Dawn tiptoed in quietly, its light stretching thin fingers across the wooden beams and casting delicate shadows on the stark, white walls. A jolt of disorientation surged through Sein.
Where am I? she questioned, sitting up abruptly, her pulse quickening.
But as recognition crept in like a gentle tide, she exhaled, sinking back slightly and letting her gaze wander. The room was quiet; only she and Chit remained tucked in their beds. Kin La and Thiri had already left for the fields.
Shortly afterwards, Maiah came in from the back room, dressed and smiling brightly. She drew open the windows, allowing the pale sunlight to pour in and scatter the darkness.
Sein rose to her feet, straightening her skirt, marvelling at how pristine her clothing looked. Not a crease or fold out of place.
Perhaps it's the perk of being Spirit of Cloth, she mused.
Chit's eyes slowly opened, roused by the light and movements. Seeing Sein leave her bed, Chit immediately sprung upright and said, "Can Sein stay another night? Sein, will you stay another night? Just one more night?"
Maiah agreed and suggested, "Until you are sure where you are heading next, why not stay another day, Sein? I will be working today and Chit will be glad of your company. Will you stay?"
Without any plans on her mind, Sein accepted the invitation, much to Maiah's relief. Reports of skirmishes in the northern hills had swept through the village the week before. This had been weighing heavily on Maiah's mind all night, robbing her of a good night sleep.
Naturally, Chit was ecstatic and bounded out of bed. Her endless enthusiasm and energy once again seeped into Sein, melting the gloom that clung to her. She was deeply moved by the kindness this family had shown her.
For a fleeting moment, she reflected on her own mother's reaction if she had brought a stranger home, but that thought was quickly discarded.
Her gaze shifted to Maiah, who hummed a soft melody while neatly folding the bedding. Sein knelt down to help, mimicking Maiah's movements until all the bedding was stored in the back room.
While Chit washed her face and changed clothes, Sein passed the time granting wishes from her devotees. The prayers followed their familiar pattern. The young wishing to appear attractive as they dressed for the day, while older folk asked for renewal or preservation of their garments.
Why are people so obsessed with looking good purely to please others? Sein wondered.
Then she realised it was no different with the ladies of the court, recalling the lengthy discussions on clothing with Lady Gawa and Lady Meena. While she recognised the value of dressing to express oneself and to feel confident, she refused to embrace the idea of wearing specific outfits solely to please the lords. Sein was a rosewood among bamboo, bending for no one, that is, except for one man.
With her spiritual duties fulfilled, Sein pondered how best to contribute to the family that had so graciously welcomed her.
"Maiah, what can I do to help?" she asked. "At least let me do some chores if I am to stay with you."
"Chit and I collect water from a well every morning. Would you like to join us?" Maiah said. "An extra pair of hands is always welcome."
Sein nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure how the water was collected. Still, the desire to be helpful spurred her on.
Leaving the house carrying empty containers, they walked along the dusty road, the village shrinking behind them, until a narrow path was visible, cutting into the forest. As they ventured deeper among the trees, the air grew heavy with the sharp, resinous scent of pine, mingling with the earthy aroma of the forest floor.
Maiah and Chit sang various well known songs, their voices shattering the silence. Sein joined in occasionally if she knew the words, but most often she didn't.
The well stood in a small clearing, looking somewhat out of place against the untamed wilderness. Its modest stone wall, dull grey and practical, contrasted with the towering pines surrounding it. A solid wooden lid shielded the opening, keeping the water safe from falling debris.
Maiah approached and slid the lid aside. Then she released the bucket tied to a wooden post next to it, letting it descend into the depths. It took a long moment for the faint splash below to confirm just how far the water lay.
Maiah began pulling the rope, her movements steady as she hoisted the heavy bucket back to ground level. Observing the effort it required, Sein stepped forward to help.
Her brother's training in sword fighting had built her stamina and strengthened her core, and she found the task surprisingly easy, quickly hauling the water with ease.
"You are so strong, Sein," Maiah commented, seeing how Sein had managed to fill their container in a matter of minutes.
"I have spent time strength training," Sein said then thought better of expanding on it. "I am glad to be of some help."
She did notice, however, how the rope cut into her hands, turning her palms red. She wasn't accustomed to manual labour, and the thought of hauling enough water for daily use made her wonder aloud, "Surely this isn't all the water needed for the day?"
"That's right, we use the water from the village pump for most needs. This water is special. It's only for drinking. It's blessed by the spirits that reside in the mountain range to the north. They say it has the power to heal and even prolong life."
Sein was captivated, having never known spirits could possess such powers to grant, and soon a longing to encounter others like herself grew within her.
Were other spirits living among the villagers? Did they take on human form? What kind of spiritual powers did they have? Numerous questions continued to surface but who could she ask? It wasn't a subject she could casually raise with Maiah.
