Chapter 7 : The Two Heart

The sun was already shining over the lofty, steep and complex mountains but Tian, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday was still curled up in a loosely deformed mosquito net. A tall man in a khaki collared shirt with what appears to be the Rama IV logo embroidered on his left breast and camouflage trousers, stands with his arms crossed, watching with boredom the new teacher who shows no sign of waking up.

Captain Phupha puts down the torch that Tian dropped on the floor last night and then saw the extinguished lamp and the half-open fuel valve, no need to guess that it has probably been used all night until it ran out of fuel.

Not quite stupid, knew how to use it and knew how to help himself but still didn't want to turn the light off completely before going to bed, he probably wanted to wait for the hut to burn down first, before realising that this light was on petrol, not batteries!

Phupha takes a deep breath and recites the sutra, calms himself down, then the stout hand folds the corners of the mosquito net and hangs it up, sits on the floor and shakes the man who is still clinging to his sleep.

"Tian, get up." Phupha frowned at this, determined to lean down and whisper in a not so soft voice next to Tian's ear.

"If you love these comfortable days, why do you want to be a volunteer teacher, wouldn't it be better to sleep at home in a soft bed?"

Tian rose from his bed and sat up until the tip of his nose rested against Phupha's firm cheek and he realised that he was no longer lying in his own room in Bangkok.

"Did you touch it? Did you just miss it?" Tian's handsome face turned red but Phupha remained still.

Phupha stood up slowly and said in a low voice, as if ordering a subordinate.

"Get up and take a bath."

Tian rubs his face hard to reduce his shyness and then quickly and deliberately changes the subject: "Do you know where the bathroom is? Yesterday you didn't say anything and I had to put up with going to bed stinking in the same clothes."

"It's not far but it's not advisable to go in the dark. If you just want to go to the toilet, there is a walled pit at the back of the house."

Tian can't imagine what the pit is like but it's enough to be called to the toilet. He grabbed the things he had bought last night and left them halfway. Phupha looked at the clothes, the soap, shampoo, the toothbrush in the hands of the new volunteer teacher and said succinctly.

"Follow me."

Tian almost didn't have time to catch up with him, because Phupha, after giving the order, turned and walked away without hesitation.

The sun was blindingly hot outside but it also gave Tian his first good look at the village of Phabandao.

In fact, the villagers live only a few dozen metres from his hut, most of the houses resemble his hut, as long as they are different in size.

Tian saw the villagers and children dressed in colourful local woven clothes, while he himself wore ordinary clothes, which allowed him to speculate that the village should be more accepting of foreign cultures, so that it could promote and open up education more than other villages that still clung to their own ethnic culture.

Tian felt nervous, because everywhere he went, there were eyes on him, as if he had seen a monster. When he turned to look at the people, who also smiled shyly with their heads buried, Captain Phupha stopped in front of a house that looked bigger than all the houses in the area.

"May I use the bathroom here?" asked Tian.

"No--" replied Phupha, as succinctly as ever: "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

With that he walked up the stairs and disappeared from sight, leaving Tian standing alone in the sunshine, waiting in front of the house.

A short time later, Phupha came down with a kindly old man." Tian, this is the village chief, Uncle Bianglae, you can also call him 'Khama'.

Tian politely saluted with a cross: "Hello.

"Hello, did you sleep well last night, teacher?" Khama, who has a certain position, or in other words, he is very knowledgeable and is responsible for contacting outsiders, replies in Thai language with a hometown accent.

"I slept well but there were a lot of mosquitoes." said Tian, while constantly stroking his red, pimply hand

"That's because you didn't do the mosquito netting properly," Captain Phupha interjected something that infuriated Tian.

"I don't know how to use it, where are the instructions you said you would give me?"

Phupha was silent for a moment, then replied as seriously as last night: "Sorry, I didn't know you really didn't know how to use it."

Tian smiled meanly: "The captain doesn't have to write the manual, it's enough that you take the time to teach me."

"Yes, I'll meet you at home tonight." Phupha promised solemnly.

Tian was left speechless, what talent is this? Before the argument goes any further, Uncle Bianglae looks on and hands Tian a plastic bag.

