It was so hot that George could not endure it.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXxcYXQh5z
“I have to go take shower,” He said.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZqYQjGB2u
Then he left his house in his blue rubber slippers with hands holding a towel, short pants and a metal bowl.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ek4Jm8tBa
Those slippers were popular in Cambodia, especially in the countryside and George really liked it. He felt good and free in such slippers.
He liked Cambodia. He liked Cambodian.
He liked Cambodian traditional houses. He liked to eat Cambodian traditional food.
He liked practicing daily life like a Cambodian in rural Cambodia.
He was glad to raise chicken, chase it with his rubber slippers when he wanted to make it his food, and that was what Cambodians in rural areas do.
He was relaxed at night with the quiet sound of humans, but only the sound of cricket and cicada, and sometimes, dog howling. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmcDdj6e9x
He was happy to smell the jasmine or Keo flower that grew in the yard. It was fresh and beautiful and it was healthier than the smell of vehicles and electronic devices whether in Phnom Penh or the US.
The Cambodian was kind and good. They gave a house to him when he arrived in their village. They took him to a farm, to fish, and they taught him how to grow vegetables and fruit. He lived happily in the village even though he did not earn money, but his living was enough.
Only thing he could not get used to was hot weather.
He could not bear the weather in Cambodia. It was so hot for him. And there was no air conditioner or electric fan in his house because there was no electricity in the village, only Panasonic batteries, and it was rarely used because they did not earn much.
Everyday, he wet his body with sweat.
Best solution was taking shower.
Even though it was still hard for him, because there was no shower in his house, he needed to walk about 1 kilometer from his house to the village well. He had no choice. He had to or he would die of heat.
It was almost evening.
When he arrived at the well, he placed his towel and pants at a safe place from water, then he wore the metal bowl on his head and walked to the well.
There were two big wells, but one was closed and covered with a wooden cover.
George even asked the villagers why they did not use that well and the villagers said because there was an animal living in it.
In his opinion, he thought it might be a snake, so he did not ask them much.
By the well, there was a metal can which used to dip water from the well. All he needed to do was drop the can into the well, fill the can, then pull the string to carry the can up.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBKQAhXIwH
While he was enjoying his shower, he heard a sound. It was a kind of knocking. Strongly.
George looked around. That sound was close to him and he felt that sound was from the closed-well.
George walked towards it. He wanted to make it clear so he paid his ears to it.
DUB. DUB.
Yes, it was really coming out that well.
George was thinking about what was in there. Maybe it was the animal that villagers had told him. It might want to get out. Or it might be someone falling in there and wanting to get out.
‘If it was a snake, it would be good, but if it was a person.’ He thought.
His mind did not stay in peace, so he decided to open the cover. But he opened just a piece only to prevent it if it was the animal.
He made a small gap and ran to stay far away and watched.
A hand came out of that gap.
“It was human,” George said and hurriedly ran to the well, saying in Khmer language, “Wait. Wait. I am helping you.”
He removed the cover and pulled the person inside out.
It was a woman. She was pretty and she looked weak.
She said to George with a beautiful voice, “Thanks for helping me.”
“Never mind,” George said. “What’s your name? Why do you stay inside?”
“My name is Keo. I was pushed into it and they covered the well,” the woman told.
“Who are they?” George asked.
“I don’t know,” Keo responded.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qTNMecxxH
“How long do you stay there?” George said.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember,” Keo said.
“Where is your house?” George said.
“Village in the north,” Keo said in a low voice.
“You look so weak,” George said.
Keo nodded head, “I haven’t eaten for days.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, go to rest at my house and I will go to your village to call your family,” George suggested.
“No need to bother you. Just let me rest at your house for a while then I can go home myself,” Keo said.
Though George did want to help her, he could not refuse because he knew Cambodian was conservative, and men could not bring women home or she would be talked behind.
George assisted Keo to walk to his home.
The sun was running down and the darkness covered the sky.
George put Keo to stay on the mat in his house, then he brought food to her to eat.
“It is already dark. It is not safe for you to go home. You can stay at my house tonight and tomorrow you can leave,” George said.
“Thank you,” Keo said with a smile. “Come to eat together, I cannot eat it all.”
“Okay,” George said, then went to sit before her.
After finished eating, George asked Keo to sleep in his room and he stayed outside.
Generally, people in rural areas slept early.
George lived there for a month. He got used to it, so he went to bed early.
When he was sleeping, he heard a sound. He opened his eyes and tried to listen. That sound was coming out of his room. George jumped quickly into the room because he thought that the woman might meet something wrong.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFXxg2XCAo
As he opened the door, he saw her lying in bed quietly on her right side, showing cleavage to his eyes. He wanted to take his eyes away as he felt it was not appropriate to view the body of the woman, but at that moment, a smell of Keo flower came from the body of the sleeping woman flying through wind into his nose. Once he smelled it, he felt great and he saw her more beautiful.
Suddenly Keo opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at him with sweet eyes. She gave a glare that made him walk towards her and when he reached the bed, she laid her arms to surround his neck, and slowly the two dropped their bodies on the bed.
Cock a doodle doo.
George opened his eyes slowly.
The morning came.
He turned his eyes with a smile to look for Keo, but in the bed he found he was sleeping alone.
“Where is she?”
He got off the bed and left the room.
He searched the whole house, but there was no shadow of Keo.
‘She probably goes home.’ George thought.
