his bike and is in the hospital. I don’t know what’s with the station these days, there’s always something going on. As for Lieutenant EM, he’s sick, but now he’s not…]

   Singha ran his fingers through his shiny black hair in frustration. If this were before, he would’ve dismissed it as normal or called it nonsense. But now, was he sure it was still normal?

“Tell everyone to be careful for now.”

[Acknowledged.]

   Singha hung up and walked over to check on the person lying on the bed, glancing at both Bom and Dear. These kids received an email from someone, and what did the sender want by revealing the case details and crime scene to outsiders, when it should’ve been kept quiet? The young inspector walked back to the reception room, where Say and Darin were no longer present. Only King and Thup remained.

“Thup, get up, I’m taking you home.”

“Huh?” the older man didn’t repeat himself. He just walked towards the door, but before he could reach it, his wrist was grabbed.

“Let’s talk first.” King said in a flat tone, “Just the two of us.”

“Even if it’s just the two of us.” Despite the non-threatening tone, the words carried the same weight.

“I’ll wait outside.” Thup stood up, ready to leave so as not to inconvenience them.

“No need.” The older man’s voice halted his long legs, “Say what you have to say. I need to go to work.”

“There’s nothing now.” King sighed, releasing his grip from the person in front of him, “But there will be tonight. I’ll send you the location. If you don’t show up, expect a call from the police commander.”

King walked past Singha, bumping into Thup’s shoulder with displeasure.

“Damn it.” Singha muttered, pressing his tongue against his cheek in irritation.

“Phii.” Thup came up, holding onto the back hem of the older man’s shirt. He heard everything from earlier… tonight… They will meet tonight.

“Let’s go, I’ll drop you home first.”

“Let me go with you, let me go with you, Phii.”

“Are you still going even with that injury?”

“I don’t want you to go alone. At least, I might be able to warn you about something. Please, let me come with you.” Singha turned to look at the young man behind him, who was looking at him with hopeful eyes. Seeing the bruise on his neck, he sighed resignedly.

“Fine, come along, but don’t go wandering off alone again. I won’t care then.” otherwise, if a ghost drags you off, I won’t.

“Yes, sir!” Thup smiled broadly before clinging to the older man’s arm, heading towards the car.

The two headed towards Orn’s next home, because according to King’s investigation at the house where Orn last stayed with a friend, nothing was found. Moreover, the friend Orn stayed with before disappearing said that Orn had gone back home. Because of that, the doll must be at the house.

The luxury car stopped in front of a silver iron fence. Inside was a single-story house of medium size but with ample space around it. As Singha and Thup stepped out of the car, two black and white dogs ran out from the house, barking ferociously at them before starting to howl.

“I… I don’t see anything.” Thup said anxiously because he couldn’t see any ghosts or spirits here. He had no idea what the two dogs were seeing.

“Shh, shh, Samlee, Sinil, stop barking.” a woman in her forties walked out and shooed the dogs back to the house, “Sorry about that, those two don’t like strangers. Who are you looking for?”

“I’m a police officer. We have some matters to investigate and questions about Orn’s case. Here’s the search warrant.” She looked saddened before opening the gate for Singha and Thup.

“Sorry about the hospitality, my husband isn’t here today, so I can’t welcome you properly.”

“It’s okay.”

“My daughter, sob, how is she? When, sob, when can we bring her body back?”

“The autopsy is now complete. We will return the body for the ceremony again.” Singha said with a calmer tone than ever before, “Which room is Orn’s?”

“Over there.” she pointed to the room at the very end of the hallway, “I… haven’t been able to accept it yet, so nothing has been moved.”

“May I go in then?”

“Please, go ahead.”

Singha opened the door to the inside, with Thup following not far behind. Here. There wasn’t anything particularly special, just an ordinary bedroom with everything in place. Singha walked around inspecting; his face was expressionless, unlike Thup who still stood in the same spot.

“All these things are still in their original places, right? No one has moved anything, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then why is this here?” Singha pointed to a notebook, placed on the bed where it shouldn’t be.

“It wasn’t there at first. I just brought some water to set in the room. At that time, it wasn’t there yet.”

Singha looked up at Thup, before putting on gloves and picking it up. Inside, there were only red pen marks, not forming any letters, just random scribbles. Thup stepped beside the older man and whispered softly into his ear:

“I don’t see any ghosts at all.”

“So?”

“That means the doll isn’t here.” Thup shook his head to confirm and looked around the room again.

“I’d like to take this notebook with me.” Singha turned to speak to Orn’s mother, who was standing at the doorway, tears streaming down her face. She nodded slowly.

“Is there a shrine here?” Thup asked in a softer tone. Losing a child was painful enough. Adding more distressing news wouldn’t be good.

“Ye… yes, there is one next door.”

“May I go take a look?” Upon receiving permission, Thup immediately walked to the neighboring house.

A clean white spirit house was located in the northeast corner relative to the house, free from any shadows. The shrine was elevated one cubit above the ground, with a small roof, figures of men and women, horse and elephant figurines, and a dancer, all set with flowers and various offerings. Thup raised his hands in a wai before peering inside the shrine.

“With a spirit house like this, that ghost surely can’t enter.” Thup looked outside the fence until he spotted a lone large tree. The treetop, with sparse leaves, had branches that seemed eerie as they pointed here and there. The trunk was withered. Thup’s eyes widened when a dark shadow appeared from behind the tree.

White eyes stared back at Thup with displeasure, the once wide-smiling lips now firmly closed. At her bare feet lay a doll, its head broken off and separated.

“Thup.” Singha called out immediately when he saw the boy he came with standing still, staring at one spot for a long time as if seeing something.

“The doll… it’s over there.” Thup pointed at the large tree. Singha followed his finger and saw it.

“Wait here.” Singha walked out from the fence with Thup’s eyes following him closely.

Singha walked the path until he reached the large, withered tree. He bent down to pick up both the body and the head of the doll.

   A gentle breeze blew past him, leaves fluttering past his eyes. Once they passed, he saw Thup watching him with concern. How long had it been since he last saw such a look? Singha looked down at the broken doll in his hand once more.

   The body of a human, the head of a buffalo, named Yakbrisut, Mae Sue for Tuesday.

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 21: The Suspicious Stiff New Guy

The atmosphere in the car all the way to the police station was nothing but silence, an uncomfortable silence that made Thup almost unable to breathe. When they got out of the car, the older guy led him into the building without even stopping. The wait made his heart wither even more.

“Say, what have you got?” Singha walked into the lab within the forensic department. He sat down on a chair next to his friend before placing three dolls on the table.

“Those are the test results from the stomach contents of the deceased, just arrived this morning.” Say was still busy peering through the microscope. He pointed at a file on the table without looking up, but he could tell his friend was not in a good mood today.

“Seventy-five percent match?”

“Yeah, when we checked the pieces of meat, the mucus from the stomach. We found similar additives and seasonings, but because some of the bodies have been dead for over two days, it’s hard to get results. The ones we could test are from the child named Kaew and Meen, whose bodies were still manageable.”

“No progress at all.” Singha threw the file back onto the table. “Where did they eat?” Say paused what he was doing to look up at his companion, “And where did that ghost-seeing kid go?”

“Probably out front.”

“Did you argue with him?”

“No.”

“Usually, he sticks to you like glue.”

“Stop asking so many questions, Say. Here are the dolls for examination too, fingerprints, soil residue, I want the results by this evening.”

“Not happy and you dump the work on me, huh?” Say kicked Singha’s chair leg before sliding his own chair to the table behind to grab a document and swiftly returning. “You’ll be shocked when you see this.”

“What?”

“Earlier, I checked the soil debris on the body and on the rope. And the soil sample you brought from under the monk’s quarters, I’ve checked that too. Guess what the results were?” Say raised his eyebrows at the person sitting in front of him, who simply stared back, waiting for the reveal. “It’s the same type of soil, from the crime scene.”

“Cemetery soil.” Singha murmured softly.

“Yeah, right. You said it was a graveyard there, opened my world, damn. What else are we going to find?” Singha and Say were of the same ilk, tough-minded like Khem, believing what should be believed, but not to the point of superstition.

“You check the soil from the doll too. I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, wait, Rin hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Where did she go?”

“To the temple, she said she’d be in soon.”

“Which temple?”

“The same one we went to last time. By now, she’s probably brought back every sacred item from the temple.” Singha walked out to the reception room and saw the statue of Lord Vaisravaṇa set on Say’s desk. But where was the person who carried it?

Beautiful eyes gazed absently at the morning sky. He sat hugging his knees, on the walkway where Singha and King had once stood talking. He sighed again, unsure how to apologize to his older brother, or what would happen next if Singha was still angry.

“Damn it!! All because of that Jump, I’m stuck here!”

“And you can’t contact his parents at all? Weren’t you two together before?”

“He told me his mom passed away long ago. His dad works out of town, comes home rarely. Still can’t reach him.” The woman’s voice was filled with frustration.

“And the bloody police said if we can’t contact his family, we can’t leave either. Are they crazy?!”

“Take it easy, do this, then you go finish your business and call home for someone to pick you up, I’ll stay here.”

“Are you sure, Bom?”

“Yeah, and where did that bastard Song go?”

“He went back this morning. After ranting for quite a while that he wasn’t at fault, even though he was the one who received that email.”

Sigh “Well, nothing can be done now.” Bom sighed before glancing at Thup, “Oh, it’s that gentleman.”

“Hello.” Thup stood up and greeted both of them politely, having overheard their entire conversation.

“Ah, the one Jump tackled, right?”

“Yes, and now… where is he?”

“The police said they took him to the infirmary. It’s for the best. Who knows what trouble he’d cause next.” Dear said, folding her arms with a look of annoyance. “Is he possessed or something?”

“Probably not.”

“Or could he be?”

“It’s possible, Bom. His behavior has changed, and what he’s been saying.”

“What… what did he say?” Thup asked politely.

“He kept saying ‘Tuesday… Tuesday,’ but I have no idea what he means by that.” Bom answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

“Wait, but wasn’t he born on a Tuesday, Jump?” Thup pursed his lips, then approached to bid farewell to both before heading to the infirmary, which he remembered the way to perfectly.

Upon arriving, Thup paused in front of the infirmary door because of the sounds coming from inside. It wasn’t the sound of conversation. Not the sound of medical equipment, but the sound of muttering… a chant.

“Ji… Nip… Teekhang… Aakaj…”

“This chant is…” Thup, who was pressing his ear against the door, muttered to himself when he heard it. He had read about it in a book by the old monk; it was a chant to summon…

Ping!!!!

A loud bang on the door echoed, blood splattered across the other side of the door, staining it red, causing Thup to stagger back, his beautiful eyes trembling at the sight of a figure standing behind the frosted glass door, banging his head against it with full force once more. Blood slowly flowed, spreading widely, but this time, Thup didn’t just see one shadow; another appeared behind the first. The owner of this second shadow had long, sleek hair but oddly, it wasn’t appealing at all; instead, it added to the terror as a shadowy hand reached towards the unfortunate man’s head, yanking his hair and slamming it against the door again.

