忠诚的妻子 | MrBallen的篝火故事

今晚，我要给你们讲一个泰国非常著名的故事。

Tonight, I'm gonna tell you a very famous story from Thailand.

这个故事其实是粉丝推荐给我的，我以前从来没听说过。

This story was recommended to me by a fan actually, and I had never heard of it before.

但只要我一查，立刻就知道非讲这个不可。

But the second I started looking into this, I knew that I had to tell this one.

不只是讲，我还得围着篝火来讲，你们一会儿就知道为什么了。

And not just tell it, I had to tell it sitting in front of a campfire, and you'll see why.

这简直就是经典的恐怖篝火故事。

This is like classic, scary campfire storytelling.

不过在开始今晚的故事之前，如果你喜欢那种诡异、黑暗又神秘的叙事风格，那你来对地方了——我们只做这一种，每周更新两到四次。

But before we get into tonight's story, if you're a fan of the strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in story format, then you come to the right campfire because that's all we do, and we upload two, three, even four times a week.

所以如果你感兴趣，下次你和关注按钮一起围坐在篝火旁时，给它端杯热咖啡吧。

So if that's of interest to you, the next time that you and the follow button are around a campfire together, offer them some nice hot coffee.

但别告诉它，你往里加了辣酱。

But don't tell them you put hot sauce in it.

另外，别忘了订阅我们的频道并开启所有通知，这样就不会错过每周的新内容了。

Also, subscribe to our channel and turn on all notifications so you don't miss any of our weekly uploads.

好了。

Okay.

现在，咱们来讲讲今晚的故事。

Let's get into tonight's story.

19世纪50年代初的一个早晨，一个叫莫克的年轻人划着小船，穿过位于曼谷东南部的普拉孔农村地区的运河。

One morning in the early 1850s, a young man named Mok rode a small boat through a canal in Prakanong, Thailand, which is a very rural community Southeast of Bangkok.

莫克拼命地划着桨，因为他要去的是家，他早就想回去了。

And Mok was rowing as fast as he possibly could because where he was going was home, and he could not wait to get there.

到那时为止，莫克已经离家将近一年了，因为一年前他被征入泰国军队，被迫去和邻国缅甸打仗。

So Mok had been away for almost an entire year by this point, and that was because around a year ago, he'd been drafted into the Thai military and forced to go fight in a war against the neighboring country of Burma.

对莫克来说，被征召入伍简直是最糟糕的时机，因为当时他的妻子梅孔才怀孕两个多月，即将迎来他们的第一个孩子。

And for Mach, getting drafted had really come at, like, the absolute worst possible time because at the time, his wife, May Knock, had been just a couple of months pregnant with their first child.

他只能无奈地留下她一个人面对分娩，这对她，也对他来说，都是极大的煎熬。

And so he had had to just, you know, basically leave her behind to give birth on her own, which was obviously really difficult for her and for him.

他多想陪在她身边，可他做不到。

Like, wanted to be there for her and he couldn't.

而且，这可是19世纪50年代的泰国乡村。

And also, this is eighteen fifties in rural Thailand.

他一走，根本没电话，连寄封信都难上加难。

So once he was gone, like, there were no phones or really any way to to send letters back and forth.

自从马克离开后，他和妻子彻底断了音讯。

So really, ever since Maok had left, he'd had literally zero communication with his wife.

他完全不知道她过得怎么样，孩子怎么样，什么都不知道。

So he has no idea how she's doing, how the baby's doing, nothing.

而他自己呢，还在战场上拼命。

And, you know, he's off fighting in a war.

事实上，他在打仗时受了伤，住院养了好几个月，可妻子全然不知。

And in fact, he actually got hurt while he was fighting and had to spend months in a military hospital recovering, but his wife had no idea.

于是马克拼命划得更快，终于，家就在前方不远处了。

So Mock rode even faster, and finally, he saw his home in the distance.

那是一栋木头房子，建在运河边的高脚桩上，有个大阳台正对着水面，周围种满了酸橙树和茂密的森林，离最近的邻居也有整整一英里远。

It was a a wooden house that stood on tall stilts right on the edge of the canal with a large balcony that overlooked the water, and it was surrounded by lime trees and thick forest, and it was at least a mile away from the nearest neighbors.

所以那地方挺偏僻的，但他却无比想念那里。

So it's a pretty secluded place, but it was a place he he desperately missed.

当马克靠近家门前的小码头时，他兴奋地大声喊起妻子的名字。

As Mach neared the small dock in front of his house, he began excitedly calling out for his wife.

他一边把船系好，一边等着妻子抱着孩子冲出来迎接他。

And as he did, he began tying up the boat, expecting at any moment to see his wife come running outside with the baby.

但妻子没有出现。

But his wife didn't.

她没有回应他。

She didn't call back.

她也没有出来。

She didn't come out.

四周一片寂静。

It was just quiet.