"Teacher, go and take a shower, it will be hot later at noon."

Tian took it in confusion, when looking inside the plastic bag, he saw a black solid mass and a plastic bottle with a brown liquid: "What is this?"

"Bamboo charcoal soap and herbal shampoo."

Tian frowned as if asking why he was being given these, as he himself had these same personal items.

"You'll see later when you get to the bathroom--" said the captain. If you look closely, you can see the corners of his mouth lift slightly, as if waiting for an interesting story.

The two men said their goodbyes to the village chief and continued on their way. The sun burns Tian's skin, making him feel a hot sting, he wiped away the sweat that continues to trickle down his forehead and neck and stared at Phupha's firm back. The tall body in the T-shirt still strides forward, not tired or irritated.

"Why do people build bathrooms so far away from the houses? Won't you be sweating when you walk back?"

Phupha heard the grumbling behind him but he didn't say anything, just lifted his finger and pointed to a corner of the sparse forest not far away. Tian looked in the direction he was pointing, panting fast as he passed Phupha and stood aghast at the stream, stunned by the waterfall flowing from the high cliffs into the wide basin below.

The water flowing down from the rocky outcrop was crystal clear, so clear that you could see the dense piles of leaf litter at the bottom of the stream. Tian turned ashen and slowly turned back to Phupha, who was standing and asked, "Where is the bathroom?" He knew it was a stupid question, because the answer was obvious!

"It's this natural bathroom." Phupha said emphatically.

"You want me to bathe naked in here, no way!"

"Then there's another way, borrow a villager's bucket and stretcher, put the water in and scoop it up at the back of the house.

Tian stared into those sharp eyes, like he's shouting this isa joke, right? Phupha seems to get the point.

"I mean it--" he confirmed with a nod, "any villager who wants water in their house has to do that themselves."

"So why not pump groundwater?" It stood to reason, all houses have underground wells, don't they?

"So, you live further away from the barracks than that, I wonder what it's like?"

"The soldiers have a military budget, we have underground wells and electricity from generators at the Phirapun operational base.

Tian huffed and puffed and muttered: "It's not fair."

So, what do you want?" Phupha asked sternly: "I don't have time to keep you all day." Tian grimaced, his hand clenched around the edge of the plastic bag. It was more difficult to decide between GUCCI glasses or TODD shoes!

He racked his brain and thought hard, then gritted his teeth and said "I'll take a shower here too. Don't forget the charcoal soap and shampoo I asked Uncle Bianglae to give you. Pha Mok waterfall is the natural source of water that feeds the people of this village, if you mix chemicals from outside with it, not so good."

Tian looked at the natural product in the bag and then clearly showed his disgust. Must I use a black soap and shampoo with no idea what name?

Captain Phupha frowned in displeasure: "Don't look down on the folk wisdom of what has been done since our ancestors, that it is good not to fight against new things."

"I see. He interrupted with a wave of his hand, suddenly remembering that something was wrong: "I'm going to undress for the bath, I hope you don't want to sit here and watch."

After a thought, Phupha replied firmly: "You have not been recommended by the village chief, you are still considered a stranger here, if you are the people's daughter, I can..." Of course, he swallowed his last words. But the other man didn't seem interested and replied angrily.

"OK, Captain, although I am a man, you are not my friend or relative, must I undress here in front of you, even if you are not shy but I am embarrassed!"

Phupha tries to understand Tian's easily shy logic and then acts generous: "Then I'll turn around, you get yourself together, okay!"

"This is a great gift!" Tian sarcastically watches as Phupha walks to sit down in the shade a short distance away, then he turns back and sighed heavily, smelling a bad stench on the clothes he is wearing, Tian decides to take off his brightly coloured printed t-shirt and jeans as quickly as possible.

In the end all that was left was a pair of pants, all because he was still afraid to face the challenge of this area naked. He slowly stretches his feet out until he is fully submerged in the stream, grabbing the plastic bag with his hand for the bath.

Tian stretched his arms, picked up the black soap and scrubs. The scent of jasmine is on the tip of his nose, making Tian, a high-class gentleman who has never used such things before, take a sniff of the black soap which produces a grey opaque lather.