Ping!!!

‘Desecrating me, desecrating me, desecrating me.’

   Pung!!!

‘Desecrating me, desecrating me, desecrating me.’

   He’s going to die! If this continues, he’ll definitely die, Thup thought, holding his breath before he rushed to open the door. The body of Jump, with a broken forehead, broken nose, and split lips, fell onto his chest, and both collapsed onto the floor.

In a split second, Thup’s neck was gripped tightly, leaving him breathless. His eyes wide with fear as he tried to pry the hand away to prevent further pressure.

“Nightmares, nightmares, nightmares.” Jump murmured, seemingly lost in a nightmare from which he could not escape.

“Ugh! No…” Thup tried to find a way to breathe, but it seemed the person on top had much more strength. Not because he was weaker, but because on Jump’s neck sat another being, looking down at him with dissatisfaction.

‘I want to eat more, don’t interfere!!’

   Her white eyes bulged out, almost falling from their sockets. Not long after, a force seemed to hit her, sending her flying off. Thup used this moment to push Jump to the side. Once his neck was free, he gasped for air immediately.

“Just a cough!!!. Just a cough”

“Thup!!” Singha ran in to support the young man who was coughing violently, his face turning red, along with Say who rushed to check on Jump, who had already passed out on the floor, “Call Darin.”

“Okay”

Singha bent down to look again at the person resting against his lap, his thick hand gently stroking Thup’s head when he saw that the other was tightly closing his eyes and trembling.

“Phii, uh, Phii Singha… it, it’s…”

“Speak slowly.”

“Hello, Rin. Where are you? Come to the station immediately, there’s an emergency.” One of Say’s hands used a handkerchief to press on Jump’s facial wound, while the other held the phone.

[What? I’m at the temple about to pour some water, what’s up?]

   “Can you come quickly? It’s urgent.”

[Yeah, yeah, I’m on my-]

   “Hello, Phii! Darin.” Say looked up to meet Singha’s eyes when suddenly the line went silent.

“King, go to the Santitham Temple immediately, search everywhere until you find Darin right now.” Singha picked up his phone to call King, who was out investigating the last known location of the deceased in the case.

[What’s the matter?]

   “I’ll explain later, just do as I say first.”

[Okay, turning back.] King’s voice came from the other end, giving orders to his subordinate. Once the instructions were clear, Singha helped Thup up from the floor, just as Say supported Jump, draping him over his shoulder, and carried him into the infirmary immediately.

“Wha… what’s happening?”

“What’s going on?” Both Bom and Dear ran over, looking alarmed, when they heard the commotion as they were walking back.

“Both of you, don’t go anywhere yet, stay here, and contact the relatives of that kid too.” Singha told them before helping Thup inside as well.

Inside the infirmary, a group of people was standing in front of the two occupied patient beds. One bed had someone guarding it. On the other bed, Say was dressing wounds, Dear was trying to contact Jump’s relatives, and Bom stood watching with a worried expression.

“I’m… fine now.” Thup said with a hoarse voice from being previously choked.

“I told you not to speak yet.”

“Head cut but not deep, broken nose, split lip which I’ve stitched. We’ll probably need to send him to the hospital.” Say said as he put down his tools. “Has King contacted us yet?”

“Not yet.” Singha wasn’t too surprised; his friend was anxious, and so was he.

“Phii… Singha.” Thup grabbed the older man’s hand and shook it lightly when Singha bent down to look at him, then tried to force out his voice to tell what he was thinking, “It… it will happen again.”

“What will happen again?”

“The… massacre, it’s… looking for someone… new.”

“Doesn’t it happen every five years?”

Thup shook his head vigorously before trying to sit up. He glanced around suspiciously. Seeing this, Singha sighed and walked over to close the curtains around the bed, leaving just him and the kid on the bed.

“The… charm… is weakening… can’t hold… need more offerings.” Thup spoke in a hoarsely nearly inaudible voice, but Singha could still understand somewhat. His sharp eyes looked at the bruise marks on Thup’s neck with a calm expression, his hand gently stroking the handprint on Thup’s neck.

“Sorry for leaving you alone.”

Thup paused, then smiled, leaning his face into Singha’s hand.

“I’m sorry… for asking what I shouldn’t.” Thup apologized while holding Singha’s hand, his eyes filled with guilt. He didn’t know what was happening with Singha, but he was just an outsider. If Singha didn’t want to tell, he wouldn’t ask again.

“Ah, whatever.” Singha’s phone rang, prompting him to pick it up, “What’s up, did you find her?”

[Found her, heading back.]

   “Is everything okay?”

[Not talking, you call that okay?]

   “Not talking?”

“Did you find her?” Say approached upon hearing the conversation.

“Yeah.” Singha replied before turning his attention back to the call.

“I am at the infirmary.”

[Why are you there?]

   “There was a small incident. Bring her here when you get back.”

[Okay.]

   After hanging up, King glanced at the person sitting beside him in the car earlier. When he arrived at the temple, he found Darin sitting at the top step of the church, silent. She looked up and then walked to the car without a word.

And she remained that way.

“Singha said something happened at the station, he is waiting at the infirmary.” only silence returned, “Is something wrong?”

Darin shook her head without looking at him, her eyes quivering from what she had seen earlier, her hands clenched together.

When the car stopped in front of the station, Darin jumped out before it even fully stopped. She rushed to the infirmary with burning eyes, the blood-stained door not distracting her from finding her friends.

“I’ll have the police follow up.”

“And what will you do next?”

“You guys, hic.” Darin started crying immediately when Singha and Say turned to look at her, “Are you okay?”

“Why did you suddenly go quiet, woman?” Say abruptly stopped speaking when Darin ran in to hug both him and Singha simultaneously. The sobbing and trembling made both young men just stand there, telling stories of what had happened until their friend would…

“I, hic, I saw, hic.” Darin released his friends’ necks. She roughly wiped her tears and pulled out her phone.

Singha and Say frowned immediately when they saw the image in front of them was of dog and cat carcasses in a pit on the ground, some dried up, some still looking fresh as if they had just died not long ago. The video, shaky to the point of dizziness but still somewhat watchable, showed their bellies slashed open with guts spilling out. When scrolling to the next picture, they found…

“Another one dead, this is really bad. The abbot is using a hoe to dig a hole, then throws the black cat’s carcass in before covering it completely. Then he walks away as the image fades out.”

“You guys, hic, I read that when people make offerings to spirits, they use fresh things, animals, and rotten stuff. Like this… like this, the abbot might…

“Might be a new suspect.” Singha interjected before playing the clip again.

It looks like this time he must go back to the temple, and this time with a subpoena.

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 20: Stories from the Past.

Darkness and cold were the first things Darin noticed, the wetness and sogginess at her toes made her look down, only to find she was not in her bedroom. Not even in a building, for that matter. Now, she was standing on muddy ground, her feet slowly sinking into the mud, the more she tried to pull her feet out, the deeper she sank into the mud pit.

“What’s this?” Darin looked around and realized she was in the middle of a dense forest filled with numerous tall trees. It was both familiar and eerie at the same time, “This place is…”

!!!

Darin’s eyes widened when she saw a human-like shadow on the ground as the moonlight shone down. She slowly lifted her head to look up and saw that the shadow belonged to seven people hanging from a tree branch. No matter how much she wanted to scream, no sound came out. When Darin tried to touch her lips, she found they were sewn shut with thread, preventing her from speaking or screaming. Tears slowly flowed from her eyes out of fear, for what was above was not as terrifying as what was now crawling towards her.

A pale-faced woman, her skin tinged with green to dark purple patches, her lips sewn shut with red thread, her eyes hollowed out revealing the flesh inside, purplish within. She drags her twisted body, trying to crawl closer, her face tormented, but as she stops in front of Darin, that expression vanishes, replaced by a cold face. Her hand reaches up to stroke her lips before attempting to tear out the thread, causing blood that shouldn’t exist to start dripping. Her laughter grows louder and louder until Darin’s tears flow down his cheeks in fear.

‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday…’

   The same word repeated in a hoarse voice. Her face dodges a long tongue that flicks out from her wide-ripped lips, stretching to her ears. The dampness on her face makes her tears flow endlessly, her heart pounding, her body trembling.

Gasp!!!

Darin wakes up suddenly, gasping heavily, the dense forest, the seven corpses, and the ghost he encountered all disappear. Left only with the comfort of her bed in her medium-sized condo room, the alarm clock rings again, making Darin jolt. She reaches out to turn it off, then buries her face in both hands. The nightmare haunts her, making sleep almost impossible. Every time she closes her eyes, the ghost of that woman appears, blurring the line between sleep and wakefulness.

“Hello.” Darin picked up the phone.

[Why do you sound so exhausted?]

   “Nightmare.” Darin says.

[Are you coming to the station today?]

   “I’ll come in later, I’m going to the temple first.”

[Why the temple?]

   “I’m serious, Say, aren’t you scared at all after being haunted like that?”

[A little, but you can’t live with fear forever, Rin. If you find the cause of that fear, it’ll go away faster.]

   “Yes, you heartless bunch, go stay with Singha then!”

[If you’re coming, call me so I can ask you to buy coffee.]

   “Why are you going to work so early, man? It’s only…” Darin turns to look at the clock on the headboard again, “It’s only six in the morning!!”

[I didn’t come early, I haven’t left yet. I’ve been here all night checking evidence, not to mention examining that kid who was locked up. Since ’ve switched to being a general physician, come and have another look. I moved him to the infirmary.]

   Sigh “Alright, alright, so you two are really taking on this case, huh?”

[Would we let Singha get haunted alone?]

   “Singha isn’t the one getting haunted, I am, just got haunted again!!” Darin sighed before getting up from bed and heading to the bathroom to wash his face. “I’ll hurry over after making merit. And has Singha left yet?”

[Not yet.]

   “Alright, see you later.”

Darin hangs up, looking at her weary reflection. She’s truly scared of what he encountered, but letting his friend face something dangerous alone seemed too selfish. Sticking with Say would mean not getting haunted alone, right?”

 

In the simply decorated bedroom.

   “At least the wide bed, king-size, which used to accommodate just one person, now feels narrow with two people lying next to each other. Thup, who has the habit of waking up early since childhood, opened his eyes groggily. But what makes his eyes wide open this morning is the tiger tattoo just inches away, not to mention the beautifully tanned, thick chest in front of him. Thup looks up at his older companion with sparkling eyes before smiling to himself, a night where he slept peacefully, a night without encountering anything strange or hearing any noises except for the steady breathing of his companion.”