那一瞬间，马赫突然冒出个可怕的念头——他不在的时候，她会不会出了什么事。

And for a moment, you know, Mach had this horrible thought that maybe something had happened to her while he was gone.

他怎么可能会知道呢？

Like, how would he know?

就在这时，门开了，他妻子笑着走出来，怀里紧紧抱着孩子。

But then he heard the door open, and out came his wife with a big grin on her face, and she was clutching their baby against her chest.

她一边喊他，马赫这才看见她脸上泪流满面，他立刻跳下船，朝她冲了过去。

She began calling out to him and Mok saw there were tears of joy streaming down her face and he leapt out of the boat and he ran to her.

几天后，马赫在家中醒来，翻了个身，看见妻子还在睡，旁边的小吊床上，孩子也正安安稳稳地躺着。

A few days later, Mok woke up inside of his home and he rolled over in bed and saw his wife still asleep and he also saw their baby sleeping in a small hammock right beside the bed.

看着眼前这一家三口，马赫感到幸福得几乎要晕过去。

And as Mach looked at his little family, he felt almost deliriously happy.

自从回家后，他就像是掉进了完美的生活里，简直到了极致的安宁与满足。

I mean, ever since he had gotten home, it was like Mach had entered this just perfect life, like just utter domestic bliss.

后来他们生了个儿子，他特别开心，其实他一直暗暗希望有个儿子。

His baby would turn out to be a boy, which he was really excited about because he had sort of secretly wanted a son.

过去几天里，他总算把战场上那些稀奇古怪的经历全跟老婆说了一遍。

And, you know, over the last couple of days, he had had a chance to basically tell his wife all of his crazy war stories.

她听得特别认真，还特意做了他最爱吃的几道菜。

And she had listened really intently, and she also had gone out of her way to cook him all his favorite meals.

他真庆幸能回到家，所以从回来那天起，一步都没出过门。

And so he was just so grateful to be back here that he literally had not left their home at all since he got back.

他就待在家里，好好享受这难得的团聚时光。

He just stayed home and just enjoyed this unbelievable homecoming.

但这一天早上，马赫知道他得出门了，因为厨房里啥都没了，得去市场买点吃的。

But on this particular morning, Mach knew he would have to leave because he had to go to the market because their kitchen was basically empty, so they needed food.

于是他悄悄起床，尽量轻手轻脚地穿好衣服，生怕吵醒老婆。

And so Mach, he climbed out of bed and as quietly as he could, he got dressed, you know, trying hard not to wake or the his wife.

等他准备走的时候，走到老婆身边，轻轻俯身说：我出门了。

And then when he was ready to actually leave, he walked over to his wife and he gently leaned down and just told her that, like, hey, I'm gonna leave now.

我很快就回来。

You know, I'll be back soon.

马克本来没指望妻子会有啥反应。

Now, Mock didn't really expect much of a reaction from his wife.

他以为她就随口说句‘好的，早点回来’，结果完全不是这样。

He figured she would just sort of say, okay, you know, see you soon, but no.

她一听他要走，眼睛一下子睁大了，神情几乎慌了。

As soon as she heard he was leaving, it's like her eyes opened wide and she almost looked panicked.

她猛地从床上坐起来，一把抓住马克的手臂，大声喊：‘不行！’

And she sat up in bed and she grabbed Mark's arm and she actually shouted, no.

她喊得太大声了，把孩子都吵醒了。

And in fact, she said it so loudly that she woke up their baby.

孩子一哭，马克试图先弄明白妻子这是怎么了，愣在那儿一脸茫然。

And so the baby's crying and Mach at first, he just stared at his wife in total confusion.

他心里想：她这是在干嘛？

Like, What is she doing here?

然后他问：‘到底怎么了？’

And then he said, you know, like, what's going on?

你为什么这么在意我走？

Why do you care so much if I leave?

到底怎么了？

Like, what's wrong?

他的妻子梅·纳奇，还紧紧抓着他的胳膊，只是不停地摇头说：不行，你不能走。

And May Nach, his wife, you know, still clutching his arm, she just kept shaking her head saying, no, you can't leave.

然后她转过头去，像是在努力找合适的词。

And then she looked away like she was like trying to find the words or something.

最后，她重新看着他，明显平静了一些。

And then finally, she looked back at him and it was clear she had sort of calmed down a little bit.

她跟他说，你已经离开太久太久了。

And she said to him that, You know, you've been gone for so long.

她真的不想再让你走了。

She just didn't want him to leave again.

她只想让你待在家里，哪儿也别去。

She said what she wanted him to do was just stay home right here.

别丢下她，别丢下他们的儿子，求你了。

Like don't leave her, don't leave their son, please.

你要是走了，准会出事。

Like something bad's gonna happen if you leave.

你必须留下来。

You've got to stay here.

马克听到这些，其实挺感动的。

And when Mark heard this, it was actually kind of touching.

