Dagon Shwe Nya - Short Stories of Spirits and Mystical Things

Large iron hook

“About 4 years ago , a brass signboard was hung on the middle floor of a three-story building on Mahabandula Park Road, saying ‘Aung Thin-in-Aye Cho Brothers’. It was a two-man company consisting of only U Aung Thin and Ko Aye Cho. .

U Aung Thin was a native of Yangon and was involved in both the legal and illegal aspects of the business world. He was a member of the upper classes of the merchants and the royal family. Thus, he had a small capital, applied for import licenses, and operated with those licenses. He met Maung Aye Cho, who had recently arrived from the jungle. Maung Aye Cho was very honest, and U Aung Thin had a good relationship, and he had a passion for the business from the beginning, and he had no connections in Yangon, but he had a lot of capital, but it was difficult to start a business. He invested 10,000 of his inheritance into U Aung Thin's business and worked with U Aung Thin from that time on.

Thus, U Aung Thin's personal signboard also changed its name from "U Aung Thin Company" to "Aung Thin-In Aye Cho Brothers."

As the manager of the company, U Aung Thin took 350 baht per month, and Maung Aye Cho, as the non-working partner, divided the remaining profit into two parts, each part being distributed every three months. After working for a year, Maung Aye had already received 4 parts, and had earned more than 3,000 baht in profit. This income was not small for a ' husband and wife ' who did not have a stable job in Yangon.

When the second year came, U Aung Thin explained various reasons and said that the distribution of profits was also not timely. After 7 months of not distributing profits, Maung Aye Cho only received 700 baht when it was distributed. After paying 350 baht for the rent for 7 months, the remaining 350 baht was not enough to pay off the oil, rice, and market expenses. Thus, Maung Aye Cho and his wife began to have debts.

Maung Aye Cho also learned that the company's situation was gradually weakening. Because every time Maung Aye Cho went to the office, he did not see U Aung Thin, but only talked to the clerks. He also saw that there were fewer people coming and going to the company than before.

During this financial crisis, Maung Cho's wife, Ma Yin Mya's father, died in the forest, leaving Ma Yin Mya

They pawned all the jewelry they had left and went to the cemetery to bury their father's body. Thus, Maung Aye Cho and his wife were as happy as they were happy in the first year, but in the second year they were sad.

Maung Aye Cho’s wife, Ma Yin Mya, was only 30 years old and a native of the forest, but after coming to Yangon, her appearance began to change according to the surrounding environment. While she had been told that only a red blouse was suitable for women in the forest, she now considered nylon to be a blouse. She began to like puffy ‘bodice’ blouses. She changed from long-sleeved nylon to short-sleeved ones, and she started to cut the front hair from her normal bun and even make strange buns. U Aung Thin had been to Maung Aye Cho’s house three or four times. Although she was a native of the forest, when he saw Ma Yin Mya’s beautiful appearance and her gentle manner, he thought that Ma Yin Mya was not worthy of Maung Aye Cho, a simple native of the forest, but only worthy of a city dweller like himself, and he began to talk to her rudely.

Just as young women in the city would gradually fall in love with handsome city men when they met them, Ma Yin Mya became more and more aggressive, even going to the movie theaters that U Aung Thin would take them to without Maung Aye Cho's knowledge.

Maung Aye, who was simple and lived in a simple way, began to see various faults in him, and he began to think that only a person like U Aung Thin, who was as tall and tall as his uncle, could be a good person. The English moon was secretly gifted to him by U Aung Thin, but Maung Aye Cho's troubles did not end there. When he returned to the house near the Pazundaung Post Office, he found that the house was closed as usual, with no lights on. The door was only slightly open, so Maung Aye Cho pushed the door open and went in. Then, he lit a candle and lit the moonlit house, where the streetlights could be seen faintly.

"Mya... Mya... Where are you going?"

But no one came back and greeted him. The whole house was as quiet as a cemetery.

So, after lighting a candle, he went into the bedroom and saw only old clothes scattered around. The leather bag and small iron box that had been used to store Ma Yin Mya's clothes were gone. .

On the pillow, a small piece of paper was found, pressed against a piece of Thanaka. The letter was as follows.

Ko Aye Cho -

Ko Aye Cho knows that money is the most important thing in the world. Ko Aye Cho is not a person who can earn money. He spends the money he has saved. I'm betting on this. Leave it alone, Ko Aye Cho doesn't understand anything about the world. How to make a woman feel good. How to make her happy. When you get to the city, you have to live like a city dweller, Ko Aye Cho. You have to have friends, you have to follow the times. You have to be social, you know.

