Thawtar Swe - 5 short stories

I am a fire victim.

I have just studied a fire victim up close.

Under the P-S-P-L Pyidaw Thar project, fires are raging every year, and if you have never been a fire victim in the golden city of Yangon, it is as if you have never eaten seafood. I, who have only just studied a single fire victim, am now 75 miles behind the times. (Shameful...)

But God created this 75-mile journey on April 8th of this year.

Because at about 5 pm that day, news reached my Shwe Nar Taw that there was a fire in the Kamaryut Hledan. My elder sister Khin Myo Chit and the writer Htin Lin, also known as my brother-in-law, were in this area, so I had to check their houses. I knew exactly when it was about dusk, so I went out in style to ask about the fire.

Here, being stylish does not mean dressing up beautifully like the Maha Swe protagonist, as Thawta Swe does, but rather, showing compassion for them, even with her hair cut off after taking a bath in the evening, and running quickly when she hears them.

The bus only took us as far as the Inya road from the 7th mile, and from there we had to climb up the fire victims who had come down and walk to the top of the cart. I, who had not been so tired, was very tired. However, I had to walk with great effort, thinking that I had only suffered so much for the loss of the people's homes and belongings. When I reached the Kama Rut roundabout, I was satisfied that I had come after such a long journey. I could see their houses in a thick cloud of smoke. Where had the people gone? I could guess. However, I had not gone immediately, but from this roundabout, the fire was raging in the community, like a fireball falling into an anthill.

The fire victims, who were crying and in distress, were still sitting at the table.

Watching the fire victims at this time is like watching a bombing raid in a movie. No matter how many people die on the screen, nothing happens to the viewers. No matter how much the fire victims are in pain, the audience that comes to watch doesn't even have a single piece of their belongings. It's amazing...

So they came on foot. They came in cars and trucks. The border line of the fire area was full of people. The police were busy. Because of them, the number of fire victims increased and the suffering increased.

I couldn't stay in this group for long. It was so hot and stuffy that I had to leave the place where my older sister and I were.

My elder sister Khin Myo Chit has built a small meditation hall in a secluded place. I believe they will run to that very hall.

I am still worried that this little monastery will also go down in flames.

But no. I saw my elder sister Khin Myo Chit walking in front of the Dhamma Hall with a pair of glasses.

As I mentioned, I am a newbie to the Pyidawthar project, and I don't know how to start greeting a fire victim.

"Hello, big sister, I'm glad to see you here, not dead, not missing... not bruised," should I shout?

Or..

"It's just a coincidence, big sister... It's sad that the whole house is blue..." Should I hold back my tears?

"People are drinking bitter water.. and my house is also getting wet.. Don't be hot. The government will build a house for you, so just get a room." Should I comfort you?

Even in this confusion, my older sister saw clearly that I was crying under her golden glasses, and immediately...

"The dog has just arrived. If you don't want to sit and meditate, come outside and eat."

Now look... I asked him out loud, acting as a fire victim, with great compassion. He argued with me, asking if I should come and meditate.

Here, I will describe their current situation. They have moved from reading books and enjoying literature to meditation. They encourage everyone they meet to meditate. They have built this small monastery and hold meditation parties every Sunday. They serve food to the audience who come.

I was also promoted to the celestial realm by virtue of my association with them. However, my basic ability still needs time. I was unable to keep up.

"I can't help it, big sister."

He said, "I'm a liar," and I replied in the same way.

"What are you doing that you can't even get out of bed once a week?"

If I were to answer truthfully, it would be because I was fighting cocks. But why should I say this to the monk?

"I have to write letters, big sister."

"Aung Ma... What did you write in the middle of the night? "It's a short story, not a novel..."

“That’s it, big sister,” I immediately thought, “That sketch called “Kree Kyun” wasn’t meant to be used under Thaw Ta Swe’s name, but under another name. That’s why U Kyaw grabbed it when I couldn’t write a magazine story. Here, big sister, I’m also writing a movie story for Aung Zeya.. I’m also a character in the movie Shumawa Ka La Lu Lu…”

"So... I heard... what? You want to be a movie star again?"

"It just happened, big sister. Now... leave it, I came to ask about the fire..."

"Are you still asking? It's just like you saw it."

“What are the materials? Have you received them yet?” “I just said that I received them because the students came to pick them up.”

"Just so you know, wasn't your sister home when the fire broke out?"

"I live here during the day."

"Well... I heard there was a fire, didn't you go and see, big sister?"

"Look at that... it's so hot and stuffy"

"What about milk..."

"You're welcome, Ko Latt. Didn't you see the fire?"

"I don't know where to find them, people are just crowding around..."

At that moment, Ko Khin Maung Latt returned, his head covered in a handkerchief and dripping with sweat. When he saw me, he took the cigar out of his mouth and raised one hand.

“Hey, Thawtar Swe.. Wellwave.. Wellwave”

Suddenly... he shouted like a general returning from the battlefield victorious.

What's up with "Welwave?" His whole house is blue in my opinion.

“I have all my books... My students... They think that our teacher doesn’t have these books, that we can’t teach anymore, so they take them away. Oh... Yes, yes, yes. I am a human being with these books. I know that I will never see these books again. At first, it was burned... How can I do it? Let it be... My students even told me not to take them with all my strength... Now it’s Allways. Hey, Thawta Swe, it would be nice to have a cold beer. How long have you been here? You haven’t been home for over a month. I’m already dead... Sometimes... I’m even scared of ghosts when I think about them. Ko Thein Maung said, Don’t be afraid of anything, Thawta Swe. This guy won’t be a ghost. He’ll shoot you.”

Now... look... my dear friends. I am a fire victim, so I have come to shower you with mercy. Now one of them is asking me if I should meditate. Another is making fun of my comedian. How difficult it is to get along with others. In fact, "Ha... Maung Thaw Ta Swe... is it worth it to have the whole house burned down? The government is going to build a huge building for the country, so I will not be able to get back my own land. You know, this land and this house are made with our sweat and tears." They are crying and crying. So I said, "Ha... material possessions and human possessions, sir, fire and you are the worst of the five enemies. Now, my sister's house is burned down and the land is being rebuilt by the country. That's enough. I haven't experienced the other three, namely, being baptized, being kidnapped, and sitting on the same bus with a drunkard. Just like that, I'll explain it to you, hehe... hehe." I would explain the Dhamma to them as best I could. "Tell me what you need help with," I would say, in the tone of a minister who can do anything. (I'll avoid looking at it later.) If I said that, wouldn't it be worth asking the fire victims?

Now... I didn't understand at all, they said whatever they wanted to say and I didn't get a chance to answer, because other people came in big and small cars and asked them questions, and their faces were so open. The faces of the couple were completely different from the fire victims, and I thought they were celebrating a birthday party in front of the people who came and asked questions. No one died, and they were never rude.

Now... the couple, being old, are so stupid that they don't even know what to do... they still want to see their children, who are younger than them, and who are all grown up.

"Where is Ko Latt, Ko Thein Maung, running?"