他妻子这么护着他，不让他走，他心里挺暖的。

The idea that his wife was, you know, so protective of him that she didn't want him to leave.

他挺喜欢这样的。

You know, he he liked that.

但他笑了笑，跟她说，总得有人出去买吃的吧。

But, you know, he smiled and he told her like, yeah, but somebody has to go get food here.

所以我得去。

So I'm gonna go.

我去给你们买点吃的。

I'm gonna get us food.

我几分钟就回来，你知道的。

I'll be back, you know, in a few minutes.

这没什么大不了的。

This is not a big deal.

他给了妻子一个拥抱和亲吻，她看着他，眼神里分明在说：你可别走。

And then he gave his wife a hug and a kiss, and she's looking at him like, don't you do this.

但他还是说：你看，我一办完事马上就回来。

But he said, look, I'll be back as soon as possible.

然后他转过身，走了。

And then he turned and he left.

过了一会儿，马克到了市场里的水果摊。

A little while later, and Mock had arrived at the fruit stand in the market.

市场在村子中心，离他家有几英里远，但他还是拼命赶路，因为他答应过妻子，会尽快回来。

The market was in the village center, which was a few miles from his house, but he had walked here as quickly as he could because, you know, he had promised his wife he'd be back as quickly as he could.

当马赫去水果摊主那里结账时，摊主一看见他，脸上露出 genuinely 惊讶的表情。

And when Mach went to the man who owned the fruit stand to purchase, you know, the items that he had picked out, the owner of the fruit stand looked at Mach and seemed genuinely surprised to see him.

接着，摊主用一种近乎同情的眼神看着他，问：‘你最近怎么样？’

And then he gave Mach an almost sympathetic look and then asked him, how are you doing?

马赫和摊主其实并不熟，但这个村子太小了，住在这里的人都彼此认识。

Now, Mach and the fruit stand owner were not friends, but this village was so small that everybody who lived there knew everybody else.

所以这种打招呼的方式根本不算稀奇。

And so like an interaction like this was not unusual.

更别说，村里人人都知道马赫去参军了，只是没人晓得他刚回来。

Not to mention the fact that basically everybody knew Mach had gone to war, but they didn't know he had just gotten back.

因此马赫以为对方问的是：‘我看你从战场回来了，还好吗？’

And so Mach assumed that what he was asking about was basically like, hey, I can see you're back from the war.

‘你最近怎么样？’

How are you doing?

马赫告诉摊主，战争太惨了，但现在他终于回家了。

Mach told the owner that the war had been terrible, but now he was finally home.

他回到了妻子和儿子身边。

He was back with his wife and his son.

他特别开心有了儿子。

He's so happy to have a son.

所以，尽管打过仗，他这辈子从来没这么好过。

And so really, despite the war, he'd never been better.

他的生活现在简直完美。

Like, his life was perfect right now.

但水果摊老板听完，一脸困惑地盯着他，问：你妻子在家？

But the owner of the fruit stand, when he heard this, he actually looked back at Mach with a pretty confused look on his face and was like, your wife is home?

Mach 说：当然啊。

And Mach was like, yeah, of course.

她还能在哪儿呢？

Like, where else would she be?

水果摊老板愣了一下，摇摇头说：我听说了点别的消息，所以有点糊涂了。

The fruit stand owner was confused for a second and then just sort of shook his head and said, you know, I thought I had heard something different, so I was just confused.

于是，水果摊老板有点尴尬地换了话题，说：‘行吧，你想买点啥？’

And then sort of awkwardly, the fruit stand owner changed the subject and just said, okay, you know, what do you wanna buy?

那天上午晚些时候，马赫提着好几袋食物回到了家。

Later that morning, Mach returned to his home now carrying several bags of food.

他远远望见妻子正站在阳台上给婴儿喂饭。

And as he approached his home from a distance, he saw his wife out on the balcony feeding their baby.

但看她的样子，好像只是呆呆地望着远方发愣。

But from the looks of it, his wife was just sort of staring off into space.

马赫喊了她一声，她这才回过神来，转头看向他，脸上立刻绽开一个大大的笑容。

Mack called out to her and it kind of snapped her back to reality, and she turned to him, and she broke into this huge smile.

接着她站起身，从阳台走进了屋里。

And then she got up, and she she walked off the balcony into the house.

等马赫进屋后，发现她已经在厨房等他了。

And then when Mach got inside, she found her waiting for him in the kitchen.

总的来说，她看起来特别开心，也松了一口气，终于见到他回来了。

And for the most part, she looked really happy and relieved to see him back.

那一刻她简直松了一大口气，庆幸你出去二十分钟啥事儿都没发生。

It was like, phew, thank goodness nothing happened to you while you were away for twenty minutes.

你知道吗，她那种恐慌一下子全没了。

You know, her panic was gone.

