Tom watched withinterest as the apparition was forming. He knew it was Nang Tani trying toscare him, but he was not scared any more. Come what may, he had to stand upand face it, even though it might mean putting his life on the line.

The swirling mistslowly formed the shape of a woman. Her pale face bore a serene expression withpiercing eyes that seemed to look deep into Tom’s soul. Her lips were painted abright red, with a slight smile that hinted at secrets and mysteries of longago. Her long black hair flowed and swirled in rhythm with the mist. She floatedgracefully, like a white swan swimming. Tom could make out that she was dressedin a

traditional Siamese dress, adornedwith intricate golden embroidery. Her dress is an elegant mix of red and gold,the colours of royalty. The intricate designs and patterns spoke of a richculture and tradition. He long fingers were adorned with rings, and her feet werehidden beneath the hem of her dress. She was a vision of beauty, yet there wasan air of sadness and longing that surrounded her. She was a sight to behold, areminder of the past that continues to haunt the present.

            Tom continued towatch her for a few minutes, and then he turned around and covered his entirebody with a blanket. It was not because he was scared, but his attitude hadchanged. He was no longer afraid of Nang Tani. He had become immune to thetorment of being scared and frightened. Tom heard the word ‘Coward!’ before hefell asleep. He just smiled to himself. He knew just his once, he had defiedNang Tani. He had won the battle, but the war had not ended yet.

At sunrise, Tom wokeup from whatever little sleep he could catch the night before. He went into thekitchen and saw Somchai and his parents having breakfast.

On seeing Tom,Somchai blurted out, “You look terrible, Tom. You didn’t sleep well last night?

Tom was surprisedto see Somchai and his parents looking fresh as if they had had a really goodnight’s sleep.

“Couldn’t sleepwell last night. A lot of disturbances. You guys didn’t hear anything?” Tomasked.

Somchai lookedsurprised. “Hear what?”

“Never mind,”said Tom.  At that moment, he realisedthat he was the only one disturbed by Nang Tani. She had left Somchai and hisparents undisturbed. Maybe Nang Tani wasn’t as malevolent as thought. He thenasked where was Bhikkhu Kang and Voon. Somchai replied that both of them hadleft early in the morning. Somchai then invited Tom to join them for breakfast.Tom didn’t feel like eating, but out of courtesy, he accepted. He sat besideSomchai.

Somchai’s motherpoured him a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The aroma was inviting, but Tom hadnot much appetite for it. Nevertheless, he took a few sips of it. Somchai’sfather inquired about Tom’s condition in broken English. Tom replied fine, buthe was sure Somchai’s father didn’t believe him.

Somchai’s motherthen offered Tom a plate of ‘nasi lemak’, which is white rice cooked incoconut milk. It is eaten with ‘sambal ikan bilis’, which is anchovyspice sauce, some groundnuts, hard-boiled egg and slices of cucumber. Tom triedto eat a few spoonful but could not take the spicy sauce. He then continuedeating without the spicy sauce.

Somchai’s parentshad by then finished eating. His father went out to tend to his vegetablegarden while his mother went to do the dishes. Tom found this opportunity toask Somchai further about the ghost marriage. He wanted to know more about thiseastern tradition. He hadn’t heard about this before.

“What exactly is aghost marriage? I’ve never heard of this term before,” Tom started his inquiry.

Somchai scratched hishead for a while, trying to put together the words to explain to Tom. This issuch a complex concept that is difficult to explain.

“A ghost marriage, isa marriage where at least one of the participants is deceased, or both of themare dead,” Somchai began his explanation. “It is a Chinese thing. I haven’theard of Siamese practicing it.”

“At least oneparticipant is dead? Will the still living participant stay living?” Tom asked.

“Well, frankly, I exactlydo not know,” Somchai replied. “But from what I know, ghost marriages are believed to ensure that the unmarried dead are notalone in the afterlife. The ceremony is similar to a formal marriage. Someghost marriages have involved a living person being married to a dead person.”

“That’s gross, man,” Tom said in disgust.

“Well, it’s some other people’s culture and beliefs. Althoughwe don’t believe it, we still have to respect it,” Somchai advised Tom. Thatmade Tom rethink about himself. It was his arrogance that brought this presentmisfortune on him.

“Let me google and find a little bit more information foryou,’ Somchai told Tom as he took out his mobile phone. Tom waited patientlyfor Somchai to search for the information needed.

“Well, it seems that ghost marriage is also called posthumousmarriage or necrogamy. “See, there’s nothingto worry about. It had been done in other countries and cultures before,”Somchai said, trying to reassure Tom.

Tom was in thoughtfor a while before he spoke, “Yes, that I understand. But my circumstances aredifferent. I experienced first-hand about Nang Tani,”

“Ahh! So you dobelieve that Nang Tani exists,” Somchai interrupted Tom.

“Yes, no doubt aboutthat,” Tom continued. “But ...”

“Come on man. Takeyour chances between the devil and the deep blue sea,” Somchai interrupted Tomagain.

As they were busyarguing, Somchai’s mother was preparing the morning meal for her chicken keptin a coop behind the house. Tom caught a glimpse of her carry a large bowl ofchicken feed going out the backdoor. Tom came from a different culture. It wasnot that he was indifferent to other peoples’ cultures and beliefs, but he foundthis ridiculous. On the hand, he was not sure of the ramifications of beingmarried to a ghost. Yes, he had experienced the power of Nang Tani first hand,but still doubts lingered in his mind.

Suddenly both of themheard a loud shriek coming from the back of the house. It was Somchai’s mother.Both Somchai and Tom leaped off their chairs and ran towards the back of thehouse. There, they saw a shocking scene.