Zaw was outside the old master’s house chopping vegetables for the evening meal. In the brotherly spirit of the new camp, all meals were now held at the front of the large house instead of the kitchen area. The hot season was almost over and after sunset, a cool refreshing wind would blow through the forest. The beetles who spent their days lounging on leaves were making way for the crickets, who would take the night shift. Overhead, clouds had begun to form but it the earth had not yet been quenched by the sky’s gift of rain, there would be enough hot food and palm wine to keep everyone warm.

“Thanks for today”. After the Seng Nu had been at the river that evening, helping to give the elephant’s their weekly bath. As she sat by and her hair was still wet and smelled of the lemony chomaleaves they used to make a lather.

“Not a worry” Said Zaw, keeping his eyes on the greenhoof he was carving into delicate flowers. Despite Seng Nu’s insistence that the root vegetable was edible, he decided it worked better as a decoration.

“We make a good team don’t we?” she said and jumped forward to wrap her arms around Zaw and planted a long kiss on his cheek, edging her lips around his face till they met with his own. Zaw tried to keep cutting vegetables but eventually dropped the knife and spun round to embrace Seng Nu.

“Remember to lock the doves up tonight.” Said Zaw

“It feels wrong to keep birds caged up like that.” Seng Nu replied.

“I’m sure they don’t mind having a metal bar between them and the beasts that come out at night in the jungle. They’ll have their freedom next week when they fly back to the city”

“And the bars will also protect them from any cooks who want to serve up dove curry tonight!”

“Don’t give me any ideas!”

“Zaw” said Seng Nu and gave him a serious look.

“What is it?” he said.

“Are people scared of me?”

“No. Why would they be scared of you?” Zaw squeezed her waist and kissed Seng Nu on the top of her head.

“Sut. Today after he spoke out, he gave me a look. Like he regretted saying what he had.”

“Well maybe he did regret it.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“No. I mean it wasn’t as if he didn’t believe it, he regretted it because he was afraid. Afraid I might go into a rage and knock a tree down on him.”

“I’m sure he didn’t think that.”

“Sometimes I think that.” Seng Nu buried her face into Zaw’s chest wiping her tears on his tunic. “At the Gate, when I brought down those trees, I did not plan that. To feel that angry. It felt like I was exploding. I could not stop myself. Sometimes I am afraid of myself, Zaw. I became something else then, I became a Master, Zaw, and not a good one.”

Zaw did not know what to say so he held her and wiped her tears. His life was a physical one and he knew little of Seng Nu’s praxis. He held her close and wiped her tears.

xxx

Later, as the whole camp ate together under a purple sunset, some of the men began to consider inviting their families to the camp. The Gate of Winter was approaching and they had grown tired of opening it by themselves.

“It has never felt right, ringing it open without our families here with us” said Dai, “Not that I didn’t appreciate your cooking last year Zaw” he added.

“Well why don’t we invite them here” Said Kon.

“But where will they stay?”

“They can, with us” Said Dai, a glint in his eye.

There was muttering and groaning around the table at the thought of the dormitories being shared by men and women, even married ones.

“Don’t you all start putting out my dream of a Gate with my family this year” said Dai.

“We would never do that” Said Seng Nu. “The camp belongs to you as much as it does to anyone. You can invite whoever you want”

There were sounds of agreement and the voices around the table bubbled and rose and before long they had all arrived at the sweet outcome of the conversation:

Buttersweet would become a village.

“Why not!” said Kon, raising a cup of palm wine in a toast. And long after the moon had swept over the clearing, they were all still awake and dreaming.

xxx

It was as if they had never slept. They had all finally gone to bed late, but were awake early and the excited chatter continued where it left off. There was a determination not to let the new dream fade

It was decided to start the new village in shifts. Half of the men would take half of the elephants out into The Valley to trade for supplies and bring back their families, The rest would stay at the camp.

“And what if your wife doesn’t want to move Danh?” Said Zaw to Dai who was strapping on a saddle to the young bull Japhtu.

“Don’t you go taking me for a bad one young Zaw” Said Dai, reproaching the boy who was almost 15 years younger than him. “Don’t be talking to me about wives when you haven’t even asked Seng Nu to marry you yet.”

Zaw blushed.

“As for my lovely lady, each season I return back to the homestead, she tells me that the roof is leaking and the rats are getting in through the holes. And each time she asks if she can come back with me. So I don’t assume anything Zaw, but I have a guess what her answer will be.”

Zaw nodded, slightly embarrassed to have brought up the subject. But he still wondered if everyone else would have such an easy time convincing their families to move here. He looked over to the house where Seng Nu was talking to Kon and thought that he was lucky to have her right here.