Khem felt his heart lighten, as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest. Though there were still heavier burdens to bear, it helped him breathe easier. The act of making merits further soothed his mind, giving him the strength to carry on with life.
Khem followed the abbot out of the pavilion, pausing to look up at the clear sky. The cool breeze carried the sweet fragrance of frangipani flowers, and a gentle smile spread across Khem's face.
Khem prayed that both his mother and Chayot might live happily in their next lives, free from the worry of watching over him.
Feeling unburdened, Khem momentarily forgot he wasn't alone here.
Realizing this, he started slightly, but when he looked ahead, he saw the broad back of the abbot not far off, his long legs stepping slowly as if waiting for Khem to catch up. This sight made the slight figure of Khem unable to suppress a joyful smile, and he quickly stepped to follow.
Jett and Chan were sent to look for information about a famous monk, a close friend of their grandfather, who Pharan also respected as a master. The monk's name was "Luang Por Kasem." He hadn't been heard from for many years since he went on a forest retreat. Since the village was quite remote with poor cell phone reception, making contact was difficult, so Jett and Chan were to ask around among the other disciples in the city for any leads.
They wanted to ask him about something specific, believing he still carried it with him.
That evening, while sitting at the dining table reading a book and waiting for Khem to finish preparing dinner, the rain suddenly started pouring heavily, lasting for over an hour.
"Reverend, Jett texted to say there's heavy rain in the city, so they won't be able to return tonight. They'll stay at the city temple and come back tomorrow morning." Khem said, as he placed a plate of the finished dish he had prepared in front of the abbot. It seemed the intermittent phone signal was just enough to communicate with their friends.
"Um." Pharan replied softly, closing his book and placing it aside before quietly starting to eat.
"Master, Grandma-Si had the village chief bring some pandan pudding for you. Would you like some?" Khem asked while he was clearing away the dishes. Pharan, still seated and reading, nodded.
"Bring it over."
Memories from when he was a child surfaced; pandan pudding was thefirst dessert Grandma-Si made for him. It was made to replace his eleventhbirthday cake. That year, Grandfather couldn't return from his business inanother province in time, and his real father was busy at a celebration for ahigh-ranking official. Whether they were busy or not, they never paid muchattention to him anyway.
On his birthday, Grandfather left him with Grandma-Si, promising topick him up in the evening for a treat, but he had an accident and couldn'tmake it back. So, he had to stay overnight at Grandma-Si's house.
Grandma-Si knew it was his birthday, and seeing the little boy waiting atthe door, she felt a pang of sympathy. She got up to make pandan pudding,topped with young coconut, and placed a single candle in the center. Shebrought it out to him, singing a traditional Isan birthday blessing, as shedidn't know the English birthday song.
At that moment, his face broke into a rare, full smile, warmth spreadingin his chest, a memory etched permanently in his heart.
The pandan pudding was placed in front of him. He picked it up quietlyand ate it until it was gone.
Once Khem had finished cleaning up the kitchen, Pharan finally stopped reading, stood up from his chair, walked up the stairs to the house, and listened for the footsteps following him.
"Can you sleep alone?" He asked before Khem headed to his own room.
Khem quickly nodded.
"Yes."
His onyx eyes looked at the person with his head bowed, his voice lacking any confidence. Pharan guessed that Khem was used to having bodyguards sleep nearby, and without his friends, he looked unusually subdued and spoke less than normal.
But if he says he can do it, then he'll definitely do it. If he can't do it, he'll still find a way. He certainly wouldn't want to waste time lingering like last time.
"Hmm, take a quick shower and go to bed." Khem said, nodding once more with a firm expression.
"Yes, Master."
Today, Khem showered faster than usual and went straight to bed, intending to fall asleep quickly, hoping to wake up to find Jett and Chan the next morning.
It took Khem a while to feel sleepy, but just before he drifted off, he heard the small voices of two boys.
"Phii Khem has fallen asleep."
"Yeah. Should we stand guard, or should we leave?"
"The Master said to keep watch, but he didn't say until when."
"Let's stay for now. Phii Khem might have another nightmare."
"That's true."
At that moment, the hair on Khem's arms stood up, and his eyes, unwilling to stay closed, opened to see who was standing there talking by his ear.
Khem saw two boys in blue school uniforms with their hair in buns, both no older than twelve, with pale, nearly identical faces.
Even as their eyes rolled in unison back to the center and stared directly at Khem, the synchronization was eerie...
Khem gasped sharply with fear, grabbed his pillow and blanket, and ran out of the room crying without looking back.
Thong and Ek turned to look at each other in that instant.
"Oh no."
"We're in trouble now."
Fortunately, the Master had left the lights on in the house tonight, so Khem didn't need to waste time lighting a lantern to guide his way. He ran straight to the door of the master's room. However, he didn't dare to knock or call out, even holding back his sobs so as not to disturb.
The two child ghosts he had seen didn't follow as he had feared, so Khem decided to sleep in front of the master's door. But just as he was about to lay down his pillow, the door opened.
Pharan looked at Khem with a stern expression and asked abruptly,
"What are you doing?"
Khem quickly wiped his tears, stuttering as he spoke, glancing around cautiously.
