It wasn't difficult to request time off for her daughter to travel down south, to the other side of the country, far away from everyone, even herself, or someone who she wanted to be as distant as possible.
Ranong-a province filled with nature and peaceful areas, perfect for healing the mind and resting.
Another night passed, and her granddaughter's dazed condition hadn't improved. She seemed worryingly absent-minded. It didn't look like she was under a spell, she knew a bit about these things. Her face wasn't pale; she just had the eyes of someone with longing.
"Does the outfit fit, dear? Tomorrow, we're going to the temple.”
"Yes... it fits."
"Are you hungry, dear? You haven't eaten anything. Or is it not to your taste?"
"No, I'm just not very hungry."
"Come here, dear."
The elderly woman turned to pick up a large pillow and placed it on her lap, then patted it, signaling her granddaughter to come and lie down. The tall figure, who'd been staring at the trees and grass, decided to walk back into the room and lay down on her lap.
"Who is she? What's her name? What kind of person is she? Can you tell Grandma, Peem?"
"Chanwara Kritpirat, everyone calls her Mae Kru Bulan. She uses her mother's sumarme because her father, Por Kru, said it was beautiful when said with her first name. She's as beautiful as her mother, like a lotus in the moonlight. She has a strict nature from Por Kru but is very kind-hearted. She's decisive, does good, and speaks honestly. She wakes up every morning before sunrise to cook for alms. On holidays, she goes to the temple. She cooks deliciously, never neglects housework, and cleans everything herself. My clothes are always ready to wear. Sometimes, I feel guilty and have to quickly wash my underwear myself. If she sees it, she'll wash it without hesitation. She supports people's spirits and teaches them to work hard. Her tattoos are sacred. She has a Sangwan tattoo here and a Sarika Kuu Dok Bua tattoo here."
As she spoke, tears slowly streamed down her face. The tall figure pointed to various spots on her body, describing each tattoo without missing a detail. A sweet smile began to spread across her face as she recounted the events they'd shared from the first day until she fell asleep on her grandmother's lap, exhausted from the restless journey. It was clear she was in a state of sleeplessness and loss of appetite.
The elderly woman gently lifted her granddaughter's hand, careful not to wake her. She'd raised three grandchildren, but none had a birthmark like this. She never thought it might be something ancient people liked to compare.
"A pair of birthmarks, a mark from a past life, destined to be together... Ratchaphee, if my granddaughter is telling the truth and isn't under a spell, you might be separating soulmates. Do you realize that?"
Though she was confident her granddaughter wasn't lying, she couldn't fully believe it. How could two people have matching birthmarks in the same spot?
A quiet temple in Ranong....
At 3:30 AM, it was time to wake up. The tall figure had been staring at the wall all night, unable to sleep. Four nights of solitude, counting the minutes until Mae Kru would wake up.
What would she cook for the monks today? The dormitory lights came on, filled with elderly people over fifty. Phones were put away.
On the first day, they chanted, listened to sermons, performed morning and evening prayers, practiced meditation, and cleaned the temple. It helped calm the mind a bit, but in free time, she only thought of her lover's face. Seeing a lotus made her eyes well up with tears every time.