她看到他回来，心里特别踏实。

She was happy to have him back.

马赫见到她也很开心，但与此同时，他脑子里一直挥之不去的是刚才和水果摊主那段奇怪的对话——那人居然说：‘你老婆在家啊？’

And Mach was happy to see her, but at the same time, he also couldn't stop thinking about that strange interaction he had had with the fruit stand owner, how he had been like, oh, your wife's home?

那语气听起来，好像他知道些什么却没明说，马赫越想越觉得不对劲。

Like, was a question as if he knew something that he wasn't saying, and, you know, Mock was just thinking about it.

他一边把买的东西收起来，一边跟妻子提起这事，说那摊主的话有多古怪。

And so as he put the food away, he told his wife, you know, what the guy had said and how odd it was.

妻子一听，立刻就生气了。

And Mach's wife, when she heard this, she got really angry.

她告诉马赫，这正是当初她为什么坚决反对他出门的原因。

And she told Mach that this was exactly why she had worried about him leaving the house in the first place.

她说，自从他参军离开后，村里的人就一直在背后议论她，编造各种难听的流言。

She said that ever since he had left to go to war, people in their village had been talking about her nonstop, spreading all kinds of horrible rumors.

于是马赫问她，什么流言？

And so Mock asked her, like, what kind of rumors?

你到底在说什么？

What are you talking about?

但他妻子没再细说。

But his wife did not elaborate.

她只是气冲冲地摇摇头，转身又冲回了阳台。

She just angrily shook her head and then stormed back out onto the balcony.

几天后，马赫到家附近的森林里砍柴，准备烧火用。

A couple of days later, Mach was out in the forest that surrounded his home chopping down trees for firewood.

他和妻子再也没有提过水果摊主那件事，也没再谈村里那些关于她的流言。

He and his wife had not talked anymore about the the situation with the owner of the fruit stand and, you know, the rumors that people in the town were supposedly spreading about her.

马赫最后只是觉得，妻子的行为实在让人摸不着头脑。

Mach was ultimately just sort of puzzled by his wife's behavior.

他参军之前，她一直都很理性，也很独立。

Before he had left for the war, she'd always been very logical and independent.

所以她突然这么在意别人怎么议论她，还总怕他离开视线，这实在有点反常。

And so the fact that she suddenly seemed to care so much about what other people were saying about her and the way she never wanted Mock to leave her sight was just odd.

Mock能想到的唯一合理解释就是，过去这一年，他妻子一个人带着刚出生的孩子，整天担心丈夫再也回不来了。

The only reasonable explanation Mock could come up with was that, you know, for the last year, his wife had spent a lot of time all alone with a brand new baby and with lots of fear that her husband was never gonna come home.

这种压力，换谁谁都扛不住。

Like, that would take a toll on you.

所以他希望，既然他现在回来了，她也能慢慢好起来。

And so his hope was that, you know, now that he was home that she would just, you know, get better.

于是他尽量像往常一样过日子。

So he was trying his best to just go about his life like normal.

但就在今天早上，他跟妻子说要去砍点柴火，她立马哭了起来，死活不让他走。

But I mean, just that morning when he had told his wife he was gonna go out and get some firewood, she had started sobbing and begging him not to go.

他花了整整半小时才哄好她，说服她放他出门——毕竟家里还得靠这柴火过日子。

And it had taken him like a full half an hour to calm her down and convince her to let him go because they needed the firewood.

所以马赫根本搞不懂这到底是怎么回事。

And so Mach really didn't know what to make of this.

他只希望，时间久了，情况能慢慢好起来。

He just hoped that, you know, in time, this would get better.

于是马赫就照常过他的早晨，砍树劈柴，好弄点木柴。

And so Mach just went about his morning, you know, chopping down trees to get some firewood.

就在他砍树的时候，忽然听见身后传来脚步声。

And at some point, as he was literally chopping down a tree, he heard footsteps coming from behind him.

他转过身，本以为会看到妻子，结果不是她。

And when he turned around, he sort of half expected to see his wife, but he didn't.

他有点意外，发现是个穿着长袍的老人，正朝他走来。

He was sort of surprised to see it was this elderly man in a long robe walking directly towards him.

很明显，这人是冲着他来的。

Like, clearly, this guy is coming to talk to him.

有那么一瞬间，马赫认不出这人是谁，但一看他穿的衣服，就明白是个和尚。

Now, for a second, Mach actually didn't know who this guy was, but then he realized, based on what he was wearing, that he was a monk.

等他走近一点，马赫才认出来，这人是他们村里那座佛寺里住着并干活的和尚。

And then as he got closer, he could see that it actually is someone who lived and worked at a Buddhist temple in their village.

所以这人并不是完全的陌生人。

And so this was not a total stranger.

事实上，这位和尚更像是个社区里的领头人物。

In fact, this monk was more like a community leader of sorts.