"It's just...Can I sleep in front of your door, please? I promise I'll be quiet and won't disturb you, Master." Khem didn't dare to say he was frightened by a ghost, as it sounded too ridiculous to bother someone late at night for such a reason.
Pharan stared at Khem in silence, his sharp eyes then darting to the two culprits standing guiltily in the corner of the room. He waved his hand dismissively, sending them off to play elsewhere.
"Come in." He said, moving aside, but Khem just blinked, seemingly not understanding.
"Huh?"
"If you think sleeping in front of my door will save you, then do as you please."
As he was about to close the door, Khem's survival instincts kicked in, and he jumped inside.
Pharan sighed softly before closing the door, nodding towards a cabinet.
"The bedding is in there. Go get it and make your bed." Khem nodded, though he still seemed unsure.
"Where would you like me to sleep?"
"Wherever you want." Pharan replied, then walked back to sit leaning against the headboard to continue reading his book, no longer paying attention to Khem.
Khem quietly placed down the pillow and blanket, then went to retrieve the picnic mattress from the cabinet, closing it neatly afterward. He laid the mattress beside the monk's bed, not forgetting to softly ask for permission before doing so.
After that, no one spoke. Khem didn't want to disturb the monk's concentration while reading. Once the bed was made, he placed the pillow, unfolded the blanket, paid respects to the Buddha, and lay down.
Suddenly, Khem felt extremely sleepy. His clear round eyes fluttered as he tried to take one last look at the monk, whispering a thank you before drifting off to sleep.
Pharan slowly closed his book and placed it on the headboard, gazing at the child lying on his side, cheek pressed against the pillow, for a long moment before extinguishing the light from the lamp to prepare for sleep.
Outside, the sound of thunder rumbled in waves. At this time, everyone in the village had already closed their doors and gone to sleep.
Grandma-Si walked out of her house into the rain, making her way to a banyan tree at a three-way junction. She sat down in front of a small banana leaf packet filled with food, which was now soaked with rainwater.
Grandma-Si smiled, revealing teeth stained dark from betel nut chewing, and began to ravenously eat the food from the packet.
Khem, thinking he had woken up early, was still later than the Reverend.
After waking, he quickly put away his bedding, took his things back to his room, and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
Since Grandma-Si had made some steamed coconut-rice cakes the previous day, the master instructed Khem to cook extra food for Grandma-Si as well, asking anyone passing by to take it to her.
Regarding the two young boy ghosts Khem saw, when he asked the master while serving him coffee, he learned that they were spirits the Reverend had taken under his care, named Ek and Thong. They had watched over Khem last night because Chan and Jett were not around. They didn't intend to scare him; they just didn't expect him to wake up.
Hearing this, Khem felt relieved and a bit guilty. If he were to take food to Grandma-Si, he planned to buy some red drink to offer as well.
By about 9 a.m., Jett and Chan still hadn't returned. Seeing no one was coming by, Khem borrowed the master's bicycle to take the food to Grandma-Si, worried that it would become cold and less tasty.
Before reaching Grandma-Si's house, Khem saw her standing by the temple wall as if she knew he was coming. Grandma-Si waved him over. As Khem approached, he stopped the bike and smiled,
"Grandma-Si. I brought you some food. Where are you heading to?"
"I'm going to pick lotus stems from the pond behind the temple. Can you come and keep me company? I'm scared of falling in the water."
Khem nodded upon hearing her request, thinking he could swim well enough. There shouldn't be any problems.
"Okay, let's go then."
"Ah, thank you so much."
Khem led Grandma-Si to the pond behind the temple. There was a small dock with a rowboat for two people tied up, indicating that villagers often came here to gather lotus.
"Can you row, child?" Grandma-Si asked without looking back.
"Yes, I can. Grandma-Si can stay here, I'll gather them." Khem replied, remembering that Grandma-Si had said she was afraid of falling into the
water, and he was also worried she might actually fall in.
"No, I'll gather them myself." Grandma-Si said firmly, making Khem blink in surprise. But when he saw Grandma-Si walk down and sit in the boat on her own, he quickly followed, sitting behind her.
Khem untied the rope securing the boat to a stump, pushed off from the dock with the oar, and started rowing with determination.
Suddenly, Khem felt the atmosphere around him grow eerily quiet, the sky unnaturally dark and still. There were no bird calls or insect sounds, and the temperature dropped, sending chills all over his body.
Khem gradually stopped rowing because Grandma-Si was still sitting motionless, not reaching out to pick the lotus stems. Feeling increasingly uneasy, he asked, his heart starting to beat faster,
"Grandma-Si, aren't you going to pick the lotus stems?" But Grandma-Si didn't reply with words; instead, she began to sway gently, making the boat rock side to side, causing the wood to creak.
Khem's heart sank to the bottom of the boat, fear flooding his chest, a familiar dread. He called out, hoping what he feared wasn't true.
"Uh, Grandma-Si..."
And then, Khem's plea went unanswered. Grandma-Si slowly turned her head towards him, her body not following, still swaying.
Her eyes were entirely black, no whites, her lips a dark purple, and her face, once familiar, now belonged to someone else.
The dark lips slowly smiled, the entirely black eyes curved, and in a chilling voice, she said,
"This time, don't expect to escape."