Chapter 1: Pleb goes to Thailand

Spirits. The question asked for millennia of whether they exist or not. The truth is if you believe, then they exist. If you don't believe, they don't. Simple. I was once an atheist, but a trip to Thailand changed my fate. Not only did I start believing, I opened a shop that sells spirits. You heard me right. Most people want to exorcise spirits, but I sell them.

This trade began many years ago. My name is Tian Qi. I am from Shenyang, China. When my story began, I was working at a large cell phone market. Standard "Four-no" member of society: no money, no house, no wife, and no job, at least not what many would consider a decent day to day career. One day, a distant cousin gave me a phone call, asking me to bring some regional specialty goods from North-East China to Thailand, travel fees covered. Who wouldn't take this kind of offer, I thought, and so I agreed.

The night before the trip, I had a middle school reunion. Student reunions have two outcomes, cheating or flexing wealth, and this one is no different. At the start of the party, the former students didn't miss a beat; the old clicks formed as if this was September first, and now we were back after a long and hot summer. It's just how student reunions go, people bullshit about life, and bullshit about jobs, status, income, housing, cars, jets, and of course, some unbelievable bullshit investment opportunities in tech-com start ups, get in now before it's too late. Those who were doing well talk louder than others, as those who weren't shift and twitch all night in their formal wear that looks like it hasn't been worn since graduation night. I sat there listening, taking small sips of boxed wine with an air of unsure confidence.

My life hasn't been great since university graduation, and while I wanted to be noticed, to be part of the mythology of the night, I also did not want to draw too much scrutiny..

As we chatted, someone started talking about their travel adventures. Suddenly our whole group was enthralled and sharing stories of Thailand, its culture, its food, and most interesting of all the spiritual amulets from that mysterious land. Little Wang, a man who once got a notorious wedgie for hitting on the wrong girl in school threw in his two cents:, "I heard Thai amulets are super powerful, bring wealth and romantic love and that kind of stuff, sadly I have never been to Thailand, otherwise I would go get one for sure!" I wondered if it would have prevented the historic wedgie Little Wang suffered.

Everyone got excited. The alpha of our group was a guy named Qiao, who we called 'Old Qiao'. He now worked at a Shenyang bank as a deputy director, being dominant all the time just like in middle school when he pushed me off the lunch table to sit with this girl he liked. "Tian Qi, do you even know what a Thai amulet is?There was a shuffle of laughter as Qiao leaned forward and mocked exaggerated interest in my direction.

My mood dropped, but I managed to smirk, "What do you mean, Old Qiao? I go to Thailand quite often you know, I know quite a lot of high monks and sorcerers. In fact I am going to Thailand tomorrow!"

The taunting chuckles broke out into full-out laughter until I opened my bag and took out my passport and Thailand Visa. Everyone stared wide-eyed, a pleb like me could actually travel outside of the country!

Qiao spurted, "Why have I never heard you talk about this?"

I smiled, "It's called being humble. I learned it from the southerners."

As the laughter dissolved into curious admiration, a pretty girl called Lu came up to me. "Tian Qi, can you bring a thai amulet back for me? I just want one that could give protection. I want a light one. I am afraid to touch any dark amulets, and if possible,I don't want it to be too expensive. Around two thousand to three thousand RMB would be perfect. Do you know how much it would cost?"

I didn't even know what Thai amulets were, much less what they cost, but, proud of my new adventurer status, I spouted an old proverb, "Good money gets good things…, but I will look into it once I get to Thailand". She smiled, gave me her phone number, reminding me to not forget.

After I got to Thailand, I lived at my cousin's home at Rayong for a few days. I had never left China so everything was fresh and fascinating. My cousin, in his forties, ran a jewelry factory and was well off, owning a three story house he had built himself. His wife is a Thai local who enjoyed her financial freedom, and had no kids. It wasn't often he had relatives visit, so he tried really hard to persuade me to stay, firstly because I could help him with the business and secondly so he can have some relatives from the motherland to live with him.

Thailand was beautiful, like ancient paintings in an art gallery, and even better for my budget, it was cheap. I gorged on durian, dragon fruit, and shrimp the size of whales. I was almost tempted to stay there forever, if not for my parents back home, and their incessant insisting that I find a good girl and settle down , I would have stayed. However, I made a promise to my cousin that I will come back soon to spend more time with him in this spellbinding land.