马赫一边琢磨着，心想这位和尚过来，大概只是想欢迎他从战场上回家。

And so as mock is sort of putting this together, he figured that the reason this guy was coming over was just to, you know, welcome him home from the war.

于是马赫放下斧头，微笑着挥了挥手。

And so mock lowered his axe and smiled and waved.

但和尚并没有回他笑容。

But the monk didn't smile back.

他直接走到马赫身边，靠得很近，然后警觉地环顾四周的树林。

Instead, he walked right up next to Mach, really close to him, and he looked around the forest in sort of a paranoid way.

接着，他几乎用气声问马赫，是不是一个人。

And then in almost a whisper, he asked Mach if he was alone.

马赫觉得这事儿太怪了，完全搞不懂这人怎么突然这样。

Mach was definitely weirded out by this and didn't have any idea why this guy was acting this way.

不过马赫还是回答说：是的，我一个人。

But, you know, Mach said, yes, I am alone.

这时，僧人似乎放松了下来，告诉马赫，他有件事必须告诉他——关于他妻子的事。

At this point, the monk seemed to relax, and he told Mach that he really needed to tell him about his wife.

马赫一听，立刻警觉起来：你说什么？

Maq kind of perked up like, what are you talking about?

僧人说，马赫的妻子一直觉得村里人背后说她闲话。

And the monk said that Maq's wife had become convinced that people in their village were spreading rumors about her.

于是她开始到处找人麻烦，故意吓唬别人来报复。

And she'd begun going around town, terrorizing people to get back at them.

说到这儿，僧人往后一靠，盯着马赫，那眼神分明是等着他为妻子的行为道歉似的。

At this point, the monk leaned back and gave Mach this expectant look, like he thought maybe Mach was going to apologize for his wife's behavior or something.

但对马赫来说，这番话完全说不通。

But to Mach, this information didn't make sense.

他妻子确实说过有人在背后议论她，而且行为也挺古怪、多疑的。

His wife definitely had talked about people spreading rumors about her, and she was acting pretty strange and paranoid.

但对马赫来说，这番话完全说不通。

But to Mach, this information didn't make any sense.

一方面，他妻子确实提过，她觉得村里人散布关于她的流言，这些话马赫也听到了。

On the one hand, you know, his wife had, you know, mentioned that she believed people were spreading these awful rumors about her, so Mach had heard that.

但说她真的采取了什么行动，不只是生气，这根本就是假的。

But the idea that she was really doing anything about it other than being upset was just false.

她整天都待在家里陪着他，怎么可能出去吓唬别人呢？

I mean, how could she be out terrorizing anybody when she literally was at the house with him, like, all day long?

她根本做不到。

She couldn't.

他一直和她在一起。

He was with her.

他要是看见了，早就知道了。

He would have seen it.

于是，莫克尽量礼貌地告诉那位僧人，他一定是搞错了，因为他的妻子根本不可能去实施那些猜疑中的行为。

So as respectfully as he could, Mok told the monk that he must be confused because there was just no way his wife was acting on any of her suspicions.

她也许为此感到难过，但她绝对没有去恐吓任何人。

She might be upset about this stuff, but she's not terrorizing anyone.

但僧人只是摇头，直接对莫克说：不对，你错了。

But the monk just shook his head and told Mok straight up that, no, you're wrong.

村里所有人都知道，他妻子身上出了严重的问题。

Everyone else in the village knew there was something seriously wrong with his wife.

人人都知道这事不对劲。

Like, everybody knows it.

只有你一个人不知道。

You're the only one who doesn't.

没等莫克再说什么，僧人就告诉他，要是他聪明，现在就该立刻离开妻子，永远别回头。

And before Mok could say anything else, the monk said to him, if he was smart, he would leave his wife right now and he would never look back.

莫克听到这话，根本不信僧人的话。

And when Mock heard this, he did not believe the monk.

相反，他突然意识到，妻子说的可能是真的——大家确实对她太刻薄了，到处散布这些可怕的流言。

Instead, he actually realized that his wife must be telling the truth about how awful everybody was being, spreading these terrible rumors about her.

她根本不是多疑，而是有充分的理由觉得有人要害她。

Like she wasn't being paranoid at all.

她完全有理由相信，周围的人都在针对她。

She had all the reason in the world to think people were out to get her or something.

于是，马赫不再装客气了，直接让僧人别再打扰他和家人。

So at this point, Mach dropped the polite act and just told the monk to leave him and his family alone.

然后，马赫收拾好他砍好的柴火，往家走去。

And then mock gathered up the wood that he had chopped down and began heading back towards his house.

但第二天早上，他怎么也忘不了和僧人的那番对话。

But the next morning, mock just couldn't get the conversation he had had with the monk out of his mind.

