KHEMJIRA, Chapter 22:

  It took about forty minutes to travel to the temple fair in the district, which was lively with lights, sounds, and people. The roads were constantly busy, contrasting with the peacefulness of the village where master Pharan lived.

Pong let the kids off at the temple entrance so he could go find a parking spot. Jett suggested they wait near the stage where the traditional Thai music was being performed.

Jett and Khem walked into the fair together, with Chan following behind, passing through numerous street food stalls towards the stage area to find a place to sit. Jett and Khem stood waiting while Chan went to rent a large mat for them to sit on.

Not long after, Phii Pong arrived, bringing with him several items of food.

“Nong Khem, I bought this for you.” Phii Pong said as he handed over a cup of buttery popcorn that Khem had been eyeing since they entered the temple gate, but had decided against buying due to the long line, not wanting to make Jett and Chan wait.

Khem’s mouth slightly dropped open in surprise, not expecting Phii Pong to go through the trouble of lining up to buy it for him. He quickly bowed his head in thanks before accepting it with both hands.

“Thank you, Phii Pong.” Khem gave a little smile, his eyes sparkling with joy, forgetting his previous reserved manners as he eagerly started eating.

Pong’s heart raced, the name ‘Phii Pong’ echoing in his ears like a ringing bell, which filled him with such contentment that he didn’t feel like eating anything else.

Seeing the sweet look in Phii Pong’s eyes and the single serving of popcorn, Jett immediately concluded that Phii Pong was interested in Khem. Rumors had circulated since their school days that Phii Pong had an interest in men.

Jett nodded to himself. If Phii Pong was serious, he was ready to help, as the other man wasn’t bad; he didn’t drink alcohol or smoke, being an athlete, and he was financially stable. But for now, they would have to take things slowly until they could handle the issues with Khem’s karmic debts.

After finishing the popcorn, Khem suddenly thought of the master. It was a pity that the master couldn’t enjoy these delicious foods, but if he had come, there would be no one to watch over the house. If it were Khem, he probably wouldn’t dare to leave the entire teak wood Thai house unattended to go on a long outing either.

“Jett, can we buy some food to take back for the master?” Khem asked, turning to Jett, who was stretching, preparing to go and dance in front of the stage. Jett nodded.

“Sure. You buy them, and I’ll give them to the master myself.” Khem smiled and nodded quickly.

“Can I come too? I want to buy something for my mom and my sister as well.” Pong added.

“That’s great, brother. Then, could you buy something for my friends too? I’m going to dance for a bit. Come on, Chan, get up.” Chan, who was savoring the last meatball, was pulled by the collar from behind and had to let go of his food to follow.

“Greetings to all the friends and fans of the Mor La Sing Isan singing troupe…”

“There it is! Come on, Chan!”

Khem could only wave his hand in the air as he heard the host’s voice and the drummer’s beat, while Jett dragged Chan towards the stage, running so fast that dust flew without waiting for Khem’s objection. In the end, Khem had to go shopping with Phii Pong alone.

Memories from the past came flooding back; Khem and the master in their previous life often went to temple fairs together. Grilled squid was something Phawat loved to eat…

  Khem gazed at the grilled squid stall, until Pong, walking beside him, asked,

“Nong Khem, do you want some? I’ll go stand in line for you.” Khem looked at Pong, shook his head, and then smiled.

“No, let’s go to that stall instead.” Khem pointed to a vegetarian spring roll stall a few shops down.

From what Khem had observed, the master in this life didn’t really enjoy eating meat.

Pong nodded with a smile.

“Okay, let’s go then.”

Cut to the front of the stage. The crowd had made space for the dancers.

“Here comes the shining star, the young politician!”

“Go, Jett, don’t let your father’s name down!” As soon as Jett took his usual spot, he received cheers from those who recognized him. Jett smiled, raising his fist to the sky, ensuring that this performance would not disappoint anyone.

Chan did not join them in that area, merely standing at a distance, occasionally glancing left and right because he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen soon.

The sound of drums started up again after the female singer had finished her introduction.

“Listen up, brothers and sisters, the magpie bird flies over the bamboo tip, who’s got something big, let’s hear you shout now!”

At that moment, Jett responded with a loud shout, catching the attention of the man standing next to him, but Jett paid no mind, raising his hands to dance as the melodious sound of the traditional Thai instrument, the phin, came from the speakers.

Soon, the rhythm shifted to a waltz, with the sound of the phin blending with drums, guitar, and heavy bass. Chan was taken aback when Jett began to perform an array of dance moves that resembled dancing worms, mango snatching, hair combing, applying powder while looking in the mirror, and many more moves that were hard to name.

All Chan knew was that he wanted to stop being friends with Jett right then and there.

Jett let go and lost himself to the music and rhythm, unaware that someone had him in their sights. As he was swaying his hips in high spirits, someone’s foot kicked him from behind, nearly making him fall forward.

“Damn, who did that!” Jett turned around angrily, only to clench his teeth when he saw who it was.

“Hey, long time no see, huh?”

“Klaa!” Klaa was Jett’s peer from school, though they were in different classes, and he was the nephew of a black magic practitioner whose relationship with the master was not great, which naturally reflected on their own relationship.

“Yeah, it’s me. What’s your problem?”

“I should be the one asking, kicking someone out of the blue. Are you stupid?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Klaa’s friends who were standing behind him stepped forward, each of them giving Jett intimidating looks. Realizing how many there were, Jett instinctively took a step back.

At that moment, even the music and singing paused for a second, though they continued with a sense of caution.

Chan thought Jett’s dance moves must have provoked someone, so he hurried over.

“Khun Jett, what’s going on?” Jett, seeing the number of people on the other side and then looking at his own friend, started sweating. He grabbed Chan’s shirt and said briefly,

“Run.”

Pong noticed that Khem wasn’t very lively, so he invited him to shoot at the toy booth in the amusement area. With ten bullets, Pong shot down several toys and hung them around Khem’s neck since Khem couldn’t hit any, barely managing to hold the gun up…

After that, they went on the kiddie train and the carousel, which helped Khem relax and let go of many things. He thanked Pong several times and bought two sticks of grilled pork skewers because that was all he could afford from the five thousand baht the master had given him, intending to use the rest for groceries for the master before returning to Bangkok.

Pong observed Khem looking lost in thought, seemingly missing someone, and decided he should do something. He asked Khem to wait there and went to buy some cotton candy on a stick. When he returned, he handed it to Khem and said,

“Khem, I like you. Not as a brother, I mean, I like men. If you feel the same way, would you give me a chance to court you?” Khem was taken aback, mouth agape, as he hadn’t expected this confession so soon. He had an inkling of how Pong felt about him, but not that it would come out so quickly.

However, even if given more time, Khem knew he wouldn’t be able to reciprocate Phii Pong’s feelings.

“I…” Khem hadn’t finished his refusal when a commotion from behind made him turn around. It was Jett and Chan leading a large group of young people running towards them.

Pong’s eyes widened when he saw who was leading the group; it was his upcoming boxing opponent.

Seeing Pong, the leader grinned and reached into his pocket, pulling out some tamarind leaves, which he then used to chant a spell. Soon, the leaves transformed into dozens of hornets in a magical display, though the villagers and vendors couldn’t see them.

“Phii Pong, Khem, run!” Pong, sensing danger, grabbed Khem’s hand and ran towards the back of the temple where there was a pagoda filled with urns. Jett and Chan followed closely, with some hornets stinging along the way until they reached the temple wall, where they were cornered.

Jett and Chan turned to face their adversaries, protecting Khem and Phii Pong.

They clasped their hands together and chanted in unison,

“Pah, Nah, Tah, Mah!” This was a spell to momentarily immobilize enemies with malevolent intent. Although hornets could be conjured similarly, Jett and Chan didn’t have the materials to act as a medium for this spell. Moreover, if not controlled properly, this magic could backfire, harming themselves or innocent bystanders.

But Klaa lived up to his name in the worst ways possible, regrettably!

Since Jett and Chan had practiced meditation well and both had strong wills, the spell they chanted worked effectively. When everyone stopped moving, Jett quickly spoke up.

“Phii Pong, the car keys, please.” Pong, guessing what Jett was planning, immediately handed over the keys.

“Chan, take Khem to the car and drive to the exit. Phii Pong and I will follow later.” Chan nodded, quickly taking the keys.

“Let’s go, Khun Khem.” Chan said to Khem. Khem was worried about Jett. Although he didn’t know what was happening, he understood the situation was bad, and his presence would only be a burden.

“Jett, Phii Pong, be careful.” Jett nodded repeatedly, and Pong smiled, pleased that Khem was concerned. Then, Khem and Chan ran off to one side.

On their way, Ekk, who had come out to prevent ghosts from the graveyard from obstructing them, helped them get to the car without issues.

Back to Jett and Pong, after Chan had taken Khem away, they quickly used physical force to deal with the larger number of opponents before the spell wore off.

At the Thai house, Thong, who had rushed back, reported the situation to Pharan, who was meditating in the shrine room.

Upon hearing the report, Pharan’s sharp eyes opened. He stood up, went to the storage room, and retrieved a jar full of tamarind leaves, no less than ten thousand, took them downstairs, and then poured them out, chanting a spell with a calm voice:

“Turn into wasps.”

Because Chan, who was part of the spell, had left, the immobilizing spell quickly dissipated. As Jett was still exchanging blows with Klaa, and Klaa was about to pull out more tamarind leaves to summon more wasps, suddenly the moonlight dimmed, and a loud buzzing filled the air above.

“Shit!” Klaa and his followers were startled by the sight. The sky, once lit by the moon, was now filled with an immense swarm of wasps, clearly sent by someone.

But among those with magical abilities that Klaa had encountered, at most they could conjure just a thousand hornets!

Klaa knew ‘who’ had sent these hornets, but they were only meant to intimidate him since the other party didn’t want to cause trouble with his master or uncle, and had been avoiding any direct confrontation with his uncle.

However, Klaa had no intention of backing down. If he were to be attacked by this swarm, he wouldn’t die but would certainly be in a bad shape.

“Damn it, just wait, you’ll get yours!”

Once Klaa and his gang ran off, Pong immediately fainted. Luckily, Jett caught him in time.

Jett saw red rashes slowly appearing on Phii Pong’s face and body, along with his body temperature rising, which made him exclaim in panic,

“Oh crap!”

And when he looked up to see the swarm of hornets still hovering, as if urging them to hurry back, he felt like banging his head against a pagoda to escape the blame.

Upon returning home, the three kids quickly carried Phii Pong up to see the master.

Pong, who had no protective amulets against magic, naturally couldn’t handle being attacked by magically conjured hornets. This was unlike Chan and Jett, who, despite having swollen faces, felt no pain.

Thus, when learning to cast spells, one must also learn to counteract them.

Besides providing medicine, Pharan didn’t intend to help further; Jett and Chan had to treat Pong on their own. The matter of their punishment would be discussed the next day.

After that, they parted ways. Jett and Chan couldn’t rest because they needed to heal Phii Pong by that night. They had learned enough from the master about treating ailments caused by magical means.

Khem came downstairs, intending to sit and feed the dog the spring rolls he had bought, which were now in a mess from running away from the gang, making them unappetizing. He didn’t dare offer them to the master.

But before he could sit down, someone who had been standing behind him since who knows when tugged at his shirt collar with a finger.

Khem jolted and turned to face the master, quickly hiding the bag of spring rolls behind his back.

“Master…”

“What are you doing?” Khem looked into the master’s eyes, thinking he already knew, so he lowered his gaze and answered softly.

“I…I bought spring rolls, but they’re all mushy now. So, I was going to feed them to Dang…”

“For whom did you buy them?” Khem bit his lip gently before answering.

“For you, master.”

“If it’s for me, put them on a plate.” Khem glanced at the master’s face briefly and then looked down, unsure.

“But, they’re mushy now, sir.”

“I can eat them.”

Khem pinched himself to not show his happiness, nodded, and went to put the spring rolls on a plate, setting it on the table for the master.

“Please, enjoy.”

Pharan sat down, looking at the plate of spring rolls filled with vegetables that he liked. Though his face didn’t show it, he ate them all with his head bowed. When he finished, Khem, who had been waiting to clear the plate, did his duty, looking at the empty plate and repeatedly telling himself not to be too happy.

After washing the dishes, he came out of the kitchen, but seeing the master still there, he hesitated to walk past.

“Sit here.” The master said, looking at him intently. Khem saw a nearby chair being pulled out and, curious, walked over to sit.

Pharan took out a tin of herbal medicine, opened it, and touched the ointment with his fingertip.

“Stay still.” He said, gently applying it to Khem’s clear temple, where there was a red, swollen mark from a wasp sting.

It was a good decision to send Ekk and Thong to follow them. Otherwise, he might have ended up like Pong…

  Khem stared at the master, but when their eyes met, he quickly looked away, his heart beating so hard it felt like it might leap out, his hands clenched tightly in his lap.

  Pharan noticed the red streaks covering both of Khem’s cheeks before looking down at the several talismans hanging around his neck, speaking softly as he moved his finger to apply the ointment to the other temple.

  “Tomorrow, the orphanage will come to pick up donations. Anything you don’t use or can’t use anymore, donate it for the children’s benefit.”

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 21:

  Why did he have to touch someone he’d just met for the first time…

  That was the thought that crossed Pharan’s mind as he intervened.

Pharan returned to his room to meditate, calming his mind and heart, reflecting repeatedly on his actions because what he had done was not befitting of his role and age.

If the consequences of revisiting the past were this impactful, one would need to be much more cautious in the future…

Three days after that day, Khem followed Jett’s advice diligently. He woke up early to clean the house and cook, spent his free time meditating and listening to Dhamma talks on the radio, and when he was bored, he would sketch around the area of the master’s traditional Thai house. He didn’t venture outside the premises for his own safety.

Most importantly, Khem avoided encountering the master. If there was no necessity, he barely went through the central area where ceremonies were held, which he used to sneak glances at multiple times a day. Now it was down to once or twice a day…

Khem really wanted to clasp his hands and apologize to Jett, but ignoring the master entirely was something he couldn’t do.

Currently, Khem was making palm fruit in syrup, as Auntie-Kaew had brought some palm fruit over that morning on her sidecar motorcycle. Once done, Khem planned to portion some into bags for Auntie-Kaew.

When it was lunchtime, Jett and Chan came down to the kitchen to find Khem. They helped carry the food to eat on the bamboo bed. Having just finished making the sweet, Khem turned off the stove to eat first, planning to enjoy the dessert later, not forgetting to set aside a portion for the master as usual.

“Khem, let’s go to the market today.”

Jett said with a good mood, looking forward to going out.

“Oh, isn’t the village chief free today?” Khem asked while blinking, since usually, the village chief was the one who bought the ingredients.

“Yeah, Grandma-Si isn’t feeling well, so the village chief took her to the doctor in town.” Jett answered.

Hearing that, Khem quickly asked, “What’s wrong with Grandma-Si?”

“It seems just a normal cold, nothing serious. Elderly people can get sick easily with a little wind or rain.” Khem nodded, relieved by Jett’s explanation since Grandma-Si had lost her husband less than two years after they married and had no children, choosing to remain single. If it had been something serious, Khem worried there’d be no one to take care of her.

“Let’s find time to visit Grandma-Si.”

“Yeah, I was thinking of helping to fill up her fridge.”

Chan sat quietly, listening while serving the food onto the plates for Jett and Khem, to keep their conversation flowing. This act had only recently become a habit, almost as if it happened naturally without much thought, and with repetition, it had become a routine.

Today, since the three kids needed to go to the market, Pharan decided to let Jett and Chan off early. He walked downstairs to have lunch in the afternoon, after the children had already eaten. This was his routine to avoid direct encounters with Khem.