So, Mya is no longer happy in the arms of Ko Aye Cho, who is a monk. Mya and I don't have any children to cherish, right? So there is nothing to cherish or cherish for each other. We live our lives as we please.

So, Mya went with Ko Gyi Aung Thin, who was in love with her, and after not finding Mya, she was registered as dead.

Maung Aye Myo read the letter again by the moonlight. Then he tore it up in his hand, rubbed it, and threw it on the floor, stepping on it with his foot. Then he said, “Mya... Mya... Mya, you fool, Mya. What will I do without you? Mya, I will follow... I will follow... I will follow you,” Maung Aye Cho cried and cried.

Then, when I went to ask someone named Daw Nyunt at the head of the house, Ma Yin Mya said that she had seen a man come in a car at around 9 o'clock the previous night, and that about half an hour later, she had seen him take the box and suitcases and leave in the same car. She thought Maung Aye Cho was at the house and thought that Ma Yin Mya had gone on a trip.

Maung Aye Cho let out a "Mya Mya" sound and walked out towards Pazundaung Market, then went into a bar and drank some alcohol. Then he came back towards the station, and instead of crossing the bridge, he ran across the fence with three iron rods sticking out of it and towards the railway tracks. "Mya, if you throw me away, I will no longer live in this world."

Maung Aye Cho pulled his shirt off and ran like a madman across the railway tracks. At that moment, a local train was coming from the east, and Maung Aye Cho threw himself on the tracks where the local train was coming.

He was about to lie down. However, he finally noticed someone running up behind him and pulling him up.

More than three months later, about thirty ship coolies were gathered in the shadow of a large warehouse near the Maw Tin Road Bridge.

Among them, a tall, strong, and handsome man of about 35 years of age and a dark-skinned man, both of them left the crowd and came to a small tea shop with their backs to the river. When they arrived at the shop, they were drinking tea at a small, empty table when the tall, dark-skinned man looked at his companion and said,

"I feel so sorry for you, Ko Aye Hlaing."

"Why, Ko Sein Maung?"

“We are strong, so it doesn’t matter much. But you have to wear a prosthetic arm on your right hand, right? So whenever you pull a bag of rice or set up a shop, work with me. Don’t strain too much, Ko Aye Hlaing, I’ll help you.”

"Thank you, Ko Sein Maung. My hand is now as strong as a good man. How much did it take to get used to it at first? Now that I've gotten used to it, it's almost as good as it was before. It's only been about 3 months since I put it on. And I put iron hooks on the end, so it's very handy for pulling rice bags and bean bags."

The prosthetic arm made by the Ko Hla Htun Company in Pyay is not only as good as a natural arm, but also very useful, so Maung Aye Cho can pull weights more easily than a normal person.

Sein: "Whatever, sir... if there's anything you need to do, just work with me. I'll tell you about this arm-splitting one day. Okay... tell me while you're still ready."

"I was planning on telling you. But I don't want to hear about any sad or unpleasant events."

“What happened? Just tell me. If there is a reason, I can help you. Tell me who hurt you. I will go and get revenge now.” *

"You don't have to pay, we'll settle the score between us."

Then Maung Aye Hlaing said that his real name was Maung Aye Cho, and that he changed his name to Aye Hlaing when he started working as a ship porter after getting a prosthetic arm, and recounted the story of what had happened with U Aung Thin Company. Finally, Maung Sein Maung said, "Wait a minute. Tell me what this man looks like. Is he the rich man from Yangon who came to Yenangyaung with a young woman?"

"Are you from Yenangyaung?"

"I'm not an oil worker. I worked there for about 3 years. Then, the food situation became poor and I decided to return to Yangon. How long did it take? It must have been about a month."

"U Aung Thin is a woman with dark skin, a face full of scars, a short stature, not fair or dark, bulging eyes, and curly eyelashes..."

"I think so. That man has bad eyesight. He wears thick glasses."

"Yes... yes... wait, why do you know?"

"They live in a cramped golden house, ah - a husband and wife. They come with big English mattresses, uniform boxes, leather bags, and if the time comes, they can work in the oil fields."

“Hey... they are definitely this big guy and my wife, Rin Mya. So, let’s start saving kyats today so we can follow them. The news is that the traveler is going to Mandalay.”

