My Moon, Chapter 16 pg 3
My Moon, Chapter 16 pg 3
Hic...
Klaijai let his heart silently wail in the movie theater for a while. His friend Moon’s warnings were no exaggeration—this horror movie was terrifying. Barely into the story, there were already several jump-scare moments that nearly sent him into shock. The booming sound effects alone were frightening enough, but Klaijai also flinched at the audience’s screams, which erupted even before the ghost appeared on screen.
The movie wasn’t even halfway through, yet Klaijai kept asking himself why he was there. Why was he forcing himself to endure this? And when the fear became too much to bear, when he couldn’t bring himself to look at the massive screen—knowing that a creepy doll ghost would soon appear—Klaijai turned to the person beside him, holding his hand.
And then Klaijai found his answer: the reason he endured the doll ghost’s jump scares...
“Pretty damn scary,” Panli whispered softly while watching the movie, showing no signs of fear or shock. Sometimes, he squeezed his hand a bit harder because he flinched a little too much.
When the terrifying sound effects roared again, Klai hugged the popcorn bucket, which was already more than half empty. Earlier, when Klai jumped in fright, the popcorn spilled all over the floor.
At that moment… Klai was super embarrassed.
He secretly noticed Panli holding back laughter.
But Panli comforted him by grabbing some popcorn from the bucket and feeding it to him.
“You okay, KhunKlai?”
“I’m fine, I’m still good,” he said, though truthfully… he was barely hanging on. But leaving the theater now would make his first movie experience hilariously memorable. Klai needed to tough it out to impress Moon.
At that moment, a strong hand let go of his, and a sturdy arm wrapped around his shoulders. Panli pulled him closer, his large hand gently rubbing his shoulder to comfort him. Klai shut his eyes tightly, certain the creepy doll was about to appear. And then, Panli rested his chin lightly on his head.
“I almost believed KhunKlai was good at watching horror movies.”
“…”
“If I’d known you were this scared… I wouldn’t have picked this movie.”
“It’s fine, Panli,” he replied, eyes still closed.
Moon chuckled softly before saying, “You sure you’re okay? Wanna leave the theater?”
“I’m still good.”
But as soon as he finished speaking, a deafening sound effect and the screams of others in the theater made Klai jump so hard his little heart felt like it was yanked out and tossed around by the creepy doll. He let out a whimper, causing Moon to burst into unrestrained laughter.
“KhunKlai, you’re done, aren’t you?”
Klai looked up at Panli, who was smirking, and swallowed hard. “Uh, Panli… I will admit it. I’m really scared of ghosts.”
“Yep, I believe you now.”
“But I want to watch movies with Panli, and I want to get used to watching all kinds of movies. Like, if Panli likes horror movies in the future, I want to be able to watch them with you. But now I know…”
“Let’s get out of here, okay? You don’t have to keep enduring this.”
“But I still…”
“If you can’t finish watching, it’s fine. I care more about Khun Klai’s feelings than the movie,” Moon said, gently stroking his cheek with one hand. “This movie must be even scarier than that. Even I, who’s not afraid of ghosts, think it’s creepy. How can KhunKlai, who’s terrified of ghosts, handle it?”
“…”
“And you’ll have to go back to your condo alone. Even if you close your eyes the whole time, you’ll still remember the sounds haunting you.”
“But I want to keep trying…” Klai didn’t want his fear to ruin their first movie date. So, he decided to face the horror of the haunted doll a bit longer.
“Then I’ll help you,” Moon said.
Klai wasn’t sure how Panli would help him overcome his fear, but he trusted he’d get through it. Slowly, Klai opened his eyes to the big screen, covering them during some moments. When a daytime scene brought some light into the theater, he let out a relieved sigh, though the movie’s atmosphere remained eerie.
Klai hugged the popcorn bucket tightly with both arms. The sound effects started to build suspense, and in the next moment, a large hand moved to shield his eyes from the terrifying scene. Klai looked up at Moon, who didn’t take his eyes off the screen. Sensing he was being watched, Moon whispered softly, “I bet something’s about to jump out and scare us.”
“…”
“Once this part’s over, I’ll move my hand, okay?”
A sweet smile appeared amidst the creepy atmosphere. Klai nodded, though he knew Moon, focused on the movie, couldn’t see his response. And true to his word, the overly dedicated ghost appeared, startling the audience into screams. Even Klai jumped at the loud sound effects, causing a bit of popcorn to spill from the bucket.
But it was a bearable kind of fear.
“The ghost is gone. You can look now,” Moon said.
Because Moon was always there to protect him.
“Thanks, puppy,” Klai said.
“You’re welcome,” Moon replied.
Panli glanced away from the big screen for a moment, flashing a bright smile. At that moment, Klai was certain that Moon’s smile could chase away all the fear in his heart.
Only you, Sasin Pisut, could do that.
😊
“Wow, you ate so much popcorn,” Moon teased.
The smaller figure, clutching the nearly empty popcorn bucket, sighed softly. “Don’t tease me, puppy.”
“Sorry, puppy won’t tease KhunKlai anymore.”
Moon didn’t tease with words, but the chuckle in his throat still made Klai feel embarrassed. Klai wanted to dump the remaining salty popcorn from the bucket, put the empty bucket over his head, and walk through the mall. He wasn’t shy about others—just shy around Panli.
Passing a trash can, he quickly tossed the entire popcorn bucket. Klai wasn’t going to hold onto it and let Panli tease him anymore.
“Are you still scared, KhunKlai?”
“Not anymore.” By the time the movie ended, Klai had recited several prayers. Not to ward off the ghost doll, but to pray he’d survive until the movie was over.
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