Thirty-Three Teeth

The Man Who Ripped Off His Own Head

Dtui awoke face-down. The scent of Breeze laundry detergent filled her nostrils. Her other senses were slower to come around. A fluffy white kitten lay some two feet from her head. It had no visible legs or face.

She couldn’t feel her own tongue in her mouth, so she knew the medication was strong. She didn’t want to begin to imagine what pain it was covering or what parts she might be missing. She just basked for a minute or two in the state of being alive.

The side of her face felt flat against the pillow, as if it had been there for an eternity. But no amount of willpower would convince her head to change its position. So she looked sideways at the familiar room through eyes gummy with the emissions of sleep.

There was nothing to distinguish one of Mahosot’s private rooms from another. They all had the same Wattay blue walls, one traditional Lao print of an elephant, a year-old Thai plowing calendar, and a window too high up to see out of. She’d spent many hours in these rooms before her morgue career, but never in a bed. She felt a little like royalty-very sore, immobile royalty.

The kitten stirred. Growing out of its bottom were a small nose, a mouth, and two very green eyes that seemed to take some time to realize Dtui was staring back.

“Dtui?”

“Hello.”

She sounded like a crocodile.

Siri was truly delighted. His neck was stiff from falling asleep during his watch again, but he clapped his hands and touched her numb cheek with the tips of his fingers. His smile made her feel important.

“Well, it’s about time,” he said. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t.”

Siri reached down below the sheet.

“Hey. What are you doing down there?”

She tried to smile but dribbled instead. Siri retrieved her arm and took her pulse.

“You have no more secrets from me, I’m afraid, Nurse Dtui.”

Pleased with the pulse count, he took a tissue from the roll and wiped her mouth and eyes.

“Why am I face-down?”

“Most of your wounds are on your back. Do you remember what happened?”

In fact she did. Most of it remained clear in her mind, although she would have preferred otherwise.

“I was dragged, and …”

“And beaten.”

“Dr. Siri?”

“Yes?”

“Did he … mess with me?”

“No. Not at all.”

“That’s good.”

She may have managed a smile. Siri may still have been talking. But she was soon unconscious again.

She swooned back into the room several more times that day. On one occasion, a big grinning Mr. Geung was leaning over her, encouraging her to stay awake, saying something about disinfectant prices.

On another, she may have been entertaining a flock of white-uniformed nursing students.

One more time, Civilai sat reading a report, making pencil notes in the margins.

The last time, it was dark but for a covered lamp on the table beside her. Siri slept in the corner of the room on an unlikely hospital reclining deck chair. She’d used up all her sleep, so had nothing to occupy her time other than reliving her demon. Now was the moment when she could either box him away in a dusty corner of her psyche and let him rattle from time to time, or exorcise him and let herself get on with life.

The night ticked on painfully slowly. The doctor slept with a crafty smile on his lips. She wondered what moment he was reliving in his dream, what happy time was revisiting him from the past. But she needed him awake.

“Dr. Siri. Dr. Siri.”

The poor man was disoriented. He’d had a full day at the morgue: an accidental double shooting at the army training ground. Half-awake, he remembered where he was, hurried over to Dtui and took her wrist.

“You’re doing very well,” he said, swaying slightly.

“Will I live?”

“A lot longer than me. You really are an amazingly resilient young thing.”

“Siri, what’s happened to my mom?”

He blushed. “Ah, yes. That.”

“Doc?”

“Well, she’s moved in with me.”

“You don’t waste any time, do you? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine now. She’s very relieved that you pulled through.”

“How bad was I?”

“The first three days, we weren’t sure you’d make it.”

“Damn.”

“You’d lost a lot of blood.”

“I’ve been here longer than three days?”

“Dtui, it’s April 10th. You’ve been here well over three weeks. It’s almost Lao New Year.”

“God, how am I ever going to afford …? I can’t pay for all this and ma, and …”

He smiled and shook his head.

“No. Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t believe how well things have worked out on that front. I’ll tell you all about it later. The bills are taken care of.”

Siri spent some time looking at Dtui’s wounds and doing a few basic tests.

“Doc, I’m sorry I woke you up. I wanted to talk about it.”

“We will.”

“No, I mean now. I need to verbalize it. I really think the sooner I get it all out of my system, the better.”

“It could be quite draining. Are you sure you’re strong enough?”

“I’m wide awake and pumping.”

“Then talk away. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to solving this last little mystery. It’s been driving me nutty.”

He pulled over the straight-back chair from the desk and sat beside her with his hand on hers.

“Uncle Civilai told me about the tunnels.”

“What made you think of looking underground?”

“There’s this old lady at the slum. People call her a witch ‘cause she knows all about these old traditions and uses herbal potions. I went to ask her about the weretiger. She told me about the caves and the holes down into the other world. As no witnesses had come forward to say they’d seen the creature, it seemed logical that it was in hiding. But there aren’t that many places above ground you can hide in a city like Vientiane.

