Mom..I'm back.

Early in the morning at the bus station, Meth got off the tour bus in a tired state. For more than 9 hours, he had been on the bus since the early hours of last night, a total distance of more than 500 kilometers from Bangkok. Return to your hometown It made him tired, not playful.

his baggage There was only a small backpack. Met got into the minibus that was waiting nearby. to continue to his village There were three or four other passengers sitting in the last two rows. The engine was waiting only a short time. sailed out of the bus station Method's destination is home. Where his father and mother were waiting.

Since deciding to study in Bangkok Until I graduated and went to work. This is the first time in nearly seven years. that he will meet Talking with his family again, he was confused as to where the letters had gotten lost. Or is it because of the difficulty of moving forward? That makes their gap. Spread this wide

The minibus takes about an hour to reach the entrance to the village. But he still had to walk in. From the entrance to the house The distance is almost another kilometer. Method looked at the watch on his wrist. It's already eight o'clock. At this time his father and mother Probably preparing to enter the field Method sped up his pace. I don't want to miss my father and mother.

A wooden house that has been lived in since grandfather's generation. Standing tall in front of him The doors and windows are tightly closed. Two motorcycles were stationary in the basement. The hammock that was tied to it moved with the gentle breeze. Two pillows lay motionless on the mat. Everything in front of him looked quiet and lifeless, as if no one was using it.

No one lives here.

Meth placed the backpack on the mat. He looked up and called out to his father and mother. Go up and shake the door. Walk around and look around the terrace. shouted and called for a long time But no one answered. Meth was surprised because the door was still locked from the inside. But there was no movement in the house at all. He walked around Explore around the house You can see the green rice fields in the distance.

Villagers are busy harvesting Metha stared blankly for a long time, before realizing it again, it was past ten o'clock. When there's nothing to do So he spread himself out onto a mat in the basement. and being tired from traveling since last night He lay down and slept hard.

The sun was low, but it was under the house. Can't suppress the sunshine. Hot wind hits Meth's body Until the knot seeps into the back of the neck. Meth fell asleep, exhausted, on the mat. After a while, a rough hand grabbed his upper arm. It made Meths sit up in shock. It appeared that his hands were rough and had bulging blood vessels. It was his father, his face weary.

Standing and giving him a cold smile With joy mixed with nostalgia Meth almost immediately jumped into his father's arms.

When meth goes up in the house He found that throughout the upper area there were short, stubby candles placed in various spots in various corners of the house. Inside the house, there was still a putrid, musty smell. Every window in the house was nailed shut.

Then there was a sound like something heavy falling to the ground until he felt a vibration. It was coming from Mom and Dad's bedroom. It made him more suspicious. What exactly happened?

Met asked his father. His father simply replied, It was the voice of a mother who was sick in the room. And this is another reason. I didn't open my house to him early in the morning because my mother didn't like the sunlight shining into the house.

His father said Meth's mother wanted to sleep almost all the time. and will have the strength to get up again Only when the sky is dark. Meth who listened to his father say that He actively volunteered to take his mother to the doctor. They argued about this for a long time. But Father's harsh attitude It made Meth have to retreat. Dad doesn't want Method involved in this matter.

Late that night it rained heavily. The wind was blowing strong outside. Inside the house, Dad had to use a basin to catch the rainwater. that leaks down at various points of the roof of the house. The method that is now in the room next to the mother's bedroom He peeked at his mother through the gap between the wooden panels. But because of the whole house There was only light from lanterns and candles.

making him barely able to see anything Method can only guess from listening to headphones. What exactly was his mother doing in that room?

what he heard Mixed with the sounds of rain, thunder, and lightning. is the sound of heavy breathing Sounds like someone is vomiting all the time. Mixed with the sounds of scratching the floor, some walls, and the short floor of the house shaking almost all night. Meth couldn't close his eyes to fall asleep. He was full of doubt and doubt.

Met then left the room. He was determined to find out the truth. But he had to stop. Because of Mom's bedroom door It was padlocked from the outside. It was locked on both the top and bottom corners of the door with padlocks. While Meth was clumsy Fumbling around in the dark for a tool to pry the lock open. Immediately, light flashed in.