Khem was aware that the master was avoiding him. Whenever the master came down to eat, he would usually excuse himself to do something else. But today, Khem had made a dessert, so he stayed to serve it after the master finished his meal.

“Master, would you like some sugar palm in syrup?” Khem asked, coming out of the kitchen, his head bowed and hands clasped behind the chair where the master was sitting. Pharan, who was about to leave, sat back down and simply said,

“Bring it over.” Khem pinched himself, trying not to get too excited, reminding himself that the master was an easy eater who would consume whatever was prepared. Even if it wasn’t made by Khem, the master would eat it. So, he turned to serve the aromatic sugar palm in syrup into a bowl and placed it in front of the master. After setting it down, he intended to leave, but the master called him back.

“Wait.” That was all the master said before he started to slowly taste the dessert Khem had made. In less than three minutes, he had finished it all, including the syrup, then stood up and turned to face Khem, who was still standing there with his head down.

Five thousand baht in banknotes were handed to him.

“Here’s for the groceries. Buy enough for a week, and use the rest to get yourselves some clothes and necessities.” Pharan said, noticing that the three kids were wearing the same clothes repeatedly.

“No, it’s okay, Master, I mean…” Khem shook his head, hesitating to refuse out of politeness, but then he thought about the others, knowing he couldn’t refuse on their behalf. Perhaps Jett and Chan needed it, and five thousand baht seemed like quite a lot.

Khem was still contemplating when he heard the master sigh, which made him feel guilty and unable to refuse. He just pressed his lips together.

In the end, the five thousand baht was folded in half by the master and slipped into the pocket of Khem’s short-sleeved shirt. Then the master turned and walked away immediately.

Khem felt downcast but knew he shouldn’t refuse the master’s kindness. He decided he would discuss with Jett and Chan how to best use this money.

At three in the afternoon, Jett and Chan were released from their training room. One of the disciples brought a pickup truck for the kids to drive to the market as requested by the village chief. The disciple went up to pay his respects to the master, had a brief conversation, and then came back downstairs. He then rode back home on a motorcycle with his wife who had come to pick him up.

“Who’s driving?” Khem asked as they were all getting ready in the room. He himself couldn’t drive a car, could manage a bicycle, but wasn’t confident with a motorcycle. Most of the time, he just walked wherever he needed to go.

“I’ll drive.” Said Jett while applying face powder at the vanity mirror. Khem, who was applying sunscreen from a packet beside him, was slightly taken aback.

“Jett, you can drive a car too? I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I’ve been driving since I was fourteen. My dad taught me.”

Khem nodded, thinking it was somewhat enviable, but he was too scared to learn to drive himself. Walking was more comforting. He then turned to ask Chan, who was styling his hair with gel.

“What about you, Chan? Can you drive a car?” Chan nodded, looking at Khem through his thick-lensed glasses.

“I can manage, but my mom doesn’t let me drive much because of my poor eyesight.” Khem made a sympathetic face, and Chan smiled, lightly ruffling Khem’s hair as if to say it wasn’t a big deal.

Once they were ready, they all got into the old but well-kept white pickup truck and headed straight to the Saturday market in the sub-district.

The weather was quite hot, and the market was starting to get crowded, so the three decided to shop quickly and head back. Besides buying ingredients, Jett, Khem, and Chan each selected three sets of clothes.

Most were local cotton outfits made by the villagers, along with some personal items, as they would be heading back to Bangkok in just a week.

But they hadn’t expected to bump into Pong, the village chief’s son whom they had met three days prior while at the market.

Today, Pong was tasked with being the driver for his mother and sister, but seeing the crowd, he decided to wait near the market exit instead of joining them.

Initially feeling bored because his mother and sister were taking too long, his annoyance vanished upon seeing Khem, whom he didn’t expect to see again. He was filled with joy and quickly approached to greet him.

“Hello, Khem. So we meet again.” Pong smiled, his eyes sparkling. Although Khem was startled, he gave a small smile and returned the greeting with a wai, knowing that Pong was several years older.

“Hello, Khun Pong.”

“Oh, Phii Pong, hello!” Jett, who had just followed Khem and was haggling over the price of fresh chicken, greeted Pong.

Jett and Pong knew each other quite well since their families were both in government service, their homes were close by, and they had known each other since childhood when Jett was small and not very good at fighting, often needing Pong to protect him.

“Chan, meet Pong, another of the master’s disciples.” Jett took the opportunity to introduce Chan to Pong.

Chan just smiled in greeting and slightly bowed his head since his hands were occupied.

“Hello, oh, you’ve bought a lot. How are you getting back? Want me to give you a ride?” Pong asked enthusiastically, hoping to score points with Khem, but Jett shook his head.

“No need to trouble you, Phii. We’ve got a pickup truck.”

“Oh, really…” Pong said with disappointment. Khem quickly averted his gaze. At that moment, Jett sensed something but didn’t comment.

Seeing that they had met anyway, Pong didn’t want to miss the chance to get to know Khem better, so he brought up another topic.

“How about you guys come with me to the temple fair tonight? There’ll be a folk music performance. If you’re going, I can pick you up this evening.”

Upon hearing the word “folk music.” Jett’s ears perked up and his eyes sparkled with excitement. His blood started to boil with the same fervor he felt back in high school. Jett never missed temple fairs, merit-making events, or any gatherings where there was a stage for folk music!

“Khem, do you want to go? The district temple has a big fair every year with lots of food and games.” Jett said, eyes wide for effect, making it clear he didn’t really need to ask Khem’s opinion…

“Well, if the master allows us to go, we’ll go. What about you, Chan, do you want to go?” Khem turned to ask Chan, elbowing Jett who was pressuring him with his gaze.

Chan nodded.

“I’m fine either way, but we should ask the master first, like Khem said.” Khem nodded in agreement, and Jett then turned to smile at Phii Pong.

“That’s fine, Phii Pong. I’ll call you again later, Phii.”

Pong, who was about to ask for Khem’s contact information, quickly shut his mouth and nodded to Jett, deciding to wait until after the outing to ask.

“Then we’ll head out first, Phii, take care.”

“Sure, drive safely.” He gave a small smile to Khem, who merely bowed his head in response before following Jett, with Chan bringing up the rear.

Upon returning home, after preparing the meal for the master, the three of them hurried back to the house to ask for his permission. Jett volunteered to be the brave one, crawling close to the master and clasping his hands in a wai.

“Master, there’s a temple fair in town today. Can we go?”

Pharan immediately gave Jett a sharp look, as Ekk, who had accompanied them to the market, had already reported to him. He knew who had invited them and what the intentions were, but he didn’t explicitly forbid it.

“Are you sure you can take care of yourselves?”

Khem kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with the master. Chan stayed silent, while only Jett stood up confidently, sure of the skills he had learned over the past days under the master’s rigorous training. No ghost or person could easily mess with them.

“I won’t let the name of the master’s student be tarnished!”

Pharan nodded with a hint of annoyance, because every time they said this, something always happened. But it was good for them to go out; he would have some quiet time alone.

“You have until midnight.” Jett almost jumped to hug the master but restrained himself, instead nodding rapidly and giving the master a leg massage in flattery.

For a moment, Pharan’s eyes met Khem’s, who was looking, and soon they both looked away.

Having received permission, they quickly went to bathe and dress up with excitement and joy, applying powder and cologne until the scent reached the village entrance. Soon, Phii Pong arrived in his four-door pickup truck to pick them up at the house steps.

When Pong arrived, he first went to pay respects to the master to get permission to take the kids out, also mentioning the sacred armband he planned to wear for a match that the master had promised to make. He thought it would be ready by tomorrow or the day after.

Once the three kids were dressed, they crawled over to sit beside Pong in the main part of the house. Pong turned to look at Khem, who was wearing a light yellow T-shirt, and smiled with affection. Today, Khem looked particularly cute.

But before long, a strong gust of wind passed through, making Pong look around for the source, but finding nothing unusual, he furrowed his brows and said,

“Is it going to rain, or should we hurry?” Jett quickly nodded in agreement, and all four of them went to say goodbye to the master before heading to the parked truck downstairs.

Once they reached the truck, Pong rushed to open the door for Khem, who smiled and slightly bowed his head in thanks.

Pharan stood on the porch of the house, watching the four of them with an unreadable expression, which subtly conveyed a slight hint of displeasure…

It was at that moment that Khem turned to look back at the master, his heart skipping a beat, but he didn’t want to read too much into the master’s gaze or assume it was disapproval.

Khem thought that in this short amount of time, he wouldn’t be able to detach himself from the master as everyone might expect. So, acting this way would probably ease the situation for everyone. He slowly turned back to smile at Phii Pong before getting into the truck, allowing the other to close the door for him.

The four-door pickup truck had long since driven away from Pharan’s Thai house, but he remained standing there, his brows furrowed as he recognized a stronger wave of his own displeasure.

Even after several minutes had passed, the image of Khem smiling back at Pong was still vivid in his mind.

Instead of returning to his room to sleep as he had planned, he changed his mind and headed straight to the shrine room to meditate.

“Thong, Ekk.” Pharan called out after closing his eyes for a while. Soon, the two boys appeared, responding in unison,

“Yes, Master.”

“Go keep an eye on them.” Ekk and Thong held back their smiles, one of them wanting to tease the master a bit more, so he asked with an innocent face,

“And if they split up, who should I follow, Master?”

  Pharan opened his eyes, his hand now gripping a cane that had been beside him, which made the twin spirits’ mouths drop open in surprise. They quickly stood up and dashed through the wooden wall.

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 20:

  Chan quickly stood up in shock as Khem suddenly started crying. Seeing Khem’s behavior, Jett got goosebumps, something screaming in his head that this was bad. He dropped the broom and dragged his little friend to sit on the bench under the mango tree.

“Khem, what are you hiding from me? Tell me everything!” Jett accidentally raised his voice at Khem, causing Chan, who was standing nearby, to intervene while pointing at Khem, who was now sobbing heavily.

“Khun Jett, calm down first, can’t you see Khun Khem is crying even more now?” Jett pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve stress and then hugged his friend.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Go ahead and cry it out, there, there.”

Khem hadn’t intended to cry…but all these feelings were being filtered out by memories from past lives that the master had once told him to forget. Thinking that the master might soften his heart for that woman named Prim, his chest ached painfully.

After crying until he felt slightly better, although tears still flowed and his body was still hiccupping lightly, Khem moved away from Jett’s shoulder, his head down with embarrassment, wiping his tears.

“Jett, Chan. I’m sorry.”

“Khem. You and the master have something going on, right? I’ve been puzzled ever since the master refused to take you as a disciple, and then he said some weird things.” Jett asked with a tense voice, his eyebrows furrowed. Initially, he intended to wait until he was sure before asking, but now things seemed to be getting clearer.

Khem pressed his lips together tightly, looked up to meet the eyes of his two friends, his round eyes quivering, until Chan softly asked,

“Khun Khem…do you like the master?”

“Uh…” That question was like a bolt of lightning striking Jett’s head. He was about to turn and curse at Chan for being so direct, especially when Chan had just advised him to stay calm!

Khem started crying again, nodding and shaking his head, looking utterly confused.

“Me and the master, hic, we were lovers in a past life.” Jett’s mouth dropped open; a second bolt of lightning struck the same spot, followed by a third, fourth, and fifth as Khem recounted everything, including how both he and the master had shared a past life and had revisited those moments together, as well as what had happened in the middle of the night.

Both Jett and Chan believed Khem’s entire story without reservation.

“Actually, I wasn’t asleep that day either.” Chan said. Usually, he was a light sleeper, and because the house was made of wood, footsteps were clearer than in a concrete house. The faint scent of incense told Chan it was the master who had entered, but he thought the master was just checking on them, so he didn’t bother to open his eyes to look.

Khem nodded, “I’m sorry, even though the master is your master, and yet, hic.”

Khem wanted to forget, tried to forget, but he couldn’t. As long as he saw the master’s face every day like this, there was no way Khem could forget…

  Chan, imagining a future where they both decided to be together, nodded in agreement.

“For me, the master is just an ordinary person. Not a monk forbidden to marry or start a family. Whom he loves or likes, or how Khun Khem feels, that’s a matter between both of you. Khun Khem, you don’t have to worry about this.”

Jett nodded, but his expression didn’t improve; it actually looked worse.

“That thing. If you and the master both like each other, that’s fine, I wouldn’t mind, it would be good knowing someone would take care of the master in his later years. But from what you’ve told me, that’s not the case now, right?” Jett’s words felt like a lump stuck in Khem’s throat, and Khem couldn’t deny that the master had always set clear boundaries with him.

It was only Khem who harbored one-sided feelings for the master…

Seeing the pain and confusion still in Khem’s eyes, Jett further emphasized the truth about the master he knew.

“I’ve known the master since I was a kid, and he’s always been a man of his word. When he said he wouldn’t help you, he meant it. He only took in Chan because he wanted to pass on his knowledge, so there would be someone to help you in the future, even though the master usually doesn’t take just anyone as a student. That’s already him bending his rules for us…”

Yes, so Khem shouldn’t complicate things for the master any further.

Everything seemed dark to Khem; wherever he turned, he was haunted by old memories, especially those from just a few days apart when they parted in such pain, reminding him of the hurt from not being able to change anything.

Moreover, in this life, Khem was a man, which might be one of the reasons why the master rejected him.

With tears in his eyes, Khem asked softly,

“What…what should I do, Jett?” Jett pulled Khem into another hug, gently patting his back in comfort, although his words felt like sharp spears piercing his best friend’s heart.

“Let it go, Khem, just let everything go. It’s hard, but I’ll help you, trust me.”

Khem closed his eyes tightly before breaking down in tears he could no longer hold back.

“Ugh…” Khem was like a fragile glass that had shattered repeatedly, like a small creature wounded all over, yet still struggling to breathe.

Chan had no words to add because he agreed with Jett’s sentiments. He could only stand silently, shielding his friends from the sun…

Pharan led village chief Chang, along with his daughter and son, upstairs to the house. They sat down in positions that were level with each other but at a certain distance, as the others were not his students who needed to show him reverence.

They were like the forest and the tiger, interdependent.

For the village to receive funding, it was exchanged for sacred items and assistance from his magical abilities, as long as it wasn’t beyond his capacity, like in this case.

The master asked Prim and Pong to write down their birth dates on paper and give it to him. He then calculated the numbers and gave a prediction based on what he saw.

However, in the midst of silence, Pong suddenly clasped his hands together and spoke up.

“Master, could you do me first, please? Uh…I need to use the bathroom.”   chief Chang glared at him.

“I told you not to drink so much water!”

Pong, still with his hands clasped, raised them over his head in a gesture of apology, and Pharan glanced at him briefly before switching to Pong’s birth date paper.

“Before the fight, try not to leave home much. As for the sacred item, I’ll make an armband for the boxer and send it to your house, but it’ll take about three to four days.”

The armband Pharan referred to wasn’t just a piece of cloth with magical inscriptions; it was a specific type of equipment boxers wear around their upper arms during fights, considered a talisman for protection and invulnerability, made from cloth or sacred thread inscribed with magical symbols, sometimes containing herbs, yantra scrolls, or other amulets inside.

Pong smiled broadly, his hands clasped over his head in gratitude.

“Thank you so much, Master. Uh, may I use the restroom?”

“Go ahead.” Once given permission, he quickly excused himself and went downstairs.

Pharan then turned back to Prim’s birth details, furrowing his brows as he calculated, before shaking his head and sighing silently to himself.

“Khun Prim doesn’t have a fate for accidents, but she does have health issues. It would be better if you rest more during this period.”

Prim blushed because it was evident she often had minor accidents due to overworking herself and not getting enough rest, though she had covered it up with makeup, and her father couldn’t tell, leading him to make up an excuse to bring her to see the master.

“Oh.” when he turned to see her gaze, she was startled and gave a dry, sweet smile instead. Then, she took the opportunity to talk and catch up with the master as planned, especially since this was the first time she had a chance to be in the house.

