Saturday, May 10, 2014

SORYA-KHEAT AND CHANN KHEAT STORY

Long ago, there lived a destitute couple with two sons- the elder brother named Sorya-kheat because he was born on the day of solar eclipse, while the young one named Chann-kheat as on the day of his birth the demon Rea-hou swallowed the moon, blocking the entire moon light.

The couple's was so miserable that they made up a painful mind to banish their children in the deep jungle. The two brothers got lost in the forest and felt starved. They ate wild fruit as food. They missed and always thought of their parents, regretting not being able to serve them as a gesture of thankfulness.

The couple's was so miserable that they made up a painful mind to banish their children in the deep jungle. The two brothers got lost in the forest and felt starved. They ate wild fruit as food. They missed and always thought of their parents, regretting not being able to serve them as a gesture of thankfulness.

With this phenomena visibly unfolded, the two brothers tried to strip small barks of the medical plant, packed them and started the journey again. Exhausted, they rested under a big tree near a cool, transparent pond with no idea that it was the kingdom of giants.

At the kingdom, the Giant was holding the funeral of his wife, who just passed away. The giant king sought help from giant neighbors to help in the ceremony. Those giants agreed to help only when they were given human for their food. Soon after hearing this, the giant king together with his soldiers flew off to look for it, but did not find one at all. Arriving at a pond, the giant descended and happened to see the two boys lying asleep nearby. They tied the boys up and brought them back to the kingdom, where he invited the giant neighbors to the ceremony.

The boys were very frightened. They tried to unfasten themselves and sneaked out, but they saw the body of a female giant nearby. Feeling pity with the dead, they helped revive the giant.

The female giant was certain that the boys helped revive her. She asked the boys and learned that the helpless kids got lost in the forest. She then gently embraced the two like her own children.

The giant king appeared and learned about what happened. He told his wife about the promise he made with the other giants. So keeping the boys in the kingdom would make them in trouble. While they had this discussion, the giant neighbors emerged, and seeing the kids they asked: “Are they our food?". "No!” replied the giant king, "We are very grateful to the boys because they helped bring my wife back to life. So you cannot have them as food". The crooked giants were so furious. They started the fights with the giant king, but were defeated and disappeared one by one.

After spending many years at the giant's kingdom, the giant and his wife took themselves to the sky, bringing along Sorya-kheat and Chann-kheat to Peareansei kingdom.

There they left the young men and wished them a happy life before flying off. Travelling a bit further, they came across a group of soldiers beating the gong and making an announcement asking all the subjects in the kingdom to shave their heads. Sorya-kheat and Chhan-kheat were very astonished at the order and asked them. The soldiers told the men that King Thoam-masoth’s and Queen Sothoam-meakab Lakkhana's daughter named Sochea-troeungsa died from a snake's bite while she was in the royal garden.

Sorya-kheat asked the soldiers to take him to the king. He told the king that he had powerful medicine that could help save the princess' life. The king agreed, and Sorya-kheat started the ritual, taking out the medicine from the bag, chewed it and clapped his hands together in prayers to the Indra. He spit the medicine three times over the body of the princess. And suddenly, the princess started to move and became alive.

The monarch felt very happy. He married his daughter, Sochea-troeungsa, to Sorya-kheat, and made Chann-kheat the crown prince.

Being permitted by his parents -in-law as well as his wife, Sorya-kheat together with Chann-kheat set out in a ship. They sailed for many days before reaching their native village. The old man and woman picked water melons and had them exchanged with the ship merchants for bamboos to be used to build their house without knowing that the merchants were their own children.

Sorya-kheat and Chann-kheat dared not say they were their parents for fear they -were still angry, beat and chased them again. However, they hid gold in bamboo container and sent it to their parents. They also gave away some gold to villagers who once provided them with food as a gesture of thankfulness.

After being told by the neighbors that the ship captains were their kids, they hurried to look for them, only to see the ship already sailing away from the port. They tried so hard to call their children back that they collapsed unconsciously at the port. Their voice was not heard by Sorya-kheat and Chann-kheat, and the ship kept moving forward until it was out of sight.

- The END-

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