It's not wrong, it smells good.

Tian picks up the dark brown shampoo in a plastic bottle and pours some out, realising it is not made of cow dung as expected and rubs his head frantically with his slender hands until all the bubbles run down his face and into his eyes. The cold stream flowed over his soaked body, making him want to roll to one side for a good time, then he decided to go deeper into the puddle.

The foam of the shampoo floats around like air, this momentary feeling of disgust at something unfamiliar to him may be wrong. On the other side, Phupha, waiting under a tree with his back turned, stared down at the clock, he's been in the shower too long.

Phupha stood up, pats the mud off his camouflage trousers and walked back to where he was, saw the clothes Tian was wearing and the toiletries on the rocks but Tian, who should have been in the area, disappeared. Phupha scanned the area looking for Tian and found the boy in question swimming down to the waterfall.

"Tian, don't go there, there's a whirlpool down there. He hurriedly shouted, because the force of the water cascading down the waterfall and reaching the ground below was so violent, that it created a constant vortex underwater.

He wondered if Tian had heard him. But suddenly Tian's body disappears into the water right in front of him without any sign of struggling to come up for air.

Phupha waited for a few seconds and then quickly decided to pull his shoe out. The "oh shit!" curses are loud enough to be heard throughout the area and are replaced by the sound of splashing water.

Phupha jumped into the water to find Tian lying unconscious and head down at the bottom of the waterfall. As soon as Phupha reached out to catch him by the waist, Tian began to struggle and twist his hands. The flailing hands seem to have deliberately struck Phupha in the face and eyes, causing Phupha to take some of the water unnoticed. Phupha then tried to grab the writhing hands in a haphazard way and put Phupha's arms around his neck.

Phupha must swim out of the water first, even though he is still angry with the boy on his back. Phupha sprang to the surface and turned to look at the man with his chin resting on his shoulder. The scent in the air from the herbal shampoo made them realise how close they were to each other.

Just nose-to-nose Phupha looked up into the starry eyes, feeling angry, he took a deep breath, calming his anger.

"You lied to me." Phupha's voice was low and clear, word for word.

Tian grinned with faded lips, a grin that even distracted those watching for a moment, "There was no swirl but I had a real cramp in my leg."

"Really?" He said sarcastically to Tian.

Tian tried to stifle his laughter, so that Phupha doesn't hear the loud aahs.

Tian grinned with satisfaction at the prank, he deliberately gets Phupha all wet and cheekily lets Phupha swim him to shore like a water frog.

"Come up here--" Phupha commands Tian to come ashore as if with a gun but he is tugged by his shirt and turned to see the handsome face saying with obvious pretence of grief.

"I told you I had a leg cramp."

Phupha jumps to his feet, suddenly bends down and thrusts her arms under Tian's knees and picks him up in a bridal embrace and strides quickly to the shore. Nearly naked, Tian laid stunned in the strong arms.

His heart is pounding, all the blood in his body is concentrated in his face, it is red. His manhood is gone! He didn't know whether to be angry or ashamed. He clenched his fist and pounded Phupha's firm chest, shouting.

"Damn it! Put me down now!"

"Hey, don't you have a cramp? Why don't I take you home in my arms?" Phupha's sharp eyes looked at Tian, there was no sign of joking.

The man who carried himself away was covered in a pair of wet underwear, what the hell was he thinking! Bastard!

Tian wrapped his arms around Phupha's neck and made him lower his head, shouting into Phupha's ear "I'm done, let me go!"

Before the words were out of his mouth, Phupha dropped Tian immediately, so that Tian carved and almost fell. Tian looked at the sharp face with undisguised viciousness until he noticed the long scar in the middle of Phupha's chest.

Phupha quietly and quickly bent down to grab a towel and tossed it to a dumbfounded, naked Tian.

"Dry yourself off and put your clothes back on."

At the sight of Phupha's T-shirt and camouflage trousers soaked to the point of dripping water, Tian felt a little guilty.

"I'll be fine, I'll drop you off at the village before I go back to the base." he said carelessly and urged Tian to get dressed.