His father opened the door and burst in. A white tank top, baggy pants, a rice cloth around the waist soaked with rainwater. My hair is draped over my face and out of sight. A gleaming machete was in one hand, and in the other he was holding something that was moving. He walked slowly towards Meath. Meath's father told him to move away from his mother's bedroom and try.

It's best for everyone to stay away from Mom.

In the dim light, alternating flashes of light streamed through the door of the house. A sad face with father's hard eyes Made Meth feel frightened in his heart. He couldn't refuse that order. That night, Meath walked limp and retreated to his room. But he didn't stop listening. The sound of scratching the wooden floor and scraping the walls still alternated with the sound of the rain falling from time to time that night.

Methudhu in the innermost corner of the room. He couldn't trust himself to sleep soundly.

The next morning, a knock at the door woke Meth out of his trance. It was still early morning outside. Birds hovered over the fields, and he and his father sat in silence. On the back porch, Meth's condition was about the same as his father's. They were exhausted from lack of sleep, and Dad was a little worse off than yesterday. A full, unmaintained beard on the shoulder blades

The same area as the armhole of a tank top. There are new scars.

He broke the silence. By inviting father to take mother to the doctor But father still confirmed his original words. Method's mother needs rest. Let her get some rest, she'll get better soon.

When he heard it, Meth was upset. He burst into the house. He grabbed a machete and used it to cut open the door to his mother's bedroom. Meth and father fought over the long knife for a long time. He was the winner. Father collapsed from Meth's swing. He used his knife to cut down on the door. Until the wood splits into a gap the size of your face.

Meth reached forward to look. Looking inside for his mother's body, suddenly there was a huge pull, grabbing his hair, astonishing his head, dragging Meth through the narrow gap, his head and neck slipping through. But his body Stuck between the gaps, shards of wood scratched his face. Pound the meth until it bleeds. He couldn't bring himself to turn back.

And he couldn't push himself through this gap either.

Method right now is stuck between the outside and the inside. He could only use his arms and legs to support the outside of his body. while the head that penetrated into the mother's bedroom His eyes rolled back and forth. The room was cluttered with things. The closet was torn apart, stinking, cursing, rancid, spoiled, and waste.

Patiklu gave off a putrid odor. He saw feces smeared all over the walls of the room.

Meth twisted his neck, his eyes catching sight of his mother, her back pressed against the wall opposite the room door. No clothing to cover the body, heels close together, toes curled and digging into the ground. As the arm moves up and down Fingers scratch the wall After a moment, her body fell prone. The toes turn in the original direction. His long hair spreads across his back.

Met is shocked and cries out. His eyes widened, he never dreamed that he would see his own mother in this condition. Mother's body was thin. until the coccyx bone is clearly seen red swollen fingers Dried blood stuck to the tip of the black fingernail.

Then Meth's mother slowly supported herself and crawled on her knees towards Meth. She tried to pull his head. He pulled until the broken pieces of wood were all around the door, digging deep into Meth's shoulder. Meath screamed in pain. His opaque white t-shirt Soaked in blood until it's red.

After a while, Meath heard footsteps from outside. Then the door opened. His father regained consciousness and brought the key to unlock the door. But as soon as the door opened Mother immediately threw herself at his father. Meth resists the pain He pushed himself out of the hole. Come and lift mother's body away from father's.

Meth inserted her arms to hold her mother's body from behind. Then he was bitten on the forearm. Until he had to shake himself and escape. A struggling father Backed out the front door. The hand found something. So he threw himself back into his mother's bedroom. Mother immediately jumped after that.

Meth looked after him, and what he saw was his mother, squatting and gnawing on the remains of a field mouse. There were some more lizards. The pile bounced on the floor.

After two father and son Together they repaired and closed the gap in the door. Eventually, Meth's father opened his mouth while dressing his wound. Dad told me about it. That it started when Method went to school. There wasn't a day that went by that Mom didn't ask about him.

