MEMOIR OF MA.N

Chapter 7: Promise

"Bop."

A deep, heavy thud resounded, causing AN to instinctively collapse to the ground, clutching his throbbing fist in pain. In his confusion moments earlier, AN had thrown a punch at the skull figure, but it felt like his fist had sliced through thin air and struck a real tree trunk with force.

"You dare to attach me, then pretend to lay down, huh?" A sweet voice chimed in. Despite the excruciating pain, AN managed to steal a glance, only to find that the skull figure had disappeared, replaced by the enchanting girl from before. AN stammered:

"Wh-what do you want?"

The girl replied gently: "I'm not doing anything. What you see is your own conscience. I'm actually a lost soul, so I don’t have any forms. When you think I'm beautiful, I appear beautiful. When you ask if I'm a ghost or a demon, I become a ghost or a demon. There seems to be some holy protection for you. Perhaps you're a descendant of a certain sect or have been taught spiritual practices. Don't they explain these things to you?"

Still in great pain, AN found her words bewildering.

"I don't... I was just forced to worship a mountain deity. I don't know anything about ghosts, demons, or spiritual stuff."

The girl nodded.

"I see. Well, I won't tease you anymore. I have a favor to ask. Would you like to hear my story?"

By now, AN had regained some composure. Hearing that the girl needed his help, he suppressed his annoyance. "Just spit it out, stop the melodrama. Tell me quickly."

The girl gracefully sat down on a small rock, looked into the distance, and began her tale. 'My name is Thien Di, from the Tran family. I'm originally from Saigon, but my roots trace back to a distant region. When I was around eighteen, I fell in love with a man from the H province, near the AD market. He was handsome, a wealthy young master, very charming. Back then, I was naive and believed in the destiny of love. I disregarded the warnings of friends and family, diving headfirst into a love that knew no bounds. And that's why I've become a wandering ghost, all because of him. Huhu.."

Speaking there, she began to cry. AN, though tempted to scold a few words, found himself unable to open his mouth, so he swallowed his words. After a while, when she stopped crying, AN asked:

"But why were you in Saigon and... how did you end up here?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Please, call me Thien Di. 'Ms.' sounds quite unpleasant. On my eighteenth birthday, he said he wanted to celebrate the most important day of my life by taking me on a trip... At first, I thought it would just be the two of us, and I didn't care where we went. As long as I was with him, I felt happy. Back then, this place was a forest with only this waterfall. It was an ideal spot for lovers to go for an outing – beautiful and secluded.

I didn't know that he had already made plans for this trip, with three other men besides himself. Since we weren't married, and I was merely his friend, I had my own separate sleeping tent. On the first night, at around midnight, I woke up because I found it difficult to sleep in an unfamiliar place. I ventured outside and stumbled upon the rock where he had been lurking. There were a few other figures with him. I thought they were having trouble sleeping, so they had come out to admire the waterfall, despite the moon still shining brightly.

I considered sneaking up on them to play a harmless prank for fun. However, as I got closer, I overheard them arguing. It seemed like he owed those men a significant amount of money and couldn't find a way to repay it. He intended to use me as collateral to settle the debt. He callously claimed that I was still a virgin, saying: "After they're done, I'll have my turn. I know her well, but I haven't touched her yet." Then they all burst into laughter, reveling in their sinister plan.

When I discovered the truth about the man I loved, I was devastated, feeling sick to my stomach. All I wanted was to escape from that place as long as I could. I stumbled backward to my tent, but my unease and fear caused me to trip and fall. The noise alerted them, and he yelled: “She heard everything; catch her!”

I didn't know what to do. I ran along the rocky path above the waterfall, trying to hide. But in my distress, I lost my footing and fell into the same spot where you had seen me bathing. My head hit a rock, and I lost consciousness, sinking into the depths and... After I died, my lingering resentment was so strong that I couldn't leave this place. Night after night, I would appear here to bathe. For over a hundred years, I've been doing this.

Yesterday, I happened to see you, and I sensed that you might be the one I've been waiting for. I planned to seduce you into drowning so that you could replace my fate. But for some reason, I couldn't influence your mind. I could only call out to you for help, but you didn't respond. I never thought you would come back here tonight. When I realized you were approaching, I deliberately watched to see what you would do. To my surprise, you saw me lurking and attempted to look closely. I've tried to control you, but I couldn't. I initially thought you might be wearing an amulet or something, but it's not that; the power comes from within you. I've been wronged for too long, and after death, my body was mistreated, left as prey for wild animals. That's why I have nowhere to go, no way to return, and no reincarnation. Even if I harm many others, it won't change my fate. It's an instinct for me to seek someone to replace my life, but it’s in fact different.

But what I sensed when I saw you was that something magical would happen if I caught your soul, but I couldn’t do it.'

AN, upon hearing this, furrowed his brows and cautiously asked: 'So, are you asking me to help you by allowing you to take my life here? Is that it?'

The girl responded with a pitiful voice:

'No, I just need three drops of your blood. I need them because after three more years, my entire consciousness will be eroded, and I won't know anything anymore. Then, I'll harm anyone I encounter, driven by instinct, and my karma will accumulate to unimaginable levels. I'm even more disgusted with myself when I think about that.'

AN with skepticism, said:

'Taking blood is easy, but why does it have to be mine and not someone else’s? Don't you have anyone else you know? Do you remember where your family lived, what street or number? Is there any way to escape this or reincarnate?"

The girl thought for a while, as if trying to remember everything, and then shook her head. 'I don't know anymore. I need your blood because I feel it's necessary. Sometimes, only the soul truly comprehends. If you’re not willing, I can’t use them anyway. I tried to collect your blood from the spot where you hit the tree, but when I touched it, I felt fear. I've been dead for so long. At first, I had no awareness of what was happening, and it was only after a long time that I gradually became aware. But perhaps, no one in my family knows about me anymore, so I don't think about going back. If you have a heart, come back here in three years. By then, you might be able to help me.'

AN hesitated. Meeting a ghost was a random event. Though the girl was pitiful, the living and the dead were fundamentally different. AN wasn't a shaman, so he didn't know how to help. The girl remained silent, waiting. After a while, AN spoke up.

'But I don't know anything. I don't possess any magic or spells to help. How can I assist?"

The girl smiled and replied:

'I can't explain this. Just promise, and it will be enough. If you help me, I will truly have a next life, and I hope to meet you again."

Hearing her words, AN had his own thoughts, as this was quite surreal and beyond the realm of the ordinary.

'Why have you set such a long time? Are you trying to make me die at that moment? Tell me the truth.

Suddenly, the girl burst into tears, her voice choked with sorrow.

"The dead don't lie...," she said.

AN's heart sank. His naive nature took over his doubts. After all, even a ghost, if beautiful, could make one disregard what might happen in the future.

'Alright, you need my blood, I’ll give it to you. As for coming back here, if I die early, then so be it. But if I'm still alive, I promise to return as agreed.'