“Is the master well?”

Pharan nodded with a softened demeanor, a mix of resignation and fondness for the young woman, because despite her age nearing thirty, Prim still hadn’t decided to settle down with anyone. She was only a couple of years younger than him.

For Pharan, Prim was like a little sister who grew up alongside him, someone he had known since childhood, so he never thought of her in any other way, even if she didn’t feel the same and had declared she would only let go when he got married. But this couldn’t change his feelings.

“I’m fine, and how about you, Khun Prim?”

“Ha ha, as you can see, I’ve been busy with work lately, so I haven’t been sleeping much…”

The initial solution to the issue between Khem and the master was this: after Khem agreed to let go of his feelings for the master as suggested by Jett, the approach was for Khem to avoid meeting the master. If they had to meet, he should keep his behavior and words reserved, like a layperson speaking to a monk.

As for the master, Jett would continue to keep an eye on him because, in reality, there weren’t many who truly understood the master well enough to see through him. But because of this, he didn’t want Khem to take such a risk, as if the master truly didn’t like him, Khem would be the one to suffer the most.

Jett and Chan decided they needed to master their skills quickly and take Khem back to Bangkok as soon as possible.

Khem understood and was aware. When Jett gave him a straightforward reminder, he regained some composure. Even though it was hard, he had to try. He reminded himself not to trouble the master and to look at his own situation.

While sweeping leaves, lost in thought, he backed into someone in the kitchen.

“Sorry.” Khem quickly moved away, bowing his head in apology. The other person was a tall, well-built man with tanned skin and an undercut hairstyle, who was blinking at Khem in confusion.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?” Instead of accepting the apology, the man asked in a friendly manner, addressing Khem with ‘casual mung’, which Khem found a bit awkward, making him more inclined to want to run away.

“Uh, my name is Khem.” He said, and then the man standing opposite him had a strange glint in his eyes, causing Khem to lower his gaze.

“Such a cute name. I’m Pong, nice to meet you.” Khem was about to bow in greeting, but instead, Pong extended his hand, so Khem had to lower his hand and offer a handshake instead.

However, before they could shake hands, Khem felt a chilling cold on his back, and someone standing behind him passed a scripture through Khem to Pong.

“You have a tendency to get hurt physically during this period. I recommend you recite the thirty-fourth verse before sleeping every night, Pong.” Pharan said calmly, yet suddenly Pong felt a chill down his spine. The image of Master Pharan standing protectively behind Khem seemed like a warning to back off. Therefore, Pong clasped his hands in respect, took the scripture, gave a stiff smile to Khem, and then walked away to find his father and sister. Even though he felt it was a pity to let someone so much to his liking slip away.

Khem stood silent, head bowed, not responding to the master, until he heard the master’s quiet command.

“Finish sweeping the leaves and then go prepare the meal. When it’s done, cover it with a lid, and I’ll come down to eat.”

Khem looked at the table and saw that the lid the master referred to was one he had made since that morning. After giving his instructions, the master walked away, leaving Khem standing there alone.

  And he said I didn’t need to make it…

  Khem wanted to ask but didn’t dare, so he just took a deep breath, trying not to think too much about the master’s actions, believing that the master must have his reasons for behaving this way.

  “Don’t waver, Khem. Otherwise, Jett will surely beat you to death.” He told himself three times before heading to the kitchen to prepare the food as instructed.

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 19:

  The next day, Khem, Jett, and Chan woke up at five in the morning, got up to clean the house and prepare breakfast for the master. Most of the ingredients were vegetables and fruits grown by the villagers and brought to the master. For meat, the master would have the village chief buy it from the market every week.

The master ate simply. He didn’t have any particular favorite foods, so Khem prepared dishes he was most skilled at, like clear tom yum soup with stir-fried Chinese kale in oyster sauce, omelet with acacia leaves, and garlic pork. Chan, who could cook a bit, assisted. Jett, besides cooking rice, wasn’t good at much else and was afraid of hot oil, so he stood in the corner behind a pillar, waiting to help carry the dishes outside.

Once they finished eating, they separated their own portions from those of their friends, because the students could not eat with the master.

When Jett invited the master to come down to eat at the table, the three of them distanced themselves and sat in a circle around a bamboo bed set up outside the house, not far from where the master was eating, just in case he needed them.

Khem kept glancing at the master while eating, which was noticeable. Jett slightly squinted at his friend, feeling suspicious about Khem’s behavior towards the master since yesterday, but hadn’t found the right moment to ask about it. He decided to wait and watch for a while before having a heart-to-heart conversation.

As for Chan, luckily he had brought spare glasses for emergencies. Otherwise, he would have had to go back into the forest to find his old ones or perhaps borrow the village chief’s pickup truck to go into town to get new glasses.

After they finished eating, they collected the dishes and helped each other wash them. Then, they lined up to go up the stairs where Pharan was waiting.

Khem crawled to sit at the side, leaving Jett and Chan to crawl forward and pay their respects to the master.

Once the students were gathered, Pharan began to explain the path ahead in learning the mystical arts, starting with Chan.

“Before learning the magic arts, the basic practice is to train in meditation, or what we call ‘Samatha-Kammatthana’. Meditation involves chanting mantras while controlling your breath. As for Kammatthana, it’s a bit more complicated.” Jett nodded in agreement while listening with his hands clasped. Chan, not yet knowing what Kammatthana was, sat quietly and listened intently to the master.

Pharan pulled out two books; one was a common guide on Kammatthana practice, and the other was a compilation of various spells that a beginner could learn in a short time.

“There are forty objects of meditation, you must choose one to focus on. Try reading and see. If you want to practice, I’ll guide you, but mastering it takes time, whether it’s slow or fast depends on the individual. If you don’t want to practice, that’s okay too.”

“Yes, master.” Chan bowed in gratitude and reached out to take the two books.

“The other one is a spell book compiled for protective Buddhist magic. You are absolutely forbidden to misuse it.” Chan nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“The rules of learning the art of black magic are important. First, you must have unwavering faith in the subject you’re studying, believe in your master, behave according to moral precepts, and have patience. Only then can you succeed in this art.”

Chan clasped his hands together in reverence to accept the instructions.

“I understand, master.”

Pharan nodded, his sharp gaze meeting Khem’s just as he was caught peeking. Khem, startled, quickly lowered his head, his face turning red to avoid the master’s notice.

But there was no way he wouldn’t be noticed. Pharan raised his eyebrows slightly, aware that what happened last night probably meant Khem hadn’t slept as soundly as he thought.

“Then let’s start with the first step of training.” After that, Jett and Chan were often taken by the master into the shrine room to practice meditation for their lessons, without Khem being allowed to join. They would spend their time there from morning till evening, only coming out during lunch breaks and bedtime, during which Khem would always prepare meals for everyone.

However, the master rarely came out where Khem could see him, and if he did, it was when Khem wasn’t paying attention, almost as if the master was avoiding him.

Today, as usual, Jett and Chan came out from their training room at lunch to eat, but the master did not join them.

Khem looked at the omelet with acacia leaves on the separate plate meant for the master with a sad expression because the master wouldn’t come down to eat.

“Khem, do you want to eat this? If not, give it to me.” Jett, who was gobbling his rice, asked Khem, who was just staring at the remaining omelet without touching his food, having been lost in thought for some time.

“Khun Khem, is something wrong? You seem less cheerful lately.” Chan, sitting across from him on the bamboo bed, pushed up his glasses and inquired.

“Yeah, that’s right. Or are you lonely? Should I ask the master to let us go for a day or two and take you out somewhere?” Jett’s eyes sparkled with the suggestion, and Chan nodded in agreement, though he didn’t dare speak up too much for fear that the master might overhear.

The master had whispering spirits, Chan felt that sometimes he seemed to be listening to someone, and Jett seemed to see it too, but no matter how hard he looked, he never saw anything.

Khem swallowed his rice and shook his head.

“We. We made it for the master, but he probably won’t come down to eat. Jett, you can eat it. We’ll make another one for the master this evening.” Khem said before passing a plate of omelet with acacia to Jett.

Jett, dizzy with hunger, didn’t notice his little friend’s feelings and accepted the plate out of sheer hunger, as the training had sapped a lot of his energy.

“I’m not lonely, really. The master is going out of his way to teach us, so Jett and

Chan, focus on your training. Don’t worry about me.”

“Are you sure? If you feel lonely, just tell me. Don’t worry about the master scolding you; he’s actually very kind at heart.”   Khem felt reassured.

“Oh, thank you.”

Chan blinked and looked at Khem again, it seemed like he might have had a hint of tears in his eyes but was trying hard to suppress his feelings. Chan wanted to ask but decided against it if Khem wasn’t willing to share, so he continued eating with his head down.

As evening fell, Jett and Chan came down for another meal, washed up, and then returned to the shrine room to continue their training. Khem sat swatting mosquitoes while guarding the master’s meal on the bamboo bed until almost midnight, but still, the master did not come down.

What could have happened to the master? Considering just last night, he had come to Khem’s room to apply some ointment…

Khem clenched his jaw, feeling both uncomfortable and sad, thinking he must have done something wrong for the master to avoid him like this. But no matter how hard he tried to figure out what it could be, he couldn’t. So, he decided to take the plate of fried rice with egg upstairs. He intended to knock on the master’s door and insist he come out to eat, even though it was well past dinner time.

Khem walked upstairs carrying the plate of fried rice, but before he reached the shrine room where Jett and Chan were training, something tugged at his shirt from behind. Turning around, he saw something fleeting disappear into the door of the master’s bedroom, which was adjacent to the shrine room.

That thing indicated that the master was in there, not in the shrine room where Khem was heading to knock.

Khem turned back towards the master’s bedroom door, took a moment to steel himself, and then knocked.

“Master, are you asleep?”

There was no immediate response, but after a moment, the door slowly opened, revealing the master in cotton clothing, his gaze cold as he looked at Khem.

“What is it?” The master’s stern voice made Khem clamp his lips tight, his eyes burning with emotion, feeling a tightness in his chest he couldn’t describe, but he still tried to keep his composure, knowing there was no turning back at this point.

“I…I noticed that you haven’t come down to eat…so I brought some for you.” Pharan looked at the plate of fried rice in Khem’s hands without expression before replying,

“I’m not hungry. You can take it back and eat it yourself.”

Khem swallowed hard, as if swallowing his hurt along with his saliva.

Seeing Khem with his head down and silent, Pharan was about to close the door to dismiss him, but before the door could shut, a small hand got in the way and was caught in the door.

Pharan pushed the door slightly away from Khem’s hand but didn’t open it to look at Khem’s face again.

“Have I…done something wrong, master?” Khem asked, trying to keep his voice from trembling.

“…”

“If I’ve really done something wrong, could master please tell me? So I can apologize properly, master.”

Pharan was silent for a moment before gently prying Khem’s fingers from the doorframe.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. I just don’t want to eat. If you’re not going to eat it, give it to the dog, don’t waste it.”

“…”

“And from now on, don’t make extra. If I’m hungry, I’ll make something for myself.”

The door closed. The sound of the lock clicked in Khem’s ears, and tears continued to flow down his cheeks from earlier, but not wanting to bother the master further, he carried the plate of fried rice away.

Khem went to give the fried rice to the spotted dog, watching it eat with joy, which slightly comforted him, and he gently patted the dog’s head.

“Thank you, dog. Sorry for giving you something that someone else didn’t want.”

Inside Pharan’s room, after Khem left, the peace that had settled in his heart for several days from not facing Khem was once again disturbed.

The reason was the night Pharan realized he had been caught sneaking in to apply ointment to Khem.

Pharan thought that his excessive attention towards Khem was due to lingering feelings from a past life. If he hadn’t looked back, he wouldn’t feel this way, but forgetting was impossible. So, he tried to avoid and distance himself from Khem, treating him like any other acquaintance who wasn’t his student. Even if it were his student knocking on his bedroom door late at night for such matters, he might face more than just his usual cold words.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t eaten anything lately; he often used magic to make himself invisible to Khem, so Khem wouldn’t notice when he went down to eat.

Sitting down by the bed, he loosely clasped his hands, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the closed door as if he could still see Khem standing there. When he heard the dog named ‘Dang’ bark several times in a row, he guessed that Khem had probably given the fried rice to the dog as he had intended, and he let out a soft sigh.

The two friends, Ekk and Thong, who had tried to play matchmakers, exchanged looks and then shook their heads in resignation.

Jett and Chan had made satisfactory progress in their meditation practice in a short period, and they had memorized almost all the magical spells the master had assigned. The only remaining step was to apply these skills in real situations, which would be their next test before all three, including Khem, had to return to university for the new term.

Two days had passed, and Pharan and Khem still hadn’t had a proper conversation, which Pharan thought would continue.

Today there was no training, but Jett, Chan, and Khem weren’t just lounging around or going out to play. They helped clean up around the house, sweeping leaves, and weeding. Meanwhile, the master was weaving bamboo into mats for covering food.

Not long after, a four-door pickup truck arrived, and three people got out: a middle-aged man, a young woman, and a young man in his late twenties, all dressed in expensive-looking clothes.

“Hello, master Pharan.” The man greeted with a respectful wai, and Pharan, who had stopped his work, returned the greeting.

“Hello, village chief.”replied the village chief with a smile and quickly calling his daughter and son forward to pay respects to Pharan.

Prim, once her father made way, quickly moved to the front and performed a wai, then gave Pharan a sweet smile, followed by her younger brother, Pong.

Pharan nodded in acknowledgment. Although he didn’t make eye contact with Prim, his expression wasn’t as cold as usual.

“What business do you have with me, chief?”

The chief nodded, gently stroking his daughter’s hair with a look of concern.

“Recently, Prim’s luck has been down. She was even grazed by a car a few days ago, so I wanted to bring her to you, master, to take a look. And for Pong, he’s got a match next week with the neighboring sub-district, so he’d like to ask for something blessed by the master.”

Pharan nodded in acknowledgment and invited the chief, his daughter, and his son up to the house, amidst the curious glances of the disciples standing not too far away.

Especially Khem, who, upon seeing the look in the young woman’s eyes, immediately understood how she felt about the master.

“That’s strange. Normally, Khun Prim never gets to come up to the master’s house.” Jett remarked, arms folded over the broom handle, his voice filled with curiosity. His words made Khem pursed his lips slightly before asking hesitantly, while Chan continued pulling weeds silently.

“Why, Jett?” Jett then recounted that once, ‘Prim’ or ‘Khun Prim’, the chief’s daughter, was almost engaged to the master according to the elders’ wishes, because the master’s father and the chief were close friends.

However, the master’s grandfather loved him more than anything and didn’t want the chief’s family to use his grandson’s magical skills for their own benefit, so he opposed the engagement and made the master become a monk to follow a more spiritual path.

The master, who loved his grandfather more than his own father and had no affection for the chief’s daughter, went along with his grandfather’s wishes. This caused a great rift between the master’s father and both his grandfather and him, leading to his father remarrying and moving abroad, never setting foot here again since that day. The master’s mother had passed away when he was young.

Khem’s expression saddened upon hearing the master’s backstory, never imagining he had such a sorrowful past.

“Poor master.”

“Yeah, and that’s not all.” Jett continued, explaining that Khun Prim liked the master a lot, to the point where even when the master became a monk, she would drive from the district to offer alms in the village almost every day, and on special Buddhist days, she’d come to make merit at the temple.

“But besides Khun Prim, there were many young women enchanted by the master. I don’t know what he did to charm so many people. There was even a Pharan Monk Fan Club formed back then. On Buddhist days, groups of people would come to the temple looking for the master, causing the abbot to constantly remind them of their manners.”

Khem’s mouth hung open slightly in surprise.

“Was it really that much?”