Until I received a letter from Method. that I will continue to work Didn't come back to help with farming. The mother visibly began to collapse. Meth's mother had high hopes for her only son. So she couldn't accept it. She tries to get her father to help her write a letter to Method. and will watch over the postman almost every day But she never received a letter from Method.

Because father never sent any of it.

At that time, his father thought It's normal for a man. Who wants to have a place of their own His father admits that at first There are some feelings of disappointment. But because I know that my child is already an adult. and will have a life of its own. A father knows that when he cannot give his child a better life Can't hold back from breaking together.

Until almost a week ago When Method sent news that he would be returning home, Mother was happy and hurriedly went to clean the room. So I learned the truth. that father never sent any of those letters to Method Mother was very angry with father. appropriate for that day It was the day I went to collect things from the forest and sell them. which is usually Mom and dad always go together.

But that day, mother was very angry with father. So I went alone.

After entering the forest that day Mother began to act strangely. Mother began to sulk and widen her eyes, but because she thought Mom is still angry. So Meth's father didn't bother much. But the symptoms became more strange, the neck twitched, the eyes stiffened, but sometimes they became delirious. Fingers and toes tremble from time to time. But then one fine day Mother got up and undressed. Walking around the house naked Namtha refuses to take a shower. The fish refused to eat.

Acts frightened when exposed to sunlight. All day he just sleeps or hides in a dark corner of the house, chasing lizards, insects, and rats that his father has trapped to eat fresh.

As the days passed, it started to get weird again. Started to speak not in human language Makes strange noises fall in the middle of the night Mother would come out and wander around, trembling. She scratched and scratched the walls until black sap was all over her hands. I can only think of one thing. that my mother was haunted by a forest ghost that resides in the forest It's definitely possessed.

Those forest ghosts are trying to snatch away the weak spirit's body, to consume it, and eventually replace the weak spirit. Father said that if the forest ghost is not successful within 7 days, it will take over the mother's body forever.

Meth himself has heard the legend of forest ghosts. From his grandfather before as well When I was a child Grandpa always stops him. Never go into the forest alone to play. If you do go in, you must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

But Meth couldn't believe his father's explanation, even though he himself had been very afraid of being taken over by a forest ghost. Even as a child, but for Meth, who grew up far from home for many years, he didn't think that those legends were true.

As his father believed There is no disease that Father knows about. can be used to describe behavior or the mother's strange condition. Father insists on treating mother according to the way of the people here. It is a ceremony to exorcise a forest ghost and return it to the forest, back to where it belongs.

Tomorrow Doctor Dhamma will come to perform a ceremony to exorcise forest ghosts. This ceremony can only be done after 7 days have elapsed. If you can make it through this night The mother's chances of returning to normal It is very possible. Father's duty is Do whatever you can to help mom get through each day until the day of the ceremony. Including tonight.

Method allows his father to lock his mother up for another night until morning. And as soon as the ceremony was finished He will be the one to take Mae to get treatment. His father agreed to it. Tonight will be the last night. that mother would be locked in the bedroom And this last night Forest ghosts have the most power. to bring the living body into the forest with them

Meth's father guards the outpost inside. Method is the second level. His father insisted. No matter what happens Do not open the door and let mother outside. Before the completion of the ritual

As dusk creeps in Tonight the sky is clear. The moon shines brightly It helped his eyes see more clearly than the night before. Owls cry out from time to time. at the front door He hugged his father tightly, unable to help thinking, what would happen if his father couldn't resist his mother? But the look in Father's eyes Too determined for him to protest any more, Method agreed.

At Father's request, he hit a nail to close the front door. When finished, he took the lantern and walked around the house again. His watch duty was still far from dawn.

Method: Check until you're sure. that all entrances and exits were tightly closed He walked around to the back porch. The mosquito net is waiting. He inserted himself into the mosquito net. Place the lantern close at hand. I thought of my father's words that afternoon.

Metha thought back to the past. That year there was a drought. No matter how many times the ceremony was performed to worship the spirits of the ancestors. The crops did not live up to expectations, and many families decided to let their rice fields fall away. But he knows that How much does Dad love this field? It was one of the few heirlooms from Grandfather. Father was in tears. When he learned that the money had disappeared in the rice fields that year

And he doesn't want to see his parents' fields. It slipped out because I had to send him to school. Method then presented himself. He will go to work and send himself to study in Bangkok. Farming is the breath of mother and father. But it's not for Method.

