{This is a response to What Pegman Saw. This week we are in Laos in SE Asia. I took a little detour from Vientiane to a place called Phonsavan in central Laos.
This area is known for the Plain of Jars, which consists of 90 sites, with collections of large ancient multi-ton jars of unknown origin.
Only 7 of these sites are considered safe enough for tourists to visit, because of unexploded ordinance, left over from the Vietnam War.
Thank you for the prompt and for coming by to read.}
Dao fiddled with his black-and-white TV antenna. He looked outside. Clouds spilled over the rolling hills, surrounding the Plain of Jars.
Monsoon coming. Maybe a typhoon.
Scratchy images re-appeared on the screen. Bad weather. Not here. There.
His Western houseguests stirred in sleeping bags on his dirt floor.
“Where you from?” Dao demanded, practicing his English.
Tugging his beard, the young man drawled, “Florida.” His frowzy girlfriend lifted an eyelid, shut it again.
“Better stay here,” said Dao, his gnarled finger poking the screen. “Bad storm. Very bad storm.”
Rubbing his eyes, the hipster shook his head. “What? No internet?”
Dao shuffled to his side of the hut. Closing a floor-length curtain behind him. Along a high shelf sat his own jars.
Jars, brimming with dollars.
Dollars, from twenty-five years, guiding tourists through site 52’s two-ton jars.
Dollars, waiting, to take him to America.
“Better stay here,” Dao muttered. “Safer.”
Aha… I’ve a feeling that he’s going to get the Floridians to take him to America.
You may be right.
As I wrote it, I intended to convey that his plan was to go, that is, to emigrate, to the US.
But by the end of the piece, after seeing the storm in Florida, and perhaps pondering the current state of affairs for immigrants to the US, he seems to have changed his mind about going.
The irony, as JHardy pointed out in his comment, above, is that the place where he works and lives, the Plain of Jars, is very dangerous, itself, because of all the unexploded ordinance.
There is also a storm similar to that hurricane (a typhoon, potentially equally dangerous) on its way.
So his decision to not go to the US, for reasons of safety, says a lot, about his perception of US immigration policy and how “safe” it is to take the risk of entering the US, as an immigrant.
Lots of stuff unsaid in this one Im afraid! Subtext, subtext. ?
Ah… Guess it took me some time to get that
What an evocative setting for a story, Andrea – thanks for the link. I loved Dao – a really vivid character drawn in very few words. Clearly a man of empathy and kindness. Hurricane Dorian has been absolutely devastating. Been thinking about all those poor, homeless people, the people who lost their lives this week
Yes the Bahamas were hit so badly. They will need all the help they can get. I hope the world opens its coffers To them. I’ll be happy when hurricane season is over. ?
Hopefully, they’ll get all the help they need. Can’t imagine how terrifying it is to live in one of these zones.
Really good story. The plain of jars is unfortunately anything BUT safe since the US dropped several million tons of bombs and mines on it. Laos has been making major efforts to clean it up, but every year people are killed or maimed by these explosives.
You got my point!
Those mysterious jars capture the imagination. You’ve crafted a sympathetic character in Dao. The tourists, not so much. I’m rooting for him to get what he seeks.
Hope you are safe where you are Andrea! Dorian has been quite devastating on Abaco and Grand Bahama from what I gather.
Yes Im good. The hurricane is arriving with me in the North Carolina mountains again
Thanks karen
No place like home, hey.
But, Plain of Jars, I’ve read about this place. Simply fascinating.
Thanks crispina
🙂
If Dao is wiling to sacrifice the money from another tour, he must be seriously worried about the storm — and I hope the guests listen to him! I looked up more information about the Plain and Jars and wow, what an interesting and mysterious site! It makes me wonder how many other unusual things prior cultures did that we have no inkling of, because they didn’t leave big stone artifacts behind as clues.
I think of Dao as a fan of the US. He likes to practice his English and keep up on American news. During weeks like this, hurricanes (like Dorian) can dominate the news cycle.
Dao is warning his guests (i imagine him having a tour/B&B business) that they’re better off staying in Laos than going home to that.
Later, alone, thinking about eventually relocating to the US himself (as an immigrant) he seems to be having second thoughts, which may have to do with the storm, or with something else entirely.
One of the reasons I started writing this was because I read that the monsoon season, which can bring typhoons to SE Asia, is at about the same time of year as hurricane season is here.
Thanks for clarifying; I hadn’t caught on that the guests had already done the tour and were about to head home. And yes, as I listen to news of the latest hurricane, I think about what it must be like to live with such dramatic threats — especially without the safety and luxuries that we have in the US.
That’s what I love about this short-short story type exercise. It makes you more aware of how much of your idea you have actually transferred to the page, versus how much remains locked in your imagination. It is a great recipe for rewriting! Thanks so much for your comment!
I agree — doing these flash fiction challenges has been an enormous learning experience in editing — both when it works just fine to cut half the words, and when it doesn’t.
The ending made me – again – appreciate my homeland and I
was reminded that for many folks it is the ultimate dream to be able to live here!
And I could imagine those jars on that high shelf –
and my mind then imagined various tourists he worked with….
It is amazing the sacrifices people make to cross into our borders. I’m glad that came through. Of course those who come from here don’t always appreciate what they’ve got!
Hey sure don’t and over the summer I spoke up to a blogger about his disrespectful rants – but the one thing I thought of later – before we stopped following each other – well I wanted to point out that posh little office job of his likely would not be his if he lived elsewhere – and this country likely rescued him when the economy crashed in 07-08 – but he never really noticed – anyhow – I also in hindsight what a small minded person he was – and I guess that is normal – to have bumps in any social type of community – and getting back to your post…
I do wonder how much money made it to those jars – and if it was safe sitting on a shelf
Good question.