“Men can be like that too, that’s why I told you not to make eye contact with the master for more than three seconds.” Jett remarked. In Jett’s eyes, Khem often seemed more like a girl than a boy, which prompted him to caution him without knowing whether Khem liked men or women. But regardless of Khem’s preferences, the feelings Jett had for him would never change.

“Is that why the master disrobed?” Khem guessed, not thinking he was right.

“Yeah, the master didn’t want to trouble other monks, so he chose to disrobe and set up this school at the end of the village.”

“…”

“Even now, Khun Prim hasn’t given up on wooing the master, but it’s been a long time, and the master still hasn’t softened towards her. This is the first time she’s come into the master’s house. Normally, he doesn’t allow women into the house unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Khem clenched his jaw, his eyes burning, as each word from Jett made his heart squeeze with fear.

“Or maybe the master wants to walk the middle path again, hey, Khem, why are you crying!?”

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 18:

  Before returning to the Master’s house, Jett, Khem, and Chan stopped by the banana grove to cut some banana leaves. They didn’t forget to ask for forgiveness before cutting, and after that, they continued walking, picking up beautiful flowers along the way. They got so engrossed in collecting flowers that Khem had to use his shirt as a makeshift container when his hands were full.

Master Pharan, who had come down to the kitchen to make some coffee, raised an eyebrow when he saw Khem walking in with his belly exposed but quickly turned away and went upstairs to continue his meditation.

The trio carried banana leaves, flowers, and borrowed tools from Grandma Si to a bamboo platform. As soon as they picked up their tools, the artistic blood within Khem and Jett started to boil. They decided that their work had to be something Master Pharan could be proud of. Chan, who wasn’t artistically inclined, could only help by tearing the leaves for Jett and Khem to fold.

When there were no more leaves to tear, Chan switched to helping with other tools like needles, thread, flowers, or scissors, quietly observing the duo’s work.

Jett and Khem worked away, heads down in concentration, not speaking a word to each other, each lost in their own world.

Time passed until it was well after one in the morning.

“Ouch.”

“Ouch.” Jett and Khem exclaimed together after finishing attaching the last piece of banana leaf. When they lifted their heads, their necks cracked in unison, their backs aching so much they nearly cried.

“Damn, Khem. Next time, I’m not going all out like this with you!” Jett said with a grimace, while Khem, looking at his hand pricked full of needle marks, agreed in pain.

“Yeah, me too.”

Chan was amazed at the sight of their work, his eyes sparkling with admiration, so he took out his phone to take pictures.

How could he not? His two friends had crafted a tray in the shape of a sevenheaded Naga.

This piece was Khem’s idea, inspired by an image from a ceremony where rain suddenly fell, soaking Master Pharan’s back, revealing his tattoo clearly to Khem, who was very impressed.

Jett explained that Master Pharan’s tattoo was, “The Maha Yant Ananta Phaya Nakaraj, or the seven-headed Naga, the king of all Nagas in the cosmic ocean. It was inked by a famous monk who was a close friend of Master Pharan’s grandfather.”

The next morning, Pharan looked at the tray of offerings with an inscrutable gaze, before locking eyes with Khem who was watching with bated breath, and then said something that Khem never expected to hear.

“You can stay here too, but you don’t have to offer yourself as a disciple. I’ll only accept Chan.” Khem was left with his mouth agape, while Jett and Chan also looked equally stunned.

“Why, sir?” Khem asked in a rush, almost unable to get the words out, as Jett turned to look at his friend, knowing that the master must have had some reason.

And indeed, after much contemplation, Pharan had his reasons for not wanting to accept Khem as his disciple.

Pharan met Khem’s eyes again, his calm and serene gaze subtly trembling.

“To become someone’s disciple, you must swear an oath to revere that person as your master. You cannot disrespect, harm, or have any impure thoughts towards them. If you break this oath one day, not even a hundred Jetts and Chans could help you.”

Everything the master said was true, and Jett could confirm this because he knew of a student who betrayed the master to join a dark sorcerer, stealing personal items to perform unorthodox rituals. Within three days, that student had lost his mind.

Those who believe in mysticism call this phenomenon the ‘Power of the master’.

Khem slowly lowered his head, unable to refute the master’s words, admitting that since the dream about their past life last night, he had seen how much they loved each other and how painfully they parted.

Even if he tried to forget the past, Khem couldn’t do it; he couldn’t think of the other as his close friend’s master anymore.

“I understand, master.” Khem nodded before backing away to sit at a distance, leaving Jett and Chan to handle the tray together. Jett was confused and bewildered, not understanding what the master and his best friend were discussing, but seeing the master’s gaze, he had to refocus on the ceremony. Chan felt the same.

Jett had conducted this ceremony before. This time, he was merely guiding Chan, much like a tour guide leading a chant and explaining the next steps.

The master turned to light incense and candles to honor the Triple Gem, nodding for Jett and Chan to bow first before he clasped his hands in prayer.

After finishing their prayers, they all chanted “Namo” three times as they had practiced.

“Na mo tassa, Bhagavato, Arahato, Sammā, Sambuddhasa…

After chanting, Jett instructed Chan to recite his oath, then moved to sit beside Khem, allowing Chan to proceed with the next steps.

Chan recited his oath in a soft, pleasant voice, his eyes firm and unwavering:

“Dear revered master, I, Chanwit Panichakorn, hereby offer my body and soul as your student to learn your teachings. I promise to study diligently, obey your instructions, and treat you with respect. I will never do anything to dishonor you.”

He then bowed down. The master nodded and placed the offering tray beside him before touching Chan’s head, closing his eyes, and chanting a mantra to connect their spirits. This was to aid Chan in times of danger, similar to what Jett had experienced during an incident on a bus.

After the mantra, he tied a sacred thread around Chan’s wrist, blessing him for happiness and success. Khem watched with a mix of envy and sadness…

Once done, Jett took the tray to store in the master’s storage room. Khem glanced at his own work, which he had meticulously crafted late into the night, but noticed the master seemed uninterested. Khem then looked at his hands with a heavy heart.

The master then suggested they all go to rest, knowing they had stayed up late and woken early. By three in the afternoon, he called them back downstairs for the final step of the disciple initiation ceremony. Hearing this, Jett swallowed hard.

“You will go into the forest behind the house and find a red piece of paper rolled into a spiral. Bring back the first one you find.” Chan clasped his hands in respect.

“Yes, master.” Pharan glanced at his good student standing there relieved, then continued,

“Jett, you go too.”

“What!?” Jett turned sharply to look at the master, mouth gaping, but when the master raised an eyebrow, he had no argument, just stood there accepting his fate.

“Jett, Chan, good luck.” Said Khem. Though he wanted to join the fun with his friends, he didn’t dare enter the forest again. The master must have known this, hence not ordering Khem to participate.

Seeing his friend downcast, Jett quickly walked over to pat his head, promising to bring back delicious wild berries. Chan also approached, giving an awkward fist bump, unsure how to comfort Khem, but this made Khem smile happily, waving them off before sitting to wait for his friends on a low stool by the bamboo bed where the master was reading.

Suddenly, the master stood up, went up to the house, and returned with a silver bowl containing about one to two thousand baht in coins, placing it in front of Khem. In the bowl were small scissors and several colored ribbons.

“Coins for almsgiving, folded into flowers?” The master asked. Khem, not yet daring to look up at the master, nodded, pulled the bowl towards him, and bent over his assigned task.

Pharan watched Khem silently, knowing what was on his mind, but he couldn’t force Khem’s feelings to stop, nor offer any comforting words. Instead, he left him to find distraction in the task.

Luckily, Khem had been trained in handicrafts since childhood, including folding coins like this to make a living for his education; he took any job he could get.

Khem began using the ribbons to fold the coins into various shapes like jasmine, roses, lotuses, and even fruits like oranges and apples, and soon he was enjoying himself, forgetting about the master’s earlier words.

“Cute…”

“…”

“Dragonfruit is hard to make…”

When Pharan saw that Khem’s mood had improved, he returned to his book, but his ears were still tuned to Khem’s quiet murmurs.

Switching to Chan and Jett. While searching for red colored paper rolls on the ground and among the bushes, Jett kept looking for something he dreaded to find.

This was the main reason he feared entering the forest behind the master’s house.

It was something that usually slept during the night and woke during the day, unlike other spirits.

“Hey, Chan, have you found it yet?”

Jett asked with a nervous tone, truthfully, if he wasn’t afraid of getting a beating from the master with a stick, he would have run back out immediately.

Chan was looking up and down for a while until he found a red paper roll. When he turned to tell Jett, his eyes caught sight of something else. He slowly raised a finger to point at it and said,

“Khun Jett…behind you.” Jett’s eyes widened, his hair stood on end, praying it wasn’t what he thought, and slowly turned to look…and it was exactly what he feared!

A fierce wild boar, nearly thirty years old, almost as old as the master, was staring at them intently, reminding Jett of the time he was chased by it like it was a matter of life and death.

The master had named it ‘Phrai’, and it was the lord of this forest.

“Listen, Chan, I’ll count to three, then run. One…”

Bang!

Jett was left with his mouth agape when he felt a gust of wind rush past him. He then shouted after Chan,

“I haven’t even counted to two yet, you bastard!” Chan ignored the insult and the person insulting him who was running close behind, not understanding why they had to wait for three, couldn’t they just run already?

Crash!

The wild boar, seeing people running, chased them, and it was fast.

Chan and Jett ran until they reached the outskirts of the forest. The wild boar, having chased them to the edge of its territory, stopped, looked at the two kids who had escaped with a slight sense of regret, then turned back into the forest.

As evening approached, Jett and Chan returned to the master, looking quite the worse for wear. One had lost a shoe, the other had lost his glasses.

“Here you go, master.” Chan handed over the red paper roll after kneeling down.

Before Jett’s hand could slap him on the back,

“Damn, that’s the wrong guy! The master is over here!”

The scene was Chan kneeling on the ground. The master, however, was sitting on the same old bamboo bed, this time with a dog named ‘Dang’ lying by his side.

Besides having terrible eyesight, Chan’s attention was also off…

Pharan shook his head in exasperation, picked up the red paper Chan had retrieved, and read it: “Metta Mahaniyom, Kong Krapan Chatri”. He nodded, then pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Chan.

Jett grabbed Chan’s hand to accept it. Chan, peering closely, saw that it was a coin made from meteoric iron.

“I give this to you. Keep it with you, it’ll help in times of danger. It’s not hard to honor, but you must never break the third precept.” Pharan explained that each sacred item has its own way of veneration and precautions.

Chan bowed in gratitude to the master and put the coin in his shirt pocket, intending to make it into a necklace.

As for Jett, last time he received a carved wooden monkey statue that had helped with luck and business.

Khem, who was quietly folding coins, reminded himself not to be jealous when he saw what his friends received, no matter how hard it was.

When it was time to sleep, Jett and Chan, exhausted from the day’s activities, fell asleep easily, leaving Khem tossing and turning on his bed, his mind filled with confusion and turmoil, before finally drifting off to sleep near midnight.

Meanwhile, Pharan. After setting up the tray of offerings that the three boys had prepared, he sighed after looking at it for a while, then stood up and walked out of the room to another part of the Thai house.

The door to Khem’s room was gently opened for the second night in a row. Seeing that everyone was fast asleep, he didn’t chant any spells, walked directly to sit beside Khem, took out a small tin of herbal ointment for wounds from his pocket, opened it, and used his fingertip to apply it to each of Khem’s slender fingers, both left and right hands.

Once he was done applying the ointment, he didn’t linger, stood up, and walked out of the room immediately.

At that moment, hearing the door close, Khem slowly opened his eyes, his lips tightly pressed together, his face flushed with a heat that couldn’t be controlled in the darkness.

Who wouldn’t be touched by such an act?

   KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 17:

  Khem woke up early in the morning and turned to see that Master Pharan was no longer there. However, the sense of satisfaction from the night before made Khem smile.

Initially, he had planned to return to Bangkok if Master Pharan didn’t help, but now, Khem had changed his mind. Jett wouldn’t need to persuade Master Pharan or do anything else on behalf of Khem because from now on, Khem would handle it himself.

Khem would make Master Pharan’s heart soften!

First, he would start by tidying his own bed. Khem got up and was slightly startled to see Jett and Chan sleeping on either side of his bed.

“When did you guys get here?” Khem blushed, thinking they might have heard his conversation with Master Pharan last night, given how loudly he had been crying.

Seeing they were sleeping comfortably, he didn’t want to wake them, but he had to because Khem intended to clean the entire Thai-style house, though he didn’t know where to find the cleaning supplies.

“Jett, wake up, wake up.” Khem gently shook Jett’s shoulder, and soon Jett sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Is it morning already?”

“It’s, uh, five in the morning.” Jett almost bit Khem’s head off.

“Damn it. Why are you up so early?”

“Sorry. I want to clean the house for Master Pharan, but I don’t know where the cleaning supplies are.” Khem replied sheepishly, feeling guilty.

“Maybe if we do this, the master will be more lenient and let us stay here.” Jett slapped his knee excitedly, flames of determination in his eyes.

“Good! That’s how we should do it. Let’s go, wash up, and I’ll help clean!” Jett stood up abruptly, heading to wake the other friend.

“Chan, wake up, man!”

When Chan woke, Khem first apologized to him. Seeing that his friend wasn’t angry, he explained his plan. Chan, still a bit confused since being dragged here by Jett the day before, nodded in agreement (once again).

The three of them lined up to leave the room, heading downstairs to wash their faces and brush their teeth before going to the cleaning supplies room. Usually, the master hired a trusted maid to clean weekly, but she had recently gone on maternity leave, so lately, the master had been cleaning the house himself.

The kids, now well-rested and full of energy, cleaned with such fervor that the noise reached Pharan’s ears as he lay in bed.

The sounds of clinking kitchen utensils and the banging of a ladle against a pan mixed intermittently, causing the master to furrow his brows.

‘The older ones are cleaning the house, master, the teak floors are as shiny as mirrors,’ whispered Ekk, standing to the left of the bed, followed by Thong from the other side.

‘Phii Khem is cooking as well, it smells delicious. Phii Khem’s mother was right, master, you won’t…’ But seeing the master reach for the cane by the bedside, they both dashed out of the room.

Who would have guessed that Pharan would leave the children’s room at almost four in the morning…

Dressed in a white t-shirt and black cotton trousers for sleeping, Pharan had to get up. He walked out to sit at the ceremonial area and saw the three children, sweat covering them, already waiting. As soon as he sat on the higher seat, Jett, being the eager student, quickly crawled up to him.

“Master, Khem woke us up to clean together today, that is, um…well…you see…” Jett hesitated when he met the master’s look that seemed to say, “And then what?” Chan glanced up, having just tried to speak to the master himself.

Seeing that things weren’t going well, Khem quickly crawled closer to the master, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and looked up with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Can I stay here until the new term starts? I promise I’ll help with all the housework and won’t be a burden to you, Master.” Khem blinked at Master Pharan once, who felt like smacking that handsome forehead with a coconut, but Jett was to blame for this behavior.

However, he could only think it because in reality, Master Pharan just sighed with exasperation.

These guys were arguing without him even saying he wouldn’t let them stay.

“If you’re going to stay, you must formally become my disciple.” As soon as he finished speaking, Khem smiled broadly with joy, and Jett almost hugged him but restrained himself out of respect for Master Pharan, only jumping for joy quietly in his mind.

But the matter wasn’t settled there.

“And you, do you know the situation with these two? Is that why you followed them here?” Master Pharan turned his question to Chan, who shook his head in response. Jett immediately looked uncomfortable.

Oh no. If Master Pharan tells the truth, their plan to trick Chan into being Khem’s protector would fall apart!

Khem bit his lip, feeling guilty when Master Pharan’s look seemed to scold him for not telling the truth to his friend, so he quickly crawled back to Chan, leaving Jett to be disciplined with a tap on the head by Master Pharan.

