THE PHANTOM TATTOO.
Sarawat opened the door to his dorm room and blinked confusedly at the sight before him. Phukong was sitting on the unmade bed with his shirt off while Natty was hovering above him like a nervous shadow. The bleak daylight that filtered through the open balcony door cast them in a hazy, eerie glow. Sarawat halted in his tracks with a pinch between his dark brows. The keys jingled in his callused hand as he tried to make sense of the scene before him. Finding Phukong at his place was not particularly surprising since he had been crashing there on and off for these past two weeks already, however, he had not expected to find Natty there as well.
Well, so much for making a quick stop at the dorms before heading off to visit Tine at the hospital, Sarawat mused exasperatedly while combing a tired hand through his hair. He was so fucking done with all of this by now. He just wanted to whisk Tine somewhere far away, leaving all of this behind like a forgotten nightmare.
"You do know that my brother isn't legal, right?" Sarawat drawled instead with a mirthless smirk curling on his lips, eyes glinting as he watched Natty gasp and scramble away from the younger guy, her flashy jewelry sparkling in the soft light as she moved around.
Phukong quickly pulled the shirt over his pale shoulder while Sarawat snickered darkly at the panicked expression on Natty's dolled up face. The woman was dressed up to the nines as usual; glossy heels, a very short skirt and some kind of fluttery off-shoulder top. How she got past the administrator into an all male dorm while looking like that was a standing question still.
"Stupid," Phukong mouthed at his older brother behind Natty's back while buttoning up his shirt with nimble fingers. God knew that this woman was already full of all kind of jitters, especially with the supernatural shit storm that had been brought upon her by these two brothers. Phukong felt as if he had tapped into a new level of madness while hanging around this woman, falling through a rabbit hole into a different dimension. Natty always kept staring unnervingly at something just over Phukong's shoulder each time they met. At times she even reached out one slender hand to that patch of empty space behind him but withdrew it just as quickly as if being burned, complaining with a pout that an evil spirit left black, sooty traces on her fingertips.
Well, Natty was used to her everyday colliding with a strange, paranormal layer of the world, used to seeing things that other people did not, used to avoiding things and finding her way around places that reeked of evil or just plain strange aura. Needless to say but Natty usually chose not to stick her noise into other people's wet business unless specifically asked to. So she red fortunes and helped to match-make couples, writing helpful talismans and just kept herself more on the neutral spectrum of things since everything that went around, came around eventually as well. Karma was unavoidable and so was fate. Both brothers were perfect victims of this, now that fate had finally brought everyone together, connecting all events into an imperfect circle, an Ouroboros.
The woman glared at the guitarist, turning around to face Sarawat more fully where he was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed over his wide chest. Cocky devil, she thought.
"As if I would ever do anything with your brother," Natty muttered, looking down at her sharp, acrylic nails with an indignant humph. Phukong had obviously the wrong gender for her to even get remotely excited about seeing him undressed. Sarawat repressed a light shiver at the sharp claw like things that were attached to her fingers. Why did girls like that shit? Well. Whatever.
"I guess this isn't really a pleasantry visit. Any new information about his tattoo then?" Sarawat asked, fixing his owlish stare on the young woman but inclining his head in the direction of his little brother. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Phukong fidget in his seat, his shoulders shooting up to his ears at mention of the tattoo, as if trying to protect himself from the awful things that might be coming for him soon.
It seemed that Phukong's childish acts did not stop at just stealing Sarawat's motorbike but also stupidly getting a strange tattoo on the back of his shoulder. A tattoo that set him up with the evil spirit that they had been trying to get rid of during these past weeks.
Well, as they said, it was the still waters that ran the deepest. And his brother was a little shit, quite obviously since he never really had the felt the burn of his mistakes, his fall always cushioned by their mother. Sarawat sighed, nevertheless, Phukong was still his brother and Sarawat stifled a surprising urge to ruffle his hair to cheer the younger guy up.
The medium bit her lower lip, sticking one slim hand into the tiny back pocket of her skirt while leaning back on her heels a little, trying to get her chaotic thoughts in order. She was not known for always making sense but this time maybe she should at least try.
"Natty has just been checking the pattern inside the sigil of my tattoo, but I'm not sure why though," Phukong filled in, glancing briefly at his brother from under his lashes, when the woman took her sweet time to reply.
Sarawat nodded his head, soft locks bouncing around his handsome face, accepting the quiet explanation. The brothers were still working things out, trying to find a tentative, common ground after years of passive aggressive fights.
Once they had sat down and talked, really talked, Phukong had reluctantly agreed to go along with their purification scheme. Fuck if that had not been weird, not to mention awkward, seeing his usually stoic brother waddle his cringing way trough the explanation, trying to convince Phukong to let Natty take him to a temple because an evil spirit had latched onto him. What the hell even? He suppressed a shudder. Just imagining that something had been following and watching him all this time gave him the creeps. If Sarawat had not been the one to tell him any of this then Phukong would have just written Natty off as plain crazy.
