[story] running from shadows
Mar. 19th, 2013 03:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ib_archiveauthor: joyce chng (jolantru)
e-mail: sabersger [ at ] gmail dot com
A/N: This is part of the Jan Xu/Myriads world - a peek into what she did, through the eyes of others.
Siri strode nonchalantly up the stairs leading to the nightclub. The air was stale with cigarette smoke and vomit, laced with the pungent after-scent of alcohol. She could hear the steady techno bass beat coming from the open door - the door was always open, like all the women who passed through it - and licked her lips, tasting the waxy lipstick. It was early; most of the guests would only appear after ten. There was a ship in town and with it, the promise of cold hard cash.
She was dressed for work. Tight bustier and mini-skirt showing off her long slim legs. Six inch heels, pushing up her buttocks to give the illusion of perkiness and perpetual youth. Her pimp, Chan, gave her the clothes. He also pocketed most of the cash. The rest she kept and some she sent back home.
A couple of working sisters passed her, already tipsy. She blinked. Shadows followed them, like dark waves. She was reminded of the shimmering effect on a hot day, shimmering heat above hot tar while the road steamed with cars passing her by ... She blinked again. The shadows were gone.
"Bailey!" A sultry voice behind her startled her. Siri had to smile. She liked the name – another thing Chan had given her. Bailey, after Bailey's Irish Cream. Sweet, creamy, brown - and destined to make one drunk. It was a cute name. Na-rak.
"Co Co." Co Co was a kathoey, dressed in a figure-hugging red dress and black high heels. She was one of the ladyboys who arrived on social visit passes, eager to make money before going back to Pattaya.
"The farangs are arriving. Look sexy, Bailey!" Co Co sounded high. Drugs were passed from hand to hand. Co Co told her once that drugs numbed the pain, made life easier. Siri didn't believe her a bit. She had seen how drugs had damaged the life of her older brother.
Instead, she smiled. It was the only thing she could do in this unhealthy environment. She followed Co Co into the nightclub. The darkness - filled with Eurotrash techno, a swirling fog of tobacco and throbbing desperate need - swallowed her.
She emerged half an hour later, her body infused with cigarette smoke and other things. She felt filthy, longing somewhat for refreshing water to cleanse her. It was Songkran, the new year. She missed not only being splashed with blessed water, but also her grandmother. Yai, she thought, I miss you. Suk-san wan songkran.
The farang, a hulking American, had drooled on her. He'd insisted she service him, which she had. Afterwards she'd rinsed her mouth with water. Later, back in the safety of her bedroom, she would use mouthwash.
Siri pocketed the cash, gratified somewhat to know that some of it would be sent back home. Already Chan was bearing down towards her, his gold chain flashing. And the shadows wavered around him...
"Hand over the cash, honey," Chan said, his accent so strong she grimaced. Their language, so guttural. So unlike her own. She did as instructed. His hand snaked out, grabbed her wrist. With his other hand he took the cash and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. He handed fifty dollars back to her, his gesture almost like an afterthought.
He spoke pidgin Thai. That she accepted, grudgingly. Two more months and she would be out of this city and back home.
Chan would sometimes smack her. Hard enough to give her a shock, light enough not to leave bruises. Siri hated and loved him at the same time.
Out of the corner of her eye, Siri spotted a young Chinese girl watching her. A teenager, about sixteen or so. Nondescript, the typical black hair and oval face. Golden eyes. Trick of the light.
"Go back," Chan rumbled. "The night is still young. You don't want the other girls to get your money, yes?"
Jai dum! She thought, outwardly smiling. You lack humanity.
The Chinese girl disappeared. Siri shrugged. She had to work. That was her job.
It was past three in the morning when Siri finally stumbled out from the nightclub, light-hearted from all the tequila shots. Martin - the name of the farang who'd naively challenged her to a drinking contest - was still passed out under the table, sleeping in his own vomit.
Suddenly she'd had enough, the tipsiness draining from her system. She wanted to go home, away from all these shadows that bothered her.
Siri tottered on her heels, hand on the window of a shopping center to steady herself from falling over.
It was then, through the glass, that she saw the shadows come to life.
Co Co was in the center of it, screaming and frantically batting at the shadows. Siri had seen waterspouts before. They were common where she came from. Co Co looked as if she was standing in the center of a waterspout... of black shadows.
The black shadows shrieked. They were toying with Co Co. Siri covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard not to scream. Phi! Ghosts!
