Innocence

Myamya , a girl from marma ethnic community , From Bangladesh, born in a big family, 9 years old ,had 4 siblings . 27 cousins , 20 of them were cousin sisters . she lives in a village called Jognachari , no electricity , no vehicles , nearest market was two hours walk , the bazar (market)is near a big banyan tree , there is a river near it , Karnafully river .

the houses of her village are made of bamboo fence or mud with straw but some houses of the field or hill are made four feet high from the ground because of wild animals , even tree houses are made for the safety issue , from wild elephant , some British come over to hunt animals over here .

her morning starts with the chirping of birds ,when sun rises ,sounds of her brother chopping the woods and sister , making the fire , mother burning the dry fish and yelling to wake up . A beautiful morning starts with the buzzzzzzzzzzz of insects . they got five cows and three goats . seven pig with nine piglets , two dogs , 20 chickens with 8 ducks.

Myamya's sibling's name Chingsathowai ( elder brother 17 ) Chingswe (youngest brother 15) Mya sing (elder sister13 ), her mother's name is Myasha but I will write only Dohdoh.

Myamya : ''Dohdoh (mom) why you keep yelling? ''

her mother literally was going to burst out. but kept her pace .

Dohdoh:'' do you know what day is it ? it's the market day . we are going to be late. ''

Market day is the the day when all the people sell their goods , only a day or two per week was set up a market day here .

She jumped from the bed took charcoal and ran to the river with a jug made of mud and yelled.

Myamya: no one told me anything . we are going to be late. i need to buy my sugar cane and sticky rice cake yeahhhhhhhhhhh.

Chingsathowai: you are always late.

Mya sing: I have prepared the rice mother . caught five chickens to sell , with 20 eggs.

Chingswe : 3rd uncle told me to help selling his bananas . I might not get time for the circus show. brother do me a favor.

Chingsathowai : What is it ?

Chingswe :buy one shirt for me.

Chingsathowai :why cant you buy it yourself ? I don't have time for your bullshit.

Chingswe : brother i have been doing your chores . is this how you are going to pay!

Chingsathowai: what do you mean by doing my chores ? i have been cutting your woods everyday. you have been escaping morning prayers . you do all the odd jobs but bring no money for house . I know what you do with 3rd uncle . don't tell me to buy your things. you free loader.

Chingswe : hey i have been passing your message to .... you forgot , you are the one who told me to help wood cutting if I set you up with Emya. I did my job but if you cant convince a girl that's your failure not mine.

they were almost about to fight when mother yelled with anger.

Dohdoh : what's wrong with you two ? Chingsathowai your only brother requesting you to do only one favor .just buying a shirt is it a big deal? And Chingswe is this how you act with your elder brother ? show respect , what's with Emya ? what's going on in my house? is this how you both going to act after I am gone. I cant be at peace even if I ascend to heaven.

Chingswe: Oh Dohdoh , don't be a typical mother.

Chingsathowai : see how your son talks back . you always said to me to be patient because i am Elder but you don't teach your younger son to be respectful.

Dohdoh: oh buddha show me the road of enlightenment . I don't know what to do with my children .

Myamya : you both already fighting . you know two white men came with five women in last market day . those women were so white and beautiful with cat eyes . one got golden hair . two of them looked like 14 or 16 to me . what if you both bet which one of you can flirt with white women . i will give you a lock as a gift if you take me to circus show in the evening.

Mya sing : i have seen them too . they were really beautiful . but they are surrounded with army . are you sure ?

Chingswe: She always talks bullshit.

Myamya : try me.

Chingsathowai : are you sure but how you going to get the lock?

Dohdoh: children just sat up . am I even here ? no one respects me . Go eat your breakfast and get ready. my Elder son is dumb and younger son is too obnoxious and rude . one of my girl is too meek and another one is too clever that she sells her family in market and buy again . I don't know why that idiot man left me with his offspring .

After two hours walk they reached to the market , For Myamya its a place of new colors , new people . she keeps watching the people of other community like Mru , Chakma , Tripura , Tanchangya. the British roams with gun even the Mughals because of safety issue . whatever Myamya becomes a good girl . She wore sarong called thabein with her tiny ponytail , her brothers are ready to sell their goods , her mother set up a stall to sell chickens and eggs with her sister . the bazar was full of crowd , monks that came from China and Burma also selling goods , even the statue of Buddha was being sold ,those are made of wood . Indian spices were very expensive ,

Suddenly she noticed some teenage girls standing front of a stall . they are topless , with the lower part of the body covered by a short cloth. This skirt is woven from yarn, obtained from Indian merchants. Some wearing string of copper pieces to the string of beads around the waist. They also wearing silver earrings, which are hollow tubes about three inches long.

most of the men are watching them with lust but no one approaching them because there are three men standing behind with dah ( kind of kitchen knife but large in size and heavy to hold ). they are marriageable girls and they gathered here to get married .

Myamya: Dohdoh .

Dohdoh: what

Myamya : why those Men are so interested in those girls , is it because they are topless?

Dohdoh: don't stare and do your job.

Myamya : Dohdoh I don't have any job to do . give me some coins , I will make it double and give your coins back .

Dohdoh: are you a magician ? how can you double the coins ?

Myamya: Dohdoh . why are you so innocent . its easy beasy ,

Dohdoh : now my 9 years old girl going to teach me about the way of the world. take this coin , its yours , you don't have to give it back. just don't get lost.

Myamya: the best mother of the world .

she started to explore the bazar , their are merchants from far far away , Indian spices , Burmese clothes , wooden toys for children , vegetables and fruits are decorated in many stores . it is so crowded , monks from Myanmar set stall with wooden Buddha statue and painting on the life of Gautam Buddha , women with hair oil and fragrance , ornaments . some bargaining , some buying .

three white man with five Indian man holding gun , collecting tax . one of them was riding horse.

one white man went in a stall and bargaining , whatever Myamya ignored them and ran towards a granny selling sugar cane and sticky rice cake , a smile touched her cheeks and her eyes became more radiant . few Rakhain boys were there .