Chapter 15 : Weary Heart

Around 1pm, a young man wearing a camouflage uniform no different from the rest of the camp but with a red plus sign on his arm, indicating his position as a medic. He walked awkwardly to the dormitory where the patients were sleeping, Dr Wasan knocked on some bedroom doors and opened them immediately without waiting for anyone to respond.

The slender figure lounging on the thick mattress with a fever, clutching the blanket, while slowly turning his head towards the intruder, squinting his long, red eyes due to his high temperature.

"Hello, Dr. Nam...", a hoarse voice greeted softly, his symptoms were worse than this morning.

"Come and see how the patient is doing." smiled the young doctor as he opened his kit, taking out the stainless-steel handle to examine the inside of his throat, "Open your mouth, scream."

Tian opened his mouth slightly as he was told, trying to make a hoarse sound. Wasan took the stainless-steel handle and pressed it against his tongue, while watching with a torch for about a minute, then took it out.

"The throat is seriously inflamed, suspend the use of the voice for the time being, drink warm water often, I will add an anti-inflammatory to it later."

The patient nodded in response, looking at the doctor with his stethoscope, ready to listen to the sound of the heart and lungs at work. As soon as he knew what was going to be done, Tian's body tensed up until Dr. Nam smiled.

"I promise I can listen through the cloth without opening your shirt...", however, his words caused Tian to frown back in fear.

Wasan let out a long sigh, as he stuck his stethoscope down and moved it in all directions across the thin chest plate "It's Tian's right, not to tell Phii or anyone else but as a doctor, would it be okay to look at the medication you take regularly? Because some medications are resistant to each other, I want to arrange the correct medication."

The patient's eyes lowered as he listened, this was getting out of hand, he was afraid his time here would be cut short again. Tian thinks silently for a few minutes, then raises a trembling hand, pointing to a sports rucksack leaning against the wall.

The doctor smiled gently at his cooperative partner, he went and removed the clothes from the backpack until he saw the medicine packet covering it. The doctor reads the name of the medicine attached to the cover of the packet in English and it makes him tense up.

"How long has it been?"

Tian raised his extremely dry lips, then raised his hand to tell the number, which also causes a roar to rise.

"Only five months!" Wasan stuffed everything back into place and quickly walked back with a grumpy face in a shattered mess, sat down next to the thick mattress, then adjusted his voice to soften it. "Apart from not wanting to be near a specialist to have to come and live in such a barren and difficult place, do you know how dangerous that is?!" At first he thought it might be balloon surgery, coronary artery disease or something but when he saw the names of the medicines in the bag, he realised the severity was much more serious.

"Anyway, this is something I have to tell Phupha, because he is the one who has been looking after you and if anything happens, he is going to be responsible." As soon as he made the gesture to get up, he was grabbed tightly by the arm.

The young doctor could feel a trembling force trying to hold his body, the glittering eyes showed his stubbornness and determination until Tian spoke up.

"I, I beg you...", the hoarse voice stuck pitifully out of the red, swollen throat.

The doctor was silent for a moment, before he would sit down where he had been and took the trembling hand that had grasped his arm.

"I want to know what makes you want to stick to this place." When the answer remained silent, Wasan tried to guess, "You want to be a teacher? Want to try living in the countryside?"

This time, the patient still shakes his head to let Wasan know that this is not the case.

"Don't tell me it's because of Phupha, the bastard."

Despite a slightly embarrassed face, Tian shakes his head in denial and the perceptive and intelligent doctor feels that the range of answers he needs is beginning to narrow and fires the last bullet.

"Or because 'Torfan'."

The name of a woman who hadn't expected to come out of the small water doctor made the long, thin eyes widen, Tian hastily raised his hands to his head and lay down to hide his unusual position.

"I have a headache."

Wasan saw the defendant's tortoise reaction but it was enough to evade the investigation, he could not say anything, "Then lie down for another hour or two, I will ask my men to bring you some thin rice, then you must not forget to take the medicine arranged after the meal."