Two nights before I went home, my cousin and his wife went to a business dinner, leaving me at home alone. When I was packing up my luggage, I saw a newspaper with a Thai actress flashing a hypnotizing stone amulet. Beautiful Lu danced across my mind, her arms barren and pleading for the amulet. I called my cousin, asking him if he knew any amulet dealers, and he said that the temples were the best sources for amulets.

"Is it possible to go tomorrow?" I cried. "I promised a friend I would find an amulet for her." My cousin agreed. He told me to go to his third floor study to find a business card box with the contact info for Fang Gang, an amulet expert, and contact him. "He is a Chinaman", my cousin said, "He deals specifically with amulets and enchanted kumanthong."

"Couldn't I just go to a temple myself?" I asked.

"It's... complicated." My cousin answered. "Monks from temples only enchant Light Amulets, but Fang can get anything, Light or Dark. But be careful, he is a cunning fellow. If there is one thing he knows more than amulets, it's how to squeeze milk from the tits of a cow. So, don't moo like a cash cow, if you know what I mean."

After I hung up the phone, I went to the third floor. It took a long ass time to find that damn business card. It read "Chinese-Thai Amulet Kuman Expert ––– Fang Gang".

I pocketed the business card and headed downstairs. At the end of the hallway, I heard a floorboard creak around the corner. This whole building only houses my cousin, his wife, and me; who else could be in that room? I crept to the door and peered through the crease of the doorway. Moonlight gently washed into the room. There was no furniture other than a heavy, age-worn wooden cabinet, and, to my shock and surprise, a small child perched in the middle of the room, his face turned towards the glowing window. He could have been no more than four years old.

I froze, unsure whether to speak or run. What on earth is this moonlit child doing here? I had spent three days in the house, and no one had ever spoken of a child. Was this a neighbour's kid? A relative's kid who snuck out of home?

Suddenly, the child spun around to face me, as if hearing my fear and confusion. As the moonlight dropped from his face, I looked into his form, half child, half shadow, obscured now from the glowing light of the window.

The child raised arms as if waiting for a hug. Could my cousin be so cruel as to lock a small child in his house? What was happening here? I pushed the door open and fumbled for the light switch. A wash of yellow light flickered through the room. I jumped back, clasped my chest, and yelled with the fury of hell. The child has no facial features other than two hollow and empty sockets, shadow black and oozing blood which streamed down the child's cheeks and splattered on the hardwood floor.

I was scared beyond words. The child walked toward me and I bolted out of the room, screaming at the top of my lungs. Unfortunately I got up too hastily and lost balance, face planting on the hard wooden floor. I turned around as I got up on my feet, afraid that the child had already caught up with me, but there was nothing. The room was empty. Was it all a hallucination?

I stood there frozen, but there was nothing, no sound, no child, nothing. I reapproached the room, trembling with fear. I poked my head in. It was empty. Nothing except for that wooden cabinet, a red cloth bag sitting on top. I breathed heavily at the doorway for around ten minutes to make sure that it truly was empty, then creeped in and inspected the wooden cabinet.

I lifted the red cloth bag and opened it. There was this blackish... thing. It was like an odd baby doll, no, maybe a real fetus, not more than two hands in length. The eye sockets of the dried corpse were sunken in and crusted with dried blood, and its body was wrapped in white strings.

Just then, I heard the sound of an engine from outside the window. I quickly put everything back and turned off the lights. It must be my cousin who was returning home, so I closed the door and returned to my room as if nothing happened.

My cousin brought home a lot of fruit and seafood for me, but I had lost my appetite. I pictured the child, shrivelling like dried fruit in the sun. My cousin asked me if I had found Fang Gang's phone number. I snapped back to reality and told him I had, and that I'd call him now. I borrowed my cousin's phone so I could make the local call. The sound from the other end of the line was very noisy, and Fang Gang had a very strong South Chinese accent. I had to scream for him to understand, but once he realized I wanted to talk about amulets, he asked me to meet him at a butcher shop in Pattaya City.

At noon the next day, I took a bus from Rayong to Pattaya and found this butcher shop. The shop was void of customers, with only two tattooed men sitting behind the counter, glaring cold-eyed at everyone who walked by. I cautiously asked one of them whether Fang Gang was there. The heavier set man looked me up and down and asked,"What do you need him for?"