Tian quickly turned around and dried himself off and put on his new clothes, as it began to get cold enough to make his mouth shiver.

As Tian walked side by side with Phupha back to the village, he stole many glances at the handsome, angular, pure Thai face, he wanted to give Phupha the towel he was holding. But he couldn't, he didn't really know how to do it.

What is the rhythm of the heart beating in the chest?

Don't confuse me. ... Phupha walked back with a blank face but still without saying that Tian is forbidden to go out and roam. Because the village belongs to the Akha people who have long observed ancient traditions anyway.

On the path leading to the village, there is a kind of arch called "LoKong." (similar to the Lombard gate), made of hardwood or bamboo with long wooden beams hanging from its top and decorated with statues, such as gyros and birds. A stranger is never allowed to enter the village without permission. According to tradition he must wait outside until the villagers come out to see or call out to the village people to receive him, before he is admitted to the village as part of the tribe.

But he arrived last night and entered from the back. If this had been any other strictly traditional village, Tian would have had to sleep in the forest.

Fortunately, the village of Phabandao has some open minds and is open to change, so is planning to hold a reception for the new volunteer teacher tonight.

On the way back from the waterfall, village chief Bianglae offered to walk Tian to the house, while the chief tells Tian that Phupha has had the village people helping to collect the water and cook the women's food since the rooster crowed but doesn't know why he is taking the teacher to the waterfall where the village people often wash their clothes and Tian can't help but be angry when he hears this.

In fact, he had been teased by him before.

He said sarcastically through his teeth: "He probably wants me to go out and get some exercise."

Besides, he couldn't help but be surprised that the captain was taking care of the teacher's life himself. "Did Phii Tian know Captain Phupha before?"

When Tian heard this question, he remained silent, although he didn't know it himself but his heart was in it. was aware of it. Tian shook his head to give his answer. When he reached the hut, Tian thanked the kind uncle, he gave him steamed hot sticky rice and salted dried meat to feed his hunger until the evening's feast began.

Taking advantage of his absence, he took the opportunity to explore the area around his dormitory. He first walked around the back of the hut, then opened the zinc lid on the earthen pot with a suspicious look and when he saw that it was full of clear, cool water, he immediately looked up with his handsome, clean face, even though he had a vague feeling that Captain Yong was also a good caretaker but when he thought that he had been tricked into walking so far to take a bath, he couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it!" He vented his frustration by putting the lid back on and then quickly walked back to take his medicine. Otherwise his heart might have shaken until his arms and legs had no strength.

Now his body was getting stronger but if he overworked himself, it still caused the same symptoms.

Tian turned his head to the other side of the room, not far away, a small room made of bamboo weave but with no holes visible, alone with a sparse forest in the background. As he opened the door, a foul smell came out and he saw a pit on the floor, it is used for defecating.

Tian quickly closed the door in disgust and turned around to see that the place seemed much tougher than he had thought. Discouraged, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked back to the basement of the hut.

He saw the charcoal stove, the cooking pot, the pot, the steamer and the cylindrical wooden shoe on the bamboo shelf and the lid of the shoe lying there with no idea what had been done to it. Although the bottom of the pot was black and gloomy from the charcoal but looking at the cleanliness of the inside, it must have been cleaned.

Still hinting that he could cook his own food, then Tian sat on the bamboo stand and reminisces about his childhood at the scout camp, when he was forced to be the group's cook, only for the rice to prove undercooked, the fried eggs to burn and the fried chicken to bleed, after which no one allowed him to cook again.

Probably starving to death, he breaks down with his head in his hands and wants to run and pack his bags and go down the hill immediately.

He climbed the rotten stairs back up to the dormitory but didn't go inside. The cool breeze mixed with the warm sunshine, made him sit on the small balcony leaning against a pillar and dangling his feet, feeling surprisingly calm, for a while he sat and watched the top of the forest belt sway back and forth, drifting off to sleep with his eyes closed until he heard a familiar voice shouting: "Teacher... teacher Tian." Yod, now wearing only a khaki t-shirt (camouflage sweatshirt), indicated that he was already on duty.

