Still Thai Whispers: Thai Whispers, #1

By Colin Devonshire

Embrace the shadows, dear reader.

In this anthology of 50 short stories, we invite you to immerse yourself in a world of spine-tingling suspense, macabre tales, and haunting encounters. Brace yourself for a collection that will leave you breathless, disturbed, and questioning the very fabric of reality. Within these pages, you will encounter the rich tapestry of Thai culture woven with elements of suspense, crime, horror, fear, and the supernatural. From sprawling cityscapes to remote villages, each story transports you to a unique setting, where Thais and foreigners grapple with their demons and confront the darkest recesses of their souls. Prepare to witness the collision of traditional beliefs and contemporary nightmares, blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the ethereal. These tales explore the depths of human nature, exposing the hidden desires, fears, and vulnerabilities that lie within us all. As the stories unfold, you will find yourself entangled in webs of deceit, confronted by vengeful characters, and tormented by the consequences of past actions. Darkness takes many forms, and in this anthology, it manifests in the most unexpected, criminal and horrific ways. With its rich folklore and traditions, Thai culture is a backdrop for these tales of surprise. Ancient myths and legends merge with modern society, creating a unique blend of greed, supernatural horror and psychological suspense. From modern villains to malevolent ghosts seeking revenge to cursed objects that bring untold misfortune, each story will leave an indelible mark on your psyche. Prepare to have your expectations shattered as the author takes you on a rollercoaster of suspense and horror. As you turn each page, you will be gripped by unease, anticipation, and impending doom. The twisted endings will leave you breathless, forcing you to question the very nature of reality and the motives that drive humanity. Whether you are a fan of twisted tales, a lover of Thai culture, or simply seeking a thrill that will linger long after you close the book, this anthology promises to deliver an unforgettable experience. Immerse yourself in the darkness, let the stories consume you, and prepare to face the nightmares that await within these pages. But be warned, once you enter this realm, there is no turning back. Dare to venture into the realm of Thai dark tales?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Colin Devonshire
• Release date: Mar 3, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224380381

Colin Devonshire

Colin Devonshire worked in print and allied trades in London before spending twenty years as editor of a lifestyle magazine in Hua Hin, Thailand. He now writes fiction and non-fiction full-time. His wife, children and six dogs keep him busy!

Book preview

With Thanks ...

’THE ROOTS OF THIS BOOK reach back to your love and guidance, Mum. Thank you for nurturing my creativity and inspiring me to chase my dreams.’

‘To Boom, my wife. Every page reflects the warmth of your unwavering support, my love. Thank you for being my partner, my confidante, and the reason I strive to be my best.’

‘And to my children. May these pages weave tales that inspire your own dreams, my precious ones. Thank you for sharing this journey with me, and for reminding me that every story deserves to be told.’

After years in print and allied trades Colin Devonshire became an editor of a lifestyle magazine. Twenty years running the mag by a beach in Thailand, then writing four thrillers and countless short dark stories. He is not complaining!

Contact Colin at:

Website https://darknovels940200135.wordpress.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colinjdevauthor

X   https://twitter.com/colinjdev

Substack https://colindevonshire.substack.com/

Ream https://reamstories.com/dark-novels 

Please leave a review, they mean so much to authors.

ALSO BY COLIN DEVONSHIRE

Novels:

Not Far Enough From Worries - Number 1 in No Worries series

Worry No More - Number 2 in No Worries series

Children With No Worries - Number 3 in No Worries series

We Have More Worries - Number 4 in No Worries series

And the ‘Twisted Short Stories’ anthologies:

Book 1:  Splash, Splash...

Book 2:  Day Nine

Book 3: What A Day For...

Book 4: Slim Or No Chance

Book 5: Marked

Book 6: Dinner For Two

Book 7: The Golden Boy

Book 8: Red Lipstick, Green Bananas

Book 9:  Siamese Feast

Book 10:  First Boyfriend

Book 11: Tea Junction

Book 12:  Everything Ready?

Book 13: Courting

Book 14: Beat Stops

Book 15: Thumbs Up

Book 16: River Of Jewels

Book 17: Only In Bangkok

Book 18:  Romancing The Stones’  Also available FREE at all good bookstores

Book 19: A Fat Zero

Book 20: Night Market

All available at the best bookstores

Embrace the shadows, dear reader.

