This is a translated article from Koosang Koosom Magazine, written by Sigarn from Phayao in Thai Language, translated by Nye.
In April 2002 (Thai year 2545) my mom and I went vacationing in Phuket and we stayed with my mom’s relatives, which she asked me to call them Khun Tar (grandpa) and Khun Yai (grandma). They lived by themselves, and their house was very serene with lots of trees in their yard. They had 2 huge dogs, both were Rottweilers, they were caged up in back of the house during the day, and let loose to roam inside the gated yard at night.
It was about 2-3 days into our staying when Khun Tar and Khun Yai had to go to their Palm farm in Krabi and had to stay overnight, so they asked my mom and I to house sit for them. My mom once told me that Khun Tar’s son was not here, I took it that he got married and moved out. My mom didn’t talk much about her siblings or relatives.
At dust, my mom fed the dogs, and let them out from their cage. She locked the front gate, the doors and was getting ready for bed. My mom asked me to sleep in the same room as her, but I wanted to watch TV in the den. She looked concerned and bewildered, kept asking me several times to come to bed, but I was being stubborn, and wanted to watch TV, then I think I must have drifted off to sleep.
I’m not sure how long I was asleep, but I woke up in the middle of the night, I felt chills and noticed that it was kind of eerie in the room. The two Rottweilers started barking and howling, and they stopped outside the window of the den that I fell asleep, I’m not sure when the TV and lights went off.
In the midst of the darkness and dogs howling, I heard footsteps of someone walking and dragging a rope slowly toward me. Then what I saw was a tall dark shadow stood at the end of the sofa that I used as a bed. I felt chills, I hadn’t have enough time to gather my thoughts and didn’t have a chance to yell for my mom, the huge dark shadows started to strangle me with his rope, I couldn’t breath and the rope got tighter and tighter. I tried to free myself but couldn’t. I was afraid, I had never faced anything this scary before, and the two Rottweilers were still howling and kept scratching the window with their front paws.
I thought I was going to die, and I couldn’t scream for help. I tried to free myself and my foot kicked the lamp on the end table next to the sofa, it made a loud noise when it hit the floor. It must have woke my mom up because she rushed out to see what was going on, and at that instant the shadow and rope disappeared. My mom asked of what was happening, and I told her. She appeared shocked and held me tight, then led me to her room.
The next morning, my mom took me to the nearby Wat (Buddhist Temple) to Tum Boun (merit making) and receive blessing water. After the Boun event, my mom then told me that Khun Tar and Khun Yai had a son that was 20 years old, he hung himself in that house and no one knew why. Khun Tar and Khun Yai would Tum Boun (merit making) for their son every year, and he had not come around for several years until last night. My mom teased me that his spirit might have come to greet me. After I heard this, I was even more afraid because I never thought that anything like this would happen to me, I never thought that ghost spirits exist. After that incident, I didn’t dare visit Khun Tar and Khun Yai in Phuket again.
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October 25, 2009 at 3:03 pm
eerenoon
This one is scary… Normally, if I stay over at my relatives’ house, I will sleep together with 1 of the members else I will rather rent a room at the guesthouse. For me, I have the feeling when I enter a house. It’s either comfortable or not. I went to stay at Noon’s mom’s house in Mahasarakham and the moment I entered her house, I felt very comfortable. I enjoy staying there. I still remember the time I went to Malacca. We went to the Baba Nyonya Museum. It is actually a house but had been converted into a museum by the family members. I dont feel good when I was there. I felt one kind. It is hard to explain. Noon informed me that if my grandfather and I were not there, she will not enter the master bedroom which is quite dark with 2 standing statues wearing the old Baba and Nyonya suit. Felt more like a Haunted House at the fun fair than a museum.
October 26, 2009 at 5:53 am
Nye
eerenoon, I translated so many ghost stories at night, sometimes I wondered if I’m afraid of ghost. I stayed at a relative’s house that both husband and wife passed away within a month apart, and this time I went for the husband’s funeral and slept in their master bedroom, my mom slept with me and another relative of theirs. I heard someone searching for clothes late in the night, but I knew no one entered the room because I was still awake, I laid very still and listened but nothing else happened. I told my mom about it the next morning, the relative heard it also, but my mom was asleep and the next night we moved to another room to sleep, my mom wouldn’t let me sleep there. The house was actually built on an old cementer plot also, but I didn’t have any strong feeling.
The Baba Nyonya Museum seems interesting to visit, I’ve been to old houses also, but all I feel was wondering what life was like back then, especially if I see their old personal items, somehow the ghost part didn’t register with me.
October 26, 2009 at 3:10 am
Dirtii Launder-ER
That is really scary. I had chills reading it. I really can’t relate to anything like that, but the fact that I’m scared is taking over
eerenoon your story is scary also. i don’t like sleeping alone also. when I do, I usually turn on the lights, t.v., or open the door to the bedroom because I’m just scared.
Thank you na p’Nye for the story. <3
October 26, 2009 at 6:07 am
Nye
Hi Julie, kind of funny that you’re afraid of ghost but like reading ghost story. I can’t sleep with the lights on, and I think the fact that you are afraid, you let your imagination run wild, you should write ghost story, I’m sure you have plenty of scary story to share.
October 26, 2009 at 11:11 am
seeharhed
hahhhahahha Nye, this one is not as scary as previous one you post. For this reason, my mom always remind me… If you’re traveling and sleeping at people house, hotels, or camping, make sure you ask for permission from “jao thin jao tharn” before you go to sleep. I’ve been doing it for long time and seems to work for me:-). It is not as bad here in US, but in Laos is another story.
October 27, 2009 at 4:59 am
Nye
seeharhed, I need to find another scary story before Halloween then, Lol. So far I’ve been very lucky, (or maybe unlucky) that I’ve not experienced anything too scary. I do have to say that ghost in Laos in far more scary than the ones in the US, and here I’ve not seen any but have heard plenty.
October 26, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Dirtii Launder-ER
p’Nye, I do have plenty of scary stories. I’ve experienced a couple myself also. I do get scared and living in the country doesn’t make it any better. I do love scary stories but then my imagination does tricks on me and that’s why I’m afraid of ghosts.. lol
I think I watch too many scary movies.
October 27, 2009 at 5:09 am
Nye
Julie, I guess being too scary can be a bad thing, scary movies can make your imagination run wild, especially when the ghosts harms people in the movie. As for the Lao/Thai ghost story, I often feel that there is a lesson hidden in there somewhere and all centered around Tum Boun. It encourages people to Tum Boun for our passed loved ones, that we’ve not forgotten about them. I often feel that the ghosts that visit you are the ones that don’t get enough Boun and only come to ask for some.
October 26, 2009 at 10:08 pm
eerenoon
There are too many stories I heard from my colleagues in the place that I work now. Sometimes I do not know if they are telling the truth but I just try not to deny on what they told me. Just worry if that ‘thing’ might be angry. 555…
October 27, 2009 at 5:16 am
Nye
eerenoon, you know the saying, if you don’t believe, don’t mock.
I’d love to hear those ghost stories from your colleagues, I think it’s more interesting when they tell you face to face.