The young doctor remembered the conversation he had just had with the other party and he felt extremely worried.

If there is a dead Torfan teacher as a key variable, which variable would his friend consider him in this equation?

The new teacher had been lying lazily for three days treating his heartbreak from the fever and the school fire until he was able to lift his head and sit up, he observed that, when he was in the village, he felt he saw Captain Phupha a lot but when he actually lived in the same house, he was aware of how busy the other man was. he was aware of how busy the other man was.

Earlier, he had occupied the bed in the room, causing the owner to sleep in the bed outside, in the morning the captain had gone on duty before he woke up, when he came back late in the night, he had fallen asleep first, calling it something he had hardly ever met in the past, if there was anything that reassured him even in his dreams, it was the gentle touch of a large hand on his head, as if he were a child.

Today he is much better, after talking to Yod who came to the house with rice and broth, Tian was left alone in the house until he got bored, he opened most of his books on military academics, not very interesting but still something to while away the time.

It was almost 9pm when Captain Phupha returned to the base of operations, he thought the patients would be asleep, so he was in no hurry to then pull a meeting with his men to finalise plans with the Forestry Department officials to arrest the deforestation trespassers.

For many days, they were so close, that there were many rounds of clashes. Even though the small fish could be caught, the big fish could not be found (they fought over anything but now they can't fight over even the controversial thing).

Phupha walked through the darkness to the dormitory, the firelight from the fluorescent lamp makes thick eyebrows furrow, sharp eyes gaze at the edge of the balcony at the front of the house and see the shadow of a man sticking out, a thin figure wrapped in a quilt sitting cross-legged and dozing, although a book is spread out on his lap.

He pulled the book out of the young master's hand and poked it, "Why are you sitting out in the cold, you'll have a fever again in a minute."

Tian rubbed his eyes sleepily and as soon as he heard the question, he blurted out an answer.

"I'm waiting for you."

There was a sudden pause and after a few seconds Tian cried out to cover it up, "Yes, I'm waiting for you, because I have something to ask you but I've never met you before."

But it was probably too late, for a smile spread across those ever-tightening lips.

"I see, you're sitting in front of the house with your mouth trembling, giving blood to the mosquitoes and not sleeping, because there's something important to ask me."

Tian surreptitiously swallows his slimy saliva, while nodding his head in disbelief. The officer in khaki camouflage sat down, then lowered his face close to the patient.

"Then you can wait in the house, no need to suffer like this."

The seemingly thoughtful words but the smooth face turned red, because he knows exactly what he is hiding. Tian clasped his hands together and opens his mouth wide, staring at the broad back of the tall figure who enters the house laughing softly.

Tian buries the blanket in indisputable pain, he stands up and stomps angrily after him, in order to provoke a quarrel but the captain immediately saw through the rush to grab a towel and flee into the bathroom.

About 15 minutes later, Phupha emerges with a towel tied around his waist, revealing his tight, naked, dark brown muscles. He bends down to get his clothes out of the wardrobe, all the while feeling hot and cold like he's being stabbed in the eyes of a jealous man.

"Don't you think I'd be a bit shy?"

At the sarcasm of the questioner, the person sitting cross-legged on the mattress with his arms crossed in front of his chest snorted strongly: "If you were shy, you probably wouldn't have come into the room in this condition."

"This is my house, this room is my room."

"But you let me stay here, then it's mine."

"Do I lift the mattress up as yours, or do you want to be the one who sleeps outside?"

"No way!" shouted a very hoarse voice, so much so that Captain Phupha shook his head helplessly, there was nothing to be done with the boy.

Tian's mouth quirked in a nonsensical manner, then he noticed the scars on the tall man's body, both new and old and some stitches that had not been cut.

"Where did you go to fight?"

As Phupha took off his towel and put on his warm trousers, he turned his face to Tian. From being sick a few days ago, I wonder if the young master's brain is infected with a virus.

