Choices

More Memories down the Lane

There were large trees overlooking the cliff and the house was also surrounded by large trees but very old trees. The boys loved climbing trees and picking fruits. Tam, Pop, and Sak would climb the trees while Dao and Kam will catch the fruit with their baskets.

One day, Kam came home early from school. He spent the time with Khun Tip and Pa'Tu playing word games. Pa'Tu went in and left them to get some snacks. Khun Tip's phone rang, and she turned her back for privacy to answer it.

Kam looked at Khun Tip who was talking on the phone; he tiptoed away from her and walked to a large tree. He looked up thinking that it just a moderately tall tree; he wanted to try climbing it. So next time they pick fruits, he could climb with them. He figured that he just needed to practice how to climb trees so that he would be literally an expert at it.

Khun Tip turned and she was surprised that she did not see Kam by the board. She looked around and called for him, 'Kam? Where are you?'

'Khun Mae! I am here!', Kam called out from the top of a very tall tree.

Khun Tip placed her hand over her heart. It was beating so fast. Not another accident for Kam, she was thinking. She screamed for Pa'Tu who immediately rushed out of the house. She asked why but Khun Tip can only point at the top of a tree, there was Kam.

'Kam! Luk!! What are you doing there? Come down, quickly. ' Pa'Tu and Khun Tip approached the tree looking both scared. The tree was old and was known for its brittle branches.

Both women had their hands on their hearts while looking at Kam waving at them. Khun Tip felt her heart race so fact that she was afraid that she was having a heart attack. Pa'Tu examined the branch that the child was on, seeing that it was a bit younger than the other branches, it must be sturdier at least, Pa'Tu looked at Khun Tip and then back up the tree, she knew a misstep could cause Kam to fall and hurt himself.

'Khun Tip looked at Kam with tears in her eyes, praying that he comes out of this unscathed otherwise, she wouldn't know how to explain this to his parents.

'Kam, luk! Come down please, you are way too high up.' Pa'Tu wanted to encourage the little boy to come down so slowly.

From a distance Khun Tip can hear the truck pulling into the driveway and stopping. Khun Soon must be back from fetching Tam from school.

Pa'Tu rushed to the garage screaming, 'Khun Soon, come quickly!'

Tam had already jumped down from the truck the moment that the engine had stopped, he was smiling but it slowly disappeared when he saw his aunt's face. She immediately turned back the way she came from.

'Pa'Tu, what is wrong? What happened?' Tam immediately asked.

'It's Kam!' she said worriedly.

Khun Soon stared at his wife puzzled, 'What do you mean it's Kam? What happened to Kam?'

Pa'Tu merely pulled her husband to where Khun Tip was looking up at a tree.

Tam was running as fast as his shorter legs would let him. He saw his mom, looking up at tree. He was so shocked to see Kam, sitting on one of the branches. That tree was one of those trees they never climbed on because it was so old, most of it's branches were brittle and breaks easily.

'Kam!' He screamed.

'Oho, Phi Tam!!!', Kam waved both hands at his phi enthusiastically, causing him to almost lose his balance from where he was sitting.

'Kammy! Don't move!' Khun Soon was checking out the branches to see if they would hold his weight but judging from the appearance of the tree, only a child would be able to climb on it without breaking.