As the new semester approached, Khem moved his belongings into an apartment that was incredibly affordable, though it was quite a distance from the university. But that wasn't an issue for Khem, who preferred walking over driving or taking public transport, unless the distance was too far to walk. For classes, he just needed to wake up early to allow for the walk.
You might wonder if he came to study in Bangkok alone, without any friends joining him.
The answer is that Khem never had any friends because of the family curse known to everyone in his rural village. No one dared to get close to him for fear of bad luck.
Khem understood this well. Everyone loves their own life, and if it were him, he'd probably do the same.
But there wasn't any bullying or boycotting. They talked normally; just not close enough to call each other friends.
One of the reasons Khem wanted to study in Bangkok was to make friends and have a new social circle.
After settling in, he went downstairs to find something to eat. This apartment not only had good rent but was also near a market. No worries about going hungry here. Ah, this Pad Thai stand smells good.
Khem stopped abruptly when the aroma of Pad Thai hit him, changing his mind from passing by to ordering instantly.
"One order of Pad Thai, please, Auntie."
"Just one wrap?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't the other person want one?" Khem paused, slowly looked around before asking,
"Who do you mean?"
Thud!
The Pad Thai vendor accidentally dropped her spatula, her face paled before she gave a strained smile.
"Oh, sorry, my eyes are bad, dear. Here, forty baht." Khem took it, paid, still somewhat confused.
While crossing the road, Khem accidentally stepped on his own shoelace, tripping and nearly falling onto the street before quickly retreating back. He intended to bend down and tie his shoelace.
Screech
Bam!!
Before he could even crouch down, Khem heard a loud noise nearby, causing him to hastily look up. His light brown eyes widened when he saw a speeding big bike just under a bus that was stopping to pick up passengers...
...right in front of him.
Everything happened in a split second. If he hadn't stepped back to tie his shoelace...
Khem thought about the family curse, then shook his head, trying to think positively to comfort himself.
It was just a coincidence, after all, nothing unusual had happened before.
Not knowing when he had instinctively grabbed the amulet around his neck, Khem backed away from the chaos and ran straight back to his room.
The next day, the incident from the previous evening had made it to the news. As Khem was about to pass through the lobby to head back to his room, he stopped in his tracks, looking up at the TV in the common area broadcasting the scene of the accident.
"Last night, a tragic incident occurred. The driver of the big bike withlicense plate number กข XXX, crashed into the rear of a bus that wasstationary and picking up passengers, resulting in immediate death."
At the scene...preliminary reports indicate the deceased was a final-year university student...who had just returned from a celebration with friends.
Khem's heart sank upon hearing that the other person had died on the spot. His arms hugged the water bottle he had just fetched tightly, as if it were a source of emotional support. He couldn't help but think that if his shoelace hadn't come undone at that moment, this incident might have resulted in more than one casualty...
There was just over a week left before classes started. After that day, Khem tried to live his life normally. Although the memory of that life-or-
death moment haunted him, he knew that if he kept worrying, he wouldn't be able to do anything.
Khem only thought that from now on, he would need to be more mindful and cautious than ever before.
"Done." Khem said to himself. After buying second-hand items to decorate his new room to make it look more organized and inviting, most of which were unwanted by others.
He wiped his sweat once, the wall clock showing almost 10 PM, "Time to study." Khem thought to himself before quickly sweeping up the trash into a black bag to take downstairs.
The trash bin was located in a quiet alley next to his apartment, with only the flickering light from a street lamp in the middle of the alley providing any illumination...
Like a scene from a ghost movie.
This somewhat eerie atmosphere made Khem look left and right cautiously before he hurriedly threw the bag of trash into the bin. But as he was about to turn and leave, something caught his eye, making him stop dead in his tracks, his brain trying hard to process what it was.
Curiosity got the better of him, and Khem glanced back to see what appeared to be a child, unidentifiable as either male or female, wearing a dirty white shirt, squatting and looking at the ground beside the large trash bin...
