FRAGRANT-HAIRED NEANG POV

Neang Pov not only was beautiful, but also had fragrant hair. Her husband was a merchant. The spouses lived near the stream side far away from the others. Before going out to do his business, her husband told her, "my darling I will be away on business for quite a long time, so if you miss me, you should cut off several of your strands of hair, put them in a Kantaung (a Kantaung is a type of bowl made from leaves and used for storing offerings to the spirit) and float it along the stream current. When I see it, I will definitely come back to meet you."

After telling her this, Fragrant-Haired Neang Pov's husband said farewell to his wife. Many months went by and she didn't see her husband's return. So Neang Pov made a Kantaung, cut off some strands of her hair, put them in the Kantaung, and finally floated it along the stream current.

A group of forest robbers that was bathing in the stream smelled a fragrant whiff. At that time, the robber boss saw a Kantaung floating and he swam to get the Kantaung. He saw some long and fragrant hairs. He assumed that the hair belonged to a woman, so he swam up against the stream current to find the fragrant hair owner.

Before long, he reached Neang Pov's house. He saw that Neang Pov was the most beautiful woman of all, so he fell deeply in love with her. He tried to flirt with her, but no matter how hard he tried, she still refused to love the robber boss.

The robber boss got extremely furious, so he decided to kidnap her from her house. When Neang Pov's husband came back home, he did not see his wife. He rode his horse away to find his wife immediately. When he reached the forest center, Neang Pov's husband called out his wife, "My dear Pov! My fragrant-haired Pov, where are you?" Soon, the call was heard by Neang Pov, so she replied, "Help me!"

At that time, when he saw his wife with the robber boss, Pov's husband rushed to save her. At that moment, the robber boss took out his knife and stabbed Pov's husband in the chest, causing immediate death of Pov's husband. Seeing this, Neang Pov wept, holding her husband's body and prayed, "Divinities, guardian spirits of hills and woods, and other sacred things, help protect my husband's body so that no animal can eat my husband's body."

After completing her prayer, she secretly took out a small knife and carried it with her. She then agreed to go with the robber boss. Neang Pov begged the robber boss to lead the horse in front of her and she rode on the horse alone. Because he adored her so much, he agreed to all her requests. While traveling, Neang Pov secretly dropped melon seeds along the way.

When the melon seeds ran out, Neang Pov sweetly talked to the robber boss, "You! Now, I would like to have some rest because I feel pity for you! You look so exhausted; please help me off the horse." The robber boss quickly responded, "Great! I'll help."

To take advantage when the robber boss was not paying attention, Neang Pov took out the small knife and stabbed the robber boss to death. Neang Pov rushed to see her husband's body; but, along the way on which the melon seeds had been dropped, there were melon plants which bearing a lot of fruit and blossoms and which grew densely along the way.

Reaching the place where the body lied, there were two divinities disguised themselves as a snake and a meerkat. The two animals were fighting with each other until the meerkat bit the snake to death. The meerkat chewed some barks from the nearby tree and spat on the dead snake, and the snake came to life again and they both vanished .

Neang Pov picked up the strange barks and prayed, "If the barks are sacred thing, then once I chew them and spit on the body, the body will come to life again like the miracle happening to the snake."

Completing her praying, she chewed the barks and spat on the face and the wound of the body. The wound did heal quickly and her husband did come to life again. Seeing that, Neang Pov was so delighted; she laughed and cried, embracing her dear husband. Then, they returned home.

When they arrived at a stream bank, a divinity in disguise a Buddhist monk wanting to test Neang Pov rowed his boat so fast following them . Her
husband turned around seeing the Buddhist monk and talked to him, "Venerable! Please help carry us to the opposite bank. "'The monk said,
"My boat can carry only two persons."

The monk added, "Now, I help carry one of you each time, so between you two, who goes first?" The husband thought, "If I go first, my wife will be left alone. So it's impossible." After thinking , he let his wife get on the boat with the monk to cross the stream first.

Soon after Neang Pov got on the boat, the monk quickly rowed his boat away. However, he did not row across towards the opposite bank; instead, rowing his boat along the stream water current very fast. Seeing that, her husband thought, "God! Once again, I was deceived by the monk." He stood watching his' wife with deep despair.
About the monk who was the divinity in disguise, after rowing the boat away for quite long distance, he' cast his magic to create a Mak Preng Mak Praing tree full of ripe red, yellow fruits growing near the stream. Neang Pov saw the tree and talked to the monk, "Venerable! I would really like to eat those fruits."

Hearing that, soon the monk said, "I climb to pick those fruits for you." Then, the monk rolled up the robe part between his legs and tucked in at his back waist and climbed to pick the fruits immediately. Neang Pov continued, "I want that fruit which stays the highest," so the monk climbed to pick the fruit at which she was pointing.
Seeing good opportunity, Neang Pov immediately pushed the boat off and rowed it away without the monk. She tried to row the boat back to meet her husband. However, after arriving, she did not see her husband. She saw only many footprints in the soil.

She felt so pity on her husband that she decided to disguise herself as a man to seek her husband. She walked through a village to another, and finally she arrived at a very wealthy man's house. They were holding the funeral for their dead daughter who had passed away because of fatal snake bite.

Neang Pov begged the gatekeeper to let her enter and see the very, wealthy man's dead daughter by saying, "If you let,me enter, I might be able to make her come into life again." Soon after hearing her speech, the gatekeeper let her enter.

When reaching the body-keeping place, she took out the sacred barks to chew and spat on the wound of snake bite and on the bruise parts of the body. The bruise parts turned to normal color, and she became alive again. She opened her eyes and jumped up to embrace her father. The wealthy man was totally delighted.

Because Neang Pov had saved his daughter's life and was also handsome, the wealthy man decided to marry his daughter to Neang Pov and gave all the property to both of them.

Three or four days after the marriage, the wealthy man's daughter wondered, "Since our marriage day, my husband has slept on a separate bed and hasn't agreed to take off his hat. Moreover, he has had sad face," So she asked her husband, "Do you have any problems, my darling? Could I help you?"

Neang Pov answered, "I want to hold a ceremony, giving alms to the poor. What do you think about this idea?" Neang Pov's wife agreed to the idea. They installed the ceremonial marquee for offering alms to the poor for 7 days and nights. Neang Pov display a sign hung above the marquee which read that, "Being apart from each other at the stream bank because deceived by the monk."

After 6 days of alms-giving ceremony, she still had not seen her husband, so she felt hopeless and went to rest in the house. On the 7th day, a man arrived at the ceremonial marquee, read the sign letters, and then wept bitterly by rolling his body on the ground until becoming unconscious. A servant saw the fact and to tell the house's owners about that, and then they came to see the man.

Neang Pov saw her husband lie unconscious, so she wailed, hugging her husband with strong feeling. After her husband became conscious, the spouses told everything to the wealthy man's daughter.

After listening to everything, the wealthy man's daughter talked to Neang Pov, "No, problem, I am indebted to you since you have made me become alive again. I will live with you like my sibling." From that time on, Fragrant-Haired Neang Pov along with her husband and the wealthy man's daughter live together in harmony.

- The END -

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