“Chan, I’m sorry for not telling you everything. It’s just that…” Khem proceeded to tell Chan everything, from the curse on his maternal family to the near-death experiences. Chan was visibly shocked by what he heard.

If anyone else had told him this story, he wouldn’t have believed it, but after getting to know Khem and Jett, he could accept it easily.

“You all need to decide carefully. If you’re in this together, it means you three are willing to risk your lives for each other when faced with danger. But if you’re not sure you can do that, it’s best to go your separate ways from now.” What he said was the truth; he couldn’t guarantee everything would end well. If someone later panicked and feared for their life, all his teachings would be in vain.

It was better to make the decision now, to avoid wasting everyone’s time.

Jett and Khem looked at each other before turning to Chan. Chan adjusted his glasses slightly before crawling closer to Master Pharan…and bowed in a way he never had before.

If asked how he felt after hearing what the master said, he would have to admit he was scared…Who isn’t afraid of death, right? But watching over Jett and Khem had become another reason for him to live, and he didn’t think he could just stop doing it, so he wanted to try asking,

“I’d like to become your student, master.”

Jett stood up straighter as if to say Chan spoke well. Khem was both overjoyed and relieved to the point of tears, but quickly wiped them away and smiled to thank Chan.

To become a student, one had to perform the traditional “Wai Kru” ceremony like the other students of Pharan. So, they would need to prepare offerings and incense for the ceremony tomorrow. Today, after setting up the meal for the master, they had to inform their volunteer club friends that they would be staying behind, to not worry everyone.

Regarding Kornkan, Pondit, and Tejaton, they were now out of danger but still needed to stay in the hospital for observation for several days, with their parents closely watching over them. Once they were better and returned home, they would have to fulfill their promise to ordain as monks for six years and maintain the eight precepts for the rest of their lives.

It was hoped that their experiences would serve as a lesson, making them respect places they visit and refrain from rude behavior or disrespectful challenges.

After the ordeal had passed, the villagers organized a “Baai Sri Suu Khwan” or in the Isan dialect, “Soot Kwahn.” ceremony for the students to call back their spirits and morale, and to wish them good fortune before their long journey back to Bangkok.

Khem, Jett, and Chan went to Grandma-Si’s house, where the ceremony was to be held. Grandma-Si’s house was half concrete and half wood, with a spacious ground floor that could accommodate dozens of people. From the front, one could see the prominent seven-tiered golden tray for the spirit calling, with village elders and residents seated around the walls, each holding several sacred threads.

Upon arrival, Khem, Jett, and Chan walked respectfully through the crowd to get inside, then crawled to sit near Phraemai, who was positioned at the front.

“Prae, how are you feeling? Are you okay now?” Prae almost burst into tears again seeing Khem.

“I’m okay, you’re okay now, right, Khem? I heard that…” Phraemai bit her lip, not daring to say the word “ghost.” but Auntie-Kaew had told her that Khem had disappeared without anyone noticing, only to be found later lying in the forest, luckily found and brought back by Pharan.

“Sorry, Khem. It’s because you were watching over us, right, that this happened?”

Khem shook his head.

“It’s not because of you, Prae. My luck has just been down lately, but it will get better soon. Don’t worry.” Prae exhaled before nodding.

“When the term starts, let’s have a barbecue. Including Chan and Jett.” Phraemai didn’t forget to turn to tell the other two friends sitting next to Khem, because everyone here had been affected because of her.

Jett and Chan nodded with a smile, hoping they would all survive until the term started.

Soon, Grandma Si began the ceremony chants, asking everyone present to clasp their hands in prayer.

“Namo, me, Buddhatejasa, Ratanattayathamika, Tejapasiddhipasithi deva, Narayana, Parameswara…

“Shri, Shri, this is a good day, Shri, Shri, this day, elders say is good, a day of divine luck, for calling back the spirit, we then recite the spirit-calling chant: Come here, spirit, thirty-two spirits, gather ninety-two spirits, come back to be whole in the body, to continue the lineage.”

“The old healer calls for the spirit to return, saying: Come, spirit, the head spirit stay at the head, the eye spirit at the eyes, do not leave, the mouth spirit at the mouth, do not flee, the hair spirit from feet to crown, come to admire the new, the shoulder and round eye spirits, come to fill the body, both the foot spirit, and the hand spirit, the navel and small belly spirits, do not separate, come to be placed in the body, calling: Come, spirit.

The chest spirit come to the two breasts, the hair spirit come to the hair, the leg spirit come to the legs, the shin spirit come to the shins, the neck spirit come to the neck, the belly and chin spirits, the slender waist and arched eyebrow spirits, all spirits within, calling: Come, spirit…”

After that, Grandma-Si took the holy water that Pharan had blessed and used the sprig of jasmine to dip in it and sprinkle it over the students, especially drenching Phraemai and Khem.

After receiving the holy water, they lined up to have the villagers tie sacred threads around their wrists. Over these four days, they had experienced much, both in terms of care and protection.

“May you be happy, always surrounded by good things, may you not know pain or sickness, young lady.”

Upon receiving these blessings and as the time to leave approached, some students were moved to tears from the emotional attachment, especially Phraemai, who cried immediately upon seeing Auntie-Kaew and Uncle-Chai, even before they could tie the threads. Auntie-Kaew hugged her for several minutes to calm her down before tying the thread.

Jett, seeing Grandma-Si chewing betel nut alone, crawled over to her.

“Grandma-Si, please tie a thread for me.” Grandma-Si, who had just taken a break, pulled a thread from the golden tray. She had known Jett since he was little; back then, he was a chubby, cute, yet mischievous child. He had always called out to her, and now, grown up, he was still as playful as a monkey, just like his father’s ancestors.

“May you be strong and healthy, free from pain and illness, may you sleep soundly and wake up refreshed, and remember to wear shoes when you walk outside.”

Jett burst into laughter, thinking that only Grandma-Si would bless him like this. It was worth all the times he had refilled her refrigerator with water!

Once the ceremony was over and it was time to go home, Jett, Khem, Chan, and many villagers stood to see off the students onto the bus. They didn’t forget to hand over gifts for everyone to share on the journey, waving goodbye for the last time.

As the tour bus departed, leaving behind a faint cloud of dust, it was time for everyone to go their separate ways and resume their duties.

“Let’s go back home, we need to prepare the offerings for the master’s ceremony.” Jett said. Khem nodded hesitantly. Chan, as usual, followed quietly behind.

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 16:

  Pharan glanced at Khem, who was still overwhelmed by fear, unable to lift his head.

‘Father, it’s been an hour, please come back!’

  But Pharan could do little more than pull Chayot’s head out of its dimension along with him.

“Master!” Jett called out. At that moment, Pharan opened his physical eyes and spoke firmly:

“Go fetch a pot.” The shadowy figure, emitting a strong odor of decay, was struggling in the master’s grip. Jett swallowed hard and ran to grab a clay pot enchanted with protective spells, handing it to Pharan immediately. Meanwhile, Chan could only frown in confusion, looking from one person to another, as he didn’t see what others were seeing.

Without further ado, Pharan opened the lid and stuffed Chayot’s spirit into the pot, then closed it and wrapped it in a red cloth inscribed with mystical symbols, indicating he would deal with it later.

“Follow me.” He said shortly before walking down from the house.

Jett and Chan followed the master into the forest behind the house, which was a different path from where the group was searching for Kornkan and his friends.

The three of them ventured deeper into the woods, each carrying a lantern for light. Jett and Chan trailed behind Pharan, not knowing where they were being led.

As it approached five in the morning, Pharan stopped and looked around, telling the two young men that Khem was nearby and instructed them to split up and search.

Chan started to walk in another direction, but Jett pulled him back.

“Where do you think you’re going, you’ll probably fall off a cliff and die.” Chan furrowed his brows and pointed ahead.

“It’s just a normal path, how could there be a cliff?”

“Huh?” Jett looked again, rubbing his eyes once more, and what he once saw as a cliff now appeared as a small, walkable path.

Jett clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hadn’t realized he was under a spirit’s illusion; what a complete misjudgment!

Pharan turned back and walked towards where Chan indicated. Soon, they saw a faint golden light shining from behind a large tree.

Pharan approached the tree, followed by Jett and Chan. Upon reaching it, they found the source of the light: the sacred thread he had blessed and tied around Khem the previous day…

“Khem!” Jett shouted, joyfully jumping towards his friend, but Khem lay there motionless, his eyes lifeless and unresponsive, much like Phraemai had been.

“Call his spirit back first.” Pharan instructed. Jett stepped back to allow the master to light incense and candles for the ceremony to summon Khem’s spirit.

Fortunately, Jett had instinctively grabbed the master’s bag of supplies.

After planting the incense in the ground, Pharan clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and began to pray.

“Spirit, oh spirit, come back, where has the spirit of Khemjira flown to? May the deities of the forest watch over and protect, bring him back to where he belongs, let him not wander away again.”

Khem’s eyes slowly closed, his previously stiff body relaxing against the trees.

Khem had returned. Now just sleeping, Jett didn’t want to wake him, so he carried him as he was, though it was somewhat cumbersome since Jett wasn’t particularly strong or large, and after being up all night, he wasn’t in the best shape…

Chan was about to offer his help, but Master Pharan was quicker.

“Give him here, I’ll carry him.” Master Pharan said, seeing that Jett might end up rolling down the mountain with Khem.

“Uh, are you sure, Master? I can carry him. It won’t be a bother for you.” Jett was startled, barely keeping his composure.

Even though Master Pharan had been a layman for years, he still carried himself like a monk. Jett had never seen him carry anyone before, be it man or woman.

“Give him here.”

“Here you go.” Sensing the chill in Master Pharan’s voice, Jett quickly handed over Khem. Master Pharan shook his head, tired of repeating himself, before turning to the other person who had been watching from a distance.

“You’re Chan, right?” The other nodded in confirmation.

“Yes, Master.”

“Lead the way.” Master Pharan said calmly. Chan nodded again, though he didn’t fully understand, before turning and walking ahead.

Once out of the forest, Master Pharan carried Khem back to the house. Seeing that the villagers and student friends searching for Kornkan and his group hadn’t returned, Jett couldn’t stay indifferent. He grabbed a coffee, took Master Pharan’s bicycle, and went to help in the search, dragging along the more determined Chan, leaving Khem in Master Pharan’s care.

Master Pharan left Khem’s bedroom, heading to the room where Chayot’s jar was kept. He opened the lid, reached inside, grabbed Chayot’s head, and pulled his body out.

This room was surrounded by magical incantations; spirits inside couldn’t leave, and those outside couldn’t enter. It was a room specifically used by Pharan and his grandfather to subdue ghosts.

The many candles placed on the floor suddenly illuminated the room with their flames, yet the atmosphere remained chillingly cold. Chayot felt as if his spirit might dissolve just by meeting Pharan’s gaze. Overwhelmed by frustration and fear, he began to cry.

Pharan slowly released the head of his former younger brother, seeing that his power had waned. He then brought over a wooden chair, placed it in front of Chayot, and sat down.

“Why are you doing this?” Pharan asked, and Chayot thought the question seemed to reflect back on past events as well.

The spirit in the khaki uniform slumped to the floor, kneeling, gripping his pants tightly as he responded:

“How long I’ve loved him, you never knew…Last time you abandoned him, and in this life, you haven’t shown him love or care, so why—”

  Before he could finish, Pharan kicked Chayot with full force, catching him off guard, sending him sprawling backward with a loud thud. Not satisfied, Pharan then crouched beside him, grabbed his hair, and forced him to look into his eyes as if to burn his spirit away.

“You don’t love him, Chayot. You love yourself.”

“…”

Pharan’s words felt like a sharp spear piercing through Chayot’s heart, causing such pain that it seemed it might shatter into pieces. His black eyes rolled in resistance, unwilling to accept the truth, while tears continued to flow.

“Last time, you forged my letter, causing his death. Now you want his life again, you arrogant fool. What am I supposed to do with you?”

“You don’t understand. I just wanted to protect Khem from that evil spirit. If I had his spirit, my power would increase, and I could definitely protect

Khem from it, aarrgh!” Chayot cried out in pain as Pharan’s grip tightened, forcing his head back.

“Did you ever ask him if he wanted you to protect him? You don’t have to mention the past; your selfish nature hasn’t changed. You think if you love someone, they must love you back, you want what you want, and when your good deeds don’t get rewarded, you react like this. Who asked you to do all this?” Chayot squirmed, trying to escape, but the more he struggled, the more it hurt.

Such pain was something this ghost hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Aaah, it hurts, it hurts! I’m scared! Let me go!”

  “You also hurt him, scared him just the same, and yet you dare to say you love him even as a ghost. After all these lifetimes, and you still don’t get it? How about spending ten or twenty years at the bottom of the river, tied with a rock, inside a jar?” Chayot’s eyes rolled back as he shook his head. The thought of being confined in such a cramped space, unable to move, was tormenting in less than a day, let alone ten or twenty years.

“No! Don’t do this to me! I want to stay with Khem! She’ll come back. If I’m not here, who will protect Khem!” Chayot sobbed, begging for mercy. Hearing this, Master Pharan paused, a mix of emotions swirling inside him with hesitation.

If not Chayot, then who would protect Khem…

His sharp, stern eyes narrowed dangerously.

“That’s not the duty of a ghost like you. So remember my words well today, and reflect on your actions in that jar. If you haven’t changed your ways by the time I come back, prepare to be weighed down at the bottom of the river.”

“No! No! Ahhhhhhhhh!” Master Pharan closed the lid after shoving Chayot’s spirit back into the jar, wrapped it with the same red sacred cloth, securely tied it, and placed it back on the table before leaving the room.

This morning, the sky was clear and the sun bright, a stark contrast to the night before when everyone expected heavy rain all day.

But last night, around three or nearly four in the morning, when Chai came to tell everyone to keep searching for the three students and assured them that they were still alive, it reignited hope in the search team. The ominous cloud that seemed to hover over the village, created by Mek’s worry, gradually dissipated in a miraculous way.

It was obvious who could achieve such a thing.

Jett and Chan joined the search team at six in the morning to help find Kornkan and his group. Since there were already many people searching higher up, they decided to focus on areas near the base of the mountain.

The two split up to search, but stayed close enough to shout if they found anything.

Chan walked along the stream of the waterfall, catching sight of a beer can floating by. He adjusted his glasses and followed the water upstream, his heart pounding with anticipation.

And then he found them…

Chan swallowed hard upon seeing the condition of the three bodies before averting his gaze to shout across the waterfall to Jett.

“Khun Jett, over here!” Jett, who was looking down under a wooden bridge, immediately looked up when he saw Chan waving from behind a large rock, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Did you find them?” Without waiting for an answer, Jett ran across the bridge to reach him.

Chan moved aside to let Jett see closely, and upon seeing it, Jett couldn’t help but curse.

“Damn…” For most people, Phraemai’s condition from last night was already terrifying, but the state of Kornkan, Pondit, and Tejathon now surpassed that by far.

The three were lying on the riverbank, surrounded by several beer cans and debris, their clothes tattered and dirty, their pale skin covered with dark bruises, mouths agape, eyes rolled back, hands and feet bloated from prolonged exposure to water. Yet, their chests were still moving faintly, indicating they were still alive.

It was a horrifying and heart-wrenching sight.

“What do we do?” Chan asked, hesitant to touch them, fearing they might have internal injuries, and they had no equipment to carry them.

“You stay here, I’ll go get help.” Jett said, turning to run off immediately.

Chan didn’t have to wait long before Jett returned with several villagers and male students, bringing first aid kits and stretchers.

Everyone was taken aback by the scene; some even clasped their hands in a prayer of thanks and apology to the spirits. Then they began to carefully lift the three onto stretchers for preliminary first aid before sending them to the hospital.

