Embracing Wanderlust

Surprises

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. ~ George S. Patton

Two nights before, the Burmese Army took the Siamese soldiers by surprise and ambushed Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam.

It shattered the peacefulness of everyday life in town. Men from both sides of the countries perished on the roads, which made it difficult for residents to avoid.

The soldiers were trained to be tough, merciless and to kill anyone who stood in their way. Unless their superiors changed their orders, it was a dog-eat-dog world , an idiom in which everyone was out for their own personal gain, no matter how they sought to achieve their goals.

Sparks flew as the exchange of artillery sprang out. The sky erupted in flames as a variety of weapons including cannons, swords, bows and arrows were used to signal the continuation of a battle between Burma and Siam, two countries that fought for land possession. Thus, this conflict known as the Yodian wars became a significant battle of Asian history.

It could have been prevented if the need for greed wasn't in people's minds.

But it was too late.

A cannon ball fired into the direction of a flat piece of land exploding in the air, once the ironed ball bounced upon impact, striking one of the Siamese soldiers. Gazing at his fallen comrade, the General Yarzar mumbled a few words and reached to touch the man's face. Yarzar pitied the young soldier but knew that if he stayed in his position, he'd become the next target. And now he had to keep his strength on moving forward.

Hearing more noise coming from men who spoke a foreign language, Yarzar panicked and called for backup.

"Maung, take cover! Gather the others as we seem to be surrounded by Burmese soldiers! Now move!"

Hearing the orders from his commander, Maung, the second in command, motioned his hand for his comrades to move to higher ground. Hiding behind the open trench they found nearby, they waited till the coast was clear.

Sweat ran down Maung's face. As soon as he became of age, he enlisted with the Siamese army, but did not expect that at the age of twenty; death might come upon him,

Without thinking of what he was doing, Maung broke down as he became petrified on what to do next. Worried that the general would be in danger, he grabbed Yarzar's hand.

Yanking his arm from Maung's hold, the General frowned.

"What are you doing? Leave me be Maung! If I get hit, I leave my leadership to you."

Motioning his second in command to leave, the general pushed the man.

"Now go and save yourselves! That's an order!"

Trying not to cry, Yarzar turned the other way from the younger man. The older man knew his time was almost up and felt hot tempered as Maung kept badgering him.

Had he not learned anything useful during his training? The goal to continue onward is to survive, no matter what it takes!

However, the young soldier had the heart of an angel like his mother and took care of his family, even if they were not related. General Yarzar was his mentor after he bid farewell to his own parents and the loss of his own teacher was hard for him to bear.

Yet, a voice inside kept telling Maung that he wouldn't be alone along the way.

"You just keep going, you can't give up,"

Similar to a guardian angel looking after him, all he could rely on now was his faith. Thus, he ran with the others without the General before the next whiplash exploded.

BOOM!

Walking through the pebbled pathway that led toward the makeshifts of tents scattered around the battleground of Ayutthaya, Prisana Chongrak silently prayed to Buddha to guide her along the way. Seeing the sites of the bloody massacre before her, she bowed down and mumbled a little chant to keep her safe and sound.

Roaming down further, paralyzed bodies of the enemy toppled over each other made her cringe. Never in her life, did Prisana think that she would live to see such a sight. She stopped and closed her eyes for a second and pretended that what she saw never happened.

These soldiers wouldn't hurt a young woman, would they? Especially one dressed in nursing attire like myself?

Prisana took in a deep breath before continuing. She told herself to remain calm and brave no matter how scared she was.

When she was originally offered the nursing job to help out in the open tent by a family friend, Rachini, Prisana didn't expect to see the wounded men up close and personal. But it was too late to back out now, since she promised her family to take the job in order to help them prosper in their farmland. 

As the eldest daughter in her household, Prisana knew she had the duty to support her family since her only brother was still a toddler. She promised her mother to take care of her siblings and elderly father after her death.

A promise was a promise she intended to keep, so to turn around now and head back to her hometown would be a big disappointment. Thus, she forced herself to keep walking forward.

Prisana didn't have much experience on becoming a nurse, except for caring for her six younger siblings and their ailing father. After her mother passed away during childbirth, Prisana quickly became the breadwinner of the Chongrak clan. She would ask the neighbors if they needed any help and would take any coins they could offer as payment. It wasn't enough to pay for enough food and necessities, but she was happy to be with her family.

Yet, she did not have much of a choice to take care of her mischievous siblings. She'd often find her younger sisters fighting over pieces of candy as they didn't have much money or tend to her baby brother's cries at night in order to change the soiled cloth they used as a diaper.

On weekends and holidays, Prisana would visit her mother's friend, Rachini, who trained her into becoming a nurses' aid in her facility. As the head nurse in town, Rachini promised her father that Prisana would be able to earn a more decent income if she followed her instructions and to help those that were badly injured in the war.

Thus, Prisana agreed to the task even though she didn't want to leave her family behind. In her line of curiosity, Prisana knew bits and pieces about the war, but wanted to know more about the Burmese culture, their ways of life and she was driven with the desire to escape and leave her hometown.