Khem was certain it wasn't a living person because when he first approached, there was no one there.
The hairs on his body stood up.
What kind of person would sit by a trash bin in such a dark, secluded alley at this late hour!
"Gulp." The young man swallowed hard before tearing his gaze away, his legs moving forward in hurried steps, almost running.
Was that a ghost? In his nineteen years, Khem had just seen his firstghost.
As Khem half-walked, half-ran away, the child's ghost slowly raised itshead.
Its lips slowly curled into a smile before its skinny figure stood up andbegan to stagger after the young man. Since that day, Khem started encountering more strange things.
First, he had three accidents within a week, which had never happened before, like tripping over nothing while walking, and nearly falling down twenty steps of stairs. Luckily, he managed to grab the railing that day.
Otherwise, it would have been disastrous.
Second, Khem began to see spirits more frequently...
Like now...
Khem took a deep breath, pretending not to see the faint ghost of a woman in an office outfit standing with her head bowed in front of the door next to his room.
She had been standing there for three days now.
The room next to Khem's was occupied by a working man and his young son, just the two of them.
When he first saw her, Khem almost called out to ask if she needed help, wondering why she wouldn't go inside, but then he noticed she had no feet...So, he quickly opened his own door and went inside.
Khem thought she might be the wife of the room's occupant, probably still worried about something and not ready to move on...
"Don't...my...son..."
The voice, though faint and faltering, was chillingly cold, making Khem's heart sink. His hands shook as he tried to unlock his door, and by the time he got inside, he was almost relieved.
The young man's legs gave out, and he sat down on the floor, his eyes burning.
Did she just say, "Don't hurt my son"?
Or had something happened to her son?
That night, Khem could hardly sleep, thinking about what the female spirit had said. Part of him didn't want to get involved because he had his own issues to deal with, but another part was concerned, fearing something bad might happen to the child.
The next morning, around eight, after the man next door had left for work, Khem stood in front of their door. After much hesitation, he decided to knock.
The ghost of the office woman was still there, standing so close that their shoulders almost touched.
The door slowly opened, revealing a little boy, about six or seven years old, but because of a chain lock, it only opened slightly, just enough to see the boy's face.
"Hello." Khem smiled and crouched down to be at eye level with the child. "My name is Khem, I just moved in next door."
The little boy didn't reply but nodded in acknowledgment.
Khem peered through the gap unceremoniously, seeing several beer bottles lined up, and the place was cluttered and disorganized.
What's going on here?
"Have you eaten yet?" This time, the boy shook his head, causing Khem's eyelids to twitch in surprise.
The father went out to work without even feeding his child...
At the same time, Khem felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of pressure enveloping him.
"Would you like to have dinner with me? I'll treat you, and I'll bring you back after."
The boy shook his head more vigorously.
It was then that Khem noticed a small chain tightly wrapped around the boy's ankle, leaving a terrifying bruise on his pale skin.
Khem slowly smiled and said to the boy,
"Then wait here for me for a moment."
Khem went downstairs, bought some congee, water, and snacks for the boy to eat.
The boy hesitated but seemed unable to resist his hunger and finally extended his hand to accept.
"Don't tell my dad that I ate your food, please." The boy pleaded with a hopeful look, making Khem feel both heartbroken and angry, but he nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I won't tell."
That evening, after Khem reported to the landlord, the police raided the room next door, arresting the man who was drunk and beating his son right there.
Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the boy was the child of his deceased girlfriend who had died in an accident last month. Currently, the man was deeply in debt; with his girlfriend gone, there was no one to help pay it off, leaving him with the burden, which led to his stress and subsequent violence towards the boy.
Khem didn't know what punishment the man received, only that the boy was now under the care of his maternal relatives.
Hopefully, he'll have a happier life from now on.
Just as Khem was about to drift off to sleep, he heard a whisper by hisear, but being too sleepy, he didn't open his eyes.
"Thank you."
"..."
"Be careful."