Thup tried to get out of bed as quietly as possible so as not to wake something up from its rest. When he saw the older guy turn over, he stood still beside the bed immediately, before walking around to tuck him in and then heading downstairs to prepare breakfast. As he stepped down to the lower floor, before Thup could head to the kitchen, he glanced at the front door, the curiosity from the call last night still lingering. It wasn’t a mocking or hoarse voice like he used to hear, but a soft and strangely familiar voice. However, he couldn’t remember where he had heard it before. A pair of beautiful hands opened the curtains, letting sunlight flood onto his face. He didn’t know what he would face today, but one thing was certain, Singha had to go find the next doll.

The ringing phone distracted Thup from the outside sunlight. Hardly anyone called him, so there was no need to guess who it might be.

“Hello, Uncle Chai.”

[How are you doing, kid? Are you well? Don’t come back here often?] The elderly man greeted him in a friendly manner, making Thup smile.

“I’m doing well, and I’ll probably return soon. How about you, Uncle, are you well?”

[Just an old man, you know, aches and pains here and there. But last time you called, was there something wrong? I took the monk to pray at Choy’s house for a funeral.]

   “I wanted to ask you something, Uncle.”

[Go ahead, ask.]

   “Twenty years ago, when the venerable monk had to perform a funeral for a family of seven, do you remember? The monk wouldn’t let me go out to see.”

[Hmm, I think I remember because at that time, Old Sak and Grandma Phum, they cried so hard they collapsed. A few days later, Old Sak went to the hospital and died following his wife and grandchildren.]

   “Do you remember what the deceased looked like at that time?”

[I remember, their eyes were sewn shut, their mouths sewn, and it was a strange coincidence they all were like that. The villagers who came said it was because of black magic or perhaps they were sacrificed.]

   “Sacrificed?”

[Oh, right. At first, some villagers said not to cremate because the death was violent and not good, but the old monk advised to go ahead with the cremation. He had to chant all night, sprinkle holy water, and set up a sacred thread around the hall. It couldn’t be left for long because the death was not peaceful.] Thup listened while taking out ingredients for breakfast from the fridge.

[The villagers think it might be the work of that policeman who lives in the house by the woods, you know, because that house practices black magic.]

   “A policeman?” Thup paused immediately.

[Yeah, his father was a policeman, his mother a nurse, they seemed fine but their two kids were seriously ill. Some villagers who went into the forest for herbs said they heard chanting from the house around two or three in the morning. Then, a few months later, their kids were running to school just fine. So, they believe he might have used black magic to save his children’s lives.] Thup could only listen intently, as the old monk never told him about these matters for reasons of inauspiciousness.

“But maybe they were just chanting normally, right uncle? And perhaps took their kids to see a doctor too. If the mother was a nurse, she would take good care of them, right?”

[Well, I don’t know either, it’s just what the villagers keep saying. But then, about ten years later, they found that house was abandoned. No one lives there. No idea where they moved to.]

   “Ten years… and after that, were there any similar incidents or did the old monk ever handle another funeral like that?”

[I am not sure, around that time the old monk was often sick and in the hospital, didn’t go out much. You should remember that.]

   “Yes, I do remember.” Thup thought back to his late high school days when he had to juggle between school, the temple, and the hospital, encountering wandering spirits everywhere. “Then, uncle, could you ask the villagers for me if about twenty or twenty-five years ago, did anyone have a funeral where the eyes and mouth were sewn shut?”

“I can ask, but it’s been so long, no idea if those who were there are still alive, haha!” Uncle Chai laughed humorously, followed by a cough typical for someone of his age. “But why are you asking about this, kid? The old monk warned you not to mess with these things. The red thread for sewing eyes is to prevent seeing, the red thread on the mouth is to keep from speaking. It means whoever did it was afraid the spirit would find him, curse him, so he had to sew it shut. Doesn’t seem like someone practicing white magic, Thup.”

“There’s a necessary reason, uncle. I’ll tell you about it when I get back.”

“Do as you wish, but if you’re coming, call me so I know. You can stay at my place; your aunt misses you.”

“I miss her too.”

“That’s all for now then, I am going to pay his respects to Buddha.”

“Goodbye, uncle, take care of your health.”

After a long goodbye with Uncle Chai, Thup hung up. He had finished making breakfast and was about to shower and get dressed before starting on the meal. The young man stood in front of his bedroom door for a while, unsure whether to wake the older man or let him sleep. Just as he was about to turn away to go downstairs, the door opened, startling him.

“What are you doing, standing there in front of the room?” Singha walked out, his upper body bare, his hair a mess, yet somehow still looking good.

“Uh, I was about to come wake you up.”

“Yeah, yeah, move aside.” Singha headed towards the bathroom, preparing to brush his teeth. He walked back to the door, brushing his teeth while looking at Thup, “Aar-ahm aew?” [Showered yet?]

“Yes, I’ve showered.”

“Ur-ah-ah-a-ay?” [Why are you up so early?]

“I wake up early anyway. Why don’t you brush your teeth properly?” Singha frowned, took the toothbrush out of his mouth, and pointed it at Thup.

“Got a problem?”

“Who would dare have a problem with you?”

“Good that you know. This morning, we’ll go to the station first. Need to drop off the doll for Say to check, then we’ll head to Khun Orn’s house.”

“Take the Phra Tao Vaisravaṇa with you, so Khun Say can work safely.” Place it in the examination room.

“You go get it, carry it carefully; my mom treasures it.” Singha went back into the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

“Yes, yes.” Thup walked into the room, then raised his hands in a wai to both the Buddha statue and the statue of Thao Vaisravaṇa, before beginning to chant the devotion to the Buddha, then carefully took the statue of Thao Deity down from the shelf. But before he could walk out, his eyes caught sight of a glass cabinet in the corner of the room, filled with certificates, medals, and badges of Singha. However, what caught his eye more than anything was a picture frame standing there, showing a boy and a girl, standing with their arms around each other, smiling broadly. He thought the boy must surely be Singha, but he didn’t know who the girl beside him was. Thup walked out of the room and paused again at the bathroom door. “Phii, I’ve brought it.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Can I ask something, please?”

“Always with the questions, huh? What do you want to ask?” Singha shouted from inside the bathroom.

“Who is the girl in the photo with you, Phii?” The sound of the shower stopped immediately after Thup’s question. Seeing the long silence from inside, the young man started to worry. “Phii Singha, are you okay?”

“Don’t…”

“What did you say, Phii? I didn’t hear you.”

“Don’t meddle!” The harsh shout made Thup slightly startled.

“Phii, I’m sorry.” The sigh from the bathroom made Thup feel even more uneasy because he didn’t know if he had done something to upset his elder.

The bathroom door opened, revealing Singha with only a towel wrapped around his waist, his body wet from head to toe, which made Thup feel anxious. Singha looked up and met the eyes of the young man in front of him. Seeing Thup’s beautiful eyes trembling, all Singha could do was sigh.

“Go wait downstairs.”

Thup had never seen this kind of demeanor from this older guy since they met. He simply walked into the bedroom and picked up a towel to drape over Singha’s jet-black hair, where droplets of water glistened.

“Dry your hair too, please, you might get sick.” Thup walked down to the living room, greeted guests before placing a handsome photo he was holding onto the table in front of the TV, then settled himself onto the sofa, his beautiful eyes with long lashes looking towards the stairs with concern. He had never seen Singha act like that before.

He had never seen such a pained expression like that before.

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 19: Do Not Respond

Thup pushes the shopping cart and picks out items, following his older brother. Meanwhile, Singha just casually selects anything edible, not really caring about the type or brand.

“This one will expire in two days, you know.” said Singha.

“That’s not for marinating meat.”

“Phii, that’s a different formula from what I saw at home.”

It’s Thup who has to keep picking up the items the older guy throws into the basket, checking some, replacing others on the shelf. “So picky, Thup, it’s all edible anyway.”

“It’s edible, but it’s better not to eat it.”

“Then you pick everything.” Singha decides, now walking behind with his arms crossed, watching the kid in front of him carefully select items for the cart. “Grab some beer too.”

“How many packs?”

“Two.” Thup, without hesitation, picks the same brand of beer he’s seen in the fridge. “How do you know which brand I drink?”

“It’s in the fridge, isn’t it?” Thup turns back to look at the older guy before reaching out to pull Singha closer by the waist. “You’re about to bump into something.”

“Oops!! Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” a woman apologizes to both of them after nearly crashing her cart into Singha.

“It’s okay.” Thup smiles at her before continuing to walk, still not letting go of the older man’s waist.

“Can you let go now?” Singha says, lightly kicking Thup’s shin.

“Ouch, that hurt.”

“I haven’t even used any force yet. Should you start exercising?”

“Not really.”

“Then you should start.”

“Well, I don’t know how to begin.”

“There’s a gym, but is there a ghost in the gym?”

“No, there isn’t, but there are people instead.”

“Afraid of ghosts, afraid of people. How are you going to live, Thup? Don’t you think about getting a girlfriend or something?” Singha asked before picking up his usual brand of toothpaste and putting it in the shopping cart.

“How can I have a girlfriend, I can’t go out, can’t eat outside, and even if I stay with her, I scare her.” The two continued walking to the fruit section, where Thup started picking apples one by one into a bag, “Do you want anything else, Phii?”

“Just grab whatever.”

“Oh, Phii, the four people who were brought in this morning, the one guy named Bom asked if you could speed up the process. He said the police haven’t done anything yet.”

“Those four YouTubers, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, okay.” Singha picked up his phone to make a call to whoever was on duty today, “Hello, Inspector.”

“Who’s handling the case of the four who trespassed into the murder scene?”

“Uh, it should be Lieutenant Kong.”

“Didn’t I tell you to get it done by this morning?”

“Yes, Inspector, but the station today has been chaotic, with power outages lasting hours and the phone signal coming and going.”

“And where are those four now?”

“Just a moment.” Singha waited quietly on the line, but when he turned to see Thup talking to a woman, he immediately took interest. The young woman who approached to greet seemed shy, especially when both looked his way before waving goodbye, making him even more curious, “One is in the holding cell. Two are in the reception room, and one is in the bathroom.”

“Is Lieutenant Khem still there?”

“Lieutenant has gone home.”

“Then, Lieutenant, you handle it properly.”

“Me, sir?!”

“Yes, you know what to do with people who trespass into a crime scene without permission.”

“Understood, Inspector, but… should we send the one in the holding cell to the hospital? He seems… odd, Inspector.”

“Odd how?”

“He vomited all over the cell floor, sir, and he’s mumbling something.”

“Well, go listen to what he’s mumbling.”

“It’s like… it’s like he’s chanting.”

“Chanting?”

“Yes. None of the officers want to go near there now. I think instead of calling a doctor, we should call a monk.”

Singha sighed before walking towards Thup, who was waiting.

“Call Dr. Say to check on him, and get me the background of that kid.”