That day, Method decided Carry only as much food as is necessary. Father stuffed some money into his hand. And then we didn't say anything again. Mother doesn't accept Meth's decision. The only son of the house I'm going to run away and live my life. By abandoning old father and mother Behind the scenes, how ungrateful, but Meth knows very well that his mother didn't think like she said.

Because of sticky rice and salty pork It was wrapped and prepared for him very well.

At the time, Method thought it was a better option for everyone. If the rice fields are still ours, there is still a chance to come back and open our eyes and mouth. Even though it's a little

From that day Apart from a few correspondence with his father. Meth hardly knew any news about what was going on at home. Until he just found the opportunity to come home yesterday. Disappointment with myself and my family piled up. Fighting within Meth's thoughts If he didn't choose to leave home that day What will the relationship between his parents and him be like?

Or if father takes mother for serious treatment They might get to eat together. It is possible to tell stories with memories in mind.

Restless Method His hand cupped his forehead and he turned around. He couldn't help but worry about his father. And I can't help but blame myself. The sound of my own breathing was lost. The wooden plank shook and reached the area where he was laying down with a mosquito net. Metha was shocked and immediately jumped up from the mosquito net. But he was not rash. Meth sneaks up from behind the house. Keep your head tilted and your ears pressed against the wall from behind.

His destination was the window in his mother's bedroom.

The sound of slamming against the wood. Meath heard his father scream. His instincts said It was definitely the sound of fighting. Meath ran towards the front door. Trying to pry a nail out of the door hoping to help his father.

The machete in his hand slashed into the door. Inside the house there was still a loud noise. He guessed that his father must have encountered something different from him this morning. Mother's strength There were more people suffering from common diseases. Method began to hesitate. that what Father said would be true Mother's strange behavior and what he encountered It's distracting.

He rushed forward and slashed the door of the house with all his might.

But then Meth heard the sound of the wall being hit hard. He immediately stopped his hand. Method's heart raced, praying that it wouldn't happen like he thought. Soon, the sound of loud footsteps in the house picked up the pace. This time, it was definitely the window at the back of the house. He hurriedly ran to look and found that Mother's bedroom window It was open and open, vomiting and red blood.

Stained in a path from the inside to the outside terrace. Then disappeared at the edge of the terrace.

He was stunned for a long time before slowly reaching out his lantern to look for any movement. But inside that bedroom Instead, there was silence, the other hand holding the machete trembling with fear. Viscous saliva stuck in the middle of the throat. The t-shirt he was wearing was soaked until it was soaked. Method breathed heavily, mustering up his courage. Climb into the room through the gaping hole.

Conditions inside: Things are scattered everywhere. It was messier than what he had seen before. Meath quickly looked over. He is now concerned for his father's welfare. Meth followed the light to the fallen lantern. Father's forearm stretched out there. He didn't hesitate and immediately rushed towards him, but it turned out that there was only his father's right arm. Method collapsed.

He picked up the one arm that was still covered in his father's blood and hugged it frantically. Sitting there in a pile

Until dawn, the sun streams in from the back window. A chorus of birds chirping to greet the new morning. He heard someone calling downstairs. Meth holds his father's arm Climb out the window and return to the stairs leading up to the house. He spoke to the old man standing at the foot of the stairs, leaning forward. He came too late….He even came many years too late… / (end.)

FunFact./ 

The main idea of ​​the story comes from a sentence that I once heard people say in a funny way: Selling rice fields to send buffaloes to study There was news of a mother and daughter couple who were so shocked that they had to be rushed to the hospital because they ate cicada. We had never heard of cicada plants before but thought it might be connected to that sentence and the belief in ghosts that are both good and bad.

Anyway, please join in the comments, discussions, criticisms, and follow to give encouragement. Thank you for all the reading and all the support / **Listen

Midnight Horror

Episode: Mom..I'm back. Subtitled version available on YouTube**