Tian greeted him sleepily and subconsciously, "What's up, Sarge?"

"It's five o'clock in the afternoon, Phii. By now the village people have prepared the reception in the village courtyard. Come with me, Phii, or we'll be late for the ceremony."

Tian nodded and stretched, then bent down to put on his trainers "Honestly, it doesn't have to be such a big ceremony.

"It's an Akha tradition. They are very generous and we have to accept it, the teacher doesn't have to think about it." When Yod saw Tian not quite awake, he smiled fatherly: "See this, you look more like a child."

When Tian heard this, he immediately raised his hand and scratched his messy hair shyly, he was usually seen as a gentleman wearing gel and fashionable clothes but without all that decoration as a shield, he was just an ordinary man who had just passed his teenage years.

When he is teased by Yod, his smooth white face starts to turn red with shyness, then quickly changes the subject.

"Why don't we just go into the village?"

Yod took Tian back to the back of the village: "The teacher has to go to the front of the village to perform the ritual, so I have to take you slightly around."

The sun begins to sink over the horizon, the pale orange light falls over the hills, bringing a chill to the air. Tian tightened his jacket and wrapped himself up tightly. The temperature was dropping fast here, his body is still moving, so it's warm but if he stops, it could freeze his chin.

Yod leads him up a steep slope that seems to be crushed by stones, then points his finger and says: "Wait, the teacher walked up here, it's not far, about half a kilometre and you will see the village gate, the teacher will shout for permission to enter."

"Won't you come with me then?"

"I can't go. From now on, the teacher must go alone. As for me, I will take a shortcut through the forest and meet up with the people waiting in the village, don't go to the corner or touch anything."

He said as he turned and took the shortcut into the overgrown forest, if one was not familiar with the forest, one could really get lost.

When he was left alone, Tian stood helplessly scratching his head for a few minutes and then slapped his hand on his face to cheer himself up.

All right! It's come to this, let's go!

Tian walked in the cool wind and the mist that fell in the air. The darkness began to spread, the rustling of the tall grass on either side created a frightening illusion and he had to pick up the pace almost to the edge of a run.

At the end of the steep slope ahead, a dark shadow appeared. As he approached, it was a large door frame made of strong wooden posts. At the top is a thick beam, decorated with carved wooden figures in the form of swords, birds and spirals and on either side of the pillars are statues of a man and woman.

Tian looked through the darkness under the door frame, saw only the same wooden frame, silence around his body, no one was waiting as he had said before.

Suddenly, he remembered a documentary he had seen about respecting 'ghosts and mystical hill tribe beliefs', he got goosebumps.

The loneliness and isolation combined with the cold made Tian's jaw stiffen, he felt like he was hallucinating, a ghost was scaring him and his voice was stuck in his throat as he prepared to scream. He closed his eyes tightly to calm himself down and suddenly drove his nails into his flesh until he screamed out in pain.

"Please, please... Please let me in."

Quiet, what a blow.

A few seconds later, he heard the sound of voices in tongues he did not understand, voices that echoed in the valley around the place. At one point it sounded to the left, at another it moved to the right until finally, it grew louder and louder and sounded in all directions.

It must be a ghost!

Before Tian was scared to death, a familiar low voice was heard asking.

"That's all there is to it!

Instant fear defeated by insult, finally his last tense nerve is ripped out. What the hell, is this a military training camp? Tian shouted back without hesitation.

"Come out and get me. It's so cold, it's freezing the eggs!" Everything goes quiet, as if someone is translating and then laughter came out of the darkness behind the dense woods by the road. Suddenly, the whole area was lit with torches, this helped to banish the fear and added to the warmth of the cold weather.

Then, a group of indigenous men dressed in indigo hand-woven suits with long sleeves embroidered with three rows of coloured thread, came out to greet him with friendly smiles.

But Tian was not in the mood for greetings, so he just smiled and rushed into the village, among the group, he saw someone dressed differently from the villagers, on closer inspection, he saw Captain Phupha and Yod and another four or five other soldiers he had never met before.