“Yes, Inspector.”

“I’ll deal with it again in the morning. If you manage to finish before then, you can release them.”

“Yes.”

Singha hung up and sighed, wondering if they were just fooling around with the locals.

“Have you finished your call?”

“Yeah, who was that earlier, someone you know?” These ghosts have nothing better to do.

“No.” Thup shook his head, “She asked for your number… Phii.”

“My number? For what?”

“She said… she likes you, Phii.”

“And where did she go?”

“She left. I told her you were busy with something important and not available, and also that you’re very strict.”

“Right, that’s good. Have you got everything yet? I’m heading back.”

“Yes, I’ve got everything.”

“Then let’s go pay.” Singha led the way to the cashier counter, not noticing the small smile of the young man who was relieved because this older guy didn’t seem to mind what he had said, and he didn’t dare to tell Singha the entire conversation.

“Uh, excuse me, are you with that gentleman?” a young woman asked shyly.

   “Yes.”

   “Is he… does he have a girlfriend yet?” Thup glanced at Singha, who was talking on the phone with a serious demeanor.

   “Seems like he doesn’t yet.”

   “Then… can I have his number?”

   “He’s on a business call right now, might not be the best time.”

   “He’s so cool.”

   “Yes, very cool. Great at work, kind but also very strict.”

   “Huh? Strict?”

   “Yes, extremely strict.” Both turned to look at Singha simultaneously before the woman turned back to Thup, blushing. Thup’s gaze at Singha held more than just admiration, noticeable enough for others to see. “I think I better not get involved with you guys, sorry about that, I really didn’t know.”

   “What?”

   “Sorry. I won’t flirt with your boyfriend anymore.” The woman apologized hastily and ran off.

   The two arrived home at 10 PM, with Thup carrying the purchased items into the house, while Singha carried his own beer.

“Is it finished?”

“It’s finished, uh, but there’s still some in the car…”

“Leave that doll in the car.”

“Does your house have a Buddha shelf, Phii?”

“Yes, it’s upstairs.”

“Can I go up?”

“Go ahead, it’s in the room on the right.”

Thup nodded before walking upstairs. Upon reaching the top, Thup opened the door to the right-hand room as instructed by the older guy. As soon as he entered, he felt a coolness. Not the coolness from an air conditioner, but a comforting and reassuring chill.

Inside the room, there were several cabinets, and a clean white Buddha shelf facing north, mounted on the wall. On the top shelf stood a radiant golden Buddha statue. Below it, slightly to the right, was a green statue of Thao Vaisravaṇa, the Great Guardian, holding a club, looking formidable in the Chatumaharajika pose, facing the same direction.

Thup raised his hands, pressing them together at his chest, then brought his thumbs to his forehead as he recited the words taught by the revered monk:

“Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa… Itipiso Bhagava, Yammarachaano, Thao Vaisravaṇa, Maranang, Sukhang, Ahang, Sukhatho, Namo, Buddhaya, Thao Vaisravaṇa, Chatumaharajika, Yaksa, Pantapatipurito, Wessa, Phusa, Buddhango Ahang, Phuttho, Thao Wessu, Wannano, Namo, Buddhaya.

I humbly bow to the perfectly enlightened Buddha, the Dhamma, and the noble Sangha. I seek the blessings of Grandfather Thao Vaisravaṇa, please protect me and Phii Singha, residing in this house, from all dangers that seek to harm us.”

As the chant ended, there was a loud knock on the front glass. Thup quickly turned to look, his heart pounding.

“What’s that noise, Thup?” Singha’s shout called Thup back to his senses.

“There’s nothing.” Thup turned to look at the Buddha statue and the Thao Vaisravaṇa statue once more with respect before bowing, then walked downstairs with a lighter heart.

“What were you doing up there, making noise?”

“Phii, don’t just call out like that.”

“Well, I heard it.”

“Don’t just call out randomly. At least call my name, and if someone calls at night, don’t respond.”

“What should I do if someone calls me?”

“If you don’t see who’s calling, don’t respond at all.”

“So, what did you go up there for?”

“To pay respects to the Buddha and Thao Vaisravaṇa. I came in with something bad with me, and had to inform them.”

“Alright, go put the stuff in the fridge.”

“And, the Buddha shelf upstairs, do you venerate it, Phii?”

“My mom did, she set it up when we first bought the house.”

“Oh, and your mom doesn’t stay here?”

Thup paused, looking at Singha who had sad eyes. “My mom was ordained as a nun at the temple.”

“My mom’s at the temple.”

“Stop thinking about it, you little rascal.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. I thought I was going to make you think of something bad.” Thup sighed in relief before walking to the fridge to store the purchased items. “What do you want to eat, Phii?”

“Anything, just make something. I’m going to have a beer while waiting.”

“Phii, why don’t you go take a bath and change first? You were soaking in the pond today, you might get sick.”

“Yeah, right. I’ll be back soon.” Singha went upstairs to take a shower, leaving Thup alone to handle things downstairs.

Thup organized the groceries into the refrigerator and shelves until everything was neat, then he decided to cook some rice along with preparing two simple dishes. While he was turning his back to finish the last bit of cooking, a faint call came from the direction of the house fence, making Thup pause.

‘Thup’

   The soft call with a gentle tone made Thup turn around. He put down the ladle and turned down the heat, knowing in one part of his mind that he shouldn’t, but another part felt the voice was too familiar. Thup’s toes walked out of the kitchen, following the call towards the front door.

‘Thup’

   The voice called again, louder this time, prompting him to grab the curtain ready to open it, but then someone spun him around.

“I just told you not to answer.” said Singha, standing in front of Thup, bare-chested with a white towel around his neck, wearing only black sweatpants.

“Did you hear that, Phii?”

“Yeah, so I came down to check.”

“The voice… it sounded familiar.”

“Besides me, who else knows you’re here? Finish eating, take a shower, and go to sleep upstairs.”

“Okay?”

“Or do you want to sleep downstairs and let something call you again?”

Thup shook his head vigorously.

“That’s it then.” Singha said, flicking Thup’s forehead without holding back, “Go check on the food, don’t burn my house down.”

Only now did Thup realize how close his face was to something elusive; it was near enough to see the sharp eyes of his older brother clearly. He thought it might be the heat from the pot or perhaps because he just saw the older man up close. The young man quickly ran back to the stove, his face flushed with heat, unsure of the real cause.

After having dinner together, Thup excused himself to take a shower, then he carried his pillow and blanket upstairs once again.

“Phii.” The door on the left slowly opened quietly, and Thup would have run away if he hadn’t seen the bare back of his elder walking towards the bed. Thup entered with apprehension before standing in front of the door, not moving anywhere.

“How long are you going to stand there? Turn off the light too.”

“Uh… where should I sleep, sir?” Thup asked as he reached out to turn off the light.

“Maybe in the bathroom. You ask such weird questions, come to sleep.”

“I… I’d rather sleep on the floor.”

“I don’t have a mattress for the floor.”

“It’s… it’s okay. I can sleep there.”

“Suit yourself, sleep wherever you want.” Singha dismissed, then turned on the lamp and picked up a case file from the bedside table to read, putting on his black-framed glasses again, which Thup couldn’t take his eyes off. If he could, he’d love to just sit and watch the older man all day.

“Phii Singha.”

“Don’t disturb.”

Thup immediately pressed his lips together. He walked over to sit cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, resting both arms on the bed and placing his chin on them, his beautiful eyes not leaving the older man. If not for Singha, who knows what would have happened to him now; he might have seen ghosts and lost his mind, or been arrested as a scapegoat like in the previous case. “Why are you sitting there staring at me? If you’re going to sleep, then sleep.”

“Phii.”

“What now, you do have so many issues.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me.”

“Helping with what? I haven’t done anything yet.”

“You’ve helped me a lot. At least by listening to what I say, that’s helping me already. Thank you.” Singha looked at the young man’s face reflecting the soft light, Thup’s different-colored eyes clearer now, his bright and sincere smile something tangible. Truth be told, it was rare to see this kid with a relaxed expression, not scared or worried.

“Get up here and sleep on the bed.”

“Yes?!”

“Come up, don’t make me repeat myself.”

“But…” Thup quickly shut his mouth when he saw the older guy frown. He sighed, picked up his bedding from the floor, walked around to the other side of the bed, and then plopped down on the bed, hugging the edge.

“Sleep, don’t ask too much, I have work to do.”

“Alright.” Thup said softly before looking at the older guy’s face, including the tiger tattoo on his right arm. Tonight, he wouldn’t have to sleep in fear or paranoia, for sure, “Good night, Phii Singha.”

“Yeah.”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 18: Trust

“See, I told you, Say, you said I was just scared for nothing. How’s that for karma!” Darin arrived in her green pajama set with large frog eyes.

“And do you really believe in stuff like this? Think about it carefully.” Say threw a pillow at Darin with an exasperated look.

“That’s why I said, just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. So, what are you going to do about this thing? Ghosts haunting everywhere like this, are you really going to continue the case?” Darin turned and asked Singha, who was sitting on the opposite sofa.

The reception room of the forensic department was now filled with people involved in various roles in the investigation, including Singha himself, King, Darin, Say, and Thup, who had to get involved out of necessity.

“If we don’t do it, who will?”

“But it’s dangerous, Singha. You’ve seen what each of us has faced, not to mention the forensic team’s car overturning.”

“I’m just here to explain. If you guys aren’t okay with continuing, I won’t stop you.” After everyone was present, Singha started to explain everything, with Thup adding details beside him. At least, those who would work on this with him needed to know what they were up against, “But anyway, I have to drag this serial killer out into the open. Otherwise, it will happen again.”

“Ugh, I want to help, Singha, but from what I’ve faced, I barely survived myself.” Darin said before glancing at the three dolls on the table. Just seeing them from the corner of her eye made her shiver. If she had to examine them closely, she might just die of a heart attack, “I’m outta here, Singha. Call me if there’s anything else, anything that doesn’t involve those dolls.”

Darin stood up and quickly walked out of the room, the images she saw still haunting her to the point where she dared not close her eyes.

“So, what now?” King spoke up amidst the silence.

“Do you believe it?”

“If you’re the one saying it, then I guess I have to believe it.” King looked up, meeting the eyes of the person sitting not far from him, “But how are we going to catch the culprit like this? Can’t take a ghost to court, can we?”

“Thup, you said there has to be a real person behind this, right?”

“Yes, these things are used in rituals; there has to be a living person doing it.”

“And how do we find this person when what we’ve got so far leads nowhere?” King asked, leaning back on the sofa, his sharp eyes looking at the young man sitting too close to his former lover.

“There are some, the CCTV from the grocery store across from the temple captured images of the victims, each one as they went inside. I’ve just checked two people so far, namely, the kid named Jom and Meen. Jom hasn’t come out since he went into the temple, while Meen was seen driving out, so not sure if something happened, where, need to check the footage of the others.”

