Maung Sein Win (Puti Kone) - The longing to write a letter in the history of the heart

First part

Push open the elephant-eared door and enter.

"Come on... sit down"

The factory manager looked at him and said. Then he continued to sign the papers he had just signed. He walked over to the table and sat down in the chair in front of the table. After a while, the factory manager looked up at him.

"The factory manager called me."

"Yes, sir."

In the middle of the conversation, I saw him pick up a cigarette. I listened and watched. He lit the cigarette and inhaled...

"Well... the matter I told you about last week, the matter from the Prison Department, has just arrived."

I remember calling the factory manager last week and telling him. The Prison Department had sent a letter to their headquarters, saying that there were fire safes, cash boxes, locks, and steel office cabinets in Insein Prison that needed to be repaired. They wanted them to inspect the items and separate them into those that could be repaired and those that could not. After that, they wanted to send the items that could be repaired to their factory for repair.

The head office requested the name and registration number of the engineer in charge of the case to go to Insein Prison for an examination, and the factory manager explained the matter to him and gave him the registration number.

“The headquarters is headed by U Myo Aung and his assistant engineer. This factory is yours. I called to say that U Myo Aung will come in at ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”

The factory manager handed me a piece of paper as he spoke. I took the paper and lowered my head to read it.

This is a document issued by the headquarters stating that they are responsible for visiting and inspecting the prison at the request of the Prison Department.

"Take that for yourself. I signed for it when the office accepted it. I called you in person because I have a few things to order."

The factory manager interrupted and put the cigarette in the ashtray. "We can fix it tomorrow."

“When you check the equipment tomorrow, check it carefully and take a list. They want to take apart everything that can’t be repaired. They also called me. They said it’s not easy to send everything to the factory. They want to send everything that can be repaired to the factory. But they also wrote down what needs to be repaired, so that we know if we have enough spare parts here, or not. If not, we can do it again.”

“Yes”

“You know, when we were in the... industrial metallurgy, U Tha Soe was the head office. He is now the head of the prison. He runs the workshop. You and I will meet tomorrow.”

“I am familiar with the factory manager.”

"Okay... I'll have it ready by ten tomorrow."

"Yes, I will go, factory manager."

"Okay... okay"

The factory manager stood up and left the room.

The next morning at ten o'clock, the head office came to pick me up in a car.

"I wish I could write about it in a novel for you."

When we got in the car, Myo Aung said, "Myo Aung and I were friends who had gone to university the same year."

“When I have a new experience, when I come across a place to write, it becomes more vivid when I write about what I have actually experienced and seen, rather than just writing about it in my imagination,” he told Myo Aung.

"In romance novels, you find many things that are illogical and impossible in the real world."

Myo Aung continued.

As I was passing in front of the Institute of Technology, I was lost in thought as I gazed at the campus of the Institute of Technology and caught sight of Myo Aung's face.

"That's why they call it a fictional love story. In reality, love is not something that everyone can avoid, it's something that really exists among people. Love and marriage are also a part of life, social life, and politics. Although it's not the main thing in life, it's something that can't be avoided...”

“I think that while writing about love, we should try to show and reflect on things that can be learned, things that can be thought about, and things that should be considered. As you say, writing about things that are illogical and impossible in the real world is not natural anymore. It becomes too fanciful. That’s why people classify love novels as just for fun.”

He said while looking at Myo Aung.

“I have to say, most of them are not very diligent. I have seen a lot of people write without really knowing or studying. As I said earlier, not only are the stories illogical, but the content is also wrong.”

"What, taking a train to a city without a railway?"

"Yes, there are many, and even the disease is a mistake, and it seems like it's a mistake."

I smiled at Myo Aung. I thought to myself again that the main weakness of romance novels is that they create impossible events and characters that don't really exist.

As we passed Insein, we crossed the railway bridge. Then we stopped at the gate of the office building. Myo Aung got out of the car, showed us the documents he had brought, and spoke at the gate.

***

After completing paperwork at the office, an official from the Prison Department followed me in a car. I left the office and drove towards Insein Prison. In a short while, the car stopped in front of the restaurant at the prison gate.

"Let's wait while we have tea. I've called the warden."

As the prison warden spoke, they sat in the shop and ordered tea.

Across the street, I could see some restaurants and a place where people who had come to see the prison letter were sitting and gathering. I could also see people coming to see the prison letter in the restaurants and cold stores. “I think people are here to see the prison letter.” I looked around curiously.

"Yes, we should line up when it's almost time to meet. Wait a minute, brother. I'll go see the warden."

As I spoke, I looked at the official from the Prison Department who was leaving the store.

My gaze returned to the prisoners working on the ground, a few steps away from the rows of shops.

I let out a long sigh and remembered the cold tea again.

When Myo Aung looked around, he saw people who had come to see the prison letter. Myo Aung's student got up to buy cigarettes.

A short while later, an official from the Prison Department and the warden arrived.

After finishing the tea, they left the shop. They got into the car. The officer from the Prison Department and the prison warden sat in the front of the car, and we sat in the back.

The car drove towards the prison gate. When we reached the gate, the prison warden said, and the gate opened. As we entered the car through the gate, a feeling came over us. As soon as we entered, the gate closed again. As soon as the gate opened, we thought we had entered the prison, but when we looked around, we saw that the front door was closed.

"Now... please come down for a moment."

The warden said as he got out. The car was parked between two gates.

The prison commander took the documents from Myo Aung and gave them to the inspector in charge. He then asked for the three of them's identification cards. While the inspector in charge was checking the documents, other officers searched the car and the three of them.

"This is where I found the prison letter."

The warden said, pointing to the area to the left of the prison door.

After a while, the documents and registration cards were returned.

"Don't feel like checking it out as usual."

The prison warden said before getting back into the car.

“We still have to check entry and exit at our factories and offices, I understand.”

"Myo Aung said, laughing. The second gate opened.

The car drove towards the prison. It was the first sight I had ever seen, so I got out of the car and followed it, looking around. (I could see a brick wall inside the prison again.)

The car stopped in front of a building in the back.

They got out of the car and entered the building.