"I'm a soldier, a national defence force, my duty is to 'fight'--" he said carelessly, as if what he was doing was so mundane, as he reached for the first aid kit on the counter.

"I know this, I just. I didn't think it would be so dangerous." Tian swallowed his words and slowly crawled closer to the officer who was sitting on the floor preparing to dress the wide, strong back wound that had scarred his country for almost ten years.

People like him who live a life of luxury in the city, who have no idea how many thousands of lives must be sacrificed to keep peace in Thailand. Tian thinks it is out of reach, even though his own father was a soldier but because he was not a soldier on the border, he could only see one side, the power and comfort of having his men at his side.

Cold fingertips touch the bruise in the middle of his naked back, the captain is often seen in the village so often that he forgets to think.

One day this man may never have the chance to return.

Tian bites his almost bloody lip, while turning around and grabbing an alcohol-soaked cotton ball and holding it in his hand, his smooth, pale face hides a serious concern.

"Let me do it myself!" Phupha frowned, couldn't understand the meaning of his angry tone this time, "What are you so angry about?"

Tian didn't answer, instead, he ordered the captain to lift his arm, so that he could clean the new stitch marks on the side of his chest. The slender hands were surprisingly gentle in dressing the wound, then povidone-iodine was applied to disinfect it and then gauze was applied to cover it again and it was over.

"Why did you choose to become a soldier?" Tian is finally willing to talk but Phupha is again confused by his question.

"If the official answer is what you want then I need to sacrifice to protect my country but if it's a private answer, I think the money is a bit low for the profession but the benefits are good."

"That means you don't have to be a soldier, there are plenty of other jobs that pay better and offer better benefits than serving in the army."

As he met the long, thin eyes that gazed intently at him, he couldn't argue.

Phupha touched his face, felt distracted, finally exhaled in defeat and began to tell.

"My family background was not good, my father was a sapper sergeant, my mother was a general labourer in another house, fortunately, I was good at studying, so I sat the school exams in the city, my father paid for the school fees with his welfare money but it was also much more difficult than for my other friends."

"The older I got, the more I wonder why my father had to put up with the difficulties of holding a public job for less than 6,000 baht a month. If he had worked as a machinist in a factory he would have been earning nearly 10,000 baht a month and my life would probably have been better."

"But one day, my father took me up to a high cliff and pointed me to the buildings in the town below. That was the first time I felt how vast the land really was. My father told me that my father's profession was that of a man who defended a peaceful country. Although my father's rank was low, he had the most human responsibility, I should not be ashamed of anyone, I had to hold my chest proudly to be right."

"Later on, even though I don't remember much, my determination to be like my father did not weaken at all. My greatest pride in life was being awarded the rank of second lieutenant on my graduation day and wearing my sword to show my father."

Captain Phupha opened his eyes, out of the memories of the past and raised his hands to grasp the thin shoulders of the man sitting opposite him and squeezed.

"All right. Now, may I ask a rhetorical question? What do you think of my history?"

Tian bowed his head, his eyes trembled, full of various emotions.

"I used to be afraid of death and when the moment came, it was probably unacceptable. Every time you go out on patrol, aren't you afraid at all?"

"Everyone is afraid of death, Tian." Phupha said in softer tones than ever before, "I had nothing to worry about behind me and with both parents dead, that was probably a plus, my superiors never asked me to be transferred from the border again." The officer glanced at the slender hand clutching the leg of his warm trousers and smiled faintly. He ducked his face to catch it.

The distance is just the tip of his nose.

"But if I have you to worry about, I promise to take better care of myself."

Before Tian could look up, he closed his eyes, as someone's warm lips touched his forehead and then stamped them in that motionless way.

The tender sweetness penetrated his heart until it beat without rhythm. He grabbed his chest with his hand as if it hurt with a needle and then burrowed into the neck of the firm, soapy, helpless man to hide his flushed face.