By morning, after everything was settled, Jett reported back to Pharan that they had found Kornkan and his friends, but their condition was critical. They had been taken to the hospital, and Chan, who was quite dazed, was told to stay with Khem as a form of responsibility for finding him. Chan didn’t object.

Seeing Chan with his bag packed, Pharan nodded in agreement, though not without giving Jett a look of reprimand for acting without consultation, before continuing to make holy water by dropping candle wax into a basin.

After showering and changing into nightwear, Jett and Chan went to sleep in the same room as Khem, each on a different side of the bed with Khem in the middle. The master had said that Khem wouldn’t wake up soon but definitely by tomorrow at the latest, and seeing no immediate danger, combined with their accumulated fatigue, both fell into a deep sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

In the dead of night, the bedroom door of Khem was gently pushed open. Master Pharan chanted a spell to ensure that the two guardians slept soundly and wouldn’t wake until morning before he slowly entered and sat on the bed.

His sharp eyes gazed at Khem’s face, which was beaded with sweat. Earlier, he had asked Auntie Kaew to come in and help with changing Khem’s clothes and wiping him down, but he needed to check periodically to see if Khem had a fever.

Master Pharan felt responsible for this situation, having been the one to suggest that Khem sleep elsewhere. It wasn’t out of any personal feelings.

He gently placed his hand on Khem’s forehead, only to find that Khem wasn’t hot, yet tears streamed continuously from the corners of his eyes.

He must be having a nightmare.

And Master Pharan could guess what Khem was dreaming about.

In the realm of dreams Khem was currently facing, it was their past lives where he and Master Pharan had been lovers, but their love wasn’t as sweet and enduring as others’.

Duty and career had kept them apart for an eternity, and death had separated them forever, preventing any return to the love they once dreamed of.

It was a pity, as they missed each other by such a brief moment.

Khem stood at his own funeral, seeing how devastated the person who arrived just a step too late was. In Khem’s mind, he was crying out, “Why?”

Why did he believe others’ deceit?

Why wasn’t he strong?

Why didn’t he wait patiently?

It was just a little while longer.

As he was about to embrace the person kneeling and crying in front of his photo, Khem was suddenly pulled out of that moment. His body jolted in fright, and he woke up to see Master Pharan’s face looking at him.

“Ugh!” Khem looked at Pharan’s face and burst into tears, feeling a sharp pain in his heart upon learning why they parted in their past life, still immersed in those emotions, finding it hard to detach.

He sat up and lunged to hug the other, driven by a longing, momentarily forgetting who he was now and who the other was.

Pharan immediately understood what Khem had dreamt about to react this way, so he didn’t push him away or reject him, but he also didn’t reciprocate Khem’s feelings, instead reminding him to think rationally.

“You can hug as much as you want, cry to your heart’s content, but remember, I’m not Phawat, and you’re not Khemika.”

“…”

“The past is long gone. Now we are just people who happened to meet. Not lovers, understand…?”

Khem’s heart slowed down. After hugging and crying to satisfaction, he came to his senses about his actions, though it was difficult to control his emotions, unlike Pharan who could clearly distinguish between past and present.

But would it matter if Khem wanted to cherish this moment a little longer?

“Master, can you please stay with me a bit longer, until I fall asleep? I promise, I won’t ask for this again.” Khem pleaded, tears still streaming down his cheeks, his body still hiccupping slightly.

The master fell silent, making Khem feel disheartened, but then he smiled when he heard the next sentence. His tears stopped as if the tap had been turned off.

“If that’s the case, then lie down.”

“Yes.” Khem quickly lay down as instructed. Even though his eyes still followed Pharan, who turned to open a drawer in the wooden cabinet by the bed and pulled out a book of Dhamma to read while waiting for Khem to fall asleep, he didn’t miss the stern look sent his way.

“You’re staring like that, when will you ever fall asleep?”

Khem closed his eyes out of slight fear but felt reassured because he knew the master was kind.

“Um, can I hold your hand?” The response was a look that seemed to threaten discipline, so Khem promptly closed his eyes in feigned sleep.

Not long after, Khem felt a single finger slide into his hand, and without hesitation, he grabbed it like a cat catching a mouse.

Khem’s heart was beating so hard it felt like it might burst out, and he opened his eyes to look at Master Pharan, who was intently reading a book on Dharma, overwhelmed with joy.

Master Pharan, annoyed by Khem’s gaze, spoke up,

“Only this once, next time you get the switch.”

KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 15:

  Uncle-Chai’s sidecar motorcycle, driven by a villager who was asked by the village chief to bring Grandma-Si and Mint, stopped next to the stairs of Pharan’s large Thai house. Then, Grandma-Si and Mint hurried up to the central area for the ceremony.

Pharan opened his eyes from meditation, and upon seeing Grandma-Si and Mint return, Jett, Khem, and Chan all sighed in relief, watching Phraemai who was still convulsing with her eyes rolled back, hoping for her recovery.

“She’s back, Phraemai is back.” Grandma-Si announced before placing the sticky rice basket beside Phraemai. With her age-worn hands, she opened the lid, took out a sacred thread and tied it around Phraemai’s wrist, all while chanting:

“Spirit of Phraemai, come back and enter the body, come to peace, come to happiness, come to purity, come to health, come to prosperity, come to serenity, come to be with the body.”

At that moment, Master Pharan saw a faint white smoke emerging from the bamboo container and entering Phraemai’s mouth, causing his eyebrows to relax.

Phraemai had truly returned.

“Buddha protects, Dhamma protects, Sangha protects, do not wander, stay with this body, so be it.” Once Grandma Si finished chanting, the body that had been convulsing relaxed, the eyes that had rolled back returned to their proper position, and the twisted mouth returned to normal. Soon, her eyelids gently closed, her breathing became steady.

Khem couldn’t help but smile with relief. Mint, on the other hand, wiped her tears, her skepticism about such matters instantly transformed.

Then Grandma Si called for those present to come and tie the sacred thread around Phraemai’s wrist to welcome her spirit back. Master Pharan was the first to do so, followed by Uncle Chai, Auntie Kaew, Mint, Khem, Jett, and Chan in order of seniority.

Once Phraemai’s situation was resolved peacefully, Master Pharan instructed everyone to return home to rest, except for Uncle Chai and Jett, who had to stay to assist him. Tonight, Master Pharan would perform an out-of-body spirit journey, leaving his physical body behind, and the house needed someone to watch over it, ensuring no disturbance.

Chan carried Phraemai down from Master Pharan’s house as he had brought her up, following Grandma Si and Auntie Kaew, with Mint bringing up the rear.

Chan’s sharp eyes turned to Khem before he said,

“You should also stay at Auntie Kaew’s house.” Jett was left with his mouth agape, while Khem blinked, not understanding.

But thinking back to the recent events, Khem realized he would only be in the way here and wouldn’t be able to help Master Pharan. He stood up with a bowed head and followed Chan.

“Master, why do you need to send Khem away to sleep elsewhere?” Jett asked with a furrowed brow, not understanding. Master Pharan, accused by his student, took a switch and tapped him on the head.

“Ow.” Jett mumbled, rubbing his head.

“And why do you want him to stay awake here with you?” The reason was simple. If Khem stayed here, he wouldn’t leave his friends to sleep alone in his room, and with less rest, his body would be weak, making it easier for his spirit to leave his body.

Jett gave a sheepish grin and quickly raised his hands above his head in apology, misunderstanding Pharan.

“Ha ha, I forgot, sorry, Master.”

Then Pharan began meditating to enter a trance, with Uncle-Chai by his side to keep the oil lamp filled and ensure the candle didn’t go out. Meanwhile, Jett went downstairs, untying the sacred thread and winding it around the fence of the house, then went into the kitchen under the house to make black coffee and grab some snacks, intending to stay vigilant against any wandering spirits entering the area, confirming he wouldn’t sleep that night as the master had implied.

That night, Auntie-Kaew arranged for everyone to sleep together in the central hall of the house, separating the genders, with Auntie-Kaew herself sitting close by, sorting grains while keeping watch, with a lamp providing light.

Khem lay down next to Chan, his mind replaying the image of the master lifting the cane as if to strike, along with the stern look the master gave him, and being chased out of the house. These thoughts kept running through his head, causing his eyes to well up uncontrollably.

Khem couldn’t understand why he felt so hurt by what the master did, even though the master hadn’t done anything wrong; on the contrary, the master was right.

The more he thought, the more his heart ached until tears started to flow. Khem cried quietly by himself until he fell asleep.

At around three in the morning, Khem woke up groggily when he felt someone walk past him. Looking closely, he saw Phraemai heading towards the door to go outside.

“Prae!” Khem called out, but she didn’t even turn around. Seeing this, he quickly got up and shook Chan, but Chan wouldn’t wake up. He then crawled to wake Mint, but she, too, was deeply asleep. Auntie-Kaew was no longer there.

Khem was scared for himself, but he couldn’t let Phraemai go out alone. He put on his shoes and ran after her.

“Prae, wait for me!” Khem tried calling out, but Phraemai seemed deaf to his voice, walking as if in a trance. Khem understood this well because he had sleepwalked almost to the point of jumping off a balcony himself. The only thing to do was to catch up to her and grab her.

“Prae!” But even as he ran, it seemed like Phraemai was still far ahead, disappearing into the forest.

Khem stopped in his tracks, looking around frantically, trying to wake Chan who wouldn’t stir. All the villagers who could have helped had already gone up the mountain. Running to Master Pharan or Jett was too far, and Khem was afraid Phraemai might disappear for good this time. He decided to run after her into the forest.

Chan turned over, the light from the lantern flickering before his eyes, forcing him awake. But instead of seeing Khem’s small head, he saw only emptiness beside him, and next to that, Phraemai’s face, still fast asleep next to Mint.

Rising, he reached for his glasses, the clarity confirming Khem was gone.

“Auntie Kaew, have you seen Khem?” Chan asked Auntie Kaew, who was still sorting grains nearby.

“Oh, he’s sleeping…Wait!” Madam Kaew was about to say that Khem was right next to Chan, but upon looking again, he was not there.

At that moment, Mek and the head of the search team were performing a ceremony, asking for forgiveness from the spirits of the land and forest to help clear the path, open their ears to hear, and their eyes to see, so they could bring the children back home.

Master Pharan sent out eight spirits in all directions to trace the children, but there was no sign of them.

While lighting incense and candles, suddenly a strong wind blew, making it impossible to light them. Everyone quickly knelt, hands clasped in prayer.

Master Pharan, observing from afar, shook his head and sighed.

It seemed like the other side which had taken Phraemai friends wasn’t willing to give them up easily…

Even the students, who weren’t afraid of ghosts, found themselves looking around nervously, as this was an experience they had never encountered.

Master Pharan decided to unite all eight spirits into one, soaring towards the peak of Mount Kheri, passing through the dense forest until reaching the deepest, untouched part where there appeared a medium-sized cave behind a waterfall.

The spirit in the form of a person walked through the waterfall’s veil into the cave. Pharan had always been aware of the presence here, acknowledging the existence of something within, but he had never thought to disturb it.

However, this situation could not be avoided. He had to ask for help.

Pharan stopped in his tracks when he reached the end of a long pool with no further path. He bowed down on the stone floor and addressed what was observing him:

“O spirits of the land, the forest, and the mountains, if I, Pharan, Reuangdej, have inadvertently offended you in body, speech, or mind, whether intentionally or not, please forgive me.” Pharan bowed once more, then stood up and continued,

“Today, I am troubled and come to seek your help. Please show mercy and grant my request. If my merit is insufficient, I am willing to leave peacefully.”

Suddenly, the cave lit up with the light from countless fireflies, illuminating everything clearly. Pharan heard something moving through the water, approaching him. The shadow on the cave wall took the shape of a large serpent.

A black snake emerged from the water, lifting its head about two meters high, its amber eyes looking down at the young man who was bowing below. It spoke in a deep voice through the mind:

“If your merit wasn’t enough, you wouldn’t have made it here.” Pharan bowed in acknowledgment. The snake, named “Phuchong.” continued, “You’re here because of those three kids, right?” Pharan nodded, then looked up at the giant serpent leaning closer, peering into its large amber eyes, and he saw the sequence of events from when the three kids entered the forest.

From speaking disrespectfully, challenging, spitting, littering, making loud noises, to even urinating on a tree inhabited by a tree spirit without any apology or request for forgiveness.

It was as if it was explaining to Pharan why those children had disappeared.

“After this, I will make them atone for their actions, just release them…while they still breathe.” Phuchong observed Pharan, who met its gaze without fear, daring to bargain for the lives of those who had wronged. Puchong memories from hundreds of years ago resurfaced at this man’s habits.

This man’s nature remains unchanged throughout his life.

Phuchong straightened up and retreated into the water until its head were level, then it said:

“I can make the spirit of the Takian Nang release those kids, but they must ordain as monks for at least six vassa (monastic years), live by the eight precepts for life. If they don’t do this, I will retrieve them, and they’ll become wandering forest spirits, never to be reborn.” Master Pharan bowed again in gratitude, but he froze when he heard the next sentence, before the other entity sank back into the water. The fireflies slowly dimmed, but the previous words still echoed.

“But I can only release three. You’ll have to find the way for the last one yourself.”

  Master Pharan’s spirit returned to his physical body, his sharp, dark eyes opening instantly. At the same moment, Jett and another boy, Chan, ran up the stairs, and then crawled to clasp their hands in prayer to him with faces full of panic.

“Father, Khem has disappeared!” The words hit Master Pharan like a heavy object on his head, especially after hearing from Chan that Khem vanished without anyone noticing. Even Auntie Kaew, who was awake watching, hadn’t seen when Khem left, which only added to his frustration.

The last words from the guardian spirit indicated that it was not involved in this matter and couldn’t help further, suggesting that Khem’s disappearance was due to his own personal karma.

“Uncle Chai, go help the village chief and the students. Tell everyone the children are still alive, keep searching; they’ll be found.”

“Yes, Master.” Uncle Chai bowed in acknowledgment and hurried out, knowing there was nothing more he could do here.

After Uncle Chai left, Master Pharan turned to Jett and Chan.

“You two keep an eye on the candles and lanterns, don’t let them go out. If I’m not back in an hour, light one incense stick to call me.” Jett immediately bowed in agreement. Though Chan was still confused, he also bowed to accept the instruction.

Master Pharan closed his eyes, recalling when he had entered the dimension of a vengeful spirit named Ramphueng. He concentrated on the memory and feeling of that time to find his way back into that dimension.

After a long search, he finally entered, but he could only reach the ancient Thai house’s boat dock in this dimension, unable to go further.

What Master Pharan saw now were signs of a lightning strike; the dock area where he stood was covered with black burn marks, and several trees around the house had fallen, their branches breaking through the roof.

The lightning event from the previous night must have affected Madam Ramphueng’s dimension as well.

Pharan could sense that the spirit of Madam-Ramphueng was hiding within this Thai house, as her spirit must have been injured, and thus, she had been quiet, not causing any disturbances outside for a while.

However, Khem’s spirit was not here…

So where could he have gone?

Khem didn’t know when he had lost consciousness, but he woke up in a bedroom that felt oddly familiar.

“Wake up, Khem?” The speaker was a tall man in a khaki uniform, with a handsome face and a voice that sounded strangely familiar, causing Khem to furrow his brow and back away as the man stepped closer.

“Who are you?” The man in front of him let out a soft laugh, but his dark eyes lacked any humor, before he sat down on the bed and leaned in close to Khem.

“We haven’t seen each other in many nights, have you forgotten me?” Khem looked into the man’s eyes, trying to dredge up a fading memory.

Haven’t seen each other in many nights, huh…

“Take a good look at this house, Khem.” As Khem did so, he noticed that everything around him was from an old era, like a set from a Thai period drama from the 1980s he had once watched, with wooden walls that had an eggshell color…

Khem’s eyes widened, and he quickly turned back to look at the man in front of him.

