Tall Ghosts

By Glen Johnson

There are many things beyond mere man’s comprehension that should never be meddled with.

Ram is a fourteen-year-old delinquent from Bangkok, Thailand, living in the Klong Toey slum on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. He runs with the wrong crowd, and his single mum can no longer control him. He has killed many pets in the neighborhood for fun, and he’s now ready to move on up to bigger game. The last straw is when he’s accused of attempted rape.

His uncle takes him up into the mountains, for contemplation and meditation, and to try to teach him some self-respect and discipline. He leaves Ram at an ancient jungle temple that has a shrine dedicated to the tall, hungry ghosts. Instead of helping Ram, it manages to get him into even more trouble with the monks.

Ram comes face-to-face with his worst nightmare when he realizes something’s should never be meddled with, and the comprehension that mere material possessions cannot save his damned soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Glen Johnson
• Release date: Apr 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005609382

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson was born in Devon, England in 1973. He is the author of 55 fiction and non-fiction books. In August 2014, he gave away all his belongings and bought a backpack and he started travelling around Southeast Asia. While he travels, he helps charitable organizations, writing and releasing books about their foundations, leaving them with all the royalties. His first charity book is called Soi Dog: The Story Behind Asia’s Largest Animal Welfare Shelter and it’s available in ebook and paperback worldwide. He has also started to release a series of books about his travel adventures as they unfold, and Living the Dream: Part One – Khaosan Road, Thailand, and Part Two – Krabi, Thailand is available from all good ebook retailers. He also loves to travel and has spent over eleven years living and travelling around the world – so far, he has explored forty-three different countries. At present, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand, but he has also lived in Mexico, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Singapore. He is also the lead writer on the development team for a new computer game called The Seed (2018), from the creators of the award-winning S.T.A.L.K.E.R Misery mod.Why not add Glen as a friend on Facebook. From his author’s page, you can keep up to date with all his new releases and when his kindle books are free on Amazon. He checks it daily, so pop on and say hello. Don’t be shy, he’s friendly and accepts friend requests.www.facebook.com/GlenJohnsonAuthorwww.facebook.com/RedSkullPublishing and all good ebook retailers.Glen has published 174 books worldwide (via two publishing companies he owns). 55 are his own work; the other 119 are modern-classic-fiction books that can be found on all good eBook and paperback retailers.Books Released by Sinuous Mind Books, and Coming Soon –Books released under his real name Glen JohnsonNON-FICTION BOOKS –CHARITY BOOKS (with Gary Johnson)Soi Dog – The Story Behind Asia’s Largest Animal Welfare Shelter (2015)BEES Elephants Sanctuary: A Haven for Old and Retired Elephants (Coming Soon)TRAVEL BOOKS (with Gary Johnson)Living the Dream 1 – Khaosan Road – Thailand (2015)Living the Dream 2 – Krabi – Thailand (2019)Living the Dream 3 – Penang – Malaysia (Coming Soon)FICTION BOOKS –APOCALYPTIC/DYSTOPIAN/HORRORTHE SIXTH EXTINCTION SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short Stories)The Sixth Extinction 1 – Outbreak (2013)The Sixth Extinction 2 – Ruin (2013)The Sixth Extinction 3 – Infested (2013)The Sixth Extinction 4 – The Ark (2013)The Sixth Extinction 1-4 – Omnibus Edition (2013)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: THE FIRST THREE WEEKS SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short stories)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 1 – Noah’s Story (2013)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 2 – Red’s Story (2013)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 3 – Betty and Lennie’s Story (2013)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 4 – Doctor Lazaro’s Story (2013)The First Three Weeks 1-4 – Omnibus Edition (2013)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION & THE FIRST THREE WEEKS SERIES OMNIBUS (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short stories)The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks 1-8 – Omnibus Edition (2013)The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks & The Sixth Extinction America 1-12 – Omnibus Edition (2014)The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks & The First Three Weeks The Squads Stories & The Sixth Extinction America & The Seven Seeds of the Gods 1-23 – Omnibus Edition (2017)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: THE FIRST THREE WEEKS – THE SQUADThe Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks – The Squad – Echo’s Story (2014)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks – The Squad – Coco’s Story (2014)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: AMERICA SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short stories)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part One: The Black Spores (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Two: False Hope (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Three: The Pods (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Four: The Long Road (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – 1-4 Omnibus Edition (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Five: No Turning Back (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Six: A Friend in Need (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Seven: All Aboard (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Eight: New Hope (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – 1-8 Omnibus Edition (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – 1-20 Omnibus Edition (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Nine: Keep Running (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Ten: Don’t Look Back (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Eleven: Resurrection (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Twelve: Alliance (2018)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Thirteen: Abandon (2019)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Fourteen: Burn (Coming Soon)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: BOOK EXTRASThe Sixth Extinction: The Seven Seeds of the Gods. Book One – Ancient Egypt (2016)The Sixth Extinction: The Seven Seeds of the Gods. Book Two – Ancient Mayan (Coming Soon)The Sixth Extinction: One Year On (England) (Coming Soon)The Sixth Extinction: Clarkson’s Discovery (Coming Soon)THE ENDLESS SERIESEndless: Part One – Sorrow (2019)Endless: Part Two – Fear (Coming Soon)Endless: Part Three - Anger (Coming Soon)THE EVENT SERIESThe Event: Part One – The Last Hope (2019)The Event: Part Two – Crashing Down (Coming Soon)THE HUMAN NATURE SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short Stories)Lamb Chops and Chainsaws – Vol.1 (2012)Lobsters and Landmines – Vol.2 (2012)French Fries and Flamethrowers – Vol.3 (2014)The Human Nature Series 1-3 – Omnibus Edition (2014)Backpacks and Body Bags – Vol.4 (Coming Soon)THE EXTREME HUMAN NATURE SERIES (Extreme Horror Short Stories)Condoms and Cabbages (2015)GHOST (Short Stories)Sea of Trees (2017)Child Angels (2018)Tall Ghosts (2020)The Lost Cat (2023)HORROR (Short Stories)Quarantine (2020)Laugh Out Loud (2021)Secrets and Lies (2021)Blood Lotus (With Hathairat Phuekhiran – 2023)HORRORThe Watchers (2014)THE WAR OF THE GOD’S SERIESWar of the Gods 1 – The Devil’s Tarots (2012)War of the Gods 2 – Lilith’s Revenge (Coming Soon)THE SEVEN WORLDS SERIES (with Gary Johnson)The Gateway – World One (2014)The Keystone – World Two (2015)Even Jewel – World Three (2017)The Sleeping Gods – World Four (Coming Soon)The Turquoise Abyss – World Five (Coming Soon)Oceans of Fire – World Six (Coming Soon)Journeys End – World Seven (Coming Soon)THE SPELL OF BINDING SERIESThe Spell of Binding – Part One (2012)The Spell of Binding – Part Two (Coming Soon)THE PARKINGDOM SERIESParkingdom – Book One (2012)Parkingdom – Book Two (Coming Soon)OTHER BOOKSTales from the Lake Vol.2. Short Story: Prime Cuts (A mixed horror anthology with 18 other writers – published by Crystal Lake Publishing. 2016)Books released under the pseudonym J.G. NewtonEROTIC PLEASURES SERIES (#1 Best Seller on Amazon USA and UK Erotic/Suspense)Guilty Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Dirty Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Secret Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Kinky Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Erotic Pleasures Series 1-4 – Omnibus Edition (2014)EROTIC MONSTERS SERIES (#1 Best Seller on Amazon USA and UK Erotic/Suspense/Horror/Humorous)Frankenstein’s Monster: Erotic Monsters Series (2014)Dracula’s Lover: Erotic Monsters Series (2014)Mummy’s Desire: Erotic Monsters Series (Coming Soon)Werewolf’s Lust: Erotic Monsters Series (Coming Soon)COMPUTER GAMETHE SEEDGlen Johnson is on the development team as the lead writer (eight writers) for a new computer game series called The Seed. The Seed is a story-driven post-apocalyptic video game set in Eastern Europe in 2026. It’s a single-player 2D interactive novel, deeply rooted in HEXACO psychology – it showcases the gravity of choice. It’s by the same team that created the award-winning game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Misery mod.The Seed: Act 1 (2018)The Seed: Act 2 (Coming Soon)The Seed: Act 3 (Coming Soon)If you need to get hold of Glen Johnson, email him on: [e-mail]