“I didn’t plan to go down there and be some Wonder Woman character, honestly I didn’t. I hate confined spaces. Even our room at the shanty gives me the willies. I just went down to take a look, really. I didn’t have any evidence, you see? I had nothing to prove he was down there. So I went to see if it was likely, or even possible. I opened the slab and went down to the bottom of the ladder and flashed my light down the tunnel. I called out, ‘Anyone down here?’

“There was no answer. I didn’t hear any sounds. There was no way in Hades I was about to go down that tunnel. So I was just climbing back up the ladder when this big shadow comes over me and bang, something smashes me over the head.

“I came to and he’s got my flashlight and he’s dragging me through the tunnel by the wrist just like I don’t weigh anything. I was dizzy, but I struggled and screamed and he gave me another thump with the butt of the flashlight. He was incredibly strong. It was a sort of superhuman strength.”

“You knew who it was straight away?”

“Dr. Vansana had described Mr. Seua to me. The physical description was the same, but this wasn’t the sociable, likable fellow the doctor knew from Don Thao: this was a maniac. I tried to talk to him, calm him down, but I knew something had snapped.

“He left me somewhere in the tunnel and went off with the light. That was worse than the violence: the dark. Siri, I’ve never been so scared. I was drowsy from the blow and bloody from all the dragging. And it was so completely black, I was just left with my thoughts.”

“I know exactly how you felt.”

“He came back once or twice with stray dog carcasses and squirrels. He’d sit in front of me in the lamplight and rip them apart with his teeth and eat them raw. I’ve seen some disgusting things in my life, but that beat ‘em all.

“Even then, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew about the victims and the tooth marks. But he was a man, a big powerful man but still a man. I supposed at some stage he’d turn into a weretiger once his blood tank was full, and I’d be his next victim. I was convinced when the moon rose, I’d get to witness the change.”

Siri took a tissue from the roll and dabbed at the tears that streamed down her face into the pillow.

“Thanks. I had my watch then and I kept thinking about the moon. I knew if I had any chance to escape, it would have to be before midnight. When he was with me he’d beat me, slap me cruelly, for no reason. I was already very weak but I knew there’d only be one chance. He went off once with the light and I mustered all my strength and headed into the blackness in the opposite direction. I believe my nerves had shut off the pain by then. I could barely feel my legs but fear drove me on.

“I don’t know how long I staggered. There was nowhere to hide. I didn’t know where I was going, but I prayed I’d come to a way out. Then there was a light. I was so happy that in my feverous state, I believed I’d been rescued. I looked through the beam, and there was Seua’s bloodied mouth snarling at me.

“That was the beating that finished me off. I only remember one more thing after that, waking up to an unbelievable sight. Even now I’m not sure whether I dreamed it, but it seemed so real.”

“Describe it to me in detail.”

“Well, the flashlight was on the ground shining directly at Seua. He’d changed since I’d last seen him. Not the metamorphosis type of change, I mean he’d changed his clothes. I realized what had happened. There was no weretiger, not in the physical sense, but he had this secret identity he could change into.

“He had this fur. Who knows what type of animal-or animals-it was from. It was tied around his body with ropes. It was on his arms and legs too. And there was a hood. That was made of fur as well, black fur with eyeholes cut out of it. He was pretty well covered, but I could tell it was him from the way he moved.

“On the back of his left hand, strapped there, was a paw. I assumed it was a real animal paw with the claws extended over his fingers. If he’d clenched his fist it would have made a frightening weapon. I can’t believe how clear that all was, how much I remember from those few seconds. On the ground at his feet was the jawbone of another animal, or the same animal. The teeth were really sharp. I got the feeling he’d dropped it. I don’t know how it fitted in with the rest of the costume at all.

“I became fixated with whatever it was that was happening to Seua. It was incredible. Something had certainly got into him, or into his hood. He was ripping at it with both hands in panic as if some insect or rat or something had crawled inside it. He pulled it off and the claw accidentally raked over his face. It left this deep fast-bleeding wound across his eye.

“But removing the hood didn’t seem to get rid of the problem, Doc. It even made it worse. He was slapping at his head like whatever had been in his hood was now inside his skull. I was amazed. He took a run, full speed and head first, at the side of the tunnel. Just like that. As if it was someone else’s head he was throwing at the wall. It didn’t work. He smashed his head again, then grabbed his ears.

“Dr. Siri, it was like he was trying to wrestle his own head off his shoulders. And the Lord Buddha protect me if he didn’t do it. He stood there over me, wrenched at his head with both hands, and snapped his own neck. He almost pulled it clean off. It just flopped down like a puppet’s.

“I screamed. I remember that much. Then I was out of it. I was swirling around in nightmare-land till I woke up today and saw your fluffy white head on my bed.”

“That was the day before yesterday.”

“I’m not surprised.”

All the while, Siri had been mopping up both their tears with a hand towel. Now, as soon as she was done with her story, the tears stopped and she smiled. She wasn’t purged of her demon, but he would be easier to control now.