IN THIS ANTHOLOGY OF 50 short stories, I invite you to immerse yourself in a world of spine-tingling suspense, macabre tales, and haunting encounters. Brace yourself for a collection that will leave you breathless, disturbed, and questioning the very fabric of reality. I hope at least!

Within these pages, you will encounter the rich tapestry of Thai culture woven with elements of suspense, crime, horror, fear, and the supernatural. From sprawling cityscapes to remote villages, each story transports you to a unique setting, where Thais and foreigners grapple with their demons and confront the darkest recesses of their souls.

Prepare to witness the collision of traditional beliefs and contemporary nightmares, blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the ethereal. These tales explore the depths of human nature, exposing the hidden desires, fears, and vulnerabilities that lie within us all. As the stories unfold, you will find yourself entangled in webs of deceit, confronted by vengeful characters, and tormented by the consequences of past actions. Darkness takes many forms, and in this anthology, it manifests in the most unexpected, criminal and horrific ways.

Thai culture, with its rich folklore and traditions, is a backdrop for these tales of surprise. Ancient myths and legends merge with modern society, resulting in a unique blend of greed, supernatural horror and psychological suspense. From modern villains to malevolent ghosts seeking revenge to cursed objects that bring untold misfortune, each story will leave an indelible mark on your psyche.

Prepare to have your expectations shattered as I take you on a rollercoaster of suspense and horror. As you turn each page, you will be gripped by a sense of unease, anticipation, and impending doom. The twisted endings will leave you breathless, forcing you to question the very nature of reality and the motives that drive humanity. Whether you are a fan of twisted tales, a lover of Thai culture, or simply seeking a thrill that will linger long after you close the book, this anthology promises to deliver an unforgettable experience. Immerse yourself in the darkness, let the stories consume you, and prepare to face the nightmares that await within these pages. But be warned, once you enter this realm, there is no turning back.

Dare to venture into the realm of Thai dark tales?

STILL

THAI

WHISPERS

Colin Devonshire

Published by Dark-Novels

STILL THAI WHISPERS

A Dark-Novels book.

ISBN:

Printed in USA, UK and Thailand

Copyright @Colin Devonshire 2024

The right of Colin Devonshire to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Condition of Sale

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. This also applies to ebooks.

Text set in 12pt Palatino.

Contents

Story 1: Kith and Kin

Story 2: Happy New What?

Story 3: The Package

Story 4: River of Jewels

Story 5: One Star

Story 6: We Need Rain

Story 7: What A View

Story 8: Red Lipstick, Green Bananas

Story 9: Beach Work

Story 10: Siamese Feast

Story 11: Songkhla Beach

Story 12: Thumbs Up

Story 13: After Work

Story 14: Torched

Story 15: Really?

Story 16: The Gifts

Story 17: Only In Bangkok

Story 18: Big Al

Story 19: Jet Pee Nong

Story 20: Is Everything Ready?

Story 21: Are You There?

Story 22: Do You Call That Fun?

Story 23: Deadly Head-Trip

Story 24: Pointed Fence

Story 25: Where

Story 26: Did You Hear?

Story 27: Change

Story 28: Ta

Story 29: Snowed-In

Story 30: Solid

Story 31: Jam Dai

Story 32: First Boyfriend

Story 33: Phu Ying

Story 34: Here I Am

Story 35: Tea Junction

Story 36: What Will?

Story 37: And You Said

Story 38: See You Later

Story 39: Twisted Fate

Story 40: Dad’s Gone

Story 41: Hla

Story 42: Found   

Story 43: School’s Out

Story 44: Just Dreaming

Story 45: Golden Boy

Story 46: I Don’t Know Why?

Story 47: To Have A Choice

Story 48: Glorious Food

Story 49: Mirror Mirror

Story 50: Before Yesterday

Kith And Kin

SHE TOOK A deep breath and said to her boss, 'I quit!'

'But you just begged me for a raise,' said Travel Tim.

'Yes, and I thanked you. Now I want to see the world,' Tina was panting. Her managing director thought she was about to have another fit.

'Sit down and relax; please don't get worked up.'