Before anything else could be said, the chief of Bianglae and the village boys led him to a spacious courtyard with a large fire burning in the middle, where a group of women and children were waiting, all dressed in full costume and carefully groomed. In addition to their patterned dresses, which resemble the men's costumes, they wear pointed hats decorated with silk and silverware and when they move they make a bell-like jingle.

The "Mima", the religious head of the Akha village, the spiritual leader, strides towards Tian. His serious, wrinkled face looked fierce until Tian felt he couldn't breathe. The old man twirls an ugly, curved cane around his face, while reciting some incantations in a strong, raspy voice.

Towards the end of the sentence, the odd-looking cane seemed to be about to hit him in the head. He was so shocked that he almost went into shock and craned his neck, crossing his arms above his head to protect himself until a palm gently slapped the middle of his back.

"Don't be afraid, Phii Mima is just doing a ritual, take it easy." Village chief Bianglae looked at him with a smile, Tian's comical and frightened pose was almost etched into his mind.

When he heard him tell himself in a language he understood, Tian relaxed a little and dropped his defensive arm, the branch was soon across his forehead but it didn't hurt.

Tian slowly opened his eyes, looked both ways and saw the old man smiling at him, not as aggressively as he would have liked. As Tian gently touched his forehead, he felt something slimy on it.

"This is red ash, Mima is here to help protect you from the evil spirits of the forest." explained the head of the Bianglae, much to Tian's relief.

Then, led by a strangely shaped wooden reed-pipe or something, the sound of a three-hole flute and a long drum was played. Although this is the reception ceremony for the new volunteer teachers, it is also a great opportunity for the young people of the village to get up and do some networking.

They sang and danced around the campfire, reminding Tian of his time in the scout camp. Then, the headman of Bianglae brought the village's most important people to bind his wrists, usually we see sacred threads but here they are woven with coloured yarns in a patterned hand-string, which looks beautiful in another way.

Tian was uncomfortable with the holy thread, because he is not used to receiving kindness from strangers. They are different in language and way of life. Seeing the last person coming with the red silk thread, Tian is suddenly overcome with emotion.

Resentful of having been teased for half a day at the village gate, Tian said to Phupha with a grimace.

"Whose daughter are you married to? How dare you have the right to bind my wrists as a villager."

Phupha's gleaming eyes glanced at Tian and as he bent down to tie the red thread around Phupha's slender wrist, he said: "There are many families whose daughters want to marry me but I haven't agreed."

What a doggy's mouth, Tian was so annoyed, he wanted to put his foot in his mouth: "Be a little more modest or no one will want you later, Captain"

Captain Phupha was silent, as if he was not interested in meaningless bickering. as if he wasn't interested in meaningless bickering. He tied the thread neatly into a loose knot, so that it could be removed but this also made the thread come loose after a while, it took a long time until Tian's hands started to get sore and he couldn't bear to say "It's okay, you can tie it tighter."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar low, soft voice interjects over the sound of the band: "Are you going to miss doing it in another life?"

The tall, fair-skinned man appears next to him, long, thin eyes behind silver-rimmed glasses slyly staring at the silk threads on Tian's wrist and blurted out.

"It's a red thread! Wow, you're going to get engaged to Nong early, aren't you, Phupha?" He bursts into laughter.

After Phupha tied the string around his hand, he immediately turned around and stopped his friend in his tracks: "What the hell! It's not like that." The repelled man shot back, turning to Tian and smiling: "Hello, Nong Tian, my name is Wasan, I'm the doctor at the same base of operations as this tall guy, you can call me Nam like everyone else Doctor..."

Seeing that he wasn't the only one who thought Captain Phupha was too tall, Tian immediately felt friendly towards the medic, perhaps because the doctor's personality was similar to Phii Tay's but the doctor was a bit cheekier.

"Hello, Dr. Nam." Tian said without shyness. Phupha crossed his arms and looked at the boy with a big smile, feeling very grumpy when he was with himself and really wanted to whip his ass with a stick. Phupha sighed heavily and urged.

"Come on, Uncle Bianglae and the others are still waiting for us to eat." Phupha said as she went to the long bamboo beds where the village elders sat at the edge of the cultural compound in the centre of the village.

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