Central Scrutinizer Posted December 7, 2002 Report Share Posted December 7, 2002 Grandpa Comes for a Visit--A True Village Ghost Tale--part 12-- The End So there I was, the center of attention for the family, the "star" of the day. I had "seen" for lack of a better word, maybe "felt" the presence of would do better, Grandpa's pii. (Ghost in Thai is same as pea.) Needless to say I was a bit flabbergasted that everyone seemed to fully believe this was what had happened. No one said anything like, "Yeah, sure! No way. No such thing as ghosts! How much were you drinking last night?" These people believe, fully. Mama and Auntie were sent a couple of sisters/cousins/aunts to report this wonderful, for them at least, news. The ladies of my family were all a chatter, and excited no end. It was strange, it was eerie, it was like I was in the friggin' Twilight Zone, and I guess I really was. In my mind I could hear a Thai accented Rod Sterling telling the TV audience, "Here is Mr. Cent. A strange man, in an even stranger land. A farang. He thought he was just visiting his wife's Isaan village. Little did he know that he would experience something odd, something different, something not of this world. Little did he know that today he was about to enter ................... ta da dee dah ............ the Isaan Twilight Zone." Cue weird music. Cut to the first commercial ad. I was sat down at the kitchen table by wife and Sis. Tea was made and brought for me. I was further questioned, interrogated actually, in depth as to what I had thought I'd experienced exactly. They were all stirred up these superstitious ladies were. I was beginning to make a bit of a joke about it all really. I was curious as to what exactly THEY believed had happened, and began to fire back my own questions at them. I wanted to know a few things myself. We went over again what I had experienced, and they kept giving each other these knowing glances and talking between themselves. I got the feeling that this had happened before, and that they knew exactly what I was describing to them. This bore out to be true during my own questioning of them. Seems Grandpa and Great Uncle have been fairly frequent visitors over the years, decades, since their individual demise. Grandpa the more so though it was explained. The story I got was this. Grandpa and his brother were the two original founders of our little village. This was many years ago when they were young men looking for some property to grow rice and settle down on. (I still have no idea as to the whole story, such as where were they from originally, why didn't their family have rice land elsewhere already, etc. I have many unanswered questions yet, and intend to delve further into the family history in the future. Might even use it to do a lengthy village life history story one day once I have enough background.) It also came to my attention, ('cause I was asking mostly about Grandpa and why the hell he was sitting on the end of MY bed, and not Mama's, or Sis' or someone else's bed), that my bedroom is almost exactly in the same spot as his old thatch roofed home, and our bed is damned near exactly on the spot where he slept himself. This house was torn down a while back once the family built Mama a new house on the property behind my house, long before our house was built. The property was given to my wife to build her own home on one day. Which we did a few years ago. So now Mama's house sits behind ours, we are on the street, and we have a wall and roof connecting both the houses for a common gathering area and open kitchen area. We also have a kitchen inside our house. So our house sits on old Grandpa "George Washington" L***n's, founding father of the village, original home site. I had not known anything of this family history and story before this. I wonder if Grandpa's Father/Grandfather used to come visit him in the middle of the night sometimes. After I finally got most of this info from them, and began to understand where they were coming from, and what they believed, I just had to ask Sis, "But why is he coming to sit at the end of MY bed?" Sis had no problem answering this question. "Him want see you. Him take care for you, say hello!" This said with a broad grin as though this were an everyday normal thing around here, which maybe it is, and as if the old guy wasn't dead fer chrissakes and was just popping in for a fucking chat. So I was trying to be respectful and concerned for their feelings and beliefs, and really tried to understand, and asked many questions about this. But the language barrier is still a bit much for in depth discussions on ghosts and goblins and such. I did manage to convey my not particularly wanting Grandpa to visit me any more when I am trying to go to sleep. Once is quite enough thank you. "Why you say?" says Sis. "Well ....... I don't really want ghosts, pii, even your venerable Grand dad, sitting on the end of my bed at night and scaring the living shit out of me. Nothing against the old guy, but he's dead ya know, and I'm not partial to dead folks. They kinda creep me out." She looked puzzled and said, "Why you say?" I could see where this was going, and tried a different tact. "Well Sis, how would you like him to come tonight and sit at the end of your bed? Hmmmmm?" She laughed and clapped her hands saying, "No problem! Good luck for me!" I never know if she's being a wise-ass or serious. I laughed and countered, "Well I'll tell ya what. Why don't you go to the temple and make prayers for him and his brother. Tell him I say hello back at him, nice to see ya Gramps, now go visit Sis and sit on her goddamned bed, and let me sleep." Sis laughed and thought this a grand idea. I offered to give her a hundred baht so she could buy some incense and lotus bulbs and such for an offering at the temple, and told her, "Listen. Ask Grandpa if there is anything we can do for him to make his stay in the other world more pleasant, anything he needs, uh, within reason, dahgling. I ain't paying for a big party! Not now at least. I have enough to do taking care for the living souls in our family. (Time to nip that thought in the bud right away, yessireebob!) But maybe we can do something small for the moment. What do you think?" "Think me not dahgling! Think you same dahgling! Think you give 200 baht!" she exclaimed with a grin. Well, excuse me there, Sapphire! Anything to keep the old dead bastard from sitting on my bed whenever he felt like it, but for big baht dead man party costs/expenses I'll let him stay there every night if need be. I'm not springing for a dead man party so all the relatives and family friends and hanger on's can stuff themselves and get drunk at my expense. Fuck that shit! Maybe in a few years time. Not now. Sis and Mama and family talked about this for a day and came up