Nyein Kyaw - It's a good meeting, Mya Khin Khin

1

I was exhausted from running. I must have walked more than a mile.

As the forest grew deeper and deeper, I thought I was far enough away from the road to find a guide, so I stopped and sat down under a large tree, which was as big as a man's two feet in circumference.

Tall trees, large, leafy vines, trees as tall as a man's waist, and a forest of vines. The leaves were so close together that it was difficult for the afternoon sun to even shine through.

"Dogs, beggars, bandits," he muttered.

As soon as the gunshot was heard, the front right wheel of the car burst and it veered to the side. The sound of the steel wheels grinding against the airless tires, the sound of the gravel and the passengers screaming in panic came out. The car, which was leaning to the right, could have overturned if it had been going too fast. It almost hit the cliff, but luckily it stopped.

The situation he could see through the windshield made him hear a horrifying cry of "thugs." He stared at the passengers who had fled, stunned for a moment. Then he looked at six people running towards the car, about forty to fifty yards away.

He quickly grabbed his suitcase from the top shelf and scurried towards the back of the Hino. Four or fifty rounds of automatic rifle fire rang out.

I jumped onto the road and ran to the left. I ran for about twenty steps until I reached the forest, which was sloping down. I didn't know if I saw him or not. Three or four gunshots rang out.

As they ran in a serpentine manner, they sought shelter from the big trees. At the base of the big trees, there were small trees, bushes, and vines, making it difficult to travel. They were tangled in the vines, tangled in the bushes.

Not far away, I looked up at the road, hidden by trees. I could only see the back of the car. At that moment, I vaguely saw three or four people running through the trees. As I watched, a robber in a turban and a robber in trousers stepped out after the fleeing passengers and ran away.

The echo made the gunshot sound even more terrifying.

He continued to run southwest. The road was far behind him. Behind him, the sound of bushes cracking, crouching, and taking cover grew louder. He slowed down and walked slowly, feeling safe from danger. He had to look behind him, listen, and walk to avoid danger.

Sitting at the foot of the tree, he took a deep breath. It was a cool autumn and he was now aware that he was wearing warm clothes. He unbuttoned his shirt. He unbuttoned three buttons of his shirt, exposing his chest. He took out a handkerchief from his jeans pocket and wiped the sweat from his face, neck, and collar. Then he wiped the sweat from his chest. He wiped the sweat from his arms and leaned back against the trunk. His breathing was no longer rapid, but his heart was still beating rapidly.

As I sighed, I thought about the passengers in the same car.

As the car started to move, I could hear the voices of those who were escorting me, those who were greeting me, and those who were selling snacks near the car. After three or five miles, the conversation in the car had died down. Some people were nodding, nodding, and some people were chewing something. I could see the old man sitting alone on his right. He was feeding his wife, who was sitting by the window on the left side of the front seat, a piece of eggshell, and lighting a cigarette. He was a man who took care of his wife. To the right of the woman, a young woman who must have been eighteen or eighteen years old was constantly reciting the Buddhist scriptures. Right behind her, two old men in their fifties were following, pouring water and brandy into a plastic cup and drinking it in a swirling motion. Four or five people in ethnic dress, a monk, a woman dressed as a yogi and wearing a rosary, four or five young people of school age, Four or five children, a sick person, and two companions.

The bandits have already looted everything they have brought. I wonder if they will continue to beat and kill the passengers. I am worried that there will be more hostages taken. I don't know where the people who have fled like him have gone. There is no road in the deep forest. The only way is the road.

Animals that do not drink, do not seek to earn their own living through their own labor. They steal the clothes, jewelry, and money that others have found and obtained. They oppress and eat by force. They rob and attack others' lives and property. Creatures like bedbugs, mosquitoes, gnats, lice, and fleas. They do not seek food to keep blood in their bodies. They think angrily about the evils that sustain their lives by absorbing blood from those who have it.

I could hear the chirping of birds not far away. I was sweating profusely. I felt the cold touch me. I buttoned up my shirt again. I looked up at the sky. I saw the blue sky. It was like a bowl, a plate. The branches and leaves were so thick that the light was not even like the evening sky.

The memory of where the road is located is clear. If you go straight south, you will reach the road between the two southern highways.

He got up from his seat. He heard the sound of bushes rustling, branches breaking, and the sound of conversation, so he hid behind a tree and listened. Two women's voices. One was an old man's, the other a young man's. They were talking in whispers over their voices. He also heard the voice of a big man. He listened to the sounds from the northeast and looked around. Three people emerged from the edge of the bamboo forest. Three passengers in the car.

