Goddess Bless You From Death

Case File 28.

Singha slowly opened his eyes at the sound of the train announcement. He reached under the pillow for his phone and saw that it was just past 4 AM, close to their final destination. The announcement was for passengers to prepare their beds for collection. The pressure on his waist and the warm breath on his neck made him turn to look at the young man behind him. The noise outside grew as people began to wake, and Thup moaned and woke up.

"Get up. They're coming to collect the beds."

"Are we almost there?"

"Yeah." Singha got out of bed and stood up just as the doctor from the upper bunk opened his curtain.

"Did you sleep well?" Singha didn't reply immediately. Instead, Thup, who had poked his head out of the bed, answered for him.

"Brother, my waist hurts."

"I told you to sleep in your own bed," Singha said as Thup stood up and glanced at the person sitting above. "Go back to your seat. Come over later when we're about to arrive."

Thup nodded, smiled at Singha, and obediently returned to his seat. The doctor watched them with a teasing smile.

"So, there was no space for me in the first place."

"If you're just going to talk nonsense, get down already. The staff needs to collect the beds," Singha said, ruffling his dark hair before grabbing his toiletry bag and heading towards the train's bathroom.

"Thup, are you coming to wash your face?"

"Yes~"

The young inspector stopped along the way to call Thup, who was chatting with the elderly woman on the lower bunk. "Here, Grandma. If you can't open it again, just let me know."

"Thank you, young man."

Thup grinned and followed Singha to the sinks.

"The elderly's favourite, huh?"

"Not at all," Thup said as he squeezed toothpaste onto his brush.

"You are."

"Me? Why?"

"You're everyone's favourite," Thup mumbled to himself before stuffing his toothbrush into his mouth.

"Tell your uncle he doesn't need to pick us up. I've arranged for a rental car. I don't wanna trouble him. But we'll still need to stay at his place for now." Thup nodded as he brushed his teeth. Tll be investigating several things. Do you have any plans?"

"... want to visit Luang Pu."

"Then we'll make time for that."

After they finished washing up, they returned to their seats, which had been converted back from the sleeping berths. Thup watched Singha with concern until the old lady opposite him chuckled.

"Separated from your brother, huh? It must be hard."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Are you going home? I just visited my daughter in Bangkok. She just had a baby boy. Look, I took pictures."

"He's adorable." Thup tore his gaze from Singha to focus on the elderly lady in front of him, who was proudly showing pictures of her grandchild, smiling widely.

"Isn't he? I told my daughter to perform a ceremony for him because he cried a lot, but she said people don't believe in that stuff anymore and didn't perform it. Oh my, it's so frustrating."

"Do people still perform those ceremonies?"

"Only old folks like me. The younger generation doesn't believe in it.”

"Where do you live, Grandma?"

"Kantharalak. What about you, young man? Are you visiting?"

"I live in Kantharalak too. I'm just back for some business for a few days." Thup smiled at her warmly before remembering something that had been on his mind. 

"Grandma, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Have you ever heard of... extending life through black magic?"

As soon as he finished his question, the smile that had appeared on her wrinkled face gradually faded, replaced by a look of worry and confusion.

"No, it's not what you think. I was just... just listening to ghost stories, and someone mentioned it, so I got curious."

"I thought you were one of those people who practice black magic or something. You shouldn't get involved with it. People these days can't be trusted. And these things aren't to be played with-they're dangerous."

Thup nodded in understanding, knowing well that the people in this area didn't treat these mysterious arts as mere folklore.

"Actually, when I was young, I did hear about it, but that was a long time ago."

"Could you tell me about it?"

"As far as I remember, it was about black magic. It's a cursed practice. You might be doing well today, but the rest of your life will be full of disasters. It slowly eats away at the practitioner and the user until they eventually die. As for extending life, I don't know much, but stealing lifespan, that might be possible."

"Stealing lifespan?"