Except, once the cat was out of the bag something did finally slot into place, like a missing piece of puzzle, things instantly clicked into place. Suddenly Phukong had an explanation for the strange, unlucky mess that he had been waddling through for the past year. The therapy sessions might have helped him cope with the nasty accident but the eerie out of body experience kept lingering around, slowly suffocating him, paving a slow way into madness.
So Phukong had let himself be dragged around by Natty to burn incense sticks and do hundreds of bows at temples for several days straight while trying to get rid of the so called evil spirit that was apparently bringing him all this misfortune. And honestly, he was feeling better now that he was thoroughly cleansed, as Natty had called it. A foggy, gray filter had instantly lifted off the world around him and for the first time in however long all colors seemed so much more vibrant and saturated, his vision no longer tinted with smoky, foreboding shadows at the edges. He could finally breathe freely after months of suffocating panic attacks. But with that came also the heavy guilt.
Even if Phukong had been possessed at that precise moment when the bike crashed, he was still the one to get that shamanic tattoo, he was also the one to make the irrational decision of sneaking away on his brother's motorcycle. The teenage rebellion that had coursed through his veins had obviously made him blind, sending spikes of illogical jealousy through him over his brother being the obvious favorite in their family. And then Sarawat had just walked away so easily from everything that Phukong, on the other hand, had to fight nail and tooth for to gain. That had been the main catalyst for his rash behavior, his childish jealousy and frustration over always being the second best. The grass seemed so much greener on Sarawat's side.
Shit, Phukong felt so fucking awful, still uncomfortable to look his older brother fully in the eyes. Especially after Sarawat had disclosed all details from the accident, eyes dark and heavy, telling him in a round about way how both Phukong and their mother had been involved in driving Tine to his deathbed. Phukong felt nauseous with the thought that he had almost killed someone, bile burning at his throat as the toxic guilt bubbled violently inside of him. Furious with his mother for withholding things from him, Phukong decided to get away from that poisonous house and stay with his brother for now.
Phukong exhaled heavily, trying to steady his racing heart before it trashed straight out of his chest. The only silver lining to this whole teenage sob story was that Tine was doing much better now – for real. However, Phukong was not brave enough to apologize in person yet but he would work himself up to do it eventually, one tiny step at a time. Sarawat had promised to help him. Shit. When would he stop relaying so much on other people and for once stand his own ground?
Natty cleared her throat, successfully bringing attention to herself as both brothers swiveled their heads to look at her with similar expressions of wide eyed interest.
"Here's the deal then, I've uprooted some dusty scrolls at a temple and it seems like the tattoo is some sort of attracting- no," Natty interrupted herself, tapping one slim finger against her lips. "Maybe it's a calling talisman? Anyhow, the design comes from an old Mahout talisman that's made to bring peaceful luck but since some of the fundamental script lines have been altered in the tattoo, changing the initial meaning of the talisman and I think... that it's supposed to attract something else now? Am I right?"
Natty inclined her head, throwing an inquisitive glance at the younger man that was seated on the bed, his shoulders still raised guiltily as he listened attentively to her words. Phukong could only shrug sadly at the medium's question while hearing his brother exhale frustratingly somewhere to the side.
Well, maybe in hindsight, Phukong should have cared a little more when he decided to get an illegal tattoo at the age of sixteen. The place where he had gotten the strange design inked permanently into his skin was long gone by now, obviously some kind of underground parlor that could pop up and close down just as quickly wherever. Now they would most likely never find out whether this shop had intentionally dabbled with otherworldly forces or if it had been a stroke of shitty luck that made Phukong end up with some sort of magical tattoo.
Sarawat could not believe the sheer stupidity of Phukong's actions. Sure, Sarawat acted recklessly at times too. However, he always made sure to be in control of things, to consider all the implications first and then evaluate whether he could handle their aftermath or not, before he dived headfirst into anything. Phukong was however like a bull in a china shop when he got upset, blinded by his own emotions.
"Maybe it's supposed to attract evil spirits? You know, since that kinda does ring a bell..." Phukong supplied with a sad, tightlipped smile, his almond shaped eyes a little glossy. Sarawat just rolled his own eyes, shaking his head disapprovingly. Was this really the time for jokes? For some reason the guitarist could not keep his frustration at bay any longer, breaking the habit of his usually stoic façade.
"No," Natty replied seriously. "Since this talisman was initially for luck, it shouldn't be maleficent or purposefully attract evil spirits. You, mister-" Natty pointed chidingly at Phukong. "Just had the bad luck of binding the worst kind of soul to yourself, that's all." Except then her eyes lit up suddenly, a smile spreading along her glossy lips. "Oh my god!" The woman squealed, covering her mouth animatedly with both hands in pure astonishment, head swiveling from one brother to another, fake eyelashes fluttering. "Oh. My. God. This could totally explain everything!"