“You, are you the person from my dreams?” Chayot nodded, then took Khem’s hand into his own.

“Khem, stay here with me, I’ll take care of you from now on, okay?”   Khem pulled his hand back and shook his head vigorously.

“No way. If I stay here, that means I’m dead. I don’t want to die yet.” Khem’s refusal caused Chayot’s expression to darken.

“When will you stop rejecting me, Khem? When will you start looking back at me!” Khem startled, quickly retreating as the man’s face, which had looked normal, began to turn pale and then greenish.

Chayot slowly crawled onto the bed, bringing his now horrifying face closer to Khem, speaking with a chilling voice that Khem had heard before.

“I’ve cherished and protected you for centuries, do you think I’d let someone else have you? Dream on!” Khem felt like he was being electrocuted and cried out in fear before jumping off the bed and dashing out of the room, hoping to escape the house, praying to wake up from this nightmare.

“Where do you think you’re going!” Chayot’s voice echoed through the house. When Khem turned around, he was so shocked his legs nearly gave out.

The sight was of a man in khaki clothes with a grotesquely twisted body, as if all his bones were broken, blood everywhere, his skull caved in, neck bent against his shoulder, using his seemingly lifeless legs to chase after Khem with alarming speed.

Khem turned back and ran down the stairs, but he tripped on the last step, twisting his ankle. The pain felt real, not like it was from a dream. Despite the pain making it impossible to walk, Khem still chose to crawl away, crying silently.

The door that was left ajar was suddenly slammed shut with a loud ‘bang’. Khem, whose hopes were crushed, stared wide-eyed before the closed door was replaced by the sight of the twisted, khaki-clad legs.

Khem immediately looked down, not wanting to see, fear consuming every bit of his being until he could barely breathe. He curled up, hugging himself and crying without sound.

Chayot knelt down and leaned in, just a moment away from embracing Khem.

However, someone’s hand reached out, grabbed Chayot’s hair tightly, and pulled him back.

What appeared before Khem was the face of Pharan, glaring at him with such anger that his black eyes seemed to shrink.

   KHEMJIRA CHAPTERS HOME

KHEMJIRA, Chapter 14:

  When the light revealed something she did not want to see, Phraemai, in her utmost fright, threw the lantern away and ran for her life, not caring what lay ahead, only knowing she couldn’t stay there for even a second longer.

The sound of the Thai-dressed woman in red repeatedly echoing in her ears:

“Leave! Leave! Leave! Leave! Leave!”

  “AAAAHHHHHH!” Phraemai’s scream echoed through the forest, startling the birds into flight from their nests. Simultaneously, Pharan, who was meditating with his eyes closed in a room lit by candles, opened his eyes abruptly.

It was almost midnight. While the villagers were asleep, suddenly there was crying and loud banging coming from one of the houses.

Bang bang bang!

“Open the door! Please open the door! Help! Help! Sob!” Chan, who was sleeping in a room near the door, was startled. The voice he heard now sounded a lot like Phraemai’s. Realizing this, he quickly got up to check the situation and found that Uncle-Chai, Auntie-Kaew, and Mint, Phraemai’s close friend, were also rushing out of their rooms to the front door.

Knock knock knock!

“Mint, Chan, Auntie-Kaew, Uncle-Chai, help me!” Uncle-Chai, who tried to sense if it was a ghost or some other entity, realized it was truly Phraemai, not an apparition, and quickly opened the door.

“Prae!” Mint’s eyes widened, and she rushed out to meet her friend. Chan was fully alert when he saw Phraemai’s condition, as if she had just run through a battlefield, covered in mud, her hair disheveled, her usually sweet face marred by tears and scratches, with bits of wood and leaves stuck to her clothes.

“Help! Help! I’m scared! Help!” Phraemai, her hands clasped in a pleading gesture to Mint, cried out as she slumped to the ground, shaking her head in a panic. Auntie-Kaew and Uncle-Chai exchanged concerned glances.

This wasn’t the first time they had seen someone in such a state, but they were curious about what had caused it.

“Scared! Scared! Sob!”

“Prae, calm down, try to gather yourself. What happened!?” Mint knelt down to hug Phraemai, asking gently.

The more she was asked what happened, the more the previous events replayed in Phraemai’s mind, despite her attempts to forget. The image of the woman in the red Thai dress and her shrill voice still echoed in her head. The overwhelming fear caused Phraemai’s eyes to roll back, her lips to twist, and her limbs to stiffen and convulse.

“Prae!!” Mint cried out in shock upon seeing her friend’s condition, starting to weep out of fear.

“Oh no.” Uncle Chai exclaimed, along with several villagers and students who had come out to see what was happening. Once almost everyone had gathered, the host of Kornkan, Lah, spoke in the local Isan dialect, looking around immediately.

“AiTud, I heard that my student said he was going to sleep at your place. Where is he now?” Tud shook his head.

“No, he’s not at my house. My kid also said he was going to sleep at your place.”

“Yeah, that’s what mine said too.” Mek added. Hearing this, the village chief’s face tensed up, a vein popping out on his temple.

“I think they sneaked into the forest to have fun. They told me they wanted to go up, but I didn’t allow it; they must have not listened. This girl probably went with them.” Mint, understanding the local dialect, quickly nodded in agreement, wiping away tears.

“Yes, Prae told me she was going to sleep with Te, the one staying at Uncle Tud’s house, but I didn’t know they would sneak into the forest. If I had known, I would have stopped her.”

“village chief, can you take Prae to see a doctor? I’ll fill up the gas.” The club president said with concern, knowing if something serious happened to Phraemai, it would become a big issue.

However, many villagers, including the village chief, shook their heads.

“By the time we get to the hospital, your friend might be dead. Besides, doctors can’t help with this; only a shaman can.” The village chief said. Chai then nodded quickly, instructing his wife to bring out their sidecar motorcycle from the garage. Madam Kaew hurried to comply, as they would take this child to see Master Pharan.

“Come on, let’s carry Prae up.”

When Madam-Kaew brought out the sidecar motorcycle, Chan, who was nearby, helped lift Phraemai onto the bike, with Mint holding her close. They all got on.

Chai started the motorcycle, letting his wife ride behind, and before driving off, he turned to tell the village chief,

“Village chief, go get Grandma-Si, take her to the master’s house. This ghost girl is MaeYing, the master won’t handle this himself.”

“Alright, alright, go go.” The village chief agreed and quickly headed towards Grandma-Si’s house. Meanwhile, Chai drove the motorcycle with Phraemai towards Pharan’s house. At that moment, someone else brought a pickup truck, and the students, too worried to go back to sleep, hopped on to follow the villagers.

The president of the volunteer club wasn’t confident in Pharan’s father’s abilities at all. He didn’t even know the man, but what the villagers said made some sense. The hospital was nearly a hundred kilometers away from the village, and without preliminary treatment now, she might not make it there in time.

“What should we do, Kit? Should we call her parents?” Som, a fellow staff member, asked. Kit, the club president, quickly shook his head.

“Let’s not call yet. It’s too late. Let’s wait and see. The master might really be able to help.” Som bit her lip, hoping Kit was right, before they both followed the others to another truck heading to Pharan’s house.

At that moment, the lights around Pharan’s house were already on, as if anticipating the arrival of many people. Jett, sensing something was amiss, woke Khem from his sleep, and they went to find the master at the central ceremony area. They saw Pharan lighting incense and candles, paying respects to the Triple Gem, so they quickly crawled in to pay their respects as well.

Ekk and Thong stood waiting at the bottom of the house stairs, some noticed, some didn’t. Soon, Phraemai was carried up by Chan, followed by Mint, UncleChai, and Auntie-Kaew, along with nearly all the villagers and students present.

“Prae!” Khem couldn’t help but shout, trying to get up to go see his friend, but was held back by Jett.

“Don’t go near her.” Khem swallowed hard, sat back down next to Jett, but kept watching intently as Chan laid Phraemai down in front of the master, who was seated higher up, following Uncle-Chai’s instructions, then sat back next to Khem.

“Chan, what happened?” Khem asked with a pale face, but Chan shook his head, having not understood the villagers’ earlier conversation, so he just reported what he had seen.

“I’m not sure, but it looks like Phraemai went into the forest, and when she came back, she was like this.” Khem turned even paler. Jett, upon hearing this, could only think ‘Oh no’ repeatedly in his mind.

“Master, it seems this young lady and three other guys sneaked into the forest, but only she came back, and in this state.” Chai explained with his hands clasped to Master Pharan. They had brought her to see the Master first because the forest was still dangerous. It wasn’t safe to go in carelessly, so they came to consult Master Pharan on what to do next.

Master Pharan looked at Phraemai, who was still twitching, and spoke calmly,

“It’s good they let her return.”

The students, who had gathered in the house until it was packed, exchanged looks upon hearing this. Some, observing Phraemai’s condition combined with Master’s words, got goosebumps and rubbed their arms.

“Where’s Grandma Si?” Master Pharan asked Chai. Before Chai could answer, Grandma Si walked into the house with a white shoulder bag and a bamboo container of sticky rice, followed by the village chief. Grandma Si sat down and raised her hands over her head to pay respects to Master Pharan, who was younger than her. Master Pharan, in return, clasped his hands in respect as he always did when meeting her.

Master Pharan considered Grandma Si as a senior relative because she was friends with his grandfather. When he was young, Grandma Si had helped raise him when his grandfather was out working. His grandfather was a shaman, and Grandma Si was a soul healer, the best in the village.

“Master, how should we proceed? Can we go up the mountain? If we don’t call back her spirit, it might get worse.” Grandma Si said, having prepared everything necessary for the ritual after hearing from the village chief, ready to act if Master Pharan gave the go-ahead.

Master Pharan nodded, replying in the same dialect but with a softer tone,

“We can go. It’s fine. Take many people with you to help find the other three children.”

Grandma Si raised her hands over her head once before looking around.

“Anyone close to this young lady, come with me, I’ll perform the soul-calling ritual to bring her spirit back.”

The soul-calling ceremony, also known as the spirit-fetching ritual, is an ancient rite among the Isan people. It’s believed to cure ailments caused by accidents or shocking events that might cause someone to lose consciousness, like Phraemai.

Mint, who had just finished crying, quickly raised her hand and crawled towards Grandma-Si. Then, the village chief explained the current situation to the students. The atmosphere grew tenser when they learned that three of their club members were missing.

“Right now, the forest is quite dangerous. I’m looking for men who are confident they have strong luck, born on Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Sunday. We’re going into the forest to look for your three friends. We might be searching all night until noon.”

One of the male students raised his hand, puzzled.

“Why before noon?” The village chief hesitated, not wanting to answer, but had to tell the truth.

“If we haven’t found them by noon, it means they’re dead.”

A collective gulp could be heard from the back, fear and anxiety gripping the students. The club president, born on a Tuesday, quickly crawled towards the village chief to join them first, not wanting to delay any longer, followed closely by the other nine men.

Khem, seeing there were few volunteers, stood up to join, but the master was quicker. He swung a cane through the air in front of Khem, startling him back into his seat. Jett and Chan were startled as well.

The master’s stern gaze seemed to tell Khem not to get involved, suggesting he would likely be more of a burden than help, as had been the case before.

Realizing this, Khem sat back down, looking dejected. Jett understood both the master’s and his friend’s feelings but could say nothing, only patting Khem’s back to comfort him.

“You know why he can’t go, and you…why aren’t you going?” Pharan glanced at Jett, who was born on a Sunday and known to be quite tough-minded.

Jett quickly clasped his hands together, lying, but Pharan knew it immediately from just a look.

“Who will look after you and Khem if I go?” Jett gave a cheeky smile; the truth was he just didn’t want to help. Those guys had loose tongues, they deserved whatever was coming to them!

Pharan frowned at Jett, seemingly aware of his thoughts, then turned to another bespectacled boy sitting next to Khem.

“And you, why aren’t you going?” His sharp eyes locked onto the eyes of the boy, who looked slightly astonished.

Chan was born on a Wednesday night, which according to the village chief’s rules, could have implications, but he was hesitant about whether to go or not. On one hand, he was worried about Phraemai, who was his housemate, especially since Mint had gone with Grandma Si. On the other hand, he also wanted to help search for the missing three.

Right now, Chan felt like a child caught hiding something by an adult, so he started to stand up to follow the village chief and the others.

However, Jett reached around Khem to pull Chan’s shirt, making him sit back down.

“Master, Chan is very nearsighted and also very clumsy. If he loses his glasses in the forest, he’ll just be a burden to others.” Jett said. In truth, he just didn’t want Chan to go help find those three, especially since Chan shouldn’t be the one to go out of his way to help them.

Master Pharan immediately sensed that Jett had issues with the group of missing kids, which explained his reaction. He was surprised that Jett had made a new friend and was now preventing this friend from helping others. This kind of extreme loyalty and dislike was something Jett had exhibited since childhood.

Master Pharan sighed and nodded, not wanting to prolong the discussion.

“There’s nothing more to do here. Uncle Chai, have someone take the rest back to rest. Lock the doors well, and don’t go out until morning.” Uncle Chai acknowledged the order with a bow before passing it on to another student who had brought a pickup truck, to take the rest back home to wait for news, making sure to emphasize Master Pharan’s instructions.

Soon, only a few people were left in the house. Master Pharan closed his eyes to meditate, sending his spirit out to check on Grandma Si’s situation. From afar, he saw several lanterns slowly moving up the mountain.

Once Grandma Si reached the destination with help, she saw the scattered remains of civilization. Her heart sank, realizing why the three children were taken, but she knew she couldn’t do much; this was beyond the capabilities of a soul healer like her.

Grandma Si took out her equipment from her shoulder bag: a banana, a boiled egg, a ball of sticky rice, and a garland of jasmine flowers, arranging them on a plate and lighting a candle, placing it near the extinguished campfire.

“Come, spirit.” Grandma Si said before opening the bamboo container of sticky rice, now containing Phraemai’s personal items like a face cloth, a compact of powder, and lipstick, which Mint had run to get from the house. Grandma Si lifted the container and made motions as if scooping the spirit from the air, all while calling for Phraemai’s spirit to return.

“Come on, Phraemai, do not stay among the crows in the fallow fields, do not stay among the chickens in the rice paddies, do not linger in the wide wilderness that is not home, come back, come back to our home.”

When Grandma-Si called out, Mint, who was kneeling nearby with her hands clasped, also helped in calling.

“Come back to me, Prae, I’ll take you home to your parents.” This time, not only the village chief, but also the villagers and the male student friends started calling out. Something tried to approach the rice basket, but Grandma-Si quickly closed the lid. She frowned and shooed it away:

“Go away! I didn’t call for you, leave, leave!”

The master opened his eyes at that moment, looking down at the piece of paper someone had given him with Phraemai’s real name and surname written on it. He clasped his hands together and chanted incantations to ward off forest spirits, preventing them from scaring away the soul and taking its place.

“Buddhang, Vantami, Dhammang, Vantami, Sanghang, Vantami, by the power of the Triple Gem, please dispel the forest spirits, do not let them near, and call back the spirit of Phraemai, so that she may return home safe and sound.”

Not long after, Grandma-Si opened the lid of the sticky rice basket, scooped something out, and quickly closed it, then said loudly:

“She’s back, Phraemai is back, let’s go home.”

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KHEMJIRA, Chapter 13:

  At a time when many, including Jett and Khem, were filled with faith in Master Pharan, a whisper could be heard from two young men standing at the front.

“I think the villagers are just being superstitious.”

“Right, like any ordinary person could summon rain.” ‘Kornkan’ replied, with

‘Pondit’ nodding in agreement. This was their reaction after seeing the villagers almost bowing to the man in a white shirt leading the ceremony, believing the rain was due to mere coincidence.

