The Sign [Eng Trans]

Crossed Paths

Nong Khai 2005

"Luang Phor! Luang Phor!" A think boy clad in a red jersey paired with matching shorts dashed to the monk's house. Upon reaching the staircase's landing , he shook off hsi Chang Dao flipflop and walked up the nine step stairs to the wooden monk's cell above. The resounding football awakened the ascetic monk from his meditative state , causing him to open his eyes in a peacful manner and cast a gaze of disapproval upon the naught boy

'Tarn' or Vassa Rakseen , now realized his misbehavior. He walked on his tiptoes and crawled on his knees across the wooden floor towards Luang Phor , touching his forehead on the floor three times to pay homage before scooting towards the old monk

"How many times do i have to tell you to walk , not run?"
"Right , right. Tarn won't run anymore."

Tarn was a temple boy who was raised in temple. It wasn't because he was an orphan , but this temple was where his biological father had entered the monkhood. His mother divorced his father and moved back to Chaing Mai when Tarn was only one year old. 

Nevertheless , both of them never abandoned their child. Instead Tarn had been brought up with strict discipline. He knew his mother actually wanted to take him with her , but Tarn couldn't accompany her due to Luang Pu's restraint , stating that Tarn couldn't live far from the Mekong River until the age of eighteen. Otherwise , eh would meet his demise if he tried to defy his own fate.

Consequently , his mother inevitably left Tarn with his father...

There were times that Tarn felt neglected when Tong and other kids called him an unloved child , and his mother had to dump him for Luang Phor to look after him here because of the financial crisis. When Tarn cried and ran to Laung Phor , the devout monk said nothing but to hand a passbook with Tarn's name on it , revealing the balance in his bank account. Oh my... Tarn had roughly a million baht in his bank account.

'So you still think your mother is so down and out that she can't raise you?'

Tarn waggled his head in denial and looked down at the balance in his account. Had his mother been depositing a hundred thousand baht each month for him all along? Damn!

If only he had know he had this much money , he would have asked Laung Phor to buy a phone to play games like the other kids , not to be afraid and think Luang Phor was poor

'Then stop sulking like a girl already. You're a boy. You need to be strong. You mustn't cry so easily.'

Tarn nodded

'So why did Luang Phor and mae have to part ways? Why do you have to become a monk for life?... Why mae can't be with us here?'
'Tarn listen. sometimes , humans can't fight their fate. The reason Raviwan and i couldn't be together is a matter of karma.'

And that was Luang Phor said , but for some unknown reason , Tarn had a gut feeling that the actual reason behind their separation might have been him. However , he chose to keep his thoughts to himself , refraining from asking any further questions as he feared his suspicion might have been true

Back to the present , Tarn wanted to ask Luang Phor to visit Phi Yai's house at Ban Nampe , Rattanawapi District , to see the Naga fire balls. people said there was a spot so the visitors could see many of them , and Tarn wanted to witness it too

"What makes you rush to me like this?"
"Hehe"
"Want to go out?"

Tarn nodded

"Yes. Please let me go there. I want to see the naga fire balls at Ban Nampe . They say there's a spot where i can see a bunch of them."

Ex Pol captain Thepphop Rakseen cast a gaze at his beloved son , who was staring back at him with doe eyes and sighed. Now , Tarn had already reached the age of twelve. Luang Pu said his son would meet a savior who saved him from the doom. Moreover , he perceived a sign during the meditation of a giant bird approaching Tarn. Perhaps the time had finally come.

"Luang Phor?"
"You can go."
"Yay!"
"But keep in mind , do not say anything to things you see in the Mekong River , understood?"
"Alright. You have told me it thousands of times already."

The old monk kept saying it to him like a broken record that Tarn knew by heart

"Give me your hand."
"Yes?" 

Even with a puzzled face , Tarn still held out his hand to Luang Phor. Luang Phor grabbed. the monk's bag , searched for something , and placed it on Tarn's palm. An amulet? The one Luang Pu gave to Luang Phor before the pilgrimage

"If you find the one who deserves this Phra Rod amulet , don't hesitate to give it to him." 
"Eh? How could i know?"
"You have the super natural sense. Extrasensory perception. It will come to your sense about whom to give it to when you meet one."

Tarn scratched his head with slight confusion. But if it was Luang Phor's demand , Tarn had no choice but to follow through , so Tarn devoutly paid homage to Phra Rod Amulet in his own hand and draped it around his neck

"I will find him , Luang Phor."

Luang Phor nodded in acknowledgment. No other words passed his lips to his son. The holy man closed his eyes and returned to the meditative state again. Tarn paid homage three times to farewell and quietly walked on his knees to leave the monk's cell. 

He headed to his bedroom opposite Luang Phor's putting the money and clothes into the backpack that had already been used for three years. Luang Phor said it was genuine and told Tarn to take good care of it and use it for five years. Tarn couldn't help frowning at this idea. He had a million baht lying in his bank account , but he needed to use the shabby bag for this long and got mocked by his friends

Chuckle