I asked Fang Gang about the amulets in his car. "You wanna know? Sure. You can ask me any question. One hundred baht each. Consider it an investment in your education," he said with a smile.
He wasn't joking, which made me chuckle in mild annoyance. What a frank guy, I thought. I took out three hundred baht bills and said. "This is for truth, not tales. If I get a long, short or wide story, we won't do business in the future, sensei."
Fang Gang took the money from my hand and laughed as he stuffed the bills nonchalantly in his front pocket. "You know my reputation, right? The scumbag who recognizes money over people? You think I would want to scam you? I wouldn't do it even if you wanted me to! Fucking waste my time."
The look in Fang Gang's eye made me shift back in my chair. He took a big puff with his cigar and then his demeanor changed as he spoke with a matter of fact tone, "The spider with Nepali Star Moon Bohdi can seek fortune from eight directions at night, the second one is a Indian Sea Snake amulet, enchanted with the Hydra King spell, reinforcing my safety in the field. The last one is an Incool amulet, which gives me stamina like superman in bed." He smiled after letting the last description hang over us for a moment.
I was speechless. Such a variety of power in amulets! Full protection from potential harm, make more money at night and having incredible sex? That's life covered. At any rate, my education was getting in the way of why we were here.
"So what are we going to do with Mr. Li's son? Your description was vague, and where can I find a person to be the spiritual medium?" I asked Fang Gang.
He snorted. "That's your problem. I'm a matchmaker, I am only introducing you to a partner. Whether or not you can make babies is your problem. It really has nothing to do with me."
"But I didn't make anything on this deal, just, can you help me?"
"What? You think I came all the way to Rayong for a vacation?"
"When can we start!?", I blurted.
"After dark. The spell will only take effect after midnight." He replied.
"Brother Fang, could you tell me what that amulet really is about? Why do people get misfortune from touching it?" I asked.
Fang Gang took out his phone and opened the photo I sent him before. He pointed out each component to me. "On the front of the amulet is a picture she took the day she got killed by that speeding car. The amulet itself was made from the dirt from the cemetery. Several unholy items are mounted on it. The plastic bead: A piece of decoration on her bridal headdress. The iron nail: The final nail that shut her coffin. The little bell: The bell from her funeral flag when she was buried."
I felt my temperature drop with each item he listed. There was one thing he missed: "What is the fragment of the white cloth?"
Fang Gang raised from his chair and leaned in close to my face. His expression became blank as he said, "That was a chunk of the cloth that wrapped her corpse when she was placed in the ground..."
I forced out a smile and chugged down the last of juice which slid like cold blood down my throat. Fang Gang sat back into his chair, laughing hysterically, reveling in my discomfort.
"So you can't say where I can find a medium?"
"Why not you? I can guarantee you, the process gives you a nice kick of adrenaline! Much better than just chatting to a ghost, which you seem to be quite fond of." Fang Gang said.
I shock my head left and right emphatically. What if I got infected like Yong? I didn't want to take the risk. Fang Gang smiled, "There is nothing harmful about being a medium. The only side effects would be nausea and sleepiness for the next two or three days, but you will be fine. If you don't want to be the medium, you can always find someone willing to, but all labour comes at a price. You decide for yourself."
Not wanting to delay even more, I accepted it, but made sure Fang Gang would do his utmost to protect me.
After dinner, Fang Gang taught me to read the spell. I memorized it quickly. Fang Gang gave me a satisfied look. "We are ready to prepare for the ritual now. You still remember all the procedures?" I nodded, and called Li to let him know we would start the procedure at midnight.
At around nine, Li phoned back, "Mr. Tian? I think something is wrong with Yong."
"What's happening?"
"When we were eating dinner, he took on a very strange look, very cold. He sneered at us as if we were strangers or enemies. When I asked him what was wrong, he didn't answer me. Instead he kept looking at us with a smug look on his face. Just now I saw him playing with a rope on the balcony. He kept tying the rope around his wrist, many many times, then he would untie himself and then start wrapping the ropes again and again. This seems like a bad omen. It makes me think of him hanging himself!"
I checked with Fang Gang, who told me, "Tell the customer to lock the kid in the bedroom and not let him out. Clean out everything in his room, especially dangerous objects like knives or ropes, and wait until we get there."
At around eleven, we arrived at Li's home. It was September, but still suffocatingly hot. Fang Gang's truck had no air conditioner, so we arrived covered in sweat. We knocked but got no answer. We banging on the door. Nothing. We did, however, manage to wake up three neighbouring houses, but still no response from Li's home.
Fang Gang shook his head. "It isn't possible for them to not be awake by now. These old apartments suck at stopping the sound. How could they not hear it?"
"Maybe it could be poisoning from a gas leak?"
We looked at each other, unsure what to do next. Just as I took out my phone to call the police, we heard the lock clicking open.
The door opened slowly and Yong's face peaked out, staring at us blankly.
"Yong, where are your parents?" I asked.
"They are asleep…"Yong answered coldy.
Fang Gang pushed the door open. "They sleep better than a dead pig!" he yelled. We walked into the kitchen, and Yong opened the fridge soundlessly, pouring two glasses of juice which he placed softly on the table. Parched from the sweltering ride and effort at the frog door, we each grabbed a glass from the table and drank. Fang Gang noticed the small red bag on the cabinet, picked it up and inspected the amulet inside.
I scooched a little closer and looked over his shoulder. Fang Gang waved his hand. "Go wake up that couple. We don't have much time." I walked to the bedroom and knocked. No one answered. I pushed open the door, and saw the Li couple lying flat on the bed, covered by a thin blanket.
I called them a couple of times, louder each time, but got no response. I didn't smell any gas. I walked toward the bed and pushed them. Nothing. I bent down, and heard Li breathing, so I opened his eyelid with my finger. It was heavy. His pupils were dilated and looked sickly. I pulled off the blanket, and then I saw their hands and feet were bound together by a red rope!
Shocked, I tried untying Li, but began feeling nauseous and I couldn't lift my arm. Something was wrong. I ran out of the room holding myself up with the wall. Fang Gang was still holding the amulet in his hand, but his head tilted to one side and his eyes were only half open. I stumbled to the table, struggling to keep upright. Fang Gang was unconscious as well.
Yong slowly walked in front of me, took the amulet from Fang Gang.
"Can you help me?" he said calmly.
That voice again. "Help you with what…." I spat the words with all my strength.
"I want to go home to find my husband. He is still waiting for me."
"Who are you?"
"On the day of our wedding, there was a car. A fast car. My husband was hurt badly, but I… It was something worse. Why did it happen to me? This was my marriage day. I don't want this! I don't accept this!" Yong screamed.
A chill rippled from my toes to my head; my soul wanted to flee like a cat from a room of growling dogs. "But, but it's, it's not our fault!" I screamed.
Yong's eyes hardened, his face became stone. "I wanted to go home, but a man imprisoned me in an amulet with dark magic, making me his servant. He said I needed to save up karma... I believed him. But then the new person discarded me, ditched into a road gutter after abusing my power. I layed trapped in the wind and rain until one day I felt the hand of a child lift me, embrace me. I saw my way back home through the child!
"I can help you, but why are you torturing us? Why have you trapped us?" I replied.
Yong smiled. "That couple is not honest. I pleaded with them many times to take me home, but they didn't do it. Tonight they said that they will bring sorcerers to lock me back into the amulet. I don't want to go back to that Achan's house. Take me to Phetchaburi, my home is there!"