Suddenly, Tom jolted upright, his eyes snapping open. He was drenched in cold sweat. He scanned the room with his sleepy eyes, but found no one. He got out of bed and made his way drowsily to the window and peered out, his gaze darting around, yet no one was in sight. His eyes landed on the cluster of banana trees, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. "It must have been a mere figment of my imagination, a frightening nightmare," Tom mused to himself in a hushed tone. As he turned to go back to bed, he noticed a sticky substance on his palm. Curious, he raised it to his nose and detected the scent of ripe bananas. He glanced outside once more before settling back into bed, wondering about the strange occurrence.

            Following the ritual that he conducted himself, Tom's nights were plagued by terrifying nightmares of a mysterious woman draped in white, looming over him in bed, chasing and yelling. The nightmares persisted and only got worse over time. Tom couldn't shake the feeling that the strange lady in his dreams was real, and it caused him great distress.

            Despite his distress, Tom remained silent, choosing not to burden or worry his friend Somchai with his troubles. He feared that if he told Somchai about his nightmares, his friend would think he was crazy, or worse, Somchai could be angry at him. So, he kept it to himself and suffered in silence.

The relentless nightmares disrupted his sleep, causing him great anguish and leaving him unable to rest properly. To make matters worse, Tom couldn't shake the constant sensation of being watched, particularly at night. All of this weighed heavily on him, tormenting him relentlessly. He was desperate for a solution, but he didn't know where to turn. His life had become a living nightmare, and he couldn't escape it. Tom felt alone and helpless, and he didn't know how much longer he could endure it.       

            Over the following days, Somchai observed a shift in Tom's demeanour. He had become more reserved and withdrawn, and his usual chattiness had dwindled. Tom would refused Somchai’s invitation to go fishing or explore the surrounding areas. Additionally, Tom's appetite had diminished and he spent most of his time secluded in his room. Even Somchai’s parents had inquired about Tom’s change of demeanour. Finally, out of sincere concerned for his friend, Somchai eventually mustered the courage to inquireabout the source of Tom's distress.

            Somchai entered Tom's room and saw him sitting on the bed, gazing out the window with a vacant expression. He cautiously approached Tom, trying not to startle him. As he got closer, Somchai softly questioned, "Tom, are you feeling okay?" Tom remained fixated on the window, not meeting Somchai's gaze. Somchai couldn't help but notice the despondent figure before him, a stark contrast from the usual Tom. Somchai repeated his inquiry to Tom.

            Slowly, Tom turned to face Somchai. "I should have listened to you. My arrogance got the best of me," Tom admitted before resuming his blank stare out the window.

            "What's troubling you, Tom?" Somchai asked once more.

            Without looking at Somchai, Tom replied, "I made a terrible mistake. I really messed up."

            Somchai was perplexed by Tom's words. However, his confusion quickly turned to alarm as he noticed a string leading from outside the window to Tom's bed. "You didn't perform that ritual again, did you?" he exclaimed, his voice rising in volume.

            "Yes, I did, on the second night. I snuck out and tied the string to the banana blossom," Tom admitted, revealing the full story of what had transpired.

            "Did you remove the nail afterward?" Somchai asked anxiously. "No, I didn’t. I forgot," Tom responded.

            Somchai stormed out of the room in a fit of silent anger. In the living room, Tom could hear Somchai talking to someone. It was his parents. Tom was oblivious to Somchai's conversation with his parents outside, but the desperation in their voices was palpable. Despite the tense situation, Tom chose to ignore it, feeling completely drained, as if his energy was slowly draining out of him, he struggled to understand what was wrong. All he could focus on were the terrifying nightmares that plagued him every night. Or were they just dreams? He couldn't be sure.

            There was another matter that bothered Tom greatly. He lifted his shirt to reveal a bloated stomach. His stomach was getting bigger and bigger day by day and it caused him great pain. Tom was getting more anxious as the days went by, the mysterious pain in his stomach only growing worse. It seemed no matter what he did, the discomfort only increased. Even the slightest movement caused him great pain. Tom's loss of appetite only added to the worry, as the once healthy young man was now wasting away before his very eyes.