“Are you saying the people in the temple are suspects?”

“It’s possible, because from the autopsy, it was found that nearly all the deceased had similar types of food in their stomachs, except for some whose food had already been digested by the time they were found.” Say finished speaking, stood up to grab a file with the autopsy report, and tossed it to King before sitting back down. The previous events and all the stories would shock him somewhat, but as someone who has always believed in science over sorcery, for him, these events aren’t something you encounter easily, at least there should be some proof. “Chicken, curry spices, wheat flour used for making these noodles, were found in the stomachs of the deceased, and from when I took Rin to the temple, I noticed there’s a charity kitchen there. The food found might come from there.”

“Food from the temple… Thup, did you bring it here too?”

“It’s on your desk, Phii.”

“Go get it, here’s the key.” Thup took the room key from the older man before walking out to fetch the item as ordered.

“I just asked him to get something.”

“Even though he’s a suspect, a stranger, you took him to your house?”

“Trust him that much?” King asked when only three of them remained in the room. “What are you thinking, Singha?” Singha glanced around as if to scold.

“What?” Singha handed over an evidence bag that inside had…

“Think we should only talk about work.” King sighed.

“Say, check this too.”

“Soil from pottery.” a slightly soiled handkerchief to Say. “I want to know if it’s the same type of soil used for sculpting the dolls.”

“Where did you get this from?”

“Under the abbot’s quarters.”

“The abbot? Don’t tell me you suspect a monk.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So what are you going to do next, got a plan yet?”

“Not yet. Just thinking we need to find all the dolls first.”

“If what that kid said is true, we need to find them according to the days, right? Now we have three, so there are four left.”

“What do you think we’ll get from these dolls?” King asked after a moment of silence. “Fingerprints are probably gone by now.”

“Not necessarily, trying won’t hurt. More importantly, we need to figure out what ritual the killer is performing, and why.”

“Surely it’s not some kind of sacrificial ritual, right?” Say asked, not believing that in today’s world such beliefs still existed.

“Not sure.” Singha leaned back against the sofa, casually sweeping his jet-black hair. “You guys don’t need to look for the dolls anymore. I’ll handle it myself. Say, you check for fingerprints and examine the type of soil, see if it’s the same. Inform me if you find anything. And you, King, check the CCTV for entries and exits at the temple, and track where Meen’s car went.”

“Checking these dolls is no issue for me, the point is, will something like this happen again?” Say said before looking at the dolls with the heads of a tiger, lion, and a horse.

“You might as well bring some amulets with you.”

“Which amulets?”

“How would I know? Just find some.”

“Then I’ll ask Rin about it. Let’s leave it for today; I need to recover from this ghost nonsense first.”

“I’ll take these back home for now, I’ll bring them back tomorrow.” The young inspector stood up, stretching slightly to relieve his fatigue.

“Isn’t this going to be dangerous?” King asked as he stood up to follow Singha.

“So what? Do you want to take it back or what?” Singha asked with a mocking tone, sneering when he saw the other didn’t respond. He chuckled in his throat, “Wait for me, come on. If Thup comes, have him check those foods too. I got them from the charity kitchen. Tell him to wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Singha said, grabbing the three dolls from the evidence bag and walking out of the forensic department room.

Thup arrived at Singha’s office, quickly unlocked the door to grab something, then locked it back up. As he walked back towards the forensic department, his steps halted when the once brightly lit corridor turned completely dark. The young man recoiled. He knew he couldn’t easily pass through here. Just as he was about to turn away, the lights along the corridor began to flicker rapidly before turning back on. However, at the end of the corridor, there wasn’t just the connecting door; there was also a woman with a grotesquely twisted body blocking the way. Thup’s legs felt nailed to the spot, unable to move at will, his hands clenching tightly. Each time the ghost tried to approach, the lights would go out, leaving only her white eyes and a terrifying smile visible.

‘Heh, heh, the Giant isn’t here. Who’s going to save you now?’

   No need to guess who the ‘giant’ refers to. Thup knew he’d face dangers if he strayed from Singha, but he couldn’t cling to him forever. Even if not now, in the future, Singha probably wouldn’t want him meddling in his life much.

“I… I don’t know what you… want.”

‘Eaten seven. Will eat again!’

   Eaten seven? Did that mean the dead?

“By doing this, you’re only creating more karma for yourself. Please stop.” Thup said, for the first time daring to do something like this, hoping Singha would definitely be able to help, whether he lived or died.

‘Ghost’

   !!!

Thup frowned slightly upon hearing this, then jolted in surprise as a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Are you okay? I saw you standing here trembling for a while.”

“No.” Thup shook his head vigorously before turning back to look at the path, then started walking again.

The ghost had already disappeared.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”

“You… there were four of you, right? This morning?”

“Ah, yes. Our case isn’t settled yet because the police are too busy with something else, so we’re still here.”

“Ah.” Thup nodded lightly. “Thank you, you are…”

“I’m Bom, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Thup, nice to meet you too.”

“You seem quite close with the police. Could you ask them to finish up our case? I’m really fed up with this place.”

“Ah. I’ll try to ask them for you.” They exchanged brief farewells before parting ways. Thup glanced back at the path once more and then hurried back to find Singha.

As he neared the forensic room, he heard voices talking along with white cigarette smoke billowing out. Listening closely, he immediately recognized whose voice it was.

“Are you going to be mad like this forever?” King exhaled cigarette smoke, staring off into the sky beside Singha, who was standing with him.

“If you want to talk, go back inside. It’s annoying.” The young inspector frowned, annoyed, as he inhaled nicotine.

“I came to apologize, didn’t I, Singha?”

“Your apology means I should just get over it, huh, King? Thinking shallow like always.”

“So, what do you want? To spite me by hanging out with that kid all day and night?”

“And how does this involve Thup?”

“How many years have we been together? You think I don’t know what you’re thinking, Singha?”

“Heh, how many years have we been together?” Singha repeated with a mocking tone, “Three years, maybe, three years you secretly betrayed me, Say, Rin, three years I was stupid enough to be fooled by you for so long.”

“Sorry.” King grabbed the wrist of the person in front of him, before speaking in a softer voice.

“Taking my work achievements wasn’t enough, you also blamed me for your mistakes, and now you come back to say a simple ‘sorry’?” Singha dropped his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it into the dirt. He shook off King’s hand and pushed his chest, making him stumble back into the wall, “Before asking others to forgive you, maybe think about whose heads you stepped on to get where you are today.” as Singha was about to walk back inside, his feet paused, and he chuckled deep in his throat.

“And even if I and that kid have something going on or not, it’s none of your business.”

Thup, who had now taken a seat in the forensic department’s waiting room, just sat quietly, the recent conversation still swirling in his head.

“Is this what Singha wanted to be checked?” Say asked, eyeing the items on the table, but upon hearing no response, he looked up at the kid who was zoning out again, “Hey, kid seeing ghosts, Thup!”

“Yes?”

“What are you spacing out for? Did you hear what I asked?”

“Oh, yes, yes, this is it.”

“Just this?”

“Khun Say. Can I… ask you something?”

“Ask quickly, I need to get to work.”

“Phii Singha and King… were they ever a couple?”

“Yeah. Well, not exactly a couple. They didn’t have a status, just that kind of unspoken understanding, you know?”

“I see.”

“But there was some drama, so those two are now like parallel lines, never to meet again.”

“What’s up with those two?”

“I guess you’ve heard some rumors by now. To tell the whole story would take a while, just know that King almost got Singha kicked out of the service and thrown in jail.”

“Phii Singha must be really angry, huh?”

“Yeah, Singha is the type who gives you everything if he trusts you, but if you break that trust, he won’t keep you around.”

“Got it.” Thup pressed his lips together with a determined look. He was determined not to disappoint Phii Singha.

“Why ask? Are you trying to flirt with him?”

“N-no! I… I just saw you guys talking outside just now… not trying to flirt!”

“Then why are you getting so worked up? I was just joking.”

“I was afraid you’d get the wrong idea… I wouldn’t dare flirt with Phii Singha.” The last sentence was said quietly by Thup.

“Thup.” a voice called out along with the sound of the door opening, making Thup jump.

“Yes!!!”

“Why are you yelling? Just wanted to say we’re heading home.”

“Oh, Singha is back? This kid here just—”

“Let’s go, let’s go home. We’re heading home now, Phii Singha, Khun Say, goodbye.” Thup quickly interrupted and pushed the older man out of the room, fearing Say might reveal what he had just asked.

“What’s with you?”

“Are you hungry, Phii? Can we stop by the supermarket to buy some stuff first? There’s nothing fresh in your fridge at home.” Thup linked arms with the older man, chatting away nervously.

“What have you done wrong?”

“Uh… no, really.”

“Thup.”

“No, honestly.” Thup quickly turned to look at his older brother with innocent eyes, but when he met the fierce gaze of Singha, he had to press his lips together immediately. “I heard you talking with Khun King when I was outside.”

“And?”

“So I asked Khun Say what you guys were arguing about.” Thup looked up again, worried. It was a delicate matter between two people. He didn’t want to be seen as meddling. “Are you angry?”

“Nonsense. Where should we stop? Don’t dawdle, I want to sleep.” Seeing this older guy walk towards the car with his usual demeanor, not angry or annoyed, the young man let out a smile before running to cling to his arm again.

“Near my place is fine… but, are you really going to take those dolls back home? Don’t bring them into the house.”

“Do you want to leave them here to cause more trouble?”

“Then keep them in the car, please.”

“Fine, fine.”

“I also have something to tell you.”

“What?”

“I just saw the ghost of the woman we met at Khun Meen’s house again.” As soon as Thup finished speaking, Singha turned to look at him immediately, because this time, the young man hadn’t gone with him.

“Did anything happen?”

“Phii Singha… I heard her speaking Khmer.”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 17: Do Not Greet

“Hey Thup, if you’re going to stick this close, why not just ride on my back?”

“It’s getting cold.” Thup clung to Singha’s arm before walking with his head down, not looking up. The sun was about to set completely, but instead of heading back to the police station, what the older guy did was walk into the temple.

“Or should you just wait in the car?”

“If something happens to you, what then?”

“You look worse off than me, Thup.” he said, wearily nudging beside him, Singha rolled his eyes at the kid walking.

The atmosphere inside the temple during twilight seems peaceful but also eerie. The sky, a blend of orange and faint purple, is the time Thup dislikes the most, hating both the ambiance and the name of this period.

This is the time known as “ghost drying clothes.” believed to be a connecting time, making sleep a bad idea during this period, because there is a free flowing of spirits between the human world and other realms potentially allowing spirits, ghosts, deities, and humans to coexist at the same time. It’s believed that spirits might leave the body, and wandering spirits could take their place.

The sound of a coconut broom sweeping the ground came from behind the crematorium. The closer Thup got, the more his heart trembled.