Tina took a gulp of tea, swept her hair away from her overlarge glasses and started a three-minute monologue. She then smiled at him.

'I am sorry to let you go, but as you've explained at length, great length, that you are fed up with booking other folk's holidays, you want to take one yourself. Correct?'

'Yes.'

'How about we extend your leave?'

'No, thank you,' she stammered. 'I want to feel free.'

'Fine, and I understand that; what about your epilepsy?'

'I have pills for that.'

'What about last week?' he asked.

'I forgot to take them, that's all.'

'You forgot them and...?'

'Okay, I was dealing with a difficult customer.'

'And?'

'Don't go on, I had my period, and yes, I had a hangover, okay?'

Tim puffed, 'Where are you planning to go?'

'I've worked here for three years and have not set foot on a plane,' she started with another long speech; Tim cut it short.

'So, France? Spain? Maybe Italy?'

'No, Thailand!' she beamed.

She worked her month's notice and set off to Heathrow. Tim and her Mum went to see her off.

The flight was twelve hours, and the time difference was confusing. Her mobile phone calculator was needed to judge her medicine timing.

'Oh, bollocks to it,' she said as she swallowed the pills.

The elderly Thai lady beside her looked puzzled, 'Are you okay, my dear,' she asked.

'Oh, sorry, yes, fine, thanks; I've never felt better,' smiled Tina.

They didn't stop talking until they reached Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport; when they bumped onto the tarmac, they were best of friends.

'Forget hotels; they are so expensive. Come and stay with me,' Khunying Far offered.

The Thai Air staff were polite and efficient to Tina but fell over themselves when aiding her neighbour, not just because she was in her seventies.

For all the chitchat on the Jumbo, the kindly Thai had failed to mention that Khunying is a Thai title much like Lady in the UK.

The immigration queue was longer than Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. Tina gasped.

'Come with me,' Khunying Far signalled.

Ten minutes later, with a Mercedes saloon waiting outside, a polite "wai" greeted them as the rear doors opened.

'This is Khun Daa, my driver. He is yours to use when needed. Can I suggest we skip a Bangkok tour? I'm tired; we'll go to my home in Hua Hin?' asked Khunying Far.

'Yes, of course. How far is Hua Hin?' She knew from the travel brochures it could take three hours.

Both ladies dozed in the luxurious German leather. She was sleeping most of the way south. As excited as she was, Tina's head dropped before leaving the city.

'Nearly home,' nudged Khunying Far as they skirted the seaside town of Cha-Am.

'Oh, it's gorgeous; everyone is smiling,' said Tina.

'The weather helps, unlike London,' her companion said, smiling. 'You must be hungry?'

'Are we stopping?'

'No, dear, what would you like?'

'Oh, I don't know, something Thai?' answered Tina.

Khunying Far chatted on her mobile.

Khun Daa took the bags to the bedrooms. A middle-aged woman came out to help him.

'This is Pi Yah; she can help you find anything you need, towels, etcetera,' said Khunying Far.

'Can I wash and brush up before we eat?' asked Tina.

'Of course, take your time. Don't forget your medication.'

Much refreshed, Tina studied her room. The house appeared old and made of teakwood, polished planks on the floors, painted in creams and light browns elsewhere.

'Gorgeous, like a dream house,' breathed Tina as she moved to the open windows. 'Oh my, look at the view!'

Below her window was a sandy lawn with rocks dividing small rose gardens leading to a low wall. Beyond were a handful of fishing boats gently bobbing on the waves.

'This is heavenly,' thought Tina as she planned her first email to her Mum.

There was a tap at the door.

Pi Yah pointed downstairs, 'Can you speak English?' asked Tina.

A lost look was her answer. Tina followed her to the dining room.

Aromas met her as the door opened.

'Come in; Yah is a superb cook; I think you'll agree?'

'It looks and smells wonderful. What is it?' asked Tina.

'My favourite, green chicken curry. I hope you like it. Yah always cooks this dish if I've been away.'

Pi Yah backed away through an open door on the far side of the room. Tina sat down and copied her hostess, using a spoon and fork to attack the feast.

The woman heard a car on the gravel. Then cutlery dropped behind them.

'Khaw mah, chan ja pai noow!' said Pi Yah.