with a modest feast for us immediate family the next evening in honor of Grandpa and Grand Uncle, and everyone chipped in some food and booze and such, and we had a grand time. I had to take a fresh, un-opened, bottle of my newly purchased Filipino Rum, that I've found in Makro for small baht a bottle, 130 to be exact, (good stuff I might add) and pour the first two drinks after first opening the bottle in shot glasses, and pour them on the ground in a specific spot near our spirit house outside the house. I tried to protest this waste of good liquor by stating, "What!? Pii cannot drink whiskey! And why don't we use Lao Khao? Isn't that what Grandpa and his brother would drink?" Everyone laughed, and Sis explained that it was what "I" was drinking, and only polite to offer Grandpa and brother the first drinks from "my" flask. To which I muttered, grinning mischievously, "Maybe tonight "I" drink Lao Khao, huh?" The wife nixed that idea quickly. That woman just don't cotton to the Lao Khao, for sure! And yes, ghosts do drink, and eat, and sit on beds sometimes. So I'm assured by the clan anyway. Actually sounds more fun then the falang concept of the afterlife I think. :-) I caused a bit of a stir with the wife one night a week or so later. After a nice round of love making one evening I asked her, jokingly, "So darling, if Grandpa can come and sit on the bed and watch me as I sleep, well, do you think he can watch and see us when we make boom boom?" Her eyes bugged out, she grabbed the bed-covers off the bed and covered her nakedness, and chattered away at me. "Why you say this? Why you think Grandpa do?" And yakkity yakkity yak! Sheesh. Struck a nerve there I believe. :-) "Well if he can't do then why are you covering yerself with the sheets dear?" I chuckled at her as I grabbed the sheets away and started another session. Seems we had to cover ourselves with the sheets though. Grandpa might be watching ya know. Hehehe. The old pervert. I think this may be why the Thai lasses are always trying to make love under the covers, with the lights off. The damned pii are watching! Spooky! The End. Cent (The Central Scrutinizer) ------------------------------------- "The dead they sleep, a long, long sleep; The dead they rest, and their rest is deep; The dead have peace, but the living weep. Samuel Hoffenstein, Year In, You're Out -------------------------------------- "'Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out." William Shakespeare, Hamlet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtharm Posted December 7, 2002 Report Share Posted December 7, 2002 Excellent story, Cent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymouse Posted December 7, 2002 Report Share Posted December 7, 2002 Really enjoyed your posting again. "Might even use it to do a lengthy village life history story one day once I have enough background" That would be interesting, I'd like to do something similiar in my wifes village, they don't seem to be that interested in family trees or local history. Nothing like the Chinese who know there ancestory going back hundreds of years. Also on the subect of rum have you tried the Thai manufactured similan Rum, picked up a bottle in tops supermarket last time I was in Chiang Mai I found it as good as any caribbean rum that I've tasted [ and thats a few!] it had a real nice coconut taste to it, cheap too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxal Posted December 8, 2002 Report Share Posted December 8, 2002 Great! I've been waiting for the ending. Now, I'll have a good read on the airplane before passing out from drinking all the complimentary beers. Thanks Cent! :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2002 Report Share Posted December 8, 2002 Cent, Good story. Keep up the good writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted December 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2002 Anonymouse, Glad you liked the story. Thanks. No I haven't tried the Thai rum, but since you give it a good recommendation I guess I'll have to! :-) This Filipino stuff I found isn't bad at all, especially considering the price. I am a rum man on occasion. Makes for a pleasant buzz and a good tasting fruit drinks. I need a blender in the village to make some Pina Coladas, and my own brand of Mai Tai. Have you seen any black rums there? I think if I can get some good info on the family histories through some stories by Mama and old Auntie and the rest of the gaggle I could come up with an interesting story of older times in the village. They seem to know the family history pretty much, but it's mostly verbal traditions and tales. I need the wife and Sis to interptret for me so I can get more details and further in depth. Might use a tape recorder. I'll see what I can dig up while over the next three months. I find it interesting, so I'll write it even if just for myself. Hopefully a few others might enjoy it too. Later Anony, Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted December 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2002 Gtharm, Thanks. Glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Hearing back from you guys who do enjoy the stories is my "pay" for the time taken to do them. I just put up "Fierce Creatures" the other day too. I had finished it actually before I finished the Grandpa ghost story, but decided to wait to post it until I could finish the ghost tale. Glad you enjoyed it Gtharm. Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted December 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2002 patom, Thanks patom. Glad you enjoyed reading it. True story. It really did give me a bit of a scare when I realized it wasn't the wife, and there was no way anyone else could/should be in the damn room. Thought maybe I was getting robbed or murdered there for a minute! :-) Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted December 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2002 maxal, Hahaha. Thanks. Have a nice trip and enjoy the story to your flight to the LOS. Have fun and take it easy, and watch out for those complimentary beers! :-) Landing in BKK with a hangover sure does suck! Haha. Have a cold one in Nana for me. Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 10, 2002 Report Share Posted December 10, 2002 My thanks also Cent. You're one of the rare sources I have for life outside of BKK & Pataya. A life I am contemplating one day. If I do end up in my tee lok's village, according to her I'll be the first falang dam most of them will have seen in person. That may make quite a story! :: Keep up the writing, there are many of us who read it religiously but do not take the time to post and encourage your efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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