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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

My First Short Story

The Luck Brought by Triplets

Written by: NGUON Chhayleang

A few droplets of water left from last night rain sleeping on branches of trees were rolling down gracefully to the red fertile ground and were absorbed abruptly and thirstily as a rainy night was transisting into a hot spring day. The sun was starting to give off light to the day again. A covey of birds were flying here and there across the about-to-turn-green landscape signaling for another great sunny day while the little ants were scuttling away under the mango tree looking for a place to store of their summer supplies. Behind the mango tree stood an old, gloomy and lonely house of a talented herbalist Pitou, a man who left his laboratory in Phnom Penh to find the herbs in the big forest of Mondolkiri province.

Inside the house, a woman lying on the aged mat was moaning with excruciating pain. Her eyes opened widely and fiercely with a few drops of tears running out. Her hands were gripping a piece of old cloth hung from the central pillar of the house. The droplets of her sweat, as big as seed corns, were running profusely off her forehead. Crouching beside was a 50-year-old midwife.

“Push a bit harder, my daughter,” the midwife cried.

“I’m afraid…I can’t….,” Pisey replied in a tremulous voice.

“I’m sure you can. Just push a little bit harder. It’s almost over,” responded the midwife camly, using her right hand to wash Pisey’s sweat away ensuring that she will be okay soon.

Searching endlessly for herbs in the forest, Pitou did not know that his wife was giving an abnormal birth. Luckily, there was a midwife coming across his house while Pisey was crying for help.

After several hours of searching, scrutinizing and collecting various types of trees, leaves, dead twigs, grass weeds, spices and plants, he was walking home with a bundle of herbaceous foliage on his back. Arriving near his house, Pitou was greeted with a strange sound. Upon reaching the middle of his house, to his consternation, Pitou found Pisey resting on a mat with three little babies lying in a row beside her. The three mouths were open wide, letting out deafening cries. Pitou was stunned like he was hit by a stone.

“Are you okay, darling?” said Pitou, feeling guilty about his absence during Pisey’s birth-giving.

“I’m okay now that you are here,” Pisey murmured softly, feeling exhausted after giving birth, “But I think after this I will not be okay unless we move back to the city.”

“Alright, we will go back as long as you recover,” Pitou said sympathetically accepting Pisey’s request.
After having a small talk with his wife, Pitou turned back to the midwife who had just saved his wife, the triplets, and perhaps his regret. He thanked her for her service then gave her some money as a quid pro quo. The midwife accepted the money and warned Pitou off being careless about the danger of his wife.

Two days later Pisey recovered and could move to the city. Pitou, during the last two days, had not gone to the forest to find any more herbs, but had stayed at home fulfilling his husbandly duty, taking care of his wife and the children.

“Your stamina has come back now. We can leave to Phnom Penh tomorrow,” Pitou feeding one of the babies the milk he had bought the other day accosted Pisey.

“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll go to pack our belongings now,” replied Pisey walking towards the big black leather luggage she had put under her bed.

The next morning, at dawn, Pitou and his family took a 24-seat bus as a means of their transportation to Phnom Penh. Along the way, Pitou kept his eyes closely on Pisey and his children to ensure that they were safe and sound. At dusk, reaching the station, Pitou and his family took a cab to their resident located just outside Phnom Penh.

Pitou, Pisey and the triplets were warmly welcomed by their relatives who had already known about their arrival through Pitou’s calling. The triplets were taken care of perfectly by Pitou’s relatives.

Two days later Pitou feeling that his family was secure now took the herbs he had collected to his lab to do experiment.

Arriving at his lab, he took different types of herbs out of his bag and examined one by one. Being implacable in his search for cure of new malady, Pitou first took out a tiny dried leaf called Mullein which is useful for lung congestion. Then he took another big dead leaf called lemon balm which contains anti-viral properties. Next he added other substances and mixed them together. An hour later he got his result. In a paroxysm of excitement, his experiment made history. Pitou had found the treatment for AH1N1.

Pitou’s discovery made him one of the richest men in the world and allowed his family to enjoy a completely different lifestyle for which he had been longing. Pitou realizing that his three children brought him no burden at all but unbelievable luck finally said “There is no luck as luck brought by triplets!”

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