He looked at the vine that had climbed around the tree. The vine, which was only a little over his wrist, seemed to be strong enough to stand on its own. He dropped his suitcase from his shoulder and pulled the vine with both hands. He kicked the trunk with his foot. He pulled the vine with the soles of his soft leather shoes and climbed. He pulled it high enough for his fellow travelers to see, and he let out a "sigh." The three travelers looked at him with startled faces and stopped on their feet. They didn't recognize him, but they walked slowly and steadily forward.

Four or five other passengers, like them, fled. The man said that one of them had been shot in the leg and had fallen. The woman said that the two of them had gone down the ravine and that the woman had followed them. They stopped for a while at a place about a mile from where they had met. The trees, no taller than bamboo, had sparse leaves and were light. The trees, no taller than a palm, were thick with shoots. They thought it was safe to stop where they could see all around.

"I'm thirsty."

The woman said. No one has a water bottle. They looked at each other with the look of someone who has just encountered a problem. They will find a stream. Then they can drink from there, the woman encouraged. The four of them smiled. They had already escaped danger. Just bear with the water for a while, my child. Now.. let's introduce ourselves first, the man said. The woman said.

“My name is Thaw Latt, I am from the Kyimyindaing area of ​​Yangon University, I live in Paramy. Last year I attended my grandmother’s house in Sanchaung, but now I have moved to the Hlaing area. I am visiting my brother’s house in Myitkyina,” the woman said. Then...

“I am Daw Khin Khin Lwin, and this is U Nyunt Wai. We should also go to Myitkyina.”

“We’ve only been married for ten days, and my sister is staying there, and my cousins ​​are going to go, and I’m going to kick them.”

He buttoned up his warm coat. The cold of the swamp reached his heart with every breath. He hung his suitcase on a tree that he didn't know had been cut down or broken...

“My name is Lwin Aung, I have just completed my Master’s degree with a major in English, and I only have three years left to submit my thesis.

"I live in Bawk Htaw, and I'm visiting my friend's coach from Myitkyina College."

At the end of her speech, Daw Khin Khin Lwin removed the wool scarf she had tied under her chin and draped over her head...

"I can't imagine how the people who were left in the car must have suffered if God had not helped them escape the robbers."

"Yes," said Thaw Lat, pulling down the sleeves of his jeans jacket. As the conversation paused, I heard the sound of birds. I heard the sound of monkeys from the mountains to the west. I heard the sound of the wind in the silence.

The forest is always wet, I know. The palms of my hands, resting on the grass and the rocks, feel the earthy moisture. The air I breathe is heavy and dense. In the evergreen forest, there are hardly any tall trees that grow sparsely.

"I got lost while choosing the road. It's been three or five hours now. The rain falls early in the forest."

He told me. Thaw Latt was looking at him with a worried face. As he looked...

"What kind of wild animals will there be?"

“It could be,” he replied. U Nyunt Wai...

“If we don’t reach the road by the time the rain stops, we’ll have to spend the night in the forest, light a fire with firewood and try to keep predators away.” “Yes, sir, the problem is that I only have a dagger with me. I don’t have a knife to chop wood, so I have to make a fire by stacking firewood.”

Daw Khin Khin Lwin looked in all directions and sighed. “I think the road is this way,” Thaw Latt asked, pointing north. She shook her head. We ran down the west side of the road. “The road is just to the south and east,” he said, pointing in all directions. As she spoke, U Nyunt Wai took out two cigarettes from his cigarette case. He handed her one.

"Thank you," he said, putting the cigarette to his lips. He lit it and took a deep breath.

“If you can't find your way by evening, I'll bring you a box of food,” Thaewlat said, patting the large suitcase.

“I only brought food and drinks, my clothes bag is already there. I still have it on my back. If I hadn’t put it on my back, I would have left this bag behind. The money and ID are in this back bag,” U Nyunt Wai said to Daw Khin Khin Lwin, “

"It's not like the census in this forest, the registration is still pending.. And there's no place to buy food in this forest. It's free for now. I'm sorry I left a bag of clothes." They smiled as he spoke. Thaw Lat picked up a dry branch and

“When I got out of the car, I was free, now I am free, I am even more

The two women, who had become friends while sitting together in the car, seemed to have grown closer and more trusting in each other during their time of need. U Nyunt Wai smiled at Thaw Latt's words. After nodding his head once,

"Likewise, my brother, I struggled to escape."