Book preview

Ghosts in Thai Culture

Ghosts play a large part in the day-to-day lives of Thai people. The belief in ghosts is popular and enduring. Every building, house or dwelling has a Spirit House to appease the wandering spirits, and to protect the people inside.

The beliefs have spanned the history of Thailand’s Buddhists – the popular beliefs are intermingled with myths and legends, and local folklore.

In the twenty-first century the myths have slowly evolved, having been adapted into modern media, filling Thai television soaps, movies, operas, books, and comics. Every part of Thai culture is soaked in ghosts and ancient legends.

In Thai mythology, there are thirty-seven different categories of ghosts.

Tall Ghosts

Tall Ghosts – or otherwise known as Hungry Ghosts, or Phi Peta – are viewed as very real in Thailand, and many other parts of Asia. They are believed to be the very worst spirit a human can become in the afterlife – set aside for the very worse abominations of humanity.

Two towering tall ghosts represented at the Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden – Sai 2 Soi 19, Saen Suk, Chonburi 20130, Thailand.

I took this photo in Wat Suthat in Bangkok. The temple is associated with the Tall ghosts, due to numerous sightings of the apparitions walking around the site.

The Tall Ghost – or Hungry Ghost – is depicted in artwork throughout Asia.

These ghosts are thought to have been corrupted, compulsive, greedy, deceitful, jealous, thieving, people in their previous lives. Then, as a result of their karma, they are turned into an apparition with an extreme level of insatiable hunger and thirst. However, these creatures are cursed with pinhole sized mouths, and long thin necks, and massive oversized hands, making it almost impossible to eat or drink.

TALL GHOSTS

1

Ram sits on the small wooden stool with his head lowered. He refuses to look at his mother while his anjkl – uncle – talks. Sweat runs down Ram’s thin body, collecting on the waistband of his cheap nylon faded blue shorts. His Liverpool, red faded tee-shirt rests over his knee. He clenches the material between his hands.

The sound of a long-tailed boat whines past outside on the Chao Phraya River that cleaves the city of Bangkok in half.

Dogs fight on the wooden boardwalk outside, while a baby cries in the wooden room above.

The white noise of people talking in the distance, mixed with blaring TVs and music is an ever-constant background sound.

The house looks almost derelict from the outside, with its slapped together appearance of scavenged wood, rusty metal, and a tin roof. It stands on wooden stilts and plastic tubs stacked on top of each other filled fill concrete, right on the edge of the river, under a towering overpass, where the traffic makes a constant hissing white noise, day and night. Colourful clothing hangs outside from every conceivable surface, bringing a false hope of brightness.

Ram lives with his mother and three younger brothers in the Klong Toey slum, built on land belonging to the Port Authority of Bangkok City.

His mother washes clothing for a living at night. During the day, she has a small stall in the Khlong Toei Market, selling baby clothes, which she makes herself with an ancient, prized, Singer – foot-operated – sewing machine that was handed down from her mother.

Ram’s mother and uncle argue about him as he sits still, trying not to bring attention to himself.

He stares down through a gap in the floorboards and watches a large water monitor lizard scavenging through the trash gathered on the embankment at the edge of the river.

The large reptiles always hang around Ram’s house, because of what he throws into the water.

Ram’s youngest two-year-old brother, Jaru, sits next to him, naked, on the floor. He plays with an old cotton spool; sucking it. Dribble runs down