Once they arrived back at the house, Maiah went off to the fields to work. Sein kept Chit company while she went about her usual routine. The girl's first task was to wash clothes. Seated on a stone bench in the kitchen, Chit's small frame hunched over a large container. With adept hands, she soaped each garment, scrubbing vigorously with a hand brush. Once rinsed, she carefully wrung them out and stacked the damp clothes neatly, ready to be hung out to dry.
Sein observed patiently, wondering if clothes at the palace were cleaned this way. Again she'd never spared a thought on such matters. Her clothes were taken away by the serving girls and returned in immaculate condition.
Chit didn't seem to mind doing her chores. This was her contribution to the family. She chatted away, telling Sein about her brother who had gone to a nearby town to train as a blacksmith. He was sixteen but already as tall as their father. After referencing her father, Chit became quiet.
Sensing a change in her mood, Sein asked, "Does your brother come back home to visit?"
"He comes home every year but this year he hasn't. He sends money and things back home though. He sent me a present last month," Chit said, with obvious pride. "Kin La thinks he's in love with a girl and won't leave the town because of her."
"Love truly makes us act in strange ways," Sein mused, recalling her time with Zeya.
The exhilarating rush of falling in love, the emotional peaks and valleys, all rushing back to her.
Sweeping her thoughts aside, she continued, "But your brother clearly still remembers his family. What did he send you?"
"A cloth bag to put my stuff," Chit responded, pausing from rinsing the clothes. "It's woven by the villagers from the Northern Kingdom. He thinks the patterns are really cute. There's meaning to them, but he doesn't know what it is. He chose the nicest one for me."
"Your brother sounds very thoughtful," Sein commented, reflecting on her own brothers.
When she was Chit's age, she always hung around with them. She and Naing, who was only a couple of years older than her, would squabble about many things. Sometimes these fights ended in shoving, pushing and even arm wrestling. It was far from ladylike, but she yearned to fit in with her brothers. The two oldest, Thura and Phu, were easy to get along with and always looked out for her. These were times in her life, she now appreciated and cherished.
"You must miss your brother."
"Yeah I wish he'd stay and work the land like my sisters. Mama said if he doesn't come home this year, we'll go and visit him instead," Chit said, picking up the bundle of wet clothes, piled high in a rattan basket.
Sein offered a hand, seeing how the laundry was nearly the same size as the little girl.
They stepped outside and Sein helped Chit hang the wet clothes on a line that spanned between two trees, behind the house.
Afterwards, Chit took three oranges from the kitchen and said, "These are for Spirit of Cloth. Will you come with me?"
Sein was stunned.
"We give these to Spirit of Cloth so our clothes will dry fast and look nice and new," Chit continued, balancing the oranges in one arm and holding out her other hand for Sein to take it.
Hand in hand, they strolled to the little altar where they'd met the previous day. Sein focused her mind on drying the clothes they'd put out, mending any small tears and loose threads.
As she did so, more prayers drifted into her consciousness; it seemed this was the hour when most people did their laundry. She generously used her cloth power to grant them, adding a few creative touches of her own to revitalise the garments.
"What do you do now?" Sein asked when they were back at the house.
"I tidy up but usually there's not much to do," Chit answered. Then suddenly giggling, she added, "So I pretend I live in a big, fancy house and I'm an important lady."
She stood with her arms raised in a poised dancing stance, one arm extended slightly forward, the other with a hand held up.
"Then I pretend I'm dancing at a big party!"
With that, Chit hummed a tune while spinning wildly around the room.
Sein watched with amusement, applauding when the girl ended her manic twirls and bowed to her.
"That was wonderful dancing. But I must say, your stance is the man's position."
"Oh," Chit responded, looking thoughtful. "I saw a couple dancing once, and I tried to do the same moves."
"Would you like to learn?"
Chit looked like she was going to explode with excitement, her face full of sheer joy.
"You know how to dance! Will you teach me?"
"Of course, My Lady," Sein lowered her voice to a deeper, husky tone, doing her best to mimic a lord's accent, as she said, "Would you indulge me in this dance? And might I have the pleasure of your hand?"
Chit was delighted and offered her small hand. Sein took it and wrapped her right arm around the girl, just beneath her shoulder blade.
She lightly grasped her right hand in hers and said, "Excellent, My Lady. Let us begin. Stand tall, keep your back straight, and hold your frame steady. It's all about grace."
Chit turned deadly serious, nodding as she pushed her shoulders back.
"Now, step back with your right foot, just a small, smooth step. Then, move your left foot to the side, and gently close your right foot to meet it. That's one, two, three. Next, step forward with your left foot, one, glide your right foot to the side, two, and close again, three. Let us repeat this."