"Have you ever seen young, healthy people who look vibrant suddenly become emaciated, weak, and gloomy?"  Thup nodded in understanding, because that was exactly what was happening now. 

"That's it-they've been cursed, whether they know it or not. The outcome is the same. The curse slowly eats away from the inside, making them feel hopeless, deteriorating their luck, and forcing them to rely on the curse more and more. The more they rely on it, the more it drains their life. This cycle continues until they die one way or another. Where do you think their remaining lifespan and life energy go if not to the spirit following them, which then goes back to the black magic practitioner?"

"Is there any way to prevent or break it?"

"I don't know how it is elsewhere, but in my village, we grow Bengal root in our houses. Every month or two, we grind them up, mix them with holy water from the temple, and sprinkle the mixture around the area. It's a tradition that's been passed down," the elderly woman said, sipping her water before continuing. "But why are you asking such deep questions, young man? Don't go experimenting with this stuff."

"I'm just curious," Thup replied with a slight smile, glancing out the window. He realised that ordinary villagers wouldn't know much about this; he'd have to seek out people familiar with these practices.

Before long, the train stopped at the platform. The noise of the crowd rose as the new day began, with the sun just peeking over the horizon. Thup and Singha disembarked and stretched to relieve their stiffness.

"Do we need to wait for the car you rented?" Thup asked as he walked over to stand beside Singha.

"They said to wait out front if we arrived."

"Hello, Uncle? But you said you'd pick me up. So, how am I supposed to get home?" The conversation nearby caught their attention, causing them both to turn and look. "Look for someone named Thup? How am I supposed to know who that is? This is a train, not a bus."

Thup quickly glanced at Singha when he heard his name mentioned in the stranger's conversation.

"Do you know him?"

"No, I don't. He might be talking about someone else."

"I should try calling him? Okay, Uncle, give me the number." The young doctor shook his head slowly, frustrated that his travel plans had gone awry because the person supposed to pick him up had car trouble.

When he dialled the new number, he received the ringtone from nearby, which drew his attention. The doctor's and Thup's eyes met slowly before the tall young man answered his phone.

"Uh... hello?"

"Got it," the man said, ending his call and walking over to them.

"Hello, you know Uncle Chai, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"My name is Charn. I'm his nephew."

"Hello."

"What a coincidence," Charn said, although his gaze was on Singha while he spoke to Thup. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to catch a ride to Uncle's house with you. It seems we'll be spending quite a bit of time together-"

"Troublesome," Singha interrupted, then walked away, leaving Charn smiling awkwardly mid-sentence awkwardly.

"Uh... He was just joking. It's fine. You can come with us. I'm staying at Uncle Chai's place too."

A black Toyota was waiting for them; the driver, smoking a cigarette, wore a bored expression.

"You don't seem very welcoming," Charn teased Singha, noticing his reluctance to take him along.

"Get in the car, Thup." Thup nodded and moved to sit next to the driver, leaving Charn with no choice but to sit in the back. The atmosphere in the car was not as silent as usual, as Thup and Charn were having a conversation.

"No wonder you looked familiar; you're the kid from the temple."

"I'm sorry I didn't recognise you earlier."

"It's alright. You were only about six years old at the time. It's not surprising you don't remember."

"Why did you come back here?"

"I'm here to help with a special case. If it goes well, I'll head back. Plus, my uncle was complaining a lot, so I came to check on him." Charn answered casually. After learning that Thup was the child from the temple, taken care of by the elder monk, it made sense that they didn't recognise each other, given the time and their few encounters. "What about you? Why did you come back?"

Thup glanced at Singha before looking back at Charn. He couldn't reveal anything about the case.

"I came back for some errands and to get some things from your Uncle.”

"And the person next to you, is he here for the same reason or just came along?"

"P'Singha is also here for some errands." After that, the conversation gradually died down, and silence filled the car once more.

After nearly forty minutes, they arrived at a high-set wooden house surrounded by a vegetable garden and trees, creating a pleasant atmosphere. The scorching heat made Thup fan himself to cool down.