Vile!

The sound of loud curses in his ear made Captain Phupha smile happily, there may not be a beginning between us but as long as there is still enough time left, I hope it stays that way.

Tian can't remember how or when he fell asleep last night, vague recollection of the captain forcing him to take his fever medicine, then the memory is lost, he wakes up again at the bottom of the sun as usual but today he hears people walking and talking on the wooden floor outside his bedroom.

The patient, who is beginning to recover from the fever, rushed to brush his teeth and wash his face, then opened the door and goes out, he finds Captain Phupha sitting and talking to his best friend, he looks suspiciously at the smiling Dr. Mizu and the pasty-faced Captain but finds nothing unusual and immediately approaches and interjects into the conversation.

"Are you off today, Captain? Dr. Nam will be here early in the morning."

"It's late, Nong Tian, it's almost ten o'clock--" Wasan glared at Tian in mock annoyance, then before the young master was ready to hit back at the mouthy doctor, Phupha interrupted to moderate the conversation.

"I'm off today, let the doctor see you. If you're cured, you can go back to the village, the children complain that they miss their teacher."

The word "children." makes the smooth face turn white, when remembering the arson, even back on the cliff there is no school and no teaching facilities.

"Are the children sad? Their school is gone."

Captain Phupha smiled gently as he did last night and reached for a slender hand to comfort him: "They would be sadder if they didn't have "Brother Crayon"."

"I'm going to see what's left of the fire."

"I'll take you there myself later." Phupha promised solemnly, "but for now, you go and have a bath, I've got it hot in the bucket."

Tian nodded, while walking easily into the room at the shocked look under Dr Wasan's glasses.

"Damn Phu! What love spell did you use on him!!!?"

The accused frowned until wrinkles appeared, "What spell did you say?"

"Your young master is following like a heart child, usually apparently the whole fucked up scout ion looked like Phupha after hearing his friend gloat, Phupha rushed to put his hands up to stop him, "Enough of you, nothing and normally old me doesn't beat people up very often!"

"Hmm." Dr. Wasan replied in a long drawn out voice, as if in disbelief.

"You'd better go and get me some food from the kitchen, you can come and eat here."

"Deliberately changing the subject," even though he was near-sighted but he can clearly see Captain Phupha who is walking down the stairs of the house with your hand in someone else's brother's, suddenly stops, he turned around quickly, glances at the doctor and then grabs the lapel of Dr. Mouthy's shirt, before he can say anything more. He then grabbed the lapel of the mouthy doctor's shirt and groped him down with him before he could say anything more.

Afternoon, Tian gathered his clothes and went back to the hut as usual, walking between the roads in the village that hadn't been seen for days, the volunteer teacher felt that the villagers were working in the vegetable fields, it was cold, he didn't expect to say that everyone was as upset as he was about the destruction of the village's only school but when he returned to find that everything was still safe and sound. but when he returned to find the fact that everything was still going on happily as usual, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

All that remains is the charred remains of a small wooden school with black posts being taken down, pending the clearance of the area.

The volunteer teacher looked at his workplace with only the flagpole towering alone and felt pain in his bones.

As he's about to ask Captain Phupha where he said the stockpiles are, there's a familiar little scream in his ear.

Tian turned his pale face to the source of the sound and saw a large group of small bodies of students running towards him with partially burnt planes in their hands and paper windfalls, followed by villagers he thought were going out to farm, each helping to carry the barely usable bookcases and desks up the hill.

"Teacher! Have you recovered? We were so worried." Bianglae Khama came over with some of the surviving workbooks with a smile on his face.

"Yes, much better, Tian stammered, while glancing in the direction of the Akha, men and women were putting things on the ground in a steady stream, "I thought the village chief was working in the vegetable fields, something came over me that made me want to cry.

"As soon as the captain told us that the teacher was coming back today, we rushed over, plus the children complained every day about missing the teacher."