Something else appeared, tearing at the vicious phi, causing some of the shadows to disperse. Siri saw a girl, no, a dog - only bigger and black as the night - chasing the phi away. Co Co cowered, curled in a fetal position. The black shadows scattered, flowing into the darkness. The shopping center foyer returned to being a shopping center foyer. Siri overcame her paralysis and rushed in, then hung back.
The dog - no, girl - trotted over to Co Co with her tongue lolling out, panting from exertion. She spoke something in English, something like "Are you okay?" Co Co nodded, scrambled to her feet and back-peddled away, eyes wide with fear. The girl looked up, seeing Siri.
Siri shivered. The girl looked human. She was human, wasn't she?
The girl opened her mouth and said very clearly: "Parasites."
"Sorry?" Siri stuttered, knowing what the girl was probably seeing. A prostitute. Yet the girl didn't seem fazed at all.
"The shadows. They feed on human emotions like pain and anger." The girl was surprisingly soft-spoken. She had black-ringed golden eyes. Like a dog...
Now Siri used bravado to mask her fear. "Why are you out, girl? Don't you have school tomorrow?"
"Yes, I have school," the girl said, an edge to her voice. She said something else, but Siri couldn't understand the rest of what she'd said.
A thin wail rose from behind the girl. Co Col had slipped into shock, rocking back and forth. Crying. Siri felt sorry for her. "Wai, wai, wai!" Co Col was saying over and over again.
"You better help your friend," the girl said. She passed Siri and continued to walk away. "Go home. Light a candle. Say a prayer or something."
"Who are you?" Siri shouted at the departing figure. "What are you?"
The girl didn't answer. She didn't have to.
Siri closed her eyes, feeling a tight band of pain around her head. She had seen too much, heard too much. Light a candle. She remembered Loy Krathong and the tiny boats bearing candles, lighting the dark.
She managed to coax Co Co up to her feet, carrying the ladyboy to the taxi stand. It was fast approaching four. The sky was still dark, the moon a small silver curve.
Something fleet moved up the street, keeping to the dark corners. Siri saw the black dog/girl/dog, a lone figure traveling silently up Orchard Road.
the end
jolantru)e-mail: sabersger [ at ] gmail dot com
A/N: This is part of the Jan Xu/Myriads world - a peek into what she did, through the eyes of others.
Siri strode nonchalantly up the stairs leading to the nightclub. The air was stale with cigarette smoke and vomit, laced with the pungent after-scent of alcohol. She could hear the steady techno bass beat coming from the open door - the door was always open, like all the women who passed through it - and licked her lips, tasting the waxy lipstick. It was early; most of the guests would only appear after ten. There was a ship in town and with it, the promise of cold hard cash.
She was dressed for work. Tight bustier and mini-skirt showing off her long slim legs. Six inch heels, pushing up her buttocks to give the illusion of perkiness and perpetual youth. Her pimp, Chan, gave her the clothes. He also pocketed most of the cash. The rest she kept and some she sent back home.
A couple of working sisters passed her, already tipsy. She blinked. Shadows followed them, like dark waves. She was reminded of the shimmering effect on a hot day, shimmering heat above hot tar while the road steamed with cars passing her by ... She blinked again. The shadows were gone.
"Bailey!" A sultry voice behind her startled her. Siri had to smile. She liked the name – another thing Chan had given her. Bailey, after Bailey's Irish Cream. Sweet, creamy, brown - and destined to make one drunk. It was a cute name. Na-rak.
"Co Co." Co Co was a kathoey, dressed in a figure-hugging red dress and black high heels. She was one of the ladyboys who arrived on social visit passes, eager to make money before going back to Pattaya.
"The farangs are arriving. Look sexy, Bailey!" Co Co sounded high. Drugs were passed from hand to hand. Co Co told her once that drugs numbed the pain, made life easier. Siri didn't believe her a bit. She had seen how drugs had damaged the life of her older brother.
Instead, she smiled. It was the only thing she could do in this unhealthy environment. She followed Co Co into the nightclub. The darkness - filled with Eurotrash techno, a swirling fog of tobacco and throbbing desperate need - swallowed her.
She emerged half an hour later, her body infused with cigarette smoke and other things. She felt filthy, longing somewhat for refreshing water to cleanse her. It was Songkran, the new year. She missed not only being splashed with blessed water, but also her grandmother. Yai, she thought, I miss you. Suk-san wan songkran.
The farang, a hulking American, had drooled on her. He'd insisted she service him, which she had. Afterwards she'd rinsed her mouth with water. Later, back in the safety of her bedroom, she would use mouthwash.