"Hey, you're all here! Come on in!" A raspy voice called out as soon as the gate opened. "Wow, you've grown so much!"

"Hello, Uncle," Thup greeted with a smile before they hugged tightly.

"My nephew has grown handsome."

"You probably don't remember me," said the voice from behind, bringing laughter from the old man.

"How's it going, my dear nephew? Gone off to be a doctor in Bangkok, and now turned out really handsome! Come inside! It's hot out here."

Although it was a single-story house, the inside was spacious, with distinct areas for the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. The four of them sat on the wooden sofa and drank water to refresh themselves from the journey.

"Uncle, this is P'Singha, whom I told you about."

"Hello, Uncle. I hope it's okay if I stay for a few days."

"Of course, young man. Make yourself at home. I'm rarely here myself; I usually help out at the temple or with the villagers." Uncle Chai draped a checkered cloth over his shoulder before placing a box of chilled fruits on the coffee table. "Charn, you sleep in the room next to mine. Thup and his friend can take the room across. Your aunt already prepared everything. There's food on the table; she made it this morning before heading to her friend's house."

"Thank you, Uncle." Singha raised his hands together in a respectful gesture.

"Then I'll go back to fixing the car now. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Brother, I'll take the bags inside. Do you want to shower first?"

"Let's put the bags away first." The two walked to the room prepared for them. It wasn't luxurious, with no proper bed setup, just a five-foot mattress and brightly coloured, floral bed linens.

Singha placed his bag by the door before collapsing onto the bed. "The heat is unbearable."

"Do you want to shower?" Thup, who had taken on the role of organising things for his big brother, asked in a flat tone.

"I'll shower soon. I thought I'd help Uncle with the car first since we're staying under his roof."

"You can fix cars?"

"Just a bit." Singha got up and took off his shirt, revealing well-defined muscles. 

"Hand me the tank top."

"Here", Thup handed the black tank top to Singha without looking.

"You should shower and change clothes, too. Later this morning, I'm heading to the police station."

"To gather information about Uncle Keun?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any other plans after that?"

"I'll decide later. By the way, is anyone living in the shaman's house you mentioned?"

"Probably not, since it was an abandoned house back then. But I'll ask Uncle again."

"Alright, let's head out if we can wrap things up quickly." Thup paused before nodding and softly responding.

Singha changed into more comfortable clothes before heading out front, following the sound of clanking until he found an old silver pickup truck that looked like it had seen a lot of use. The hood was open, and Uncle Chai was holding a screwdriver with a serious expression.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, young man, can you fix cars?"

"I can manage a bit."

"This truck of mine suddenly started jerking and then stalled completely. Luckily, it didn't break down too far from here, so I had Mai tow it back. If it can't be fixed, I'll have to take it to a garage in town."

Singha nodded in understanding before stepping in to help, under the watchful eyes of both Thup and the young doctor who stood nearby.

"It looks like the spark plug is loose, Uncle." Singha occasionally answered Uncle Chai's questions while repairing the truck. Though he wasn't one for idle talkers, he wasn't rude enough to ignore someone else's conversation entirely. After a while, the once immobilised truck came back to life, prompting Uncle Chai to cheer with joy.

"Wow! Young folks these days are really something. Come on, take a shower, and then we'll have a meal."

"I was planning to head into town," Singha said, wiping the grease off his hands.

"You're going for the case, right? Thup mentioned it."

"Yes, there's not much time, so we need to hurry."

"I don't know how much I can help, but maybe I can be of some use. There's something Thup might not know of," Uncle Chai said, sitting on a wooden chair in front of the house before sighing deeply.

"There used to be a shaman who practised dark Khmer magic. He began performing rituals for the villagers, which caused considerable trouble. People were possessed. Some had bad things inside their stomachs, and there were cases of infidelity. The abbot went to warn him that such things would eventually backfire, but he didn't listen. Eventually, he fell ill, but he still believed in his practices....'