After the dance lesson, Sein sat on the bamboo mat to watch Chit dance by herself. She was pleased with the girl's progress and said, "You learn very quickly, Chit. I think you'll be an amazing dancer if you keep practicing."
"I hope I'll find a lord to dance with someday," Chit said, with a dreamy tone.
"Why a lord?" Sein asked with curiosity.
"Cause they're good looking and smart, right?"
Sein didn't know how to respond. She pondered for a moment, her mind trolling through the various arrogant young lords she had encountered, and said, "Of course some are, but not all. Trust me on this."
"I don't remember it all, but about two or three years ago, some important lords came through our village. They were looking for someone. Kin La remembers it really well. She said one of the lords was really handsome. He was tall, with dark hair, and all the girls were swooning over him."
The mention of a dark haired lord made Sein's heart race. An image of Zeya filled her vision momentarily—his pale eyes, his dark hair, his handsome face.
"I wanna meet someone like that someday. A tall, dark, good-looking lord," Chit giggled.
"As I've said, not all lords are good and decent."
Chit nodded in acknowledgment, and said, "I know. Grandpa said something about lords are like a golden casket. It's not always filled with treasure."
"He's quite right."
"But then Grandpa says I'll turn into a snake if I eat lying down. I tried it, but I didn't turn into one!"
"Ah, he probably told you that to prevent you from choking on your food if you do eat while you're lying down," Sein offered an explanation.
"He shoulda just said. Grandpa says a lot of weird stuff," Chit said, her joyful giggle infecting Sein to join in.
The afternoon was spent looking for Bhell again when Chit noticed the duck was missing from their garden. Sein used her heightened senses to track him. She directed them to the end of the village dirt track, heading onto the main road, bordered by a row of trees. Chit stopped at this junction, refusing to walk further.
Sensing something troubling her, Sein asked, "What's the matter, Chit?"
"That house over there," Chit indicated with her eyes to a dilapidated house wedged between two majestic trees. "People say there's a spirit living there."
Her hand grasped Sein's tighter. Sein couldn't help but speculate what Chit would think if she knew she was holding a spirit's hand right at this moment.
She studied the house, her senses on high alert. With its blackened windows and boarded-up door, it looked unsettlingly like a face: two dark eyes glaring, a grimace frozen in wood. She felt a strange sensation in her stomach as she continued to observe.
Her curiosity to meet another spirit, fuelled her forward but Chit was adamant on heading back. She tugged Sein's hand, refusing to move.
"There's nothing to worry about. It's just a spirit."
"But people say this spirit is bad and we should stay away," Chit warned, her concerned face looking up at Sein. "It'll get mad if we go past the house. We'll be cursed and have bad luck for a hundred years. Let's take the other road to the woods instead."
"Alright, lead the way," Sein agreed, not wishing to distress the girl.
She had heard tales of vengeful spirits, stories claiming that disturbing them would bring curses, but surely those were just tales told to keep little children from straying into dangerous places. Her thoughts were interrupted by Bhell's quacking from somewhere west of their location.
"Come on, I think I can guess where Bhell might be."
Instead of following the dirt path south to meet the loop trail, they veered off and took a shortcut across a field of freshly tilled earth, their shoes quickly gathering a coat of soil. Once the main road was in view, Sein spotted Bhell waddling out of the woods into the open field ahead of them. Chit immediately ran up to her duck and scooped it up into her arms.
"Why you always running off," Chit reprimanded the duck.
Bhell responded with soft, continuous clucking noises, and Chit laughed.
"You're a naughty duck."
"I imagine ducks need a bit of water and Bhell is searching for it. Maybe he would like some," Sein suggested. "Is there a river near by? I can fetch water for him."
"Yes but it's too far to carry water back home."
"Shall I see what I can do for Bhell?"
Chit looked delighted. Sein asked for directions to the nearest river and off she went.
Carrying two large containers of water was indeed a heavy burden after walking for a while. Sein concentrated on her arms, recalling how she'd struggled in training before. She knew she had to clear her mind and endure the burning in her muscles. The reward would come in seeing the little girl's happiness.
Several villagers noticed the unusual sight of a beautiful lady carrying heavy buckets as she walked through Sagyo. The most curious among them quietly followed from a distance. After what seemed like hours, Sein finally returned to the house.
"Maiah, Chit. Hello there," a voice called out.
It was one of the women who had followed Sein. She had white hair tied into a small bun at the back. Her narrow eyes scrutinised Sein.
"Hello, Auntie," Chit greeted seeing her neighbour.
Then spotting Sein with the buckets, ran over to her.
"You've got the water. You're amazing."
"Hello Auntie," Maiah greeted, it was a way to address those older with respect. "Have you eaten? Would you like some tea?"
She had just returned from the fields and had the toil of labour still present on her clothes.
The old lady went straight to the point, "You have a visitor, Maiah. A young attractive girl. Who is she? Is she your niece?"