Natty did a little jiggly movement as she spun around the room excitedly. The sweet scent of her perfume wafted through the air while the pale sun filtering through the open balcony door shone faintly through her silky top, creating an illusion of a colorful aura around her upper body.
"Well? Tell us," Sarawat ordered impatiently as he leaned his tall body away from the far wall, already vexed with the woman after spending so much time with her. He would be lowkey happy if he never had to see her again, really. Her mere presence bore evidence of the other world exiting all around them, like smoke seeping into their layer of reality.
"Okay, sooo," Natty stalled as she made one last effort to gather her thoughts, her empty hands fluttering in the air as if she was trying to catch the elusive information like falling stars around her. "Since the script representing the heart in the talisman was altered the most-" She put a hand on Phukong's shoulder where the tattoo lay hidden beneath his shirt.
Phukong could swear that he felt the tattoo pulse and slither over his skin at the touch of her fingertips.
"The desire of the heart is basically domineering the whole design now and I think, if it's paired with luck the new talisman is supposed to bring good luck in love for the bearer-" Natty trailed off as she tapped long fingers against Phukong's shoulder, nails scarping thinly against his neck, making the younger man shiver.
The medium's slender eyebrows were scrunched up as she gazed dazedly into the air. "...or maybe it's supposed to help finding a soulmate?"
Natty then glanced expectantly at Phukong, seemingly waiting for a confirmation from him on her hypothesis.
W-what?
"Uh-" Phukong drawled, his brows furrowed confusedly. "So that evil spirit was my soulmate...?"
Natty giggled while smacking him on the back softly. "Of course not, silly! Just make sure to protect your tattoo. It's basically broadcasting your soul to everyone around you and those poor, very, very lost souls can't resist such easy temptations."
Phukong groaned and then agitatedly raked harsh hands trough his hair, messing up the dark strands completely. So there was really no end to this clusterfuck? Fucking hell. His clear eyes flickered pleadingly over to his brother. Please say it is not true, they seemed to beg. Sarawat just shrugged with a badly concealed smirk curling on his bow shaped lips, arms once again crossed over each other and stretching the dark sweatshirt taut over his chest. Welcome to his life, where nothing was what it seemed to be. Sarawat was not even surprised at this rate, feeling somewhat detached from the situation even. It seemed that fate had them both fucked over and there was nothing to do about that now, the chess board was set and the game already played.
Suddenly Natty turned sharply to Sarawat and he almost jerked backwards, heart thudding just a tad faster behind his ribcage. Fuck. What now? She cobbled over to his side, tugging on his long arms to make them unfold from around his body and then squeezed his fingers compassionately. Natty had a surprisingly warm and strong grip for having such slim, fluttery hands. She pressed in closer, invading his space.
"When can I meet Tine?" Natty asked intensely, her vibrant gaze flickering over Sarawat's stoic face. "I need to read his aura to see the full extent of your connection. He's supposed to be your soulmate, you know."
Sarawat's blood sloshed inside his head suddenly, flooding his hearing just as his breaths got slightly shorter and sharper. Soulmate? Pleasant warmth surged through his body as something boomed somewhere far away, like a thunder rumbling inside his head. An electrifying current sizzled at his fingertips just as a feeling of immense satisfaction dawned over his heart, blanketing his soul. He fucking knew it. There was no other fair explanation for the unyielding extent of his feelings for Tine, why Sarawat felt the need to risk it all just for him, why his life seemed so bleak and meaningless without him. The memory of Tine's lovely soul, pulsating luminously like an aurora flashed colorfully through his mind. It had been so obvious then, a thread of fate connecting their hearts and bringing them together.
Out of the corner of his eye Sarawat saw his little brother sit up straighter on the messy bed, a stunned expression passing over his sharp face as he turned to look at them, mouth slightly ajar and hair still a wild mess around his head. Well, that information had certainly not been included in Sarawat's brief summary of the current events.
Natty's huge eyes darted minutely to the space somewhere to the side of Sarawat's face and his jaw strained slightly under the peculiar attention from the medium, his chest rising and falling with sharp breaths. She was leaning her slim body too close for comfort.
"There's a tear in your aura. Do you know that?" Natty murmured dazedly with a tiny pinch between her brows, cocking her head to the side before her heavy gaze moved back to Sarawat's face.
The shadows lurking in the corners suddenly seemed to gain some muscle, growing ominously bigger in the poor lighting of the room, swallowing everything around them as Natty's big, dark eyes seemed to suck Sarawat into their swirling pools. A chill ran down Sarawat's spine, fingertips getting bitingly cold as the blood in his veins froze to ice.
"Why is your life bleeding out of you?"
Note:
Here's a picture of what I suppose Phukong's tattoo could look like;
The picture actually shows the ancient 8-pointed compass tattoo that's supposed to be empowered with highly protective magic. Wat Bang Phra is the only temple in Thailand that offers this tattoo.