'Pai, pai,' signalled Khunying Far, flapping her arms. The driver took his wife, the maid, home.

The front door opened and slammed against the wall. An immaculately dressed man burst in, firing words like splinters from a rotary saw.

'This is my son,' said Khunying Far.

He spotted Tina, halted his torrent of Thai, staring at her, and then turned into the gallant charmer he could be when needed.

'Oh, hello, who are you?' he said in accentless English.

'Hello, I'm Tina,' she stammered.

The man stared at his mother.

'Meet Khun James. As you've seen, he scares away my staff, and I'm sure he'll try to scare you too.'

'Not me, Mother; I would never scare a friend of yours, especially one so beautiful.'

Tina blushed and wished she could hide behind her glasses.

'What do you want, James?'

'Can I eat? I'm sure your cook would have added something if she knew I was coming,' he laughed, reaching for a plate. 'I want what I'm due, that's all. And I'm not talking about food.'

Tina thought she should leave, slid her chair back, 'I'll go to my room if you're having a family discussion.'

'Stay where you are; I want you to see James at his worst.'

Tina hid behind her spoon, shrivelling.

'Mother dearest, you know this is my house. I've offered to allow you to live here. But I want what is mine.'

'Dearest son, I could not live in the same house as you, here or elsewhere. That is the end of the discussion.'

'I am not prepared to wait for you to die and bequeath it to me.'

A smirk turned into a giggle, then a full belly laugh.

'What is so funny?' asked James.

'I have willed this house to a dog's charity. All the ownerless beach dogs can live out their lives in peace,' she roared with laughter.

'But you can't,' stammered James.

'Can and have,' stated his mother.

'Show me the will.'

'You can see it when I die,' she snorted.

James grabbed the serving spoon, pulled his mother's short hair backwards, and thrust the cutlery into his mother's stretched jaw.

Tina, frozen to the chair, stared at the nightmare scene. Looking around for a weapon, finding nothing, she took the curry bowl from the centre of the table in both hands and crashed it against his head. Curry splattered everywhere, but the china was not strong enough to stop him in his mad quest. It burst into shards. He turned and grabbed Tina's throat and squeezed. Khunying Far, choking and coughing, fought to clear the spoon from her mouth. She ran to the kitchen behind her and pulled open the first drawer. Grabbing a cleaver, she turned and plunged it into her son's unprotected back. He arched and screamed in agony, stretching backwards as he dislodged the steel. Kneeling, he stared with unfocused eyes, 'Why mother?' he croaked. 'Everyone thinks you are perfect, but I know better. I remember what happened to Dad.'

He collapsed forward and bled to death.

Tina, coughing and panting, started shaking from head to toe. Khunying Far had seen somewhere that people suffering a fit could swallow their tongues. She knelt next to Tina, pushed on her side, then grabbed the cleaver and, using the rounded corner of the spine, she gently forced her teeth open, pressing the tongue down. Slowly the tension lifted; the woman relaxed and began thinking.

She removed the blade, tipped Tina onto her back, and then poked the tongue down Tina's throat using the cleaver's handle. Now there were no witnesses.

She considered burying the bodies in the garden next to her husband.

'No, too much like hard work; I'm not as young as I once was,' she smiled.

She hunted for her phone, 'Police, please,' she said with a quivering voice.

Before two minutes had passed, she heard wheels on her gravel.

'Thank God you've come,' she said, showing the officers through. They showed Khunying the respect she deserved and then finished their task.

'I was dressing for dinner upstairs; we planned a lovely meal, and my wonderful son would introduce me to his new girlfriend. Then I heard shouting and screaming. I rushed down to this...' she collapsed in tears.

The END

Happy New What?

'H APPY NEW YEAR!' he shouted from the hole in the broken glass of the 30th-floor condo window. Fireworks exploded below; rockets screeched around. His sarcasm was wasted on the heavy Bangkok air.

He turned and saw her stooped, broken and bent across the dining chair, knees on the carpet, stomach and chest flattened on the seat, her head hung as if watching her thighs under the cushioned seat. Her long, dark hair dragged on the ground. Her slim arms pinned her ears, wrists bent, one hand clutching at something hidden in her palm.

