When I was young, I lived in a flat. 93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgSOxSecgP
In front of my flat was a boulevard. Between the boulevard and my flat, it had free space which was our yard but it had no gate or wall.
Flat in Phnom Penh along the boulevard is not allowed to build a wall.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X6C9m3qmp
I liked to play throwing shoes with my brother.
One day, we competed to find out who could throw shoes farther. We stood by the door’s house and threw shoes to the boulevard.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGT728sWWh
There were vehicles.
My mother shouted and told us to stop playing because she was afraid that if the shoes went to the street, we would go to pick them up and it might cause danger for us. So, my brother and I decided to stand in the middle of the yard and threw shoes into the house. We bet if someone threw a shoe right at the shrine of house spirit, that person would be the winner.
Two of us got the shrine, both of us won.
Again and again. We were so happy.
But I felt something. I felt the house spirit was angry, I felt like that, so I spoke in my mind that if he was angry and wanted to punish, he should come to me, not to my brother.
At night, I went to sleep together with my mother, my brother and my sister. We slept on the floor mat in a net together.
Everyone was in deep sleep. Me too.
Then at midnight, I heard a sound like a metal door slapping with the wall.
Bang, bang, very loud.
I did not open my eyes, I wanted to continue sleeping, but the sound was louder and louder until I could not bear it and opened my eyes.
In 1990s decade, Phnom Penh did not have enough electricity. At night, most of the citizens’ houses had no electricity. The people used candles, lamps connected with vehicle batteries and oil lamps. My house used an oil lamp at night.
When I opened my eyes, the sound of slapping the door was removed.
I wanted to close my eyes to return to sleep, but then I saw a shadow on the mosquito net before me. I thought the shadow was my mother’s, but the shape was the man’s. I doubted, so I got up to sit and looked around. I saw my mother was sleeping, my brother and my sister were sleeping too, who was that?93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡui0lexmNDN
I inspected the shadow, I thought it was my shadow. I moved my body to right, it did not move; I moved my body to left, it did not move; it was not my shadow and it was not my family’s members too, then whose?
I was curious that I wanted to know so much, so I extended my arm wishing to touch the shadow. My fingers did not reach it yet. Suddenly, I looked from my tails of eyes, there was a man showing his face behind me. I saw he had big eyes and everything was dark. I was so scared, but I didn’t shout, I hurriedly dropped my back on the mat and pulled the blanket to cover from head to toes. My body was trembling like I’ve got a fever; it was really scary. Even though it was hot, and sweat wet my whole body, I still did not remove the blanket.
About a few minutes later, I felt he was not in the net anymore, but I did not take the blanket out because I was still scared.
Then it seemed I heard him tell me that he did not have a bad idea, he was just angry and wanted to teach me a lesson because I disrespected him by throwing shoes at him and his house in the evening.
Because he knew that I was scared, he woke up my mother.
I heard my mum got off the net and went to the bathroom.
I felt released and moved the blanket out of my body, but I did not get up and did not open my eyes.
When my mother came back, she took the paper fan and blew over me and my siblings. The wind removed the sweat from my body, and soon, I fell asleep.
In the morning, I remembered the event last night. I told my brother; he was scared when he heard, then two of us offered some cake and water to the house spirit and apologized to him.93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxY2KVZuSo