Maiah's forehead creased a little as she replied, "No Auntie. Sein is a friend of the family's. She is staying with us."
"What a strong girl. What a pretty girl," the old woman said, eyeing Sein as though she were being appraised. "Is she married? My brother's son is looking for a wife, you know. Is her family well off? She looks to be from the capital."
Having overheard this conversation, Sein approached the pair. She bowed her head, following local customs and introduced herself.
"My name is Sein. I am delighted to meet you, Auntie."
The old woman smiled, seemingly pleased with Sein's manners and said, "Yes, good to meet you too. What a nice girl. Very good girl."
Maiah glanced at Sein with what looked like an apologetic face. She turned back to the lady and said, "Auntie, if you would like tea, come in. I will first need to clean up."
The old woman waved a hand. "No no, I am going home. I came to meet your friend. I hope to see you again, Sein."
Sein and Maiah watched the woman trot away.
"One of our inquisitive neighbours," Maiah said with a grin. "Ignore her. She means no harm."
"Not a problem."
"The older generation around here are bent on marrying off their young people," Maiah said with a chuckle.
"It is the same where I grew up," Sein explained. "Especially for girls who are of a certain age."
"Ah I am sure you must have many admirers knocking on your parent's door." Maiah smiled. "But it seems none have succeeded in winning your heart."
They began making their way towards the house.
"There is no man I wish to spend the rest of my life with," Sein remarked.
This wasn't entirely true. Sein thought of Zeya. However, he was, what Lady Meena referred to as, a mango out of her reach.
"I hope you will meet someone worthy of you some day. As for me I was very lucky to meet a good man who became my husband," Maiah said, her pace slowing as she reflected. "We think differently in my family. My girls can do as they wish. I will not be trying to marry them off. They are able to look after themselves and if they wish to remain independent, I have no qualms at all. We are a family and we will stick together and support each other."
Sein was surprised by the contrast in Maiah's thinking to that of her own mother. She remarked, "Your girls are very lucky to have you as a mother."
Dinner was handmade noodles, pan fried with an assortment of vegetables grown locally. Sein was impressed by Maiah's ability to make delicious food from very simple ingredients. Despite the rustic fare, the food was hearty and sustaining. She couldn't help but recall the lavish meals she ate at home. There was always meat and fish on the table every night. Only a small amount of rice and noodles were eaten. Still, Sein found this meal was just as delightful, if not more so, as it was accompanied by the laughter and presence of good company.
With every dawn, the invitation to stay was renewed, as the family embraced Sein as if she had always belonged there. Before she even realised it, an entire week had vanished in what felt like a mere breath. And, to her surprise, she felt the faint beginnings of roots taking hold, as if this place might truly become home.
Sein continued to contribute by collecting water every morning with Chit, allowing Maiah to head for the fields early. She lent a hand at every opportunity, wishing to be of more use to the family.
However, Sein soon noticed blisters forming on her palms from hauling water and scrubbing dishes. She wrapped them carefully in a cloth, feeling immediate relief as the fabric touched her skin. Even more incredible, the blisters appeared to heal almost instantly.
Was this her spiritual abilities at work? How else could she have healed herself with nothing but sheer will for the pain to disappear?
She experimented on herself, testing and retesting until she was certain the healing came from her own deliberate efforts. Whatever this power was, it only worked through the medium of fabric.
With that in mind, she kept a small piece of cloth tucked in her pocket and used her newfound ability to mend the minor cuts and scratches she picked up while attempting manual work. Her hands were simply not used to any hardship.
She wondered if she could help others, and kept a close eye on Chit, hoping to find a bruise or scrape to mend. But the little girl proved hardy, never sustaining anything that needed healing.
Every week, Sein assisted Chit, washing the clothes by hand, then drying them with a subtle use of her power. But soon, she took over entirely, no longer washing; instead, she commanded the grime to vanish, the fabrics to purify themselves in mere seconds. There was no need for soap or water, just a sprinkling of her cloth power. With practice, the act of cleaning became as natural to her as a simple thought.
"How can you be done with washing clothes already?" Chit looked doubtful.
"It's all thanks to Spirit of Cloth," Sein told Chit, which was the truth. "You're a good devotee. The spirit has granted you generously."
Chit was delighted. It meant she could practice dancing with Sein, then play with her duck, rather than wash clothes all morning.
Over the course of a few months, Sein sensed her power expanding, with each new prayer whispered in her name, as though the very fabric of her strength was woven by the devotion of her followers. As Spirit of Cloth, she'd never expected to attract many worshippers, yet the entire village seemed to pray to her.
What must it feel like to wield real power, she wondered. Power that transformed people's lives or change the course of history. Laundry and mending clothes were hardly the stuff of legends. Who would sing songs about a Spirit of Cloth? The thought made her laugh out loud.