说到底，他最生气的是那个编造这些荒唐流言的人，害得僧人、水果摊老板这些人也跟着说些怪话。

I mean, mostly he was just angry at whoever was making up these weird rumors about his wife that was causing, you know, people like the monk and maybe the fruit stand owner to say the weird things they were saying.

但问题是，马赫根本不知道那些流言到底是什么内容。

But also, Mach didn't know what these rumors actually were.

他只知道有人在背后说他妻子的坏话。

He just knew that something was being said about his wife.

这些话让她很难过，可他完全不知道具体说了什么。

It was upsetting his wife, and but he he didn't know what the details were.

他想，要是能知道详细内容，就能更有效地把这些谣言压下去。

He figured if he did have the context, have the details, then he could shut the rumors down much more effectively.

但他实在不想再跟妻子提起这事，知道只会让她更伤心。

But he also really didn't wanna bring this up to his wife again because he knew it would just really upset her.

于是他决定，得再回集市一趟，去找那个水果摊主谈谈。

So he decided that what he needed to do was go back into the village market and go talk to that fruit stand owner.

很明显，他比表面上说的知道得更多。

Clearly, he knew more than he was letting on.

那天早上，马赫趁妻子和儿子还在睡觉，轻手轻脚地溜出家门，赶往集市。

So that morning, Mach got up and as quietly as he could, he snuck out of the house while his wife and son were still asleep, and he hurried off to the market.

尽管天刚蒙蒙亮，集市上已经有不少人忙着摆摊了。

And even though it was barely dawn by the time he got there, there was already a bunch of people that were setting up their stands.

然而，当马奇走到几天前那个水果摊所在的地方时，发现那里空无一人。

However, when Mach made his way over to where the fruit stand had been when he had gone there a couple days earlier, he found it was empty.

不知为什么，马奇就是说不上来，但一看到这情形，心里立刻涌上一股不祥的预感。

And for some reason that Mach just couldn't even explain, this immediately gave him a really bad feeling.

于是他没再等下去，也没指望水果摊老板稍后会出现，直接决定去他家找人——他知道对方住哪儿。

So instead of waiting around to see if maybe the owner of the fruit stand showed up later, Mach decided he would just go to the guy's house since he knew where he lived.

马奇离开集市中心，快步跑向那人的家。

So Mach left the village center and jogged to this guy's house.

那是一栋木结构的高脚屋，和马奇自家一样，只是离水渠更远一些。

It was a wooden building up on stilts just like Mach's house, except it was further away from canal.

马奇到那儿后，爬上梯子走到门廊，敲了敲前门。

When Mack got there, he climbed up a ladder to the porch, and then he knocked on the front door.

但没人应声。

But nobody answered.

他又敲了一次，可还是没人开门。

And so he knocked again, but still there was no answer.

然后马赫把耳朵贴在门上，却什么声音都没听到。

And then Mack pressed his ear to the door, but he heard nothing.

四周安静得有点吓人。

It was like eerily silent.

这时候，马赫怎么也甩不掉那种感觉——水果摊老板出事了。

And at this point, Mach just could not shake this feeling that something was really wrong here, like with the fruit stand owner.

于是他伸手一拧门把手，门竟然直接开了。

So he just reached down and tried the doorknob, and the door swung right open.

门一开，马赫就闻到一股刺鼻的恶臭从屋里飘出来。

But as soon as it did, Mach smelled something absolutely rancid inside of this home.

他赶紧用手捂住鼻子，一边大声呼喊水果摊老板，一边慢慢往屋里走，四处张望。

And so at this point, Mach, he covered his nose with his hand and continued yelling for the fruit stand owner and began walking slowly into the home, looking around for the guy.

屋里静悄悄的，没有任何动静，他一遍又一遍地喊着。

But there was no movement inside of the home, and he sees calling out over and over again.

最后，他注意到地上有东西，低头一看，竟是水果摊老板本人。

And then eventually, he notices something on the ground, and he looks down and he sees it's the fruit stand owner.

他浑身是血，明显已经死了。

And he was just covered in blood and obviously dead.

马克冲出房子，爬下梯子，拼命往远处跑。

Mark sprinted out of the house, he climbed down the ladder, and just began running away as fast as he could.

他知道他该回村子中心，把刚发现的事告诉别人。

And he knew that what he should be doing is going back to the village center to tell someone about what he had just found.

但他就是迈不开步，他有种直觉——虽然根本不确定妻子有没有牵涉这起命案，可他就是觉得，凭那些流言和妻子平时的怪异举动，所有人都会把账算在她头上。

But Mach just couldn't bring himself to do it because he just had this gut feeling that even though he had no idea if his wife was in any way involved with this death, he just felt like based on the rumors and the weird stuff with his wife that everybody was gonna blame her.

于是他没有往村子中心跑，而是直接朝自己家奔去。

So instead of running towards the village center, Mach just began running towards his own house.