“All this time, I’ve been worried I was wrong with the autopsy,” Siri said. “It didn’t make any sense. Who, in any state of mind, would be able to twist off his own head? I had to assume you or some other person had done it. But there was no evidence on his body that he’d been in a fight.

“The scratches were clearly from his weapon. The blood on his face matched that on the wall. He died from a broken neck, and I could convince nobody, not even myself, that he was the one who did it.”

“Well, he did, Doc. I’m a sorry witness to that. Did you get anything else at the autopsy?”

“The claw and the jaw bone were both from a real tiger, and they match the marks we copied from the bodies. God knows where he got them. He’d set up this complicated grip on the jaw so he could use it like a glove puppet. He’d wear it on his hand and he could really bite with it. It must have been confusing for him that he didn’t really materialize into the weretiger he believed he was.

“The fur was one more example of how much time went into this secret identity you mentioned. It was sewn together painstakingly from the pelts of all those animals I found in the pit: dogs, cats, possums, anything he could lay his hands on. He must have spent all the time between his release and the full moon to set it up.

“There were nodule growths on his brain: small tumors. I’m ashamed to say they meant nothing to me. It’s all a bit beyond my humble field of expertise. I have no idea what they mean, but I’m not counting out one theory I heard that night. There might be a connection between the moon’s energy when it’s full and the electrical impulses in the brain. It could explain the rapid change in his personality.

“I’ve taken samples of everything. When you go to Russia, you can take them with you, find yourself a good-looking young forensic scientist, and follow up on this for your thesis.”

“Yes. Dream On, I and II.”

“Not necessarily. The next exams are at the end of May. Given what you’ve done already, I don’t see why you shouldn’t get through those easily enough.”

“They wouldn’t even let me sit.”

“Your name’s already on the roster.”

“How the hell did you swing that?”

“They’re desperate for people with a basic grasp of Russian.” “How did you know …? Has my mom been engaging in pillow talk?”

“Don’t be vulgar, girl. Nothing improper is going on between your mother and me … or Mr. Inthanet.” “Jesus, is he still here?”

“I can’t get him to go home. But I must say, my house is a lot more palatable with other people in it. I don’t feel quite so much like a dowager duchess in her castle. The old fellow’s stepping out with my next-door neighbor.”

“Not the creepy guy from Oudom Xay?”

“No. Dear Mr. Soth moved out under mysterious circumstances. I came home one evening to find him and his family and all their furniture gone. I mean the other neighbor, my own Miss Vong.”

“Vong and Inthanet? You must be joking.”

“Not at all. They appear to be getting along very nicely, and it does keep her out of my hair.”

“Are they, you know, performing together?”

“Dtui. No. It’s all very proper. They go for motorbike rides down to the river, hold hands listening to her traditional tapes in the back garden.”

“How sweet.”

“I think it was all a bit too sickening for my dog.”

“Saloop?”

“He’s left home.”

“I thought you two were inseparable.”

“Obviously not. I think he’s found himself a-”

“Siri.”

“What is it?”

He hurried across to check her pipes and wires.

“I saw him. I saw Saloop.”

“Where?”

“That day. That day in the tunnel when I came around. It completely went out of my head till you mentioned him. He was just sitting, watching Seua run amok.”

“You sure you didn’t add him later, in your dreams?”

“No. ‘Cause when I saw him, I remember wondering whether you were around, too. I guessed you’d come looking and brought Saloop with you.”

“He wasn’t with me.”

“And you didn’t see him?”

“No. When I got the flashlight working, I saw the aftermath of the scene you just described, but with one addition. There was an old lady-I mean the spirit of the same old lady that came to our office often when you two had gone home.”

“You forgot to mention that.”

“Didn’t want to spook anyone. Well, she was there, or it was there, standing over Seua’s body. I went to do what I could for you, and she vanished. But Saloop; I have no idea how he found his way into the tunnels. I’ve been seeing him in some odd places lately, but he’s definitely gone back to his old street life. He doesn’t even have the manners to come and visit from time to time.”

“Perhaps he’s afraid of all those house guests, Siri, and he’ll come home when they’ve gone. Doc?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

“For?”

“Everything. Thanks for coming to look for me that day. Thanks for taking care of Mom. Thanks for being here now. I owe you big-time.”

“You can pay me back by passing those exams.”

“Just as well you don’t want it in cash. What was the secret about paying the bills here you couldn’t tell me?”

“Dtui, sweetheart, it’s three-thirty in the morning and I have a kidney to dissect at eight. You don’t suppose I could have a little sleep before then, do you? Even if you aren’t tired, I’m exhausted.”

“Sorry. You’re right. Go get some sleep.”

“You need anything?”

She thought about spending the rest of her life with a triangular face.

“A new perspective? You couldn’t flip my face, could you?”

“I don’t see why not.”

He took her chin in one hand and her forehead in the other and gently dragged her nose across the pillow to face the other wall. It gave her a brief preview of the pain she’d be enjoying over the next week. Siri sighed and creaked back into his chair.

“G’night, Dtui.”

“G’night, Doc.”

“Oh, Doc?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it still hot outside?”

“Damned hot.”