“Hello, Uncle Khuen.”

“Oh, it’s you, the policeman from last time. What brings you here?” Uncle Khuen stopped sweeping the leaves and approached them with a smile, “Here for dinner?”

“No, I have some questions.”

“About another case, young man?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead, if I can help, I will.”

“I wanted to ask if on Monday, there was a fifteen-year-old boy, about 160 cm tall, wearing a white T-shirt and black pants. He came to the temple around five to six in the evening and didn’t leave. Did you happen to see him?”

“Monday, huh? Let me think… No, there wasn’t anyone like that. On Monday, the villagers invited the monks for a funeral chant at a house. The only one here would’ve been the abbot, who was unwell and stayed in his quarters for several days.”

“Can I meet him then?”

“Sure, I’ll take you there.” Uncle Khuen leaned the broom against a nearby tree, then led both of them towards the abbot’s quarters. Along the way, there were many trees, both big and small, creating an ambiance that was both serene and eerie. This area was quiet and quite isolated, suitable for relaxation and prayer. As they approached the raised traditional Thai house, Thup gripped Singha’s arm tighter, prompting the older man to look at him.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just some wandering spirits.” Even though being near Singha keeps ghosts away, it doesn’t mean they’re completely out of sight. He still sees spirits and ghosts from afar; some look on with interest, others lament their own passing, murmuring about their lives, their loved ones, their families, or even those who can’t let go of worldly attachments, regretting the loss of external things.

“Turn your face here.” Singha said, stopping. He took out his sunglasses from his collar and put them on Thup, covering his beautiful eyes.

“Why are you giving me these, Phii? It’s dark.”

“Can you still see clearly?”

“Huh?” Thup looked around; although he could still see, the details were obscured by the dark lenses of the sunglasses. “Not very clearly anymore.”

“Good, now just walk, don’t fuss.” Singha followed Uncle Kheun again, with the boy beside him following with a grateful smile.

“Phii Singha, thank you.”

“Yeah, now shut up.”

The two walked up the stairs to the wooden door painted in dark’s color. Uncle Kheun knocked on the door three or four times before calling out to the abbot.

“Abbot, there are people here to see you.”

“Just a moment, Khun Kheun.” The shuffling sounds inside indicated that the abbot was not quite ready for visitors just yet.

“These days, the abbot’s been a bit sick, not really leaving the temple.”

“Have you tried taking him to a doctor?”

“We did, the doctor said it’s probably just old age. You know, they say you can escape anything, but you can’t escape old age, sickness, and death.” Uncle Kheun spoke with a resigned tone, while Singha just listened quietly.

Not long after, the wooden door opened, and a monk walked out with a weary expression. He sat down on a chair on the balcony before greeting Singha, and Thup in a friendly manner.

“What brings you to see me, my devotees?”

“Greetings, Reverend. I’m here to inquire about a missing child.”

“A missing child? Who this time?”

“He came here last Monday, around five to six in the evening. Did you happen to see him, Reverend?”

“I didn’t see him, my child. I believe I was ill at that time and was resting inside my quarters, and didn’t go anywhere. But I think I heard some noises outside a bit after five.”

“What kind of noises can you describe?”

“Maybe the sound of something being dragged? I’m not quite sure, I thought it might be the novices doing their evening prayers.”

“Is there any CCTV at the temple that might have caught something?”

“There is, but it’s been broken for over a month now. Since there haven’t been any big events at the temple, we haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet.” Singha merely nodded in acknowledgment.

“And what about others, Reverend? Thee, who comes here often, was here for merit-making on Thursday morning, but the neighbors say he didn’t return home. Do you know what he might have been doing here?”

“Thee, he often comes to make merit, help out at the temple, and change the flowers at his wife’s urn site daily. Some days he stays to listen to sermons, others he rushes back to tend to his garden.” The abbot explained, interspersed with bouts of coughing.

“But that day, he told me he was coming to see you, Reverend. I told him you were resting in your quarters, and I saw him walking towards you. Did you not meet him?”

“I heard someone calling, but I came out and told him I was unwell and not up for conversation, then it seemed like he left.”

Singha glanced at his watch before standing up to excuse himself, mentioning there might be some more questions another day.

“Of course, my child, feel free to come by anytime.”

“Thank you, I’ll be heading back first.” said Singha as he began to walk down the stairs without waiting for Thup, who was still bowing to the abbot. Singha glanced over and noticed a pottery wheel set up under the stilt area. Upon reaching the bottom, he immediately went to inspect it. Seeing no one around, he used his handkerchief to collect some dried clay fragments, wrapped them up, and tucked them into his coat pocket. Hearing footsteps descending the stairs, he returned to stand at the foot of the staircase as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s go, let’s go, I’ll walk you out. Will you have some food? There should still be some left at the communal kitchen. Want to take some back?”

“No, thank you, Uncle, I don’t want to impose on you.” Thup replied, his face streaked with grimness.

“What’s there to feel bad about? Wait for me, I’ll go get some from the aunties for you.” The three walked back out to the temple grounds once more, but this time, Singha was quieter and more composed than usual, prompting Thup to ask with concern, “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Are you feeling unwell? I told you to change out of those wet clothes.” Thup, concerned, touched the older guy’s cheek. “You feel a bit warm.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sick, happy now? Get in the car.” Singha pushed Thup towards the car before pulling out his phone to call his close friend.

[What?]

   “Are you at the station?”

[Yeah, I’m checking the dolls now. What’s up?]

   “Is it the tiger head?”

[Yeah, it’s the only one here.]

   “And is Rin there with you?”

[No, she asked to be dropped home. Said she wouldn’t come in if the dolls were still here.]

   “Hmm, I’ll come.”

[…]

   “Hey, Say.”

[…]

   “Hey, Say, can you hear me?”

[…]

   “Say.”

“Come on, young man, take this—green chicken curry, stir-fried yellow noodles, and soy milk.” Uncle Kheun said as he returned with a large bag of food.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“Safe travels.”

Singha got in the car and headed back to the station immediately, feeling something was off from the earlier call because he had a premonition.

“What the heck is with this guy? He doesn’t even talk when spoken to.” Say hung up when there was no response from the other end, thinking it might be a signal issue since this room was always bad for reception.

Say was at the forensic examination table in the lab, surrounded by various tools and equipment, including a broken doll with a tiger head. He shone his flashlight and used a magnifying glass on the clay doll in front of him. Earlier, he had only done a brief examination before being called to inspect the victim’s house. He knew it was a doll made from clay, shaped into a woman holding a child. There was a twist mark at the neck, likely from when it was molded, and damage on the head from four teenagers who had broken it before. The head was crudely shaped like a tiger but still recognizable.

“What’s this?” Say muttered as he used the magnifying glass along the body to the back, noticing some tiny marks that made him focus intently, “A… Ka… Lai?”

!!!

Suddenly, the lights in the room started flickering without any apparent reason, causing Say to stop what he was doing with his doll and look up at the light switch. He reached out to turn it off and on again; the lights returned to normal. But as Say was about to sit back down, a noise came from the adjacent autopsy room.

“What the heck?” he muttered with curiosity, unaware that in this world, there’s a belief passed down that if you hear a noise at night:

Don’t Greet.

   Don’t Respond.

   Don’t Answer.

   Entering the autopsy room, Say noticed one of the morgue cabinet doors was open, even though he was sure it had been closed before since it wasn’t in use. He approached without fear, intending to close it, but then the lights began to flicker once more.

“Power surge, maybe?” Say mumbled, looking up at the bulb. When he looked back into the cabinet, he saw a dark shadow inside, where it should have been empty. He leaned closer, amidst increasingly frequent light flickering. When the light was on, he saw only the empty cabinet, but when it went dark, what he saw were a pair of stark white eyes staring back at him.

‘Cut the thread, cut the thread, cut the thread…’

   The repeated phrase made Say frown before he instinctively let go of the cabinet door. He slowly backed away, not trusting his eyes, because every time the light was on, the cabinet was empty, but when it darkened, those eyes and a sinister smile appeared.

‘Cut death, cut death, cut death…’

   !!!

The lights, which had been flickering rapidly, went completely dark, leaving only the faint light from outside filtering through the door. Say kept his eyes fixed forward, his heart pounding as never before. The sound of the morgue cabinet door slammed shut with a loud bang, followed by what sounded like several bones breaking and the eerie noise of skin dragging across the floor.

‘Heh, heh, heh, cut it, cut it, cut the thread now, so it can see.’

   “Damn it!!!” Within a split second, Say’s ankle was grabbed before he was yanked to the ground and dragged towards the morgue cabinet. The more it tried to pull him inside, the more Say felt a growing sense of fear inside him, terrified that if he were to come out, he would be as a lifeless body.

Just as he was struggling to escape from the invisible grip, the room’s door swung open with light flooding in. The force on his leg, the foul stench, and the chilling atmosphere vanished, and the lights that had been off came back on.

Singha rushed in to support his friend, whose lower half was already inside the morgue cabinet, pulling him out. They looked at each other without a word before collapsing exhausted on the floor.

“We need to talk.” Singha initiated the conversation first. “Let’s start with that incident just now.” Say lay flat on the floor, trying to steady his rapid breathing.

“Call Darin, tell her to come here. I’ll go get King.”

“Don’t tell me it’s really about that ghost nonsense.”

“And what do you think just happened to you?”

“Damn it! My head’s killing me.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

Thup watched these two older guys lamenting on the autopsy room floor, then glanced up at the still-open morgue cabinet. What he saw were eyes and a smile slowly disappearing into the darkness at the back of the cabinet.

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 16: Wannanongkran

King’s car stopped in front of a small house. Though not in perfect condition, with the house covered in corrugated iron and various wires holding it together, it was still a home.

“Hello.” King greeted.

“Hel…Hello.” an elderly woman, around eighty years old, opened the door, looking weary.

“I’m a police officer.”

“Is this about Jom?” Just mentioning the name of her recently deceased grandson made her voice tremble.

“Yes. I’m here to check on a few things. Here’s my warrant.”

“I can’t see well, young man, but come on in, though it’s a bit messy.” She walked out and sat on a wooden chair at the front, gazing aimlessly at the sky. Her life and her grandson’s had been very hard. She never thought heaven would still torment them like this.

“The forensic team couldn’t work, so be careful, wear gloves, and don’t rummage through things randomly.”

“Understood.” After instructing his team to go inside, King sat down beside the old woman, who at this moment looked extremely weak.

“Grandma, can I ask you a few more questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“Before the day Jom disappeared, did he mention anything strange or tell you any stories?”