Both were first-year engineering students who had ended up joining the volunteer club because their preferred clubs were full. They weren’t really enthusiastic about participating in this event, but they were worried about not meeting the activity points criteria in the future, and also wanted to experience a trip out of town, so they reluctantly agreed.

Upon hearing this, Jett’s eyebrows furrowed sharply. Khem, who heard the same, quickly grabbed his friend’s sleeve, tugging to prevent Jett from saying or doing anything, as the ceremony was still in progress.

Chan, standing quietly beside Khe, couldn’t help but furrow his brows as he looked towards the two people. He himself had a rather agnostic view on religious matters. Although he had some experience, he wouldn’t believe anything unless he saw it with his own eyes, yet he never disrespected or spoke out in a way that made others feel uncomfortable, unlike what those two were doing.

People don’t necessarily have to say everything they think, but they should think before they speak…

Jett could only seethe internally because there was nothing he could do except remember the faces of the two men in front of him. Next time if he hears them say anything offensive, he won’t just stand by.

Pharan was invited by the village chief to watch the traditional dance performance accompanied by local music inside a tent, seated on a long wooden chair reserved for the chief of the ceremony. Before the performance, one of his students brought a clean cloth for him to wipe his face.

Once the performance ended, Pharan prepared to walk back home, but someone half-walked, half-ran, pushing a bicycle alongside him.

“Uh, Master, your bicycle, sir.” Khem spoke kindly, with beads of sweat on his face, fearing he might get scolded.

Pharan looked at Khem for a moment, then his gaze went over the young man’s head, spotting Jett hiding behind a mango tree, using his friend as a scapegoat.

Although he felt annoyed, he kept it to himself, planning to deal with it later.

Pharan placed his hand on one of the bike handles, causing Khem to let go and step back.

“What are you guys planning to do next?”

Khem, who had been looking down in fear, immediately looked up at the master, surprised he wasn’t scolded and was instead being asked a question.

“Uh, after we finish installing the water purifier, the village chief will take us to plant trees in the forest, and then we’ll go to the waterfall, sir.”

Pharan slightly frowned at the mention of the waterfall; this village indeed had a small one, about five hundred meters north into the forest.

At this time of year, the water wasn’t swift or deep enough to be dangerous, making it possible to play safely, but with Khem, who knows…

He considered forbidding him from playing in the water but was afraid it might cause an unnecessary fuss. Pharan sighed softly, pushed down the bike stand with his foot, and said…

“Give me your arm.” Khem blinked once before quickly extending his arm to

Master Pharan. The other man took a thread from his shirt pocket, tied it around Khem’s wrist, and mumbled some incantations that Khem couldn’t understand.

Then he tapped Khem’s wrist and blew on it softly.

Master Pharan’s actions shocked Khem so much he almost fainted, his face growing so hot it felt like it would burn.

“Don’t let it come off.” Master Pharan said with a calm voice after raising his head, and Khem felt fortunate that Master Pharan was wearing sunglasses.

Otherwise, he would have seen how red his face had become.

“Yes, understood, thank you, Master.” Khem said with a bow. Master Pharan then let go of his arm and turned to mount his bicycle, cycling back to his home, leaving behind the warmth at Khem’s wrist, which he absentmindedly touched while his light brown eyes followed Master Pharan until he was out of sight.

The village chief had brought the volunteer club students to plant trees in the forest because the students wanted photos of their activities to post on the university’s page to promote their club. They also wanted to visit a nearby waterfall.

Seeing that the kids had worked hard for two full days and needed a break, the village chief reluctantly agreed to take them, despite not wanting to go into the forest during this time.

The volunteer students worked with zeal to finish planting the trees quickly, eager to head to the waterfall sooner rather than later, as the later it got, the less time they would have to enjoy. Except for Jett, who was already tired of playing.

It took less than an hour to finish planting. The village chief led the students deeper into the forest, about three hundred meters further. Soon they encountered a small waterfall, about waist-deep and ten meters wide, cascading from the mountain through the forest.

But before letting the students play in the water, the village chief lit incense to ask for forgiveness from the forest spirits, to prevent any disturbance or unintentional disrespect.

The villagers here had been taught from their ancestors that every part of this forest has its guardians, and one cannot do as they please without regard.

“Man, even for playing in the water, they have to light incense and pray.” Kornkan’s voice remarked to Pondit, shaking his head in disgust.

“I don’t know why these villagers are so blindly believing in things science can’t prove. None of what they do makes any sense.” Pondit laughed under his breath, nodding in agreement.

Yet, it was Jett, Khem, and Chan who once again overheard this conversation.

However, before Jett could take a step, Chan moved in first to speak with Kornkan and Pondit.

This time, Khem didn’t think to stop Jett because what those two had said was too harsh, even for him who was much calmer than Jett.

“Both of you should watch what you say. How do you think people who believe feel when they hear you talk like this?” Kornkan and Pondit, feeling embarrassed after being scolded like that, one of them even pushed Chan’s chest in response.

“Who are you to lecture us, you glasses-wearing nerd? Want to get hurt? I’m already in a bad mood.” Kornkan said aggressively, but Jett stepped in front of Chan with an even more confrontational stance, pushing the other back. Khem, unable to intervene in time, could only follow and stand nearby.

“Whoever I am, it doesn’t matter. You two have filthy mouths. Who could stand by and not say anything?” Kornkan nearly threw a punch at Jett’s face, but Pondit held him back.

“You, you are the son of…” Hearing this, Kornkan gritted his teeth in anger but didn’t dare do anything to Jett and stormed off in frustration.

Khem sighed with relief as the situation ended peacefully, without the violence he initially feared.

“Let’s go clean ourselves up.” Chan said calmly after looking at his own dirtstained hands, then started walking away. Khem tugged at Jett’s shirt to stop him from glaring after Kornkan and Pondit, and Jett reluctantly followed Chan without his usual hostility.

After cleaning up, Jett and Chan stood on a large rock above a waterfall stream, watching Khe playing in the water with a girl named Phraemai. One seemed to have played until bored, the other never liked such childish activities, despite knowing how to swim.

Jett standing there watching over Khem wasn’t unusual, but for Chan, who had only recently met them, it felt odd to share Jett’s concern for Khem without any apparent reason, and Chan wasn’t even trying to figure out why anymore.

“Thanks for earlier.” Jett said quickly, almost too fast for anyone to catch, causing Chan to turn and look at him, asking for clarification.

“What?” Jett frowned in irritation but repeated himself slowly and clearly, “I said, thank you.” Chan blinked once.

“I must have misheard, could you say that again?” Jett nodded and then kicked Chan into the water without warning.

Chan, not expecting this from Jett, fell into the water unprepared.

Thump!

“You deserve it for annoying me!”

“Hey! Chan!” Khem, seeing the incident, quickly swam over, and Phraemai, who also witnessed it, followed to check if their friend, who lived in the same house, was okay. Phraemai had met Chan when they both joined the club, but they weren’t particularly close; they only started talking more frequently when they came here.

Hearing Khem’s voice, Chan slowly stood up, his wet black t-shirt clinging to his body, revealing his abdominal muscles clearly. He brushed back his now disheveled, water-soaked hair that was once neat. His sharp, dark brown eyes narrowed slightly before he turned to Khem and said,

“I’m fine, Khem, please continue playing in the water.” Khem slapped his forehead in frustration.

“Chan, that’s Phraemai. We’re over here!” Phraemai, momentarily stunned by Chan’s appearance without his thick glasses, quickly came back to her senses and burst out laughing.

“Oh my, are you short-sighted or just blind, Chan!” She exclaimed.

“Sorry, uh, where did my glasses go?” Chan tried to dive back into the water to look for his glasses. Seeing this, Khem put his hands on his hips in anger, pointing at Jett who was standing on a rock, and shouted an order,

“Jett, get down here and take responsibility right now!”

At first, Jett seemed reluctant to help search for Chan’s glasses, but Khem chased him down and dragged him into the water, so he ended up helping look for the glasses anyway.

“Found it!” Phraemai, who was several meters away, shouted. Luckily, the glasses had floated to a crevice in the rocks and hadn’t been swept further away.

She quickly swam over to retrieve and return them to Chan.

Chan put his glasses on immediately, even though they were wet, but it was better than not having them at all.

“Thank you very much.”

“No problem, I’m off now, see you later.” Phraemai said before waving goodbye to Jett, Khem, and Chan, as another female friend called her to come out of the water.

Khem gently patted his friends on the shoulder to stop them from glaring at each other.

“Let’s stick together, the three of us.”

On the other side, Kornkan, Pondit, and another male friend named Tejathon, who had been close friends since middle school but went to different university faculties, approached the village chief who was waiting for the students to finish their water activities under a banyan tree. It was now time to head back.

“Village chief, I heard there’s a viewpoint up there. Can we go up and take some photos?” Kornkan asked, pointing towards the forest on the opposite side of the waterfall where steps had been cleared for climbing the mountain.

He had learned about this from Tejathon, who heard it from Phraemai, his girlfriend, but he lacked the courage to ask the village chief himself. Kornkan, being the bravest among them, took the initiative, partly because he also wanted to enjoy the view from the top.

However, the village chief shook his head, quickly denying the request.

“No way, young man. It’s getting late. Better we all head back to the village.” The village chief didn’t provide the real reason for not allowing them up there, fearing it might scare them or they might think he was making up stories. He simply walked away to gather the students from the water.

Kornkan frowned in frustration, compounded by his earlier altercation with the likes of Jett. He was now even more irritated.

“Seriously, what’s the big deal about just sitting up there?” Pondit was equally annoyed. Tejathon sighed in disappointment.

“I say, let’s sneak up there anyway. The path isn’t that complicated, we’ll be back fine.” Kornkan proposed. The three hadn’t gone into the water because they didn’t want to get wet, so they weren’t enjoying themselves like the others. They wanted to do something they liked before returning to Bangkok the next day. Otherwise, it would feel like they hadn’t really been there.

“Yeah, count me in. What about you, Te?” Pondit asked Tejathon, who thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. Seeing his friends ready to join, Kornkan smirked with satisfaction.

“Great, I won’t let you guys down.”

Back in the village, Kornkan arranged to meet Pondit and Tejathon at a wooden pavilion near the forest edge, a place not frequented at night. Each brought their backpacks and lanterns. Fortunately, they were staying in different homes, so they had told their hosts they would be sleeping over at a friend’s place, confident they wouldn’t be caught.

“Hey, Prae.” Pondit greeted Phraemai as she walked over with Tejathon, though it looked like she wasn’t too keen on coming. Phraemai smiled awkwardly before greeting Pondit and Kornkan somewhat reluctantly.

“Hi, Korn, hello, Poon.” Kornkan nodded in acknowledgment. Having Phraemai here was good; if they got caught tomorrow, they’d have company for the scolding.

Phraemai didn’t want to come because she was afraid of the dark and the unseen, but she couldn’t resist her boyfriend’s insistence. She and Techathorn had been dating for five months, and since she was the one who pursued him, she didn’t want to upset him. She was willing to compromise for the person she liked a lot.

However, Phraemai didn’t particularly like her boyfriend’s two friends; both were troublemakers who often didn’t listen to others, frequently got into fights, and liked to drag her boyfriend to bars, even introducing him to other women. Despite this, her boyfriend always returned to his room on time and never cheated on her, as per his friends’ teasing.

Once everyone was there, Kornkan spoke up,

“Shall we go?” Pondit nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, lead the way.”

Kornkan used a lantern to guide everyone along the path he remembered. When they reached the waterfall, they crossed a wooden bridge to the other side, then climbed a set of stairs leading up, as Phraemai had mentioned there was a viewpoint not too far away.

But Phraemai hadn’t expected to be taken to see the view at night like this.

Suddenly, she had an uneasy feeling.

“Te, I want to go back.” Phraemai said with a trembling voice. Tejathon didn’t want to give in to his girlfriend’s wish, not wanting to upset his other two friends.

“Why go back, Prae? We’ve come this far. Don’t be scared, I’ll hold your hand all the way.” Techathorn said. Phraemai bit her lip, and seeing Kornkan and Pondit look back at her with annoyed expressions, she was too scared to say anything more and quietly followed the three of them.

Finally, they reached the viewpoint, which was a flat area with a large rock jutting out from the cliff, well fenced with wooden railings to prevent falls. It seemed like this spot was frequently visited because there were no weeds or undergrowth, making it look neat.

Above all, the air here was much fresher than below, and looking down, you could see the village still brightly lit. The cool breeze gently blew, and the sky was full of stars, a rare sight in the urban areas of the city.

“Damn, this is how it should be.” Kornkan said with a proud smile, feeling justified in convincing his friends to come up here.

“Yeah. You three set up the tents, I’ll start the fire.” Pondit said cheerfully, equally pleased. Phraemai, seeing that things weren’t as bad as she had feared, felt reassured and went along with them. Soon, three tents were set up, and the fire was lit. All four sat around the campfire; Phraemai boiled water on the small stove she brought to cook instant noodles. Meanwhile, Tejathon took out his acoustic guitar to play and sing happily.

Kornkan raised his hand in a mock salute, then opened his bag and placed what he had prepared on the ground for everyone to see.

“Holy crap, Kornkan, you actually brought it?”

“Heck yeah, would I miss out?”

What Kornkan laid out were over ten cans of beer. He had bought them and stashed them in his backpack back at the rest stop, anticipating that the staff would check bags for illegal items, including alcohol, before boarding the tour bus.

Pondit burst out laughing.

“True to form, Kornkan, your life revolves around booze. You carry it everywhere.”

“Talk too much and you won’t get any.”

“Hey, I was just kidding, give me one.” Pondit then distributed the cans to everyone except Phraemai, who wasn’t much of a drinker and was worried about getting drunk and falling off the cliff, so she politely declined.

After finishing his first can, Kornkan habitually tossed the empty can off the cliff, which furrowed Phraemai’s brows because she didn’t approve of such crude behavior, but she didn’t dare to say anything. She quickly picked up the can Tejathon had discarded and put it in a trash bag, fearing he might follow his friend’s example.

Time passed leisurely as they relaxed until Kornkan stood up, announcing he needed to pee. Pondit and Tejathon, having consumed several cans themselves, felt the same and followed him. This left Phraemai alone by the nearly extinguished fire.

But several minutes passed, and neither her boyfriend nor his two friends returned, and the firewood they had brought was all used up. Not daring to go alone to fetch more wood, she got up and walked in the direction where the three had disappeared.

“Te, Korn, Poon, do you hear me, Phraemai!” Phraemai called out in a rather loud voice, but there was no response from anyone.

Phraemai started to feel disheartened. She lifted her lantern, looking around, seeing only trees of various sizes. But as she looked, her imagination conjured faces peering out from the darkness.

The darkness and silence gnawed at her mind until she could hardly stand it. Phraemai’s mind was in turmoil as fear took root, her delicate face covered in sweat from the pressure, yet her concern for her boyfriend and the others still outweighed her fear. She forced herself to take short steps deeper into the forest to find the three of them.

“Te, can you hear me, please answer me.”

“…”

“Te, don’t play around like this with me, I’m really scared, Te.” The deeper she went, the quieter it got, and Phraemai began to cry. She thought they might have left her alone up here, perhaps everyone else had gone back down.

Fear, disappointment, and anger mixed together in her heart until she burst into tears, thinking that if she made it back and found them, she would slap each one for daring to do this to her, and she would break up with her boyfriend.

Ding

Suddenly, Phraemai heard a sound like a bell from behind. With hope that her boyfriend had stopped teasing, she turned around immediately.

But what she saw was not Tejathon, Kornkan, or Pondit. Instead, it was a woman in a vibrant red Thai dress, her face pale with dark veins spread across it, her eyes completely white without pupils, her lips a dark purple, open wide as she screamed at her,

“Get out!!!”

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