快到家时，他放慢脚步，喘了口气，希望还没到太早，妻子和儿子还在睡，这样他就能悄悄溜进去，先想想接下来怎么办，又不用惊动妻子，不用解释发生了什么。

And when he got close, he slowed down, sort of caught his breath, and he hoped that it was still early enough that his wife and son would still be asleep and he could just sort of sneak back in and, you know, figure out what to do from there, but without alerting his wife and having to explain what was going on.

可就在这时，他已经近到能看见正对水面的阳台了。

However, just then, he was close enough to his house that he could see the balcony that overlooked the water.

他抬头一看，发现妻子明明醒着。

And he looked up, and he saw his wife was clearly awake.

她抱着孩子，站在阳台上。

She was out on the balcony with the baby on her hip.

但她似乎没注意到马赫正走过来。

However, she didn't seem to notice Mach approaching.

于是马赫慢慢朝房子走，心里琢磨着该怎么跟妻子解释自己刚才去了哪儿。

And so Mach, you know, he's just walking slowly towards the house thinking, you know, how he's gonna explain where he's been to his wife.

他猜她肯定生他的气。

He figured she's probably upset with him.

但他也不确定。

He didn't know.

他盯着她看，她依然没察觉，伸手从旁边一棵伸到阳台上的青柠树上摘了一颗青柠。

But he's watching her, and she, again, not aware of mock, she reaches up and she grabs a lime off a nearby lime tree that was sort of dangling over the balcony.

她摘下青柠，随手一扔，结果没拿稳。

And so she grabs the fruit, and she pulls it off the tree, and she drops it.

青柠掉在阳台上，又从地板缝里滑了下去。

She fumbles the lime, and the lime falls on the balcony and actually goes and falls between one of the slats on the floorboards.

这个阳台也像整栋房子一样，架在柱子上。

And this balcony is up on stilts like the whole house is.

所以阳台离地面有七英尺高。

And so the balcony was seven feet off the ground.

于是柠檬穿过地板缝，直接掉下去了七英尺，落到下面的地面上。

And so when the lime fell through the floorboards, it actually fell seven feet to the ground below.

马赫看着这一切发生，但对他来说，这根本不是什么特别的事。

And so Mach, you know, he's watching this happen, and this is not like some meaningful event to him.

他只是注意到她把柠檬掉下去了，心想她大概会再摘一个吧。

He's just sort of, you know, clocking that she's dropped this lime, and he's thinking she's gonna, you know, grab a different lime.

对吧？

Right?

但他看到妻子几乎是机械地跪下来，把胳膊伸进柠檬掉下去的那条缝隙里。

But, no, he watched as his wife sort of almost robotically kneeled down and then put her arm into the slat that the slime had fallen through.

她还是没注意到马赫。

Again, she still has not seen mock yet.

他眼睁睁看着她的手臂慢慢伸长，从身体向外延伸下去。

And he watched as her arm began to, like, stretch away from her body and down her arm went.

手臂足足伸了七英尺，直到她的手抓住了地上的青柠，然后手臂在缩回时发出可怕的噼啪声，一路穿过地板缝，重新收了回来，她这才把青柠拿回手里。

It stretched nearly seven feet until her hand grabbed the lime on the ground, and then her arm was making these horrible crackling sounds as it retracted back up, back up through the floorboards, and then she had her line.

就在那一刻，她转过头，看向了马赫。

And it was at that point that she turned and looked at Mach.

这时候的马赫已经吓坏了，转身就跑。

Mach, at this point, was horrified, and he just turned and ran.

这次他直接冲到村子中心，去了那座佛寺——就是之前那位僧人来警告过他的地方。

And this time he went directly to the center of the village, to the Buddhist temple where that monk had come from, the one that had basically tried to warn him about his wife.

马赫拼命拍打寺门，哀求僧人们放他进去，求他们藏起自己，别让妻子找到。

And so Maki begins pounding on the door of this temple, begging the monks to let him inside and to hide him from his wife.

终于，门开了，僧人们立刻让他进去，把他藏了起来。

And eventually, the doors open, the monks immediately let him side, and they do hide him.

他好一阵子都魂不守舍，完全无法相信自己刚才看到的一切。

And for a little while, he's just, like, beside himself mocky, like, can't even process what he just saw.

他不断告诉自己，那不可能是真的。

He's he's telling himself that, you know, that couldn't have happened.

她的手臂不可能伸得那么远，可那画面实在太真实了。

Her arm couldn't have stretched that far, but, like, it looks so real.

他根本无法接受自己刚刚亲眼看到的一切。

He just he couldn't reconcile what he had just experienced.

僧人们大多只是默默让他一个人待着，任他情绪崩溃。

And the monks, for the most part, just kind of let Mach have his moment of just being totally upset.

但后来，当马奇稍微平静下来，当初来警告他关于妻子的那位僧人走到他面前，说：我得告诉你关于你妻子的真相。

But then eventually, when Mach kind of calmed down, the monk who had originally come to him to warn him about his wife, he came over to Mach and he said, I gotta tell you the truth about your wife.

