Na Win Myint - Twelve Short Stories

The song of the riverside

(1)

There was salt in the air that caressed my face. And a sweet smell, like the smell of mud.

The river is receding, and the bridge is in a state of disrepair. The low, muddy ground is dirty because of the receding water. On the bridge, the people are once again shining brightly.

The ship was about to leave. I sat on the pier, watching all the colorful passengers, fishermen, and crew.

There weren't many people on the pier below the bridge. There were a few boatmen. There were boats. There were ice boats.

"It's hard for us, Mom... Three hundred is a small amount of money. If you ask me this time, I'll sell it."

"Please try... If you say this again, remember, I'll break your heart again. You wicked woman... You scoundrel...

"Why don't you tell me? My mother and I have to earn our living, so I don't know how to earn my living."

"What... what are you talking about? I don't know how to earn money, okay... I'm sorry... this is a thank you."

The sounds were piercing everything. I looked under the bridge. As far as I could see, there was a young woman, an old woman. Another blanket and a hammock. In the middle of the bridge were two small, thin pots. There was an old, overturned pot.

“Hey...we're leaving...we haven't eaten yet.” “Mom, are you hungry?” “The big ship is leaving...it's four o'clock. There's not much time left.”

"I'll give you two bottles of oil in the morning, Ma Aye. The price is cheap, Ma Aye, but not too expensive. As much as I can get."

"Give it to me... I'll take the money. Can you please save some money?"

"Yes."

"Here... Next time you buy rice, just buy fish balls instead of fish balls. Did you hear me ask you to pour more soup... I bought six of them yesterday."

"Yes"

The young woman came out from under the bridge. Her bare feet were slogging through the mud. She had a can of powdered milk in her hand. It was a sponge.

She noticed me staring at their mother and son. She smiled. I understood those smiles. She was walking a few steps away towards the oil tanks. Oil tanks with the names of a city in the delta inscribed on them.

She spoke to a man who was guarding the oil tanks. Some of the tanks were leaking diesel fuel. She soaked it in water and squeezed it into a milk powder can.

The ship is about to leave. The sound of the alarm bell makes people move more.

The flat water is about to sink into the edge of the bend. The wind is blowing harder. It's getting darker and more turbulent.

The sound of cassette music from the tea shops and restaurants at the port has gone quiet again. The place has cleared out. There are some workers cleaning the streets. Some are handing out money.

The street vendors have also started to sell their goods, and I haven't returned yet. I decided to stay in that place for as long as I can. When I came, I was just looking for fish. But instead of fishing, I just sat there and watched the people.

She came back. She walked under the bridge, humming a song, right next to me. Then she turned around and smiled. It looked like there was half a gallon of diesel in the milk powder can in her hand. When I looked under the bridge, it was dark.

The sound of a baby crying and a baby cooing drifted out of the darkness. It was a stereo song that was occasionally heard in tea shops.

After a while of singing, she came out again. This time, her lipstick was dark brown. The lipstick on her oily face was flawlessly beautiful. This time, she came straight to me. A bag in her hand.

"Would you like to come visit?"

"Revelation"

I didn't know what to say because I didn't think he would talk to me.

"Oh... why don't you come visit?"

"Where?"

"Hello"

She looks more like a badass actress in a movie.

It's also quite ugly to see him laughing so hard that his entire body, which is somewhat developed, shakes with his sad eyes.

"You don't know if he's coming to visit."

So, do you know if you're going to take a boat ride?

"I asked if you would like to visit under this bridge."

"Ah... well.....

"Wait.. I'm going to buy some food, please wait a moment."

Before I could say anything, she ran away like a leaf. Not long after, she returned in a moment. She was filling the bag with a mixture of rice and vegetables.

"Come on... follow me."

I was still debating whether to follow them under the bridge or not. Then I decided to follow them under the bridge. They lived on a fairly large boathouse under the bridge.

It was quite dark under the bridge. The first thing that greeted me was the mosquitoes. I found some things under the bridge that I couldn't see on land. An old iron box, old blankets were scattered around.

An elderly woman was carrying a small child. On the iron bridge pier was a chain, a cloth hammock tied to a piece of cloth, two or three iron plates, and a small plastic cup. She handed the bag of rice to the old woman.

"Mom.. this brother is not allowed to visit our daughter."

Her mother looked back and forth between her and me. She put the baby back in the crib. Then she gently rocked him again.

"Brother... you have time, right?" "Ah... well... I can." "No... I was asking if you wanted to go back quickly or take it easy."

They are looking at me.

Both mother and son

Different land and different water

Like an animal

She looked at her mother, and the old woman had gone out from under the bridge. It was completely dark outside. It was getting darker inside.

The river is on one side. The undead are floating in a long column. The river, visible from above the boats, is terrifying.

Although it was nice, the light spilling onto the water made the water appear colorful.

"Brother...come..."

I smiled broadly. I couldn't see the lipstick on her lips, but the scent of lipstick was pungent in the shadows of the bridge.

"No. I'm just visiting."

"Sir...."

"Oh...I just came to visit..."

"I just came under this bridge, right..."