This story was related to me recently by a waitress who normally works in Bangkok, but goes back to her village periodically to see her children and work on her farm.
“I buy baby chicken in market five baht. She go, ‘cheep cheep cheep’ allatime. She follow me roun’. She think I am her mudder.
“Everywhere I go, she run behine me, go ‘cheep cheep cheep’ allatime.
“At night, I go in house, leave baby chicken outsigh.
“In morning, I come out, she run roun’, go ‘cheep cheep cheep’, follow me everywhere. Very cute, Doug. I very happy. ‘Cheep cheep cheep’ all day.
“Next day, I working, very happy hearing ‘cheep cheep cheep’. Suddenly, I no hear ‘cheep’. I turn roun’, see big sanake. Very big sanake, more than two meter. Sanake eat baby chicken. I freeze, Doug, stand like …, not know English word.”
“Statue?” I asked.
“Yes, freeze like statue. I stand like that long time. Then sanake move, I move, too, find big satick, hit sanake many time on head. Many time, Doug, I hit sanake and he die.
“I sit down, I cry, Doug, I cry long time, baby chicken dead. Why she die so young? I take satick, pick up sanake, throw in klong, let fish eat. Bad sanake.”
At this point, she was crying heavily, but being the insensitive lout I am, I really wanted to ask about karma. I knew she was a Buddhist, it would have been interesting to find out what she thought about the snake’s karma, the chick’s karma, and her karma, but I refrained. Instead I hugged her until she stopped crying.
“Did you buy another chick?” I asked when she stopped crying.
“No, Doug, I have very bad luck all year, not wan’ kill anudder baby. But cannot stay on my farm, too serious (depressed), so I come back Bangkok.”
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Doug Anderson is the author of Speak Easy Thai and webmaster of Learn a Language Faster.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
that’s cute.
Great vignette, Doug. Many thanks.
Interesting slice of life story. Should of still consoled her.