Crick... Crack...

Ploysuay listened to the sound, her heart pounding so violently it felt ready to burst through her chest. The pacing finally stopped, settling directly beneath her window.

"Oh, come on... don't be ridiculous. It could be a dog or a cat, Ploysuay," she desperately tried to rationalize her growing panic.

But luck was not on her side. A small clay flowerpot, nudged by a sudden rush of cold air and the billowing white curtain, tumbled from the second-story windowsill. Ploysuay flinched violently. Slowly, she pushed herself up, her hand trembling as she gripped the window frame, leaning down to peer into the dense darkness below.

And in that instant... she saw a pitch-black figure slowly tilt its head upward, staring intently right back at her!

In the throes of absolute terror, Ploysuay felt her soul detach from her body. Her control vanished; her pupils dilated; her face drained of color as her breath hitched and became a rapid, uneven pant.

Ghost! This must be a ghost!

Ploysuay clamped her hand over her mouth, which was shaking with extreme fear.

"Aghhhhhhh!!!" A wild, unrestrained scream tore free, echoing through the silent, enigmatic night.

Her insane shriek reverberated through the house, carrying far enough to reach Narajkul’s residence next door, where a sheer curtain momentarily fluttered slightly with movement.

Ae rushed in, flipping on every light switch in sheer panic. She grabbed her friend and shook her relentlessly.

"Ploysuay, what is it?!" Ae demanded urgently.

Ploysuay sat hunched on the bed, glancing fearfully toward the window. "Gh-gh-ghost! It's... it's out there!" she wailed, covering her eyes tightly and pointing toward the window. She sat trembling uncontrollably on the mattress.

Ae peered down into the front lawn, then turned back to her friend. "Where's the ghost? I don't see anything." Ae scanned the area, spotting only the shattered pieces of a flowerpot on the ground.

"You must have knocked the flowerpot over, and then you thought it was a ghost," Ae hypothesized.

Ploysuay immediately lifted her head to protest. "No! It wasn't! It was a real ghost! It stared right at my room, and it was standing right there, Ae!" She pointed frantically to the exact spot.

Ae frowned, looking back and forth between her friend and the dark lawn. "You were probably half-asleep and half-awake, and when you heard the pot fall, you dreamed you saw a ghost, right?" the practical friend suggested, unconvinced.

"I wasn't dreaming! I saw its shadow! It looked up at me with its own eyes, Ae!" Ploysuay’s hands clenched as her eyes rolled frantically. "I’m telling the truth. I'm really scared, Ae."

Ae sighed. It seemed Ploysuay was still convinced someone had died in this house. "I'll sleep here with you. That way you won't overthink things," Ae soothed, gently patting her friend's back.

Ploysuay still looked down with lingering suspicion. "I don't know if it was real or a dream, but it was terrifying." She curled into a small, tight ball, her hands clutching her knees shaking uncontrollably.

Ae slowly shook her head and took hold of the slender woman’s shoulder. "I'll stay with you. Don't be afraid." Ae’s offer to stay one more night finally comforted Ploysuay, who nodded slowly, feeling a measure of relief.

After Ae had fallen asleep, every light in the house was switched off. But Ploysuay's mind still raced with the horror of the encounter. Sleep remained elusive. If her mind stayed this turbulent, she would never find rest. There was only one way to truly put her anxiety to bed: she had to prove the truth with her own eyes.