Three hours earlier, she looked gorgeous, with newly trimmed hair, minimal make-up, and thin strings of gold earrings that almost touched her shoulders; they matched the skinny chain hanging loosely around her shapely throat. To say her neckline plunged was like stating a dolphin dived. The dolphin did not quite reach the waistline of her painted-on miniskirt. Black and glistening, as were her high heels, almost competing with the skyline of her condo.

Bangkok had allowed drinking until 1 a.m. This party would dance and consume as long as they wished. The only police here were acting as security. COVID had closed Thailand's bars, but tonight was New Year's Night. Tonight was party night. Not that it mattered in Gingging's life; she could party whenever, wherever she wished. And she did. An admirer had gifted her a top-of-the-world condo; she loved it. The address to live in, a bubbling home for the rich and hope-to-be-famous gang.

'Come on, let's dance,' asked Ruben. He dragged her away from a clutch of clucking females who breathed in her every comment.

Ruben was Ging's latest boyfriend; he had done well, still with her, lasting over a month.

'Yeah, Ruby baby, let's burn up the floor,' she breathed in his ear. 'And then later?'

'We must hear the chimes at midnight with everybody; then I'm all yours.'

The ear-shattering hip-hop tunes blasted out by the hottest new band on Bangkok's club scene. The owners of the condo block hated it, but they were not here, and they would do anything to get trendy, newly affluent young buyers and encourage their friends to join them with a unit.

The cellar club was so well soundproofed that the screeching Mercedes wheels in the car park on the floor below could not hear the pounding above the electric sunroof.

Three hundred of Bangkok's bright young things had begged or bribed their tickets for tonight's year-ending bash. Pop stars, movie actors and YouTube influencers wanted to be seen. So Channel 7 interviewed some well-known faces for a live link to television and smartphone screens of the I Wish brigade.

Ruben and Gingging hugged like pandas to trees. Smiles and cheeky winks sparkled. Their legs moved in time with each other, tapping and skipping, fast or slow, as if controlled by a computer. The watching females smiled and clapped; the men could not remove their eyes from the low-cut black and silver top. But, if Ging knew of the effect she was having, she pretended not to.

Ruben's golden locks flicked and bobbed across his unshaven face, his tightly buttoned shirt showed his sculptured physique and his straight tan strides ended with handmade loafers. TV's Channel Seven did not harm his modelling career. 

A glow from Apple's latest mobile vibrated on a golden cord that hung next to Ging's left breast. She pulled apart from Ruben, covering the screen, holding up an index finger, mouthing 'just a sec', then spotted the message. In a minute. Her face changed as if a fiery dragon had swooped on the dancers.

Precisely sixty seconds later, 'Excuse me, ma'am, a gentleman sent this for you,' said the top and tails server, handing across a flute of champagne. An unseen slip of paper passed hands as they briefly touched.

Ruben's collar suddenly warmed; what had he spotted? Then he saw Ging peak at the hand-written note. It was impossible to read in the flashing strobe, especially as she didn't want her beau to see it.

'Just going for a pee,' she said. Striding between dancers as they moved aside. The exit doorway gave her the light she needed.

See you upstairs! it said.

She rushed to the lift.

Ruben sat alone, not for long; he glanced at his watch, eleven-fifty.

'Bloody women, I suppose she's checking her lipstick?' he murmured.

'Drinks and glasses ready?' asked the DJ. 'The countdown starts in five minutes.'

Ruben stamped and marched to the restrooms. Peering up and down the corridor.

'What's this,' he picked up a scrap of paper from the otherwise pristine floor.

'See you upstairs,' he read. 'Not if I see you first!'

He pushed the floor button hard enough to puncture the steel.

'Come on,' he shouted at numbers. He was, once more, checking his watch. Eleven-fifty-eight, he ran to her open door.

Chimes around Bangkok rang out; rockets took off, and rainbows of colours lit the city sky.

A different glow caught Ruben's eye. He ran to the broken window, and tiny red and white dots turned and disappeared towards Silom Road.

'What the f...'

He turned and crunched broken shards of glass. Looking around, he saw Ging crumpled as if hugging the chair seat.

He was pulling her back and hugging her tightly.

'Oh, my God. Ging...' he shook her fiercely.