"But the school is no more." The hoarse voice whispered as if unable to contain the overwhelming emotion.

"If it's gone, then rebuild it, teacher. Even if it burns ten times, we'll help build it ten times together and keep on rebuilding it until they get tired of the destruction." Bianglae laughed as he reached out and patted Tian's thin shoulder, "Don't worry, Phii, we'll be there for you even if you stand up and beat the hell out of Siasakda again."

The village chief turned around, shouting in the dialect, as if to incite. The villagers look at the new volunteer teacher, clenching their fists and shouting in unison. Even if they don't understand, the meaning of good intentions is clear.

The last time someone used force was still fresh in my mind. Tian crouches on the ground with his hands over his face, because he doesn't want anyone to see the strange state he is in. His bladder was rapidly pigmented, his long, thin eyes burning, tears streaming down his cheeks but his extremely dry lips torn wide into his ear canals.

Captain Phupha smiled at the children who had gathered to hug the teacher as if to encourage him, deciding that he had done the right thing by sending Tian back to the village, even though he wanted to keep him as close to himself as possible for as long as possible, he approached Bianglae Kharia and said, "Thank you."

"He's never been through such trauma, I think he should feel better now, thank you so much Khama."

"Thank you for what Captain, it was our own intention."

Phupha said seriously: "About this case, the police sent someone to the employer to investigate, it seems that it was one of Siasakda's men. Even though he was caught, he said in full that he had a grudge against Tian for the day he was picked up, so he sought revenge."

"Even though we know exactly who is behind this, we can't catch the tail right away." Bianglae shook his head wearily.

"Not necessarily, we might be able to catch it in another case. My spies report that Siasakda has now disappeared from the city, maybe I'll meet him in the forest."

"Be careful Captain, he should have an accomplice in hiding."

"Yesterday, my squadron clashed with them, shame they got away, still can't find their base."

"If we find anything suspicious we will report it immediately." The village chief promised as solemnly as ever, Captain Phupha nodded his head to say please and then helped with the others to carry the fire-damaged remains of the school to be thrown away.

As the school was completely destroyed by fire, the students and teachers had to stop studying by default. For those books and teaching materials, Bianglae Khama volunteered to contact the charity foundation to ask for new donations, this may take some time, in the meantime, all the volunteer teachers can do is design a new school building, the soldiers and villagers provide the wood ready, for the school to be rebuilt one day in the near future .

Not many children from the hills were allowed by their parents to come and study, no more than 20 at a time, designing too big a school, seemed a waste of energy and effort, Tian grabbed the original plans but only if the emphasis was on making the structure strong, so that it would not have to be repaired as often.

The engineering student rolled on his bed and sighed, while taking a pencil and marking back and forth on the paper. If he had a big budget, he would have ordered refractory bricks and used all glass fibre composites, because even if they were burned a few thousand times, they would be durable and impervious to fire.

Tian smiled at the two scouts who are walking around inspecting their huts for safety from guarding the school and it is not long before two men are seen walking along the path linking the villages carrying lunch boxes and bunches of bananas. The familiar Bianglae Khama waves a greeting, then another tall boy, whom he has not yet met, raises his hand in a hymn of recognition.

Tian jumped up and returned the greeting in an uncomfortable manner, the village headman did not give the other man long to wonder before he immediately opened his mouth and said.

"Teacher, this is my son, his name is Longtae. He has had a long break before his exams, so he has come back to visit his family."

Tian turned, Uncle Bianglae's son had just entered the city to go to university, he didn't look more than 18 or 9 years old, only 2 or 3 years younger than himself, it was inexplicably awkward for him to bow to her like that.

"Hello, Mr. Tian. My father and I went to the forest this morning to look for something, so I cut bananas for you." Longtae said kindly with a genuine smile on his sharp face, replicating that of his father.

The man in the house looked at the pile of bananas instead of one, it would take a man a whole week to eat them all, Tian laughed, "Thanks... Thank you but Phii is enough, no need to call me teacher."

