Sunken Fish - Chapter 46
She thought it was absurd for people to argue about saving fish. But what about twelve-year-old Esme? Watching these lives struggle in vain, trying to live but still dying—oh, how terrible.
Walter glanced at the time anxiously and interrupted their argument: "Ladies and gentlemen, you should get back to the bus now. If anyone wants to buy something or look around, please get back to the bus in fifteen minutes."
My friends scattered; Wendy went to find shade for the car, Murphy and Rupert strolled through the alleyways, and the others went to find places to take pictures to document their visit to the city.
In a corner of the market, Benny spotted a sweet-looking old woman. She wore a blue headscarf, which made her sun-dried face appear even smaller. He gestured for her to allow him to sketch her, along with her mustard greens and turnips. She smiled shyly. So he sketched a few lines, like a cartoonist, and the old woman's facial features came to life on the paper.
The headscarf pressed down on the small head of the Lanna woman, and a big smile almost overwhelmed her cheeks, followed by a bunch of mustard greens and turnips, with faint floral patterns everywhere.
A minute later, Benny showed her his sketch.
“Oh dear,” she exclaimed in a language he couldn’t understand, “you’ve transformed me into someone else, so much prettier, thank you!”
Benny gave her the sketch, and she grinned again, her eyes sparkling. Pointing to the food, she said in English, "Do you like it?"
Benny nodded politely, gesturing that he could take some with him. Benny shook his head, but she persisted, and he thought she was trying to sell him the vegetables. She smiled and poured the haphazardly pickled turnips into a pink bag and handed it to him.
How much money would that cost? Benny gave her some money, about thirty cents, an incredibly high price for a bag of turnips.
But she looked insulted and firmly pushed his hand away. Finally, he understood: Oh, it was a gift!
She nodded firmly. He gave her a gift, and she gave him one in return. Wow! He felt uneasy; this was kindness between strangers.
This is truly a moment that National Geographic should have documented: two completely different people, speaking different languages, living different cultures, everything about them, yet giving each other the best they could give—their love, their paintings, and their cooking.
Benny happily accepted the pink bag, a symbol of world friendship, and then gratefully bid farewell to the Lanna woman.
He returned to the bus and gathered everyone together, counting heads with Walter. Driver Mr. Joe closed the door and slowly drove away from this strange town.
desire
My friends continued their journey south, and I floated above them, sensing every shift in their hearts, while pondering everything about the Kingdom of Lanna.
A story circulated in this ancient kingdom: a princess was married to a mad tyrant, and she lived in obscurity, her whereabouts unknown. Her husband beat and abused her, and her children, bearing terrible scars, hid in corners. Poor Princess Lanna, even in her haggard state, always kept murmuring that she was still beautiful.
Of course, we all sympathize, but who wants to read a story like that?
How did I know? Actually, I've always preferred ancient novels. I read them to escape to a more interesting world, rather than being locked in a sweltering prison and finding myself among a group of people with tragic fates.
I love fantasy novels where the author skillfully displays magic to me, with mischievous monkeys chattering incessantly on branches, and no poachers or cages.
In the Kingdom of Lanna, despite its tragic history, it's still possible to enjoy the life I love: art is paramount, followed by festivals and traditional costumes, and the devout faith of removing shoes before entering temples. This is what tourists appreciate: romantic countryside, simple and charming, without the hassle of telephones and satellite TV to spoil the experience.
You can find your fantasy through this incredible journey, which is very common in the Kingdom of Lanna, or rather, the whole country is a fantasy, the world is an illusion. This is what the people of Lanna taught me.
Nearly 90 percent of the Lanna people are Buddhists, and they yearn to escape the mundane world in order to reach nothingness, which is the ultimate goal of the Pali scriptures. Of course, usually only monks strictly adhere to this precept, but the illusion still exists.
Although I grew up in a Buddhist family, it was Chinese Buddhism, a hybrid—ancestor worship, belief in ghosts and spirits, and all things frightening. Our Buddhism isn't like the Lanna's, which is detached from worldly desires; we pursue everything—wealth, fame, good luck in gambling, many children, delicious food…not just honor, but all the riches of life. Of course, we also hope to enter heaven, to reach the highest level of the cycle of reincarnation.