87 4.11 Food Trip, Ghost Trail and The Heavenly Monk. (2/2)
Ranking: 6/5
The piece of paper among the pile of which had been marked by Pornsak didn't look too shabby though. As for me, the abandoned house was ranked 6/5...! Which meant that it is either deadly or too scary by means of words.
Furthermore, an abandoned house carried more tales than fact and it could only mean one thing; the decline of property value in that place. Or else how would it be abandoned in the first place.
The disused crematorium part was ranked as 2/5. Seems more fittingly to be documented as Thailand was made up of a majority of Buddhist believers and the way the deceased would pass through the final disposition of death by cremation.
It saves space on burial grounds as their urns would be placed in some sort of slotted concrete shelves, marked by lots and the unit number just like one would stay in an apartment.
These urns which contain their ashes would either be placed there at their final resting place while some were brought home to be placed on mantelpieces above the furnace of the house.
While some would prefer to be scattered in the sea, which they believed would make the passage of the deceased faster and also to 'broaden' their journey or some sort?
Furthermore, I won't recommend them pouring their deceased ashes in the sea. Would it be a matter of pollution or in a spiritual point of view, still it is a bad idea to spread their ashes in the sea? Fishes live in the sea.
Humans eat fishes thus these ashes might not be properly digested in the stomachs of those fishes and thus we, in turn, eat them up. Urrrgghh... We writers do have such imagination running wild in our heads.
Is ashes a degradable product or non-biodegradable product that's not a question for me to find out though at this moment. The thought of these fishes gobbling up these ashes that seems to be like plankton flakes would definitely turn me off against consuming seafood anymore. *Wwwweeeccckkkk* (retching sounds in the background made by someone offscreen, throwing up their lunches as they read what I had just written.)
Little was known about a dilapidated temple. Either its popularity among the residents of the town had dwindled in time or maybe the structure had gone out of style. Or either the maintenance had gone neglected which means someone had pocketed the money that was meant towards the maintenance and upkeep of the temple.
No one knows what it is and all these three locations were being marked to be documented and narrated by Pornsak. She may have the script or story behind all these. As for me, I'm there to use their equipment to capture the documents as well as the presence of entities.
There was a knock on my door and one of my work colleagues poked his head in and said the Narrator is here again with a Monk. He said that the Monk was blessing our office and everyone were involved. He then gestured me to join him as he swung my office door wide open and placed a rubber wedge on the floor against the door to actually let it open ajar.
I stood up and went to my door where I saw Pornsak and a Monk. She immediately came to my side and placed both hands in front of her chest and bowed to me in a Thai customary fashion. I did the same with her and she came right to me and hooked my arm with hers. Wow...! That was fast...! I wondered what would the rest of my office colleagues would think when they saw her hugging my arms with me like that on a second meet.
The Monk went about the office, his robe he wore was of auspicious saffron coloured which the other monks were used to be seen wearing during ceremonials and such. He also had some talismans around his neck which is known as ”Phrak Khru Reang” which had some bald headed dude carved from some blessed clay that was embossed in either plastic or acrylic material that protects the ”talisman” safe from everyday use.
Other monks would not have these but he had this large beaded kind of prayer beads around his neck, and the size of each bead was slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. Black and shiny and I wonder how many beads are those. In some MMORPG games, these beads around his neck would be of some sort of weapon with divine powers.
108 prayer beads were entwined on his left hand starting with a loop around his middle finger, and from the looks of it, that item was rare since it was made from some kind of scented wood. In Inu Yasha, Miroku was a Hoshi and also had the same beads around his right hand instead to seal his 'Kazaana' or 'Wind Tunnel' curse left by Naraku.
Maybe this Monk had the same Kazaana in his left hand instead. He could exorcise the spirits right into his hands without breaking a sweat! The only missing thing is the staff that normally Miroku was carrying all the time. Without the staff, I think the big black beads around his neck sort of being a substitute for the missing staff.
