Puyu Asai (ผู้อยู่อาศัย; P̄hū̂ xyū̀ xāṣ̄ạy)

I really thought staying on the shore would be the best way to avoid him. In my eyes, the island was large enough for me to be a short term visitor, hiding away in the corner, without having to encounter Puyu Asai. But as the locals said, the whole island was his. Every fallen leaf. Every grain of sand. Every gust of wind. Being close enough to smell the scent of the trees was intrusion. My breath alone was theft.

My first mistake was settling down on the beach. I could have taken the time to fix the boat rudder, but I had no confidence that I could sail it back to the resort. That was how I ended up in this mess in the first place. My plan was to take the boat for a quick tour around the island before circling back. Everyone wanted to talk about Puyu Asai but nobody wanted to see him in person.

The rudder must have broken off on a rock while I tried to steer it around the island. I had no choice but to beach the boat while I waited for help. I set myself up on the beach, away from the tide but still on the sand. I was confident that I’d be rescued until I heard the crunch of a leaf behind me.

I saw him slink out from the trees, into the light of the dusk. He was a hairy, mostly slender creature with dark, bulked forearms and calves. And his matted head would have hidden his black eyes if it wasn’t for their unsettling gleam.

I tried to get into the water but I stumbled over my own fear, my legs refusing to understand my intent. I waded through the sand as if it was some viscous liquid while Puyu Asai stalked me, uninhibited by his environment. Heart pounding, I stared at the creature, much more like a man than a devil. But still unmistakably inhuman.

Sweat and sand caked my body. I was already out of breath, too tired to crawl away any longer. Too scared to draw up a fighting will. Bullets flew past me at Puyu Asai. A group of locals had come to recover their boat lest the island’s resident thought to use it to leave his home. Puyu Asai retreated to the trees. But he didn’t run. The bullets couldn’t faze him. They were just confirmation that I would soon be out of his domain.