"What happened?"

"He thought about extending his own life by taking it from others."

"How?" Singha furrowed his brows tightly.

"Thup told you about that policeman from the house behind the forest, right? The one rumoured to practice black magic?"

"Yes."

"Well, the villagers are suspicious because something similar happened before, but it didn't succeed. That shaman killed all the dogs and cats around until there were none left, but it still wasn't enough. In the end, he died."

"Then it should have ended there, right?"

"The day he died was a holy day. The sky was overcast, the wind was howling, and birds filled the sky. Do you know what that means, young man?" Singha shook his head slowly. "It means he released his dark magic from his body."

"And how does that relate to Thup?"

"Luang Pu described the appearance of two ghosts," Uncle Chai said with a troubled expression, knowing Thup had recounted the whole story to him over the phone on the train to assist in the investigation as much as possible. "One is an elderly woman with white, blind eyes, an enraged demeanour, and lips torn up to her ears. The other is a young girl with hollow eyes, a pale face, and torn lips. Do these sound familiar?"

"The ghosts that Thup saw..."

"Five years after that, a tragic event occurred in the village."

"It started here."

"Be careful, young man."

"Is the house of the policeman who disappeared with his entire family still standing?"

"Yes, it's still there. No one dares to go near it because at dusk, people often hear screams and crying. The monks have performed exorcisms and purification ceremonies, but nothing worked. So they put up holy threads to keep villagers away."

"Can you tell me where it is?"

"I can tell you, but please don't go. Don't go today or tomorrow."

"Why not?"

"By the time you finish dealing with everything today, it will be dark. And tomorrow is a holy day—entering such a place on a holy day isn't advisable."

"I don't have that much time," Singha said, feeling an inexplicable urgency to wrap up this case. His gut told him something was about to happen. Something that would make this case even worse.

[Boss, we've been informed by the patrol that someone has entered the temple.]

"Who?" King, who was sitting at his desk looking at documents, stood up immediately when his subordinate called to report the update.

[Uh, not sure, but it seems to be a woman.]

"Go check it out. I'm on my way."

[Roger that.]

King felt uneasy and headed to the forensics department. When he opened the door, he saw a young man with fiery red hair just leaving the lab.

"What are you doing here?"

"Where's Darin?"

"She went back to her condo to take a shower."

"Alone?"

"Yeah, because I'm stuck at work." A stack of papers was thrown to King indifferently.

"Drugs?"

Sei dropped onto the sofa and took a coffee from the table, downing it in one gulp.

"Drug paraphernalia found in Ms Meen's car. The test results show the owner is the kid named Nai."

"The kid from the car rental company?"

"Yeah."

"So, that means the kid drove Ms Meen's car out of the temple and left it there."

"The question is who ordered it and why."

"Wait here."

Sei rolled his eyes at the person who had just run out of the room, then picked up the phone to call Darin because she had mentioned earlier that she would go back to shower and pack essentials. She also said she could manage on her own and told him to finish his work. After waiting for a while, the call was answered with a weary voice.

"Where are you?"

[About to leave, what's up?]

"Do you need a ride?"

[No, it's fine. I can take a taxi. It's still early.]

"Don't stop anywhere."

[I know, I know. That's it, I'm getting in the car now.]

After Darin hung up, the door burst open again in a hurry.

"When we questioned Nai's friends, they confessed that they all used crystal meth together, but Nai was the heaviest user, even gambling to get money for drugs."

"And then?"

"There was a call to Nai's phone before he disappeared, and then some money was transferred to his personal account." King held up the documents for Sei to see.

"Where was it from?"

"..from the temple. It's Santidhamwararam Temple." King's face grew more serious, which made Sei start to worry too. "The informant reported that a woman entered the temple, and she didn't look like a local. Where's Darin!"

"It's not her, not Rin." Sei looked into King's eyes meaningfully, and both spoke the same name at the same time.

"Dear." / "Dear."