Without delay, he washed his face and changed dress, then he went to his Cambodian friend’s house who was named Di.
He asked where the north village was.
“It is far from our village,” Di told. “Why do you ask about it?”
George wanted to tell but then he was reminded that if he said, his and Keo affair would be exposed and she might get blame, so it was better to shut up.
“I just asked,” he told then he paid goodbye to Di and came back home.
When he arrived home, he thought about Keo. He wanted to go to find her by himself, but he did not know her house. Moreover, he was scared that her family would punish her if he showed up and told about their last night’s story. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDV5bpEces
He was stressed. He really wanted to meet her, but he did not know what to do.
Whole day, George did not do any work. Just sat in his room thinking of a way to see Keo.
As the night covered the sky, the dog howled.
It was strange that tonight the dog in the village howled. Not only one, but dogs in the village. They howled together.
George was laying in bed, opened eyes, and placed his hand on his forehead. Then he heard knocking on his door.
“Who?” George yelled.
There was no reply.
He walked off the bedroom to the front door and opened it. He was surprised to see Keo.
“It’s you,” George said with a big smile. He hugged her and kissed her.
“Where did you go? I worried about you,” he added.
“I went home,” Keo said.
“You did not tell me,” George said.
“I saw you were tired and was sleeping well. I am afraid to bother you, so I go without telling you,” Keo explained.
At least, now she came back, George was happy so he kissed her lips, wildly, before he dragged her into the house and closed the door.
After that night, Keo usually came to sleep with George. She arrived after the sun set and left before the sun rose.
George even asked her about her house, but she did not tell him. He wanted to meet her parents, but she said it was not the right time, so she asked him to give her time to tell her family.
George stayed quiet after hearing her.
The two stayed in contact for ten days.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aN7W4ehsg
During these days, George noticed Keo was strange. Her desire became more and more and George felt he himself was strange too – he did not deny her even though he was exhausted and lost energy.
One morning, George got out of bed and wished to go to the bathroom. He walked like a drunken man, and he almost fell, fortunately, he caught himself or he would hit his face with the floor.
When he arrived in the bathroom, he looked in the mirror and was shocked to see his reflection. His face was pale like a sick person. His eyes were black around. His lips were white like no blood. His hair was less. When he touched his hair, it came along with his hand.
“What happened to me?” he said to himself.
George tried to breathe, then he felt a headache and was so tired, so he returned to the bed.
He slept and slept without taking any food.
Because Di did not see George for many days, he was worried so he came to his home to check. He brought him food also.
As he arrived at George’s house, he felt his house had a strange smell. Bad, like dead.
He went in and saw George was sleeping in his bed.
“George, how are you?” Di said and quaked the man.
George opened his weak eyes.
“I bring you food. Get up and eat it,” Di said.
George got up with weak motion. He came out to sit on the mat and had a meal.
Di saw him weak so he asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m fine. Just sleepy,” George said.
“You look not well,” Di said.
George did not say, just gave a smile.
When George was eating, Di noticed his hairs were falling on the mat, and he felt not well towards his friend, he thought George was meeting something not good. However, he did not say a word. He waited until George finished meal and returned to the bedroom. He left but he did not go home. He hid himself near the house to find out what was going on. He waited until the night fell, when the dogs howled, and he witnessed a woman coming to George’s house. She was pretty, but he saw she had no legs. Di knew immediately that she was not a human.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN586GrqCFz
He kept eyes on her, he saw she arrived at the door and George opened the door for her. He saw George smile when he saw her and they began to embrace and kiss each other, after that, the two got into the house and closed the door.
Di could sense what his friend and that female ghost were doing inside the house. He went back home and thought of a way to help his friend.
When the sun came up, Di hurriedly went to the pagoda and told everything to the monk.
The monk said the only way to save him was to bring him to the pagoda.
Hearing that, Di went to George and asked him to come to the pagoda with him.
At first, George denied because he was tired, he wanted to sleep, but Di demanded and dragged him out of home.
When they arrived at the pagoda, the monk began to spray water on George, and George started to feel better, his sleepiness was removed slowly and slowly.
After the spraying, the monk told George about Keo, “Her house is in the north village. She had a boyfriend, and she was kidnapped and raped by her boyfriend and his friends. After, they killed her and dropped her body into the well. She became a ghost and usually haunted the villagers so the villagers decided to cover that well.”
“I heard people telling me that there was an animal in that well. I thought it was a snake or another fierce animal,” George said.
“The villagers do not call ghosts. They call them animals,” Di explained.
“I see.” George nodded. “What’s about her family?”
‘They moved out of the village. We don’t know where they are living,” Di said.
“Then what should I do?” George asked the monk.
“Don’t worry,” the monk claimed. “We will go to the well and consecrate, then her soul will go to peace.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxr8F9A4FxK
Afterwards, the monk gathered four other monks and they went to the well along with George and Di.
When they reached the well, the monks stood around the well and recited Buddha’s dharma and sprayed water over the well. Behind the monk, George and Di saluted and prayed in their minds wishing Keo to rest in peace.
Even though the ceremony had ended, Di was still worried about George, so he called him to stay in his house for a few days. During the days, the two went to the pagoda and offered food to the monks and prayed for Keo.
One night, George had a dream about Keo. She said she came to see him to say thanks and goodbye.
When he woke up, he told his dream to Di and Di said, “Her soul rests in peace. Now, you can go home.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzt9ZdvA4ep