He held on his left hand a small blessing bowl that was intricately designed and was either made from metal or stainless steel with colourful designs on the surface. From my point of view, I can't say the actual make of the blessing bowl. He used a kind of short bamboo brush and used it to sprinkle around the office and the people around it after he had dipped into his blessing bowl.
Everyone had their hands clasped together and placed under their chins with bowed heads. Likewise, I did the same out of respect. The Monk went forward and blessed both Pornsak and me and entered the small cramped office where his eyes widened slightly but remained to bless the whole office, resulting in splashes of blessed water to smudge some of my papers on my table. Ooohhhh..... Those Dreadful third-party inks from inkjet printers sure were not as those Nippon brands.
He stopped and he then placed his bowl and the bamboo brush into a cloth bag which he had slung on his right shoulder. Thinking it was a cool thing to do since the blessed water in his bowl did not spill a single drop inside the cloth bag. It was a Vans - Off The Wall brand.
He clasped his hand in a Prayer like a manner and placed under his chin and bowed deeply to me and wished, ”Its a great opportunity to meet you, oh Chosen One. My sincerest respects to you from our clan as well.”
”O, Benevolent Monk, what's a Chosen One? What does that mean? I mean, please try to enlighten and share with me, in this unknown and sacred information in my office. Come, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.” I inquired him as I led him to my guest chair and a colleague of mine brought in another one from their workspace into my cramped office for Pornsak.
Both of them took their seats and sat in front of me while I returned to my seat, stacked all the documents on my table on one side thus making a clear space between us.
”You have travelled far and wide and had a vast experience that no had ever possessed before, Chosen One. You came from different walks of life and you experienced the existence of birth, life, living and death in multiple instances once at a time in acontinuous path. Your fate and destiny are what you choose along your palm of your life's journey, Chosen One.”
”Benevolent Monk, it is too much to be called Chosen One. But why the term 'chosen one' while I'm just a normal mortal like you and me.”
”Pornsak, please close the door. I do not wish this conversation to leak through.”
Pornsak rose from her seat and promptly closed the door shut, thus disallowing anyone from overhearing this conversation. The Monk continued.
”You, as the Chosen One has the path to change one's life, one's fate, one's destiny am I right to say that? It may be alright for you not to reveal who you are, what you did and how you ended up here in this life. As I had said, Chosen One, you came from a place far away and had lived the lives that others had not the chance to. I leave this part for you to know by yourself whether you are not aware of had already been aware of the existence.”
The Monk smiled as he spoke through with lots of metaphors used in the conversation. As what they called it, beating around the bush or used metaphors and ways to describe the matters without actually mentioning the direct meaning of it.
”Benevolent Monk, thank you for explaining the matters to me. Pornsak and I...”
I was interrupted midway when the Monk raised his hands to stop me.
”I know; I can see from your Third Eye that it was very ancient and sacred and had been awakened not by you but by ancient methods and by someone from the past a long time ago. It is not used to see spirits by the unseeing eye but also as a guiding light as you passed from one place to another; protecting you and your future. It is very bright, and it resembles your inner self, your joys and happiness especially with Pornsak around.”
I closed my mouth when I was stopped midway while trying to explain the spiritual upgrade or so-called chi for example.
”Oh Chosen One, do you wish to know from me how far you had progressed in your Chi powers? Then open your palm and place them on this table and clear your mind and breathe normally.”
I placed both my hands on the table, palms up and I glanced at Pornsak who was smiling away as if she knew what would happen next and then at the Monk who told me to close my eyes.
He slowly used his forefingers and slightly hover on both of my palms when suddenly I felt myself as if being sucked into a wormhole as the hovering fingertips of the monk's were being connected by a single flow of unknown blue electrifying spark or lightning that came from the middle of my palms into his forefinger..... *Bbbbzzzzzztttttt* (try to imagine the sound effect, guys. I'm about to be enlightened and enter into an unknown realm, you know)