Siri pocketed the cash, gratified somewhat to know that some of it would be sent back home. Already Chan was bearing down towards her, his gold chain flashing. And the shadows wavered around him...
"Hand over the cash, honey," Chan said, his accent so strong she grimaced. Their language, so guttural. So unlike her own. She did as instructed. His hand snaked out, grabbed her wrist. With his other hand he took the cash and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. He handed fifty dollars back to her, his gesture almost like an afterthought.
He spoke pidgin Thai. That she accepted, grudgingly. Two more months and she would be out of this city and back home.
Chan would sometimes smack her. Hard enough to give her a shock, light enough not to leave bruises. Siri hated and loved him at the same time.
Out of the corner of her eye, Siri spotted a young Chinese girl watching her. A teenager, about sixteen or so. Nondescript, the typical black hair and oval face. Golden eyes. Trick of the light.
"Go back," Chan rumbled. "The night is still young. You don't want the other girls to get your money, yes?"
Jai dum! She thought, outwardly smiling. You lack humanity.
The Chinese girl disappeared. Siri shrugged. She had to work. That was her job.
It was past three in the morning when Siri finally stumbled out from the nightclub, light-hearted from all the tequila shots. Martin - the name of the farang who'd naively challenged her to a drinking contest - was still passed out under the table, sleeping in his own vomit.
Suddenly she'd had enough, the tipsiness draining from her system. She wanted to go home, away from all these shadows that bothered her.
Siri tottered on her heels, hand on the window of a shopping center to steady herself from falling over.
It was then, through the glass, that she saw the shadows come to life.
Co Co was in the center of it, screaming and frantically batting at the shadows. Siri had seen waterspouts before. They were common where she came from. Co Co looked as if she was standing in the center of a waterspout... of black shadows.
The black shadows shrieked. They were toying with Co Co. Siri covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard not to scream. Phi! Ghosts!
Something else appeared, tearing at the vicious phi, causing some of the shadows to disperse. Siri saw a girl, no, a dog - only bigger and black as the night - chasing the phi away. Co Co cowered, curled in a fetal position. The black shadows scattered, flowing into the darkness. The shopping center foyer returned to being a shopping center foyer. Siri overcame her paralysis and rushed in, then hung back.
The dog - no, girl - trotted over to Co Co with her tongue lolling out, panting from exertion. She spoke something in English, something like "Are you okay?" Co Co nodded, scrambled to her feet and back-peddled away, eyes wide with fear. The girl looked up, seeing Siri.
Siri shivered. The girl looked human. She was human, wasn't she?
The girl opened her mouth and said very clearly: "Parasites."
"Sorry?" Siri stuttered, knowing what the girl was probably seeing. A prostitute. Yet the girl didn't seem fazed at all.
"The shadows. They feed on human emotions like pain and anger." The girl was surprisingly soft-spoken. She had black-ringed golden eyes. Like a dog...
Now Siri used bravado to mask her fear. "Why are you out, girl? Don't you have school tomorrow?"
"Yes, I have school," the girl said, an edge to her voice. She said something else, but Siri couldn't understand the rest of what she'd said.
A thin wail rose from behind the girl. Co Col had slipped into shock, rocking back and forth. Crying. Siri felt sorry for her. "Wai, wai, wai!" Co Col was saying over and over again.
"You better help your friend," the girl said. She passed Siri and continued to walk away. "Go home. Light a candle. Say a prayer or something."
"Who are you?" Siri shouted at the departing figure. "What are you?"
The girl didn't answer. She didn't have to.
Siri closed her eyes, feeling a tight band of pain around her head. She had seen too much, heard too much. Light a candle. She remembered Loy Krathong and the tiny boats bearing candles, lighting the dark.
She managed to coax Co Co up to her feet, carrying the ladyboy to the taxi stand. It was fast approaching four. The sky was still dark, the moon a small silver curve.
Something fleet moved up the street, keeping to the dark corners. Siri saw the black dog/girl/dog, a lone figure traveling silently up Orchard Road.
the end
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 03:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-20 09:24 pm (UTC)The black dog/girl is a regular - she's the main character in my urban fantasy series I write under a pseud, J. Damask. :)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-20 09:24 pm (UTC)The black dog/girl is a regular - she's the main character in my urban fantasy series I write under a pseud, J. Damask. :)
- Joyce
no subject
Date: 2013-05-21 01:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-07-11 01:42 am (UTC)http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4637525.J_Damask
Start with Wolf At The Door. ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-07-18 05:46 pm (UTC)http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4637525.J_Damask