"Kai...kai.... If you use the daily calculation method to save money, you will save money because you have only one body."

Thus, Maung Aye Hlaing, also known as Maung Aye Cho, came to collect the daily wages of the coolie children, who did not eat or drink for days.

After about a month, he had saved up about 250 baht. So, after spending the money, he went to Yenangyaung.

But it was in vain. About two weeks before Maung Aye Cho arrived at Yenangyaung, he heard from people close to him that U Aung Thin and Ma Yin Mya had moved to the village of Aok Myo because there were no job opportunities in Yenangyaung. He had said that he would go to Hinthada or Pathein.

So Maung Aye Cho returned from Yenangyaung and went to Pathein and Hinthada to search again. However, he could not find any trace of the body anywhere, so Maung Aye Cho gave up and returned. The children who had accompanied him also went around eating and drinking, and the matter was settled.

Time has passed for more than 2 years. Lovers - longing and memories can only be healed by time.

As mentioned, after more than 2 or almost 3 years, the feelings of longing for Ma Yin Mya had diminished considerably, but the feelings of wanting revenge against U Aung Thin remained unquenchable.

Therefore, Maung Aye Cho is diligently collecting to search again.

One evening, Maung Aye Cho, who had no work to do in the evening, took a bus to Thein Gyi Market and slowly walked east along Fraser Street. When he reached 27th Street and was crossing the street, he almost hit a pickup truck that came out of the road, so Maung Aye Cho quickly swerved to the side. The pickup truck was none other than the kind-hearted clerk Sein Tun, who had saved him from being hit by a train.

Maung Aye Myo greeted Ko Sein Tun warmly, then sent the rickshaw back and took him to a coffee shop on 27th Street. The two friends, who had been separated for almost three years, had a chat over tea. Maung Aye Cho wrote down the address of his house on a piece of newspaper. “You are a very quiet person, you have never shown your face. Stay here - what are you doing?”

"I'm a wild animal, I have no education, and on top of that, I have one arm cut off, so what other job do I have besides being a coolie?"

“So you're working as a porter?” “Yes, I'm working as a porter at the shipyard.” “You're used to being very busy, aren't you?”

"Okay, thank you. I will repay you one day."

"There's no need to pay, Ko Aye Che. You shouldn't say such things. So, is the work pretty straightforward?"

“Well... it's a day job, so I earn 5-6 kyats a day.”

“Is it enough to eat?” “I have enough to eat, just one person.”

“But.. besides, our teacher is back in Yangon.”

"Which teacher, our traitor Aung Thingyi?"

"Yes...but his wife is blind, I think she's a lady from Yenangyaung. I know that by beating the rickshaw driver they usually ride with."

"So he dumped my wife, Ma Yin Mya." "That's what it's going to be, Ko Aye Cho." "Tell me how you met." "

"I met Kyat while walking at the lake. They come to the lake every evening to enjoy the breeze."

"By rickshaw?"

“By rickshaw.” “So, will you go and say goodbye to the old man?”

"I was about to say goodbye when I saw the face of the woman next to him who had accompanied him, and I couldn't go anymore."

“Tell me how it is, Ko Sein Tun.”

"This woman is staring at me with a face that doesn't want them to come near her. So I won't go either."

“I’m sure U Aung Thin is right.”

Maung Aye Cho's voice was trembling with anger.

"I'm sure you've been working for him for over 3 years. He's just a little thin."

"I don't know why I went blind."

"The old man was quite a man when he was young. Look at how much he's still doing it now, even as an adult."

"Do you know where he lives?" "I don't know... but he comes here every evening to get some fresh air."

"Okay...so please show me around here..let's go now."

So Ko Sein Tun had to show Maung Aye Cho the side of the lake where U Aung Thin used to come.

As we were about to part ways -

"Ah... let me leave something for Ko Sein Tun."

"What's up... what do you want to leave?"

Maung Aye Cho unbuttoned his shirt and gave him a small key that was hanging around his neck with a string inside.

Choe: "Okay.... Please keep this key. If you don't hear any news about the kyat within 3 days, or if you do, go and open the box I have at my house with this key. You will know the house I live in."

"I know. You just need to get the address.. Wait, I didn't understand what you were saying."

"Ko Sein Tun, what is there to explain? I have said it clearly. I will tell you about me within 3 days from today."