“Hmmm… Normally, Jom didn’t talk much; he just did things. He was a good kid. Even though his parents left him, he said he’d survive, take care of me until the day we die, but, sob…” The elderly woman raised her wrinkled hand to cover her face, hiding her tears. She had only her grandson as an anchor to keep living, but now he was gone. She saw no more beauty in this world. “Jom said, sob, Jom would go sell garlands and be right back. Even when he was sick, that boy, sob, that boy still had to work, couldn’t take a break. He didn’t live like other kids because he had to earn money for school. I, sob, saved this money hoping to give it to him on his upcoming birthday.”

She reached into her faded, patched shirt pocket and pulled out a clear plastic bag with some money in it.

“Every month, I saved my elderly allowance for Jom’s tuition. Any money left, he worked for and gave it all to me, sob, oh my poor grandson.” King had to console her, helping her to ease from her grief, while his team inside the house continued searching for anything unusual.

“It smells like the last house, man.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

“Just bottles, boxes, and cans everywhere.”

“What did the chief say we’re looking for?”

“A clay doll with a lion head.”

“Nothing here.”

“Nothing here either.”

“Shall we leave?”

Thud!

A sound of something hitting the zinc roof from outside made all three turn to look. They sent one officer to check before turning to look around again for anything unusual.

The young policeman walked out from the back of the house; behind was a cleared ground where grass had been cut, now planted with kitchen vegetables, and further was an abandoned water well. He walked out to where the sound had come from but only found emptiness.

“Doesn’t seem like there’s anything.” he muttered as he was about to walk back, when the sound of something hitting the water made him turn to look at the puddle, where ripples spread out despite no wind or object floating. He slowly approached to look closer, and when he peered down, he only saw his own shadow. But then something floated up, making the water ripple in circles, “What the heck?”

What floated up was a clay doll face down. The young policeman tried his best to reach out and grab it, every time he missed, his hand splashed into the chilling water of the well, sending shivers up his spine. Just as he was about to grab the doll, a pale, bloodless hand with dark, torn nails grabbed his wrist first. His eyes trembled as he looked at the doll lying face down; instead of just murky water filled with mud at the bottom, there appeared the face of a woman, her eyes hollow, flesh visible inside, smiling grotesquely at him from under the water, before yanking him down with force.

“Hey!!!” The last shout before the sound of splashing water followed, his body struggling to climb above water but it seemed the more he struggled, the deeper he was pulled into the well. His body turned cold, numb all over, his ankle felt the pain as if something sharp was piercing it. The water was so dark he couldn’t tell how deep he had sunk. His breath slowly faded as his body was being constricted. No way out, unless…

!!!

The sound of water bursting was the last he heard along with a faint light before his consciousness slowly slipped away.

“Phii Singha!!!”

“Singha!!!”

Everyone on the pavement was shocked by the actions of the young inspector, who, without hesitation, jumped into the water to save his subordinate. He swam down, sweeping his arms around to search for the body of the person who had fallen in earlier.

Meanwhile, those on the shore could only wait anxiously, trying to spot their colleague with concern. Suddenly, what emerged from the water wasn’t what they expected; it was a woman with hollowed eyes, her pale, torn lips stretched into a grin, all the way to her ears, smiling unabashedly at Thup. The young man froze, unable to move, sweat pouring from his forehead as his heart pounded wildly. The closer she got, the more he felt compelled to stay still. Just as she was about to reach him, the smile faded, replaced by an angry, furious expression.

‘Ghosts who are like you, shouldn’t mess around!!!’

   Thup felt a chill down his spine and turned around. What he saw was the ghost of a woman he had seen in his childhood, her eyes and lips still sewn with red thread as before, only now showing signs of wear. She looked ahead with a flat but darkly displeased expression, not bending to notice him as usual, but instead staring at the hollow-eyed ghost in front of her. No one moved, including Thup, until the sound of splashing water caught his attention, turning to see Singha emerging from the water. When he looked back, both female ghosts had vanished.

“Phii Singha!”

“Singha!”

Both Thup and King called out Singha’s name simultaneously, but it was King who reached Singha first.

“Are you okay? Let me see, are you hurt anywhere?” King touched the face and eyes of the man who just came out of the water with concern, but his hand was brushed away carelessly.

“No need to search anymore.” Singha said, holding up a clay doll for everyone waiting on the pavement to see. “King, take your subordinate to the hospital for another check. Let’s call it a day here, and meet back at the station.”

Someone ran up to him, placing the coat that Singha had thrown before jumping into the water onto his broad shoulders. His beautiful eyes glanced at the object in Singha’s hand, realizing it was a horse-head doll.

“I’ll give you a ride.” King grabbed Singha’s arm.

“No need, I have places to go.”

“In this condition, where else can you go?”

“I just went for a swim. I’m not dying.” Singha shook off the arm with annoyance, then walked ahead to the car, with Thup following close behind.

Upon reaching the car, he grabbed a towel from the back to wipe his hair roughly until no more water dripped onto his face.

“Phii, can you drive? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“If I can’t drive, would you take over?”

“I… can’t drive, Phii.”

“Thought so.” Singha tossed the doll on Thup’s lap again. The young man, still not used to it, startled, then bowed respectfully, muttering prayers as he placed it in the evidence bag. “What day is it this time?”

“It has a horse head, named Wannanongkran, a Mae Sue for Monday.” After the second time, Thup knew what to do next. He reached back for the folder to automatically check the list of victims. “Jom, Jom was born on a Monday and disappeared on a Monday, too.”

Singha glanced at the doll on Thup’s lap before cursing softly. This wasn’t a revenge killing or something from past stories, or life’s knots, but a killing for some kind of ritual. And if he didn’t catch the killer this time, soon enough, another case like this would happen.

“Phii.” Thup, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Singha since getting in the car, called to the older man in a soft voice after they’d been driving for a while.

“What?”

“Your arm…” A slender hand gently touched Singha’s arm where there was a long scratch down to the elbow. Though not deep and not bleeding, it looked like it stung quite a bit.

“Wonder if the teacher hit a branch underwater?”

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“Even so, we need to treat the wound, can’t leave it like that.”

“Yeah, I know, a wound this small won’t kill me, and can you take your hand off my arm now?”

“Sorry.” Thup immediately pulled his hand back but still kept his eyes on. “So, where are we heading?”

“The kid named Jom didn’t disappear from home but vanished after he went to work selling garlands at a shop near the temple. If we’re going to investigate how he disappeared, we should start there.” Thup nodded in understanding, “And have you contacted that friend of yours who knows about these things?”

“…Not yet.”

“Contact them quickly, so we can figure out what’s going on.”

“It’s just that… if I say something, can you promise not to get angry?”

“Can I just curse you out in advance?” Singha glanced at the kid sitting next to him, seeing a pleading face, he had to look away, “Go on, say it.”

“He’s not here. He’s in Sisaket.”

“Then call him.”

“Can’t call.”

“Why?”

“…Because he’s not a human anymore.”

“Are you messing with me, Thup?”

“I once followed the venerable monk on his alms round and passed by an old house, which was an abandoned wooden house with no one living in it. But the monk always stopped at that house before continuing on. One day, I asked him about it, and he said… the owner of that house practiced dark arts. When he grew old, he released something before he died, but… his spirit didn’t move on; it was stuck in that house until it’s karma was resolved.”

“Are you telling me to go ask a ghost?”

“If not this person, I wouldn’t know who else could tell us.”

“You’re really…” Singha pushed his tongue against his cheek in frustration. In his mind, he had never had to deal with a case this troubling before. Not just headaches about the culprit, but now also about nonsensical things. He wondered if what Darin said about being cursed at twenty-five was true, and if so, it was fitting for his age of thirty-five because he truly felt unlucky.

The two arrived at a flower and garland shop not far from the temple. Singha was slightly irritated with his still-soaked clothes; thankfully, his car seats were leather, so a car wash would not be a problem.

“Hello. I’m a police officer investigating the disappearance of Jom.” he wanted to ask about…

“H…Hello, officer.” a woman around sixty years old came out, looking rather unwell.

“Is this a good time?”

“Y…Yes, it is, but I really don’t know anything about Jom’s death.”

“On the day he came to work, did he behave strangely or tell you anything?”

“Not at all. Usually, I hire Jom to sell garlands two days before the holy day. That day, he was quiet, didn’t talk to anyone, but he was stringing the garlands haphazardly, so I… I accidentally scolded him. Suddenly, he glared at me and ran off into the temple. I haven’t seen him since, and… but I’m not involved, officer. I didn’t do anything to him.” she hurriedly explained, fearing she might be blamed.

“What time was this?”

“Around just past six.”

“He ran into the temple, you say? And you didn’t see him come back out?”

“I’m not sure. I wasn’t watching all the time because I had to string the garlands myself.”

“So, has anyone seen Jom walking out of the temple? It might help us know where he went before disappearing again.”

“Try asking at that convenience store; they have CCTV.” Singha looked where she pointed, and indeed, the store was right across from the temple.

“Thank you.”

The two walked to the mentioned store and found a man in his fifties lying on a hammock, fanning himself.

“Hello. I’m a police officer. I’d like to ask a few questions and also check your CCTV, if possible.”

“Hey, I haven’t done anything wrong, officer.”

“Yes, sir, then please cooperate with the investigation.”

“Oh, alright, come on in.”

“Last Monday, did you see a kid entering the temple around six to seven PM?”

“Didn’t see him, I was busy watching boxing.”

“Can I check the camera then?”

“My daughter’s not here, and I can’t do it myself.”

“I can do it.”

The store owner as he got up and led them to the back of the store where the house was.

“Here’s the computer, you go ahead.” Singha nodded and sat down on the chair, “Kid, you’re all wet and messy.”

“Sorry.” Singha was about to stand up, but the store owner stopped him, “Never mind.” He went to get a cloth from the cabinet and handed it to Thup instead, “I sell these for fifty each, pay for it when you come out.”

“Y…Yes, thank you.” Thup replied, placing the bright orange cloth on Singha’s shoulder, “I’ll go pay for this, Phii, you stay here.”

“Okay, okay, go out first, I’ll return it later.” When Thup walked out, he searched through the files, the CCTV footage. From the angle, it should be visible, right up to the front of the temple. He looked for the file with the date he wanted, found it, and immediately opened it to watch. The clip showed a boy walking into the temple from six until six-thirty, but until ten in the evening, there was no sign of him coming out. “He didn’t come out.”

Singha muttered, feeling a hunch, so he clicked to check the clips from Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well. In the morning, noon, and five in the evening, more people walked in and out of the temple, probably because it was the time when free meals were distributed. But what was strange was that after that, there were hardly any people going in or out. The Saturday clip, which was the same day the child disappeared, showed a car entering and leaving around seven. So where did it go next? Singha clicked back to Jom’s clip to make sure, just as Thup returned to stand behind him.

“Phii Singha.”

“What?”

“He didn’t walk in alone.”

“What do you mean? I saw it right here, he di—” Singha suddenly stopped talking when he saw Thup staring at the screen without blinking. “What do you see?”

