Caption: The possessed woman of 'Phi Kaseu

The legend of the possessed woman of "Phi Kaseu", tells how evil spirits can deceive humans.

Phi means ghost in Thai.

A young man had just been married to a lovely young girl.

Everything was going well in the household and the husband was pleased to have such an accomplished wife.

One thing he didn't know was that she was possessed by the "Phi Kaseu".

It so happened that after a while, towards the middle of the night, he felt awakened by an unusual noise, and thinking to tell his wife of his frightened impressions, he tried to wake her, but found only an inert and headless body.

Struck with amazement at this strange sight, he got out of the mosquito net and went to sit in a corner of the room, thinking about this extraordinary phenomenon whose cause escaped him.

He stood there in a daze of emotion, when suddenly the house shook, lit up by a flash of lightning, and immediately he heard his wife's voice calling him:

- Where are you? Why are you up?

- I have nothing, my dear," he said, "I simply found it too hot in the mosquito net, and went to cool off.

Fear prevented him from saying more and returning to his wife.

As soon as daylight appeared, she rose gracefully and caressed him a thousand times.

The husband's emotion gradually disappeared; he did not question her about the night's events, and reserving the right to penetrate this mystery later, he did not want to jeopardise its success by an indiscreet request.

The next night he went to bed as usual; his fright seemed to have passed. He was careful not to fall asleep, however, and at midnight the house shook again: a ray of light, like a bolt of lightning, pierced the screen and entered the mouth of his sleeping companion.

Suddenly he saw her head, torn off with the viscera and entrails, disappear with the beam of light; the trunk alone remained lifeless.

"I'll get to the bottom of itHe wrapped a blanket around the body so as to close the gaping hole where the head had disappeared and waited.

Two hours had passed, when the house shook again, the entrails and the head returned, suspended in the same ray of light.

Immediately a female voice was heard calling for the husband and begging him to remove the cursed opening.

- No, no! he said, "I won't do it. First you'll tell me where you've been and what you've done.

The unfortunate woman reassured him with her sweetest accents and promised to tell him everything, saying that she was in great pain.

The husband took off the blanket in pity, and immediately everything was back to normal.

Without further ado, the woman surrendered to her husband's desire to penetrate her mystery.

- I am possessed by "Phi Kaseu", she told him.

I received this spirit from my mother, and I cannot change anything in my condition.

So every night at midnight I am taken away and taken to a delightful place, full of shade and coolness, where I find many walkers who come to partake of magnificent feasts.

Everyone has fun, eats and drinks, and then goes home.

What could be wrong with that?

Besides, if you wish to accompany me," she added, "you have only to grasp my head this night, as soon as you see the ray of light penetrate my mouth; I will take you with me, and you will enjoy the beauty of the spectacle as I do.

The husband allowed himself to be persuaded; he seized his wife's head as soon as the lightning appeared, and they were both taken away and deposited in a delightful garden, in the midst of a crowd of people all in festive clothes.

A bright light like that of the day illuminated this park, cut by beautiful alleys, on the edge of which stood tables overloaded with the most exquisite dishes.

The walkers sat at these tables and ate and drank as they pleased.

The two spouses also took part in the banquet and after having enjoyed themselves, they were taken home by the ray of light that had taken them.

The husband had left this enchanting place only with regret; he wished he could stay there forever.

Finding a way to get there and stay there was now his main concern.

He spoke to friends who pointed him to a sorcerer who could provide him with the desired information.

When he arrived at the latter's house, he told him about his nightly expedition with his wife, and expressed his regret at not being able to stay longer in a place where one was so well treated.

- You're eating nothing but excrement there, you'd better believe it and not go back there at all.

The 'Phi' feed you corpses, rubbish of all kinds, and laugh at you.

Unable to make his advice prevail, the sorcerer nevertheless managed to persuade the naive husband to allow certain cabalistic signs to be traced on his body, which had the virtue of making the nature of the dishes that made up the menu of the 'Phi' clearly visible.

He accepted the latter proposal and got a tattoo from the wizard.

When night came, the same thing happened again and he left holding his wife by the head.

Placed in the garden among the initiates, his first thought was to examine the food.

Thanks to the exorcism applied to him by the sorcerer, he saw reality in all its horror. His heart soared and he begged his wife to bring him back as soon as possible.

The latter took leave of the "Phi" and both returned to the house hanging on to the beam of light.

Back home, the husband tried to dissuade his wife from returning to these nightly parties, seeking to penetrate her with the horror with which he himself was possessed.

The latter remained adamant.

- The "Phi" would strangle me, she said, and she continued her visits.

The husband returned to the witch doctor and explained his wife's condition.

He was advised to fill his wife's body with live "pla mo" (freshwater fish, very abundant in muddy ponds) as soon as the head and entrails were gone.

This prescription was followed.

Having obtained a basket of 'pla mo', he returned home and at night, as soon as the possessed woman had left, he poured the contents of the basket into the empty trunk.

The head came back immediately, but soon the husband heard moaning and groaning coming from his wife's mouth.

The fish made her suffer horribly, she said, and she begged her husband to get rid of them.

He was frightened and gave in to her pleas, and as soon as the fish were removed, she seemed relieved, but it took several more days for her to fully recover from the shock.

Since that time, no ray of light has entered her mouth at midnight to transform her; the nightly journeys had ceased to the great joy of her husband: the "Phi Kaseu" had finally abandoned her.

By Charles HARDOUIN
Published in the Revue des traditions populaires,
1890, vol. V, pp. 696-708.

More stories in the category : Thai legend