Hungry Ghosts

He's here. He's here.

Quang has come back. The gates of hell have opened.

If you tap a bowl during Hungry Ghosts month,

a ghost will think you are inviting them to eat with you.

The Drowned Man.

- May! - Jesus, Stella!

They're doing a retrospective of my work. The Vietnam years.

Just idiots, digging up the past.

It'd be great if you could stay for it.

Support the old man.

It's Thao.

Where are they? Where has she hidden them?

Mrs Vu, good morning.

- How'd you sleep? - Bad.

- Oh. - Really hungry.

That's no good.

I dreamt of the crossing. I was so afraid.

Not knowing what was happening on the other side.

Well how about we get you some breakfast,

and then I'll find out where your chart's got to

and we'll look into getting you admitted to a ward

where you'll be much more comfy, okay?

Okay.

- Doctor Williams? - Yes.

You treated my grandmother, Phuong Le.

She came here a couple of nights ago.

- She had a heart attack. - Yes, of course. I... I remember.

I really need to speak to you.

_

I'll be right back, Mrs Vu.

Before she died, she said, "He's here."

Yes, that's, uh...

She didn't say who's here?

Anything about, um... maybe a restaurant?

A restaurant?

No, she just said something about, um... bread.

Your grandmother was in heart failure.

She wasn't getting enough oxygen to her brain,

so that would explain why she was speaking irrationally.

If it was irrational, then why did you bother delivering the message?

- What aren't you telling me? - Nothing.

I'm very sorry about your grandmother.

I have to get back to my patients.

Where's Mrs Vu?

- She died, poor thing. - Just then?

No, 3 A.M. this morning.

Coffee's brewed. You've been busy.

Why don't you stick around for a few days?

I've missed ya.

Good to have a proper catch up.

And to have you at this... thing.

Ah, just get in the way of all those admirers. (CHUCKLES)

This one's not from the war.

- Took it the other day. - I can't believe you still use film.

Old dog.

Capturing ghosts.

What'd you say?

Oh, when I was little, some of your negatives used to spook me.

And you'd say, um, "That's my burden, Lizzie. Capturing ghosts."

You don't remember?

No.

Let me show you something.

That's me. Vietnam, 1973.

- Who's this? - Thao Hoang, my interpreter.

I blew this up...

...from this.

What do you think?

Think it's the same fella?

It couldn't be.

No. Couldn't be.

What happened to him?

I don't know.

_

_

Hey, Lisa, it's me again.

Look, I've been trying to get a hold of Soph,

but she's not answering her phone.

Khoa?

Khoa? I'm sorry, Khoa.

- Ong noi? - I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Khoa.

- Grandpa? Grandpa! - I'm sorry.

What's wrong? Grandpa? Grandpa, it's me. Grandpa, it's me.

It's okay.

Hey, it's okay. It's okay. Grandpa.

Hope you don't mind Mum taking over your garden.

Oh, shit.

- Shit. - She just can't help herself.

_

Bet she's been out there since dawn.

When we lived on Barton Street,

she lived half her life in the backyard,

trying to re-create her little garden in Saigon.

All vegetables.

Most of it died that first summer.

Your Mum's garden was lovely.

Can you make sure you get all the dead skin off my heels?

Last time, they felt like sandpaper.

- Oww! May!

Hello. Come in, come in. Here, sit, sit, sit.

Oh, hi. Um, no, no. I'm just... I'm looking for May Le.

I was told she worked here.

May Le!

- Hi. - Doctor Williams.

Ben, please. Call me Ben.

What are you... what are you doing here?

Is this about my grandmother?

Um, I don't know. It's, uh...

I just need a quick word.

When you came to the hospital this morning, I was with a patient.

Mrs Vu. You spoke to her in Vietnamese.

I said, "Sorry for interrupting."

So you did see her?

Yeah, I saw her. So what?

Okay, I have a shop full of bunions to scour, so...

Mrs Vu died at 3 A.M. this morning.

- So, who was the old lady in the bed? - Mrs Vu.

Yep. I, um...

I wouldn't joke about death.

Or one of my patients.

So, what, she... she was a ghost?

I don't believe in ghosts.

I don't know what's happening.

Or what I'm seeing.

What else have you been seeing?

I'm... um...

I'm sorry. I... I... I really...

Wait.

I know someone who can help.

Her name was Rose. She was eight years old.

She came in last week and she died.

She choked on a jellybean.

And I saw her across the road.

She was standing there.

And she was gone.

I'm exhausted, so I thought I was just seeing things.

But...

...you saw Mrs Vu.

We need to do a seance.

What? A se... No. I, um...

You've been seeing dead patients, Ben.

Including Phuong.

Maybe she's trying to get another message through.

I can't do a seance.

I'm a doctor.

Phuong!

I'm calling to you, Phuong,

in whatever dimension your spirit resides.

Let me be your vessel.

My body is your body, my voice, your voice.

I invite you in!

Complete the circle.

Hands, guys, hands.

Mm. Mm.

Ba ngoai?

Ba ngoai!

_

Now you know what I want, hmm? Where are they?

- Ba ngoai? - Find his souls.

Find his three souls!

Where have you hidden them? Hmm?

Somewhere in here?

Ba ngoai? Ba ngoai!

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

You shouldn't be in here.

Oh, I'm just here to pay my respects to a dear old friend.

Love your work.

You tranced out on us, babe. Glazed right over.

You kept saying, "Find his soul, find his three souls."

Find his souls? Whose souls?

You're telling the story here. What do you remember?

Water. Um...

A river.

Ba ngoai was there.

And... and someone else. Um... a man, I think.

- I remember a fish. - A fish?

I think she was trying to show me something.

If she wanted us to make sense of it all,

she should have come through me, I'm the medium here.

He's the conduit.

Hey?

Your hand.

The burn. It happened trying to save my grandmother.

Uh... I'm sorry, I've gotta go.

What? No, you can't.

I've been working for 36 hours... and I've gotta go.

- Ben, I need your help. - I'm sorry. I am, um...

The chef in the imaginary restaurant.

He said you had power. That you're the one.

I don't have any power.

That's when I heard him calling out.

He was in the storeroom, on his knees, just... just talking to...

Who?

No-one. There was nobody there.

He just kept on saying, "I'm sorry, Khoa.

"I'm sorry, Khoa."

Who's Khoa? One of the customers?

Beats me.

Bao was freaked out.

Says he won't come back to the shop

till the end of Hungry Ghosts month.