We all followed the plan immediately, although we were quite hesitant, wondering if what we were doing was really the right thing to do. However, the most effective and quickest way to spread the word would be through a viral campaign, so I asked Mawin to post about the ghost on Pantip, without mentioning the name of the hotel, but giving the location and other details that would make it clear that it was our hotel.
To make it more realistic, I had to argue with Mawin, as if we were acting, saying that it would damage our reputation, and we would also go ahead with the plan of announcing that 'whoever managed to take a picture of the ghost would receive twenty thousand baht'.
At first, the bets were not as popular as we had hoped, but some people started to stay, especially those who wanted to test the story. As expected, we all created a story from the beginning on the Pantip forum, saying that when we entered the hotel, we would see three-colored ribbons tied to trees and offerings, but in reality all of that was to feed the stray cats in the area, since there had never been a ghost.
And, of course, I take photos of aunt, who worked as a cleaner. Take a black and white photo and put it on the hotel stairs, without any caption, so that the guests would understand that she had already died.
"If Auntie Nêe sees this, won't she get mad? Have you told her why you took the photo?"
"I just said I wanted to take the photo to decorate the hotel. Don't worry, she's old, she'll soon rest." 😅
"In!"
Arun patted my arm, looking a little uncomfortable, before crossing her arms, as if she was scared.
"But Auntie's photo is really scary."
"If that's enough to scare her, then scaring the guests won't be a problem either."
"Isn't that deceiving people?"
"I'm not fooling anyone. I told you there's no ghost here. Those who come, come to see for themselves. And as for the aunt's photo, I just put it there... What else could I do? There's no other option. Since the hotel is going to have a ghost, let's do it right."
But just telling the story still wasn't causing enough buzz. There needed to be proof that could be shared, so I came up with a trick.
Since the guests were curious, I didn't charge the special rate for the first few nights; I wanted to get people talking sooner. On the first night, I asked Arun to stay in the lobby, while Janephop was tasked waiting for the cleaning aunt at night to help with some chores. Mawin and I followed the plan: we placed incense sticks outside and did our best to let the smoke come in through the fan.
"Do you think it'll work? And with all that smoke, won't people think it's fire and not a ghost?"
"No, enough for the incense smell is what matters... Oh, wait a minute."
I smiled when I see it's Janephop calling.
"Did you bring her? You can ask Auntie deliver the meal to room and tell her it's a house chore. Remember to tell Auntie Nêe not to smile."
After hanging up, Mawin, who had been listening closely, looked at me with a doubtful expression.
"Why did you forbid her from smiling?"
"Because I've never seen a ghost smile."
"Have you ever seen a ghost?"
Suddenly, I felt a chill as I remembered the times in Phuket with Arun BekFah. ManU's face appeared in my mind and I quickly tried to push the thought away.
"Let's just say ghosts don't smile."
"And do ghosts cry?"
"I don't know, who cares? You ask too many questions, are you wondering if you die soon?"