“The ghost I saw at the well today… she was leading him by the hand inside.

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 15: Vijitmawan

“Are you hungry yet?”

The figure turned to look at his companion who was still looking at the road ahead, but that question was definitely for him.

“Not yet.”

“But I’m hungry.” Singha said and immediately turned into a roadside noodle shop.

After parking the car, they both got out and walked into the shop.

“What would you like?”

“Thin noodles with clear water pork.” Singha ordered without looking at the menu, “Dry egg noodles with Tom Yum.” Thup scanned the menu and then ordered from the staff, before getting up to fetch some ice for both himself and Singha, “Phii, what would you like to drink?”

“Water.” Thup nodded before he took out bottled water from the fridge and walked back, sitting opposite the older man. He efficiently poured the water, inserted straws, picked up spoons, wiped them, and prepared chopsticks.

“Do you do this often?”

“Huh? Oh, I used to do it for the old monk, so it became a habit.”

“Hmm.”

“What are you going to do next, Phii?”

“We have to wait and see what the team searching the victim’s house finds out.”

“Did you tell them not to go empty-handed and to carry amulets?”

“Not yet.” As soon as he finished speaking, Singha’s phone rang, “Speak.”

[Where are you?]

   “Get to the point.” Singha received his noodle bowl from the staff while clamping the phone to his shoulder nonchalantly.

[The forensic team’s vehicle crashed.] The hand that was about to sprinkle chili powder into the bowl paused before properly holding the phone again.

“Where, when?”

[On the way to the next victim’s house. The guys in it got away with few scratches but all safe.]

   “Why did the car suddenly flip?” Now taking everyone to the hospital.

[I don’t know either. I wasn’t there, but after checking the first victim’s house, I was informed.]

   “Did you find anything at that house?”

[No traces, but found the doll we were looking for.]

   “What does the doll look like?”

[A clay doll, the head is of a lion.]

Singha frowned tightly.

“And where is that doll now?”

[Say left it with the forensic vehicle.] The sharp eyes look up at Thup who is eating noodles.

“We are heading back.” Singha hangs up before calling the staff to pay immediately.

“Are you in a hurry, Phii?” Thup looked up with a worried face, “Keep eating.” The young inspector pays and walks to the car, immediately. Thup, watching him go, hurries to eat, unsure what’s urgent from the call just now.

Singha returns to the table, handing a file to Thup, while with the other hand, he dials his close friend from forensics. The young man takes the file with a confused look, tilts his head as he opens it, seeing what the older man is gesturing at.

“What day is Mae Sue with a lion head?”

“Pardon?” Thup asked.

‘What day does Mae Sue with a lion head’ first sentence was to the kid in front of him, the other end just answered. “So where is Say?” The next sentence is directed to:

“Sunday, Phii. Mae Sue with a lion head is named Wijitmawan.”

“Find out who was born on a Sunday, when they died, and when they disappeared.”

[Who are you talking to Singha?]

   “Where are you?”

[On the car, heading to the hospital.]

   “Where did the doll you left with the forensics go?”

[It should be at the hospital, I’m going to check//Singha, I got haunted by a ghost!!!] Darin’s voice came through the line, [Noisy]

“Haunted by a ghost?”

[Yeah. When I was at the deceased’s house, she said she saw a ghost holding a doll under the bed. She was crying so much I had to take her to the temple to pay respects, now just as we’re heading to the next victim’s house, the hospital called about the accident first.]

   “You go check out the situation first then, I’ll follow later.”

[Yeah, yeah, and where are you now?]

   “Heading back.”

[And what did you find out from the investigation at the prison?]

   “Seems like fifteen years ago there were several cops who framed a person to get promotions, we’ll deal with it after closing this case.”

[Alright then, that’s it.]

   “Hey, Say…” Singha looks at Thup again, “If you find the doll, don’t go anywhere, I’ll come to get it.”

[Why?]

   “I’ll tell you later.” After a few more sentences, they both hang up and return to their duties.

“That doll…” Thup didn’t dare to continue, judging by Singha’s serious expression, it probably wasn’t anything good.

“So, did you find the information I asked for?”

“I found it.” Thup hands back the opened folder to his colleague, “James. He was born on a Sunday, he is the one to disappear first, and… also disappeared on a Sunday. I guess the perpetrator might be choosing people based on their birthday.”

Singha can read the information while listening, but he knits his brows together.

“We still need to check everyone’s house first. If that doll really matches the birthday, we’ll know what the killer is selecting victims based on, and how they might be getting that information.” Then, with a bored expression, Singha props his chin on his hand and drains his glass of water.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Phii? The noodles are getting soggy.”

“Not hungry anymore. Hurry up and eat.”

“We can go now, so you don’t waste time.”

“Eat up, you. You’d blow away with just a little touch.”

“You’re exaggerating. I’m not that small at all.”

Singha flicked his straw, splashing water onto the kid in front of him. It’s true, the kid isn’t that small; he’s actually slightly taller than him but thinner since he doesn’t work out as much. If taken to the gym, he could easily sculpt a nice physique.

“Actually, about that doll… I think you should check it out yourself.”

“Why?”

“I heard you talking on the phone with Khun King about the car flipping after you got the doll, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I think the person who can retrieve that doll without getting hurt… might be you.”

“Because?”

“Did you… pray to Thao Vessavan or something?”

“No.” Thup tilted his head slightly, “But my mom did.”

“I knew it.” Thup mutters quietly to himself. He knew he wasn’t seeing things.

“Why do you see ghosts then?”

“I’m not sure, the old monk didn’t say. He just said in the future, I’ll understand. He just told me to wear this amulet until that time comes.”

“I don’t know when, or what time.”

“But your necklace with the Buddha amulet just disappeared like this, you know? Do you want to see ghosts until you die? Why not try renting an amulet from somewhere else?”

“I’ve tried that… but I still see them.”

“If I keep a doll with me, does that mean you’ll encounter more ghosts? Want that?”

“…True.” Thup’s face fell, “But keeping it with someone else might put them in danger like this again. This time might not be life-threatening, but those ghosts… they don’t seem like the type who want to move on.”

“Let’s think about it later. Right now, we need to handle the hospital situation quickly before eating.”

“I’ll be right back.” Thup stood up and walked to the counter, leaving Singha to poke at his soggy noodles, now completely drained of water.

“Let’s go.”

“What’s that?”

“Steamed buns, for you to eat something light. You haven’t eaten anything yet, you can eat these in the car.”

“Alright, alright.” Both returned to the car to head to the hospital.

Say, who had just arrived, immediately went to check on his subordinates. One of the three who were in the van during the accident, a doctor, was now sitting in front of the emergency room with a bandage around his head.

“Hey, Pai, where are the others?”

“They’re getting treated inside.” he looked up to answer his boss, “Why did the van suddenly overturn?”

“I wasn’t driving, boss. Joke was.”

“And what happened before that?”

“I was sitting next to him, talking about dolls. Suddenly, he tensed up, said someone was in front of the car, and then swerved to avoid them, causing the van to lose control and flip.” Pai turned to face Say with trembling eyes, “But when he said someone cut in front of the car, I didn’t see anyone at all.”

“Do you see now? I told you that the doll really is haunted!” Darin said, shaking Say’s arm until his head wobbled.

“The doll from the victim’s house, right?”

“Yes, yes, where is it now? You didn’t bring it with you, did you?” Darin turned to nod at the injured person sitting on the other side of Say.

“Oh, here it is.” Joke picked up an evidence bag containing the doll with Singha’s head and showed it to them. Upon seeing it, Darin immediately hid behind her friend. “Don was holding onto it in the car. The nurse just took it out for me because he wouldn’t let go, even if his fingers might get severed.”

“See, Say? I told you there’s something really there.”

“You this guy.”

“You guys.” a newcomer’s voice made all three turn around, “Hello, Inspector.”

“Yeah, sit down.” Singha gestured lightly to Ko who was about to stand up, “How’s everyone doing?”

“I just got a head wound. Joke got a dislocated shoulder and cut his lip on glass, needed stitches. And Don lost his fingers, they’re probably stitching them back now.”

While letting the older guy talk to the others, Thup glanced at the clay doll with Singha’s head on Joke’s lap. He tried to be brave and look around but saw no sign of the ghost lady he had seen before, only the wandering spirits in the hospital, those newly dead and unaware, and those still clinging to life.

“Give it here.” Singha reached out for the evidence bag, “And where’s the one I gave you?”

“In the room.” Say replied with a serious face. With all three of his men in the hospital, this case would make him work three times as hard.

“Why?”

“You don’t need to examine it yet. Wait to do it with me.”

“Tell me later.”

“Later? You’ve got a lot of stories, don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah. And where’s King now?”

“By now, we should be at the second victim’s house already.”

“Alright, see you at the station then.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Phii Darin.” Thup suddenly spoke up.

“What’s up?”

“What you saw… was it a woman, right?”

“Huh! Ye… Yes, don’t tell me… don’t tell me she followed us!!! I’ve already done the holy water ritual, why didn’t it work!” Darin quickly grabbed her close friend Say’s arm out of fear.

“No, Phii, can you describe her to me?”

“Ugh. I don’t even want to talk about it, it’s like, it’s super scary, a female ghost, no eyeballs, and she still looks young, it’s freaking terrifying, mouth torn, no eyes, and then there’s that doll too, this case isn’t normal anymore, Singha.” Darin took the chance to switch from grabbing Say’s arm to shaking Singha’s.

“Different entity.”

“What do you mean?” Singha didn’t pay much attention to his friend but turned to focus on the kid in the back who had just spoken.

“She’s a different entity from what I saw.”

“Why is this getting so complicated?” Singha cursed, annoyed, “I’m going to get King to deal with this.”

“Yeah.” Singha walked back to his car, and once inside, he tossed the doll from a bag on Thup’s lap. The young man tensed up before cautiously looking around the car.

“Check if this is the doll you saw.” The young inspector said as he backed the car out of the parking spot, heading towards the next victim’s house.

Thup picked up the evidence bag to examine it. The young boy held his breath, staring intently to ensure that this doll was the same as the one he saw vomiting in the gym. The body of the doll was typical, but the top was the head of a lion, with the face turned to the back. It seemed clear that whoever did this must have crafted it themselves.

“The body is correct, but the head isn’t,” said the boy.

“What do you mean by different ghosts?”

“The ghost I saw when I was with Khun Meen had eyes, just white eyes. But the one Phii Darin saw had no eyeballs at all, which means they are different entities.”

“Have you ever talked about black magic?”

“Yes.”

“So what does the bastard who did this want? Why did they do it?”

“I don’t know yet. But for sure, the ghosts attached to these dolls must belong to him.”

“Do you know anyone who understands these things?”

“…Yes, I do have someone.” Thup slightly pursed his lips with a worried look.

He definitely knew someone, but whether he would dare to involve them was another matter.

  

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