The teenager agreed and then he followed his father into the basement, putting the gifts on a bamboo shelf. He looked at the tunnel and saw that the villagers' furniture had been used, he turned to his father and whispered.

"Did he use it too?" He had grown up studying in the city but still had the idea that city people were modern, not like us country folk.

"It wasn't like that at first but now it's very good--" Khama speaks to her son in dialect, for fear that the volunteer teachers who are busy packing up the school plans will climb down the stairs and hear them and find them gossiping.

Today my wife baked chicken and steamed sticky rice, so she came to give it to the teachers." Bianglae opened the stainless-steel lunch box with sliced chicken and hot sticky rice topped with a delicious dipping sauce, "who has this marinated fish chilli sauce, I promise it's not too spicy.

"Thank you very much. In fact, I could just as well have fried my own eggs." Even with that said but the lunch in front of me smelled so good, it was mouth-watering.

"I get bored of eating fried eggs and vegetables every day, just let me know what the teacher wants to eat, my wife can make anything." said Bianglae generously, having brought food to the teacher in the past and the volunteer teacher never asked for it.

"It's okay, it's good just to eat that." He actually prefers Japanese or Western food to Thai food, especially traditional food like this and he's had the most he's had since he's been here.

"Eat it, teacher, it's hot." said the old man until Tian shoved the sticky rice into his mouth and then chewed it unashamedly as he always did.

"Why don't you eat it together?" asked Tian, when he notices a visitor watching him eat with a smile.

"We've already eaten."

Tian exclaims, feeling even more bothered, that they bothered to bring his lunchbox.

"Actually, I'm going to bring my son to meet the teacher, he speaks Mandarin." Captain Phupha might not be here too often these days, the teacher will not be lonely."

The listener almost swallows the chicken nuggets with difficulty..." Even if I don't come, I'm not lonely!" He protests, the other side laughs.

Think of it as bringing labourers to help build a school, even if he studied political science and didn't study technician like the teacher.

Call it 'technician' or 'technician', the future engineer laughed bitterly, he turned to the teenager who was almost as tall as Phupha, as Uncle Bianglae had said.

"Would you like to be an official?" Most of his friends who choose to study in this field intend to take the exam to enter government as ambassadors, or, depending on the status of their parents to go into politics.

"I want to be a deputy to be able to come back and develop my home town."

"Well..." Tian whispers, feeling strangely ashamed, that he himself is about to graduate without such idealism and vision, that when he chose to study engineering, he simply felt that if he chose to study his preferred subject, he would probably be able to complete his studies easily and without much difficulty.

While Tian was washing lunch boxes at the back of the house, some villagers came running out of breath to meet Bianglae Khama, they all spoke in dialect, even if he didn't understand them. But judging by the demeanour and expressions, this could be a big deal. The village chief asked his son to look after the teacher and then left in a hurry.

"What's happening?"

Tine asked, confused.

"Uh, nothing." Longtae didn't seem to want to answer much but when he was badly pestered, he blurted out.

"Village ghosts, someone came across it in the forest, they went to help carry it down."

"Haunted, in broad daylight!"

"Thought he'd gone into the woods early in the morning to look for something but didn't come back at dark until someone came across it. The boy scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to handle the other's distrust.

"Why don't you show me around." said Tian curiously, although in his life, he has never encountered such an intangible but has always adhered to the motto "don't trust don't despise".

"Don't, it's not much to look at." He didn't want the teachers to find out that they were stupid in not proving things.

But I want to see it! Tian concluded with a clenched fist and a nudge to the back of the taller figure and let him lead the way out at once.

The house where Longtae brought the volunteer teacher is right next to the forest, it's the usual wooden house with a high platform in this area.

The squealing of the pigs kept in the backyard combined with the men's mournful voices, so much so that visitors had to cringe. Neighbours of women, men and old people alike, gather in the house to watch the rituals of the Mima or village shamans.

