THE HELP ( Original story by Henry Aung )

THE HELP
Lending a hand is quite common in every culture. However, it is very important than why you help and to whom you help. Sometime it is very difficult to say “NO” when someone asks for help, especially those ladies who need help more than others.
When I was young, I used to hunt in the jungle with some of my friends. It was just for fun to shoot birds and some other kind of animals like a rabbit. All of my friends were the same age as me and among them, John was my best one. Being a fatherless child, John constantly helps his mother as much as he can. And I felt that John was more mature than me. When I was playing with others, John was consistently busying with the housework. Sometimes, I helped him so that we could play together.

One summer holiday, John asked me to follow with him to go another village which was a few kilometers away from our village where his uncle was staying. Needless to say I was so happy to follow with him. To reach there we have to across one small stream and an old graveyard. During the journey we were chatting and shooting birds here and there along the pathway to the village. Suddenly, we heard a murmuring sound when we reached the old cemetery. At first I thought someone was crying in the cemetery but soon I realized that the graveyard was an old one and it was a deserted yard. I looked at John’s face, and he was looking at the small pavilion which was built in the center of the graveyard. (Every cemetery have a small pavilion which is for funerals ceremony, it is built like hull shape and only floor and roof. There are no side walls for cemetery’s pavilion.) Curiously, we slowly approached to the pavilion. When I saw the sight I almost run back to the village unless my hand was held by John.

There was a pregnant woman lying down on the dusty floor and asking for help with mourning, looked like she was going to give birth soon. John and I decided to help her as much as we could. But nothing else we could do. John was asking her that what we should do for her. The poor woman replied that she wanted a bullock curt to go back to her village. And she gave some money to John to hire bullock cart as soon as possible. John took the money and kept inside his pocket. And unexpectedly, John held my hand and walked away from the pavilion. At first I didn’t realize what was going on. Then, at the edge of the yard john cried out “RUN!” I ran as first as John did. I didn’t know head or tail about why we were running away from the poor women who seeking for help. And we run until our whole shirts were soaked with sweat.

After resting for a while under a tree, I asked John why we left the pitiful woman alone.
“Henry” he answered me with question “Did you notice the pavilion floor”?
I replied, “No, what’s wrong with it?”

Then, he said, “Do you know Henry, there are only a few foot prints on the dusty floor."
“I am not so sure” I answered. And he said again “Those footprints on the floor belong to you and me, Where is the woman’s one?”
“John” I said hesitantly. “I don’t think she is a ghost."
“Neither do I” he replied. And continue asking me, “But Henry, have you ever seen a heavily pregnant woman travel alone?” “And where was her luggage, did you saw it?”
I replied, “It is strange."
Suddenly, I remembered something, and yelled to John, “The money!” And John immediately took the money out from his pocket. To my surprised, there were only a few pieces of fresh banyan tree leaves on John’s hand instead of money. In our way back home, we chose another way. That was the day I shall never ever forget.

Photo credit ; Google Image

Henry Aung (Kachin)