Blood spurted from a gaping hole in her stomach. The spurt became a pump. Pints of sticky, warm fluid swamped his arms.

'Oh my God,' he repeated, gently laying her down and hunting his phone. He banged in emergency numbers. And he sweated.

He rushed to the doorway, grabbed the condo phone, and screamed for help. Then, running back, thoughts crashed into his head.

She was not breathing, no pulse. Nothing.

He spotted her right hand holding a scrunched paper in a tight ball, her left hand flat open.

Gently, he tried to prise her rigid fingers open; gradually, he eased a hand-written note free.

Look out the window; you will see my Christmas gift to myself. I may feel like a drone in your life. You will feel the drone in my life. Happy New Year!

The END

The Package

‘T HERE’S A DELIVERY guy here asking for you,' Chok Dii called up the stairs.

'Sign for it, can you? I'm tired,' Dan shouted.

'No, you must, he said.'

'Oh, all right, I'm coming.'

Dan covered his boxer shorts with a towel picked from the bathroom floor.

A man in a green uniform looked him up and down.

'Khun Dan?'

'Yeah, what do you want? My passport?'

'Sign here, please.'

Dan grunted, scribbled his name, and threw the small but neatly wrapped box to the sofa through the living room door. He stomped up the stairs, dropped his towel, and slumped onto the bed.

'Aren't you going to open it?' His girlfriend asked.

There was no answer. She picked it up and shook it gently. She was studying his typed name and address. Noticing the back had no return address.

'It had better not be from that tart in his favourite bar.'

She shook it harder, no clue. 

The temptation was great, 'Dare I?' she asked herself. She fingered the sticky tape but couldn't tear it back without ruining the paper wrapping.

'I need my scalpel and fresh tape; then he'll never know.' She checked for sounds upstairs before going to the kitchen.

Armed with the razor, she slipped the blade along the paper joins. Gently, she prised it open. Under the paper was a vacuum-sealed pink container. There was no way she could open it without giving the game away.

'Unless he doesn't know about this container?' she thought. 'Then I can see what's in there. Repacking it perfectly, no one will know.'

Her phone vibrated as it sang.

'Not now, I'm busy.' She looked to see who the caller was. Name withheld. 'Who the hell?'

Then, a message, 'Do not open it. I won't hear of it!'

She trembled as she hastily taped the package again.

'Good as new.' Gently replacing it as she found it.

'Wake up, you lazy git. I must know what's in it and who it's from?' She mumbled to herself.

The kettle popped, and she made two mugs of coffee and took them upstairs.

'Wakey wakey, sleepyhead,' she said as she delivered the drink.

'I'm still sleeping,' he said, twisting and turning away from her.

They had been together for exactly one year that day.

'Remember last year?' she asked.

'Yeah, of course. You had just started running your market stall, selling fake football shirts. How could I forget.'

'And you came by wearing a real one.'

'Yes, my favourite Spurs shirt,' he smiled.

'You were with your blondie girlfriend.'

'Then, I returned alone with a gift for you.'

'The shirt, your best shirt and ideas for my stall, genuine Premier League football kits.'

'Yes, my great idea worked well. Get the tourist drunk and offer him a wager, his real shirt against my 1,000 Baht note, in an unbeatable bet.' He snorted at the memory. 'And low and betide our great little market stall started with real shirts. And pays the rent here.'

'Yes, and we fell in love, and here we are with our own house,' she grinned.

'The best year of my life, really, I mean it. Now let me sleep,' Dan asked.

'What happened to your girlfriend?'

'She got a taxi. Now, can I sleep?'

'What about your coffee? It's getting cold.'

'Okay, okay, no peace for the wicked,' he groaned.

'Don't forget you have a present.'

'What makes you think it's a gift?'

'Oh, I don't know.'

'Is it for our first anniversary?' he asked.

'I didn't send it. But I wonder who did?'

He sensed jealousy creeping into the conversation.

'Come on, let's open it together.' So he didn't worry about the towel for this trip downstairs.

'Don't forget your coffee,' she grinned.

He tore off the paper and raised his eyebrows at the inner packing.

Her phone's do not message rang around her head, making her desperate to see deeper.

The pink plastic container