但他们告诉马奇，要说出真相，他必须先答应做一件极其痛苦的事。

But they told Mach that in order to do that, Mach was going to have to agree to do something that was going to be incredibly painful.

他们需要他同意挖出他已故爱妻的遗体。

They would need him to allow them to exhume his beloved wife's long dead corpse.

后来才明白，全村人都知道的事，唯独马奇不知道——他妻子和儿子早在他参战期间，就死于难产了。

It would turn out that what everyone in the village knew, but Mach did not know, was that his wife and son had both died during childbirth while he was away in the war.

他妻子的遗体在地下已经埋了好几个月了。

His wife's body had literally been in the ground for months.

但据说她的魂魄还徘徊在附近，紧紧缠着马赫，不许任何人插在他们之间。

But apparently her ghost was still around and very attached to Mach and would not let anybody get between them.

直到马赫终于同意让僧人挖出他妻子的遗体，这场闹鬼才终于平息。

It was not until Mach did give the monks permission to exhume his wife's body that they could finally stop this haunting.

于是僧人们从她的头骨上凿下一块圆形骨片，举行了一项佛教仪式，把她的魂魄封存在这块骨头里。

And so the monks ultimately carved out a circular shaped piece of her skull and performed a Buddhist ritual to trap her spirit inside the bone.

今天，在马赫和他妻子、儿子曾经居住的普拉孔村，建起了一座永久供奉‘梅纳奇’的神龛。

Today, in Prakanong, the village where Maok and his wife and his son had lived, is now home to a permanent shrine to May Nach.

有人觉得她是个危险可怕的鬼魂，也有人认为她是爱的力量超越生死的象征。

She's seen by some as a very dangerous and terrifying ghost, and by others as a symbol of love that is so powerful it transcends death.

关于我们的故事，需要说明的是：它们都基于真实事件。

A quick note about our stories: they are all based on true events.

但我们有时会使用化名来保护相关人员，部分细节也为了增强戏剧效果做了艺术加工。

But we sometimes use pseudonyms to protect the people involved, and some details are fictionalized for dramatic purposes.

《MrBallen播客》——那些离奇、黑暗又神秘的故事，由我本人MrBallen主持并担任执行制片。

The MrBallen podcast, Strange, Dark, and Mysterious Stories, is hosted and executive produced by me, MrBallen.

我们的主笔是埃文·艾伦，制作人是杰里米·博恩和科尔·洛卡西奥。

Our head of writing is Evan Allen, produced by Jeremy Bone and Cole Locascio.

本集的脚本由卡里斯·帕什·库珀撰写。

This episode was written by Caris Pash Cooper.

研究与事实核查由谢莉·苏、萨曼莎·范胡斯、埃文·比默、阿比盖尔·舒姆韦、卡米尔·卡拉汉、亚历克斯·保罗、本·法西阿诺完成。

Research and fact checking by Shelley Hsu, Samantha Van Hoos, Evan Beamer, Abigail Shumway, Camille Callahan, Alex Paul, Ben Fasciano.

研究与事实核查的监督由斯蒂芬·艾尔负责。

Research and fact checking supervision by Stephen Eir.

音频剪辑与后期制作由惠特·拉卡西奥和乔丹·斯蒂德汉姆完成。

Audio editing and post produced by Whit Lacascio and Jordan Stidham.

制作支持由安东尼奥·莫纳塔和迪莱娜·科利提供。

Production support by Antonio Monata and Delayna Corley.

封面设计由杰西卡·克罗格斯顿·基纳完成。

Artwork by Jessica Clogston Kiner.

主题曲《Something Wicked》，由Ross Bugden创作。

Theme song, Something Wicked by Ross Bugden.

感谢收听MrBallen播客。

Thank you for listening to the MrBallen Podcast.

提醒一下，我们每期新推出的独家内容，当天就能在MrBallen的YouTube频道上同步观看。

And just a reminder, every new and exclusive episode we put out on the MrBallen Podcast, you can also now watch on the MrBallen YouTube channel that very same day.

真的，有些故事你非得亲眼看了才会相信。

And trust me, some of these stories you truly have to see to believe.

我的YouTube频道就叫MrBallen。

Again, my YouTube channel is just called MrBallen.

如果你想提前一周收听且没有广告，可以在Apple播客订阅SiriusXM Podcast Plus，或者访问siriusxm.com/podcastplus，用Spotify或其他你喜欢的平台收听。

If you want to listen to episodes one week early and ad free, you can subscribe to SiriusXM Podcast Plus on Apple Podcasts or visit siriusxm.com/podcastplus to listen with Spotify or another app of your choice.

今天就到这里了。

So that's gonna do it.

非常感谢你们的支持。

I really appreciate your support.

我们下次再会。

Until next time, see you.