Tian noticed that no one had brought any children, Longtae explained that children were not allowed to participate in those demonic things, because pure minds were easily influenced.

Mima, the man who used to give him the ritual of the wrist-binding ceremony, is sitting cross-legged, chanting a mantra and has everything in front of him. There is a bamboo jug with white wine, a large chicken boiled in water, sweet and savoury food and a clay figure made to look like an animal.

The man shivering under the covers, haunted by a ghost, sticks his head out, only his face is pale. Mima has a serious expression, waving a knife and dancing with incantations, as if invoking the Holy Spirit.

Tian, who has gathered with the others to watch, sniffs hard, as if smelling the familiar scent of a high society bar he used to frequent and turned to whisper to the young man.

"Are you sure it's a ghost? Not addicted to weed?" Longtae smiled, doesn't know how to answer, so changes the subject, "Does Phii Tian believe in ghosts?"

"I don't know but I don't want to see one either, what about you, do you believe in them?" Tian wanted to know how Akha people who have had the opportunity to study higher education view these traditions.

"The Akha have believed in spirits since their ancestors, whether they are house ghosts, forest spirits, or village ghosts and the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation are based on these beliefs. If you want me to answer whether I believe in them or not, I will not think twice about following the tradition to prove that it is better."

"You." Hearing a long speech that made Tian lose his tongue, you must be a very good deputy, he finished and turned back to the rest of the ceremony, leaving the other man standing in confusion.

... Longtae later explains that this is to drive away the wandering spirits that follow in the forest. The village shaman picked up a leaf from which a spell was recited and chewed it, then drank the white wine. Then he sprays holy water on the young man who is lying on his back until his whole face is soaked.

Tian saw his face covered in skin lines, including water, wine and saliva chewing with fallen leaves, the smell was strangely unpleasant, if I were a ghost, I would have run away from this recommendation too!

The haunted man whimpers pitifully but doesn't seem to be so scared that he can't control his consciousness as before, his wife and relatives swarm in to see the symptoms that work.

Mima goes to talk to Bianglae Khama, Longtae explains, let him rest, in the meantime take something and put it in front of the house, light incense and tell the house spirits to protect it, then watch the symptoms, if tomorrow is not good, there may be a big ceremony in the forest.

"I think it will get better in a while…" , commented Tian who stood by and watched for a long time.

Longtae raised his eyebrows in surprise, he hadn't believed the ritual earlier.

"No one saw the ghost, right? But the exorcism ritual makes it perfectly visible, so will there be a real ghost or not? But spiritually speaking, I'm sure he'll get better.

The town volunteer teacher was about to say that these rituals are only for spiritual healing, the teenager smiled lightly, he wouldn't be offended if someone didn't understand, anyway, belief is a personal matter.

"Is Phii going back? There's nothing more to do now."

Tian looked forward and saw that the villagers were still gathered around the man, as for Bianglae Khama, he was still talking to Mima with a nervous expression.

"All right...", he replied simply and went downstairs.

Those long, thin eyes glanced at the tribute someone had brought down from the house and then at the incense lit by the pillar below the house and he felt something stuck in his heart until he couldn't resist asking again.

"Do people in the village often encounter ghosts?"

Longtae stroked his fingers to his chin, recalling his memories of being born here but having to study and living with relatives in the city, he kept going back and forth to his home village.

"Really, we have a tradition of worshipping ghosts on almost every holiday. There are some who are worshipped by ghosts but according to my father, the villagers have been encountering them a lot lately, especially people who go deep into the forest to look for things."

"Is this a ritual of exorcism that is always done?"

"Some people don't see clearly enough to be afraid until they hallucinate like this."

Tian nodded that he understood and didn't ask any more questions. He turned his head and went back to the house, looking at the white smoke from the incense placed on the offering, looking pensive.

What stimulated the "ghosts." to come out recently?

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