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Loon Yarkyaw sat at the Shwe San Daw Pagoda, gazing at the scenic view of Bagan, shrouded in a thin veil of mist and snowflakes.
Far in the distance, he could see balloons rising here and there above the temples and stupas. On mornings like this in Bagan, you could see some hot air balloons floating up from the fields. From this pagoda, he could clearly see the balloons ascending into the Shwe San Daw field. He waited patiently, thinking of meeting Aunty Myint and returning the shawl to the Golden Princess.
“Mom, look! There’s a big hot air balloon coming close!”
Startled by the voice of a child, he glanced at the sky. Near the top of the Shwe San Daw Pagoda, a balloon was floating lower and lower. He could clearly see the people standing in the basket attached to the balloon as it flew close by.
That hot air balloon carried the Golden Princess. The golden figure leaning out of the basket was the Golden Princess, her gaze seemingly directed at him. Loon Yarkyaw felt a sudden ache from staring too intently at the distant figure.
Although he knew he couldn’t reach her, he couldn’t help but keep looking. He couldn’t pull her down, and she couldn’t descend to him. Eventually, the balloon floated farther and farther away until it disappeared toward a vacant plot of land.
“Big brother, the balloon is landing, let’s go!”
“Yes, let’s go.”
At Than Zaw’s call, Loon Yarkyaw climbed down from the pagoda with him.
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As the balloon carrying Nan San descended to the ground, they saw staff members from the balloon company standing by with white towels and champagne bottles. Nan San’s father, more excited and energetic than her, walked briskly toward the staff with quick steps.
He grabbed a champagne bottle and handed it to Nan San…
“Here, daughter, you open it.”
“Dad, you do it…”
“No, you open it. Aunt Thuza, please take a photo. Oh, go ahead.”
Aunt Thuza took a photo of Nan San as she opened the champagne. Her father stood beside her for the photo, and then they all gathered together for a group photo.
Nan San kept searching with her eyes, wondering if she’d see the person who grabbed her shawl while they were up in the balloon.
Her father and Ko Kyaw Thet were chatting happily, enjoying the banana cake, pineapple, and guava provided by the balloon company.
“My friend, I’ve lived in Bagan for many years, but I’ve never seen a view this beautiful. I never imagined I’d get to see something like this. Being up high was a bit scary, I was worried Nan San would be scared, but she wasn’t. I was the one who was scared, but the beauty of the view made me forget the fear. This balloon can carry eight people, and with the captain, it’s nine. I wanted just our group to ride, so I made sure to book the entire balloon. Luckily, our weight worked out, so we got to ride alone. I even wanted to fly a small plane, but that wasn’t possible…”
Uncle Phone Kyaw San was talking animatedly as usual, while Uncle Aung Din listened with a smile. His exuberance was forgivable. After living a modest life in Bagan, he seemed quite pleased to now be enjoying this moment of grandeur.
Meanwhile, Nan San, not paying much attention to her father’s conversation, was watching another balloon descend nearby. She wondered if someone she sent off was returning. That person had spotted her sitting on the Shwe San Daw Pagoda.
It was him. Even from afar, Nan San was certain it was him. His loose checkered longyi stood out, making him easy to spot even from a distance. His tall frame, dark skin, thick eyebrows, and prominent nose left a lasting impression on her.
As she watched, the balloon landed on the ground. At the same moment, she noticed him walking toward her from a path between the temples and stupas.
He held Nan San’s shawl and was walking directly toward her, so she also walked toward him.
Loon Yarkyaw approached the Golden Princess, admiring her appearance as he neared. Her lively, swift steps resembled those of a little doll wound by a spring. As he got closer, her clear, youthful face became more distinct.
He handed her the shawl, saying, “Here’s your shawl; it fell off, so I brought it back for you.”
“Oh, thank you so much!”
Her tone made him raise his eyebrows. “Oh, thank you,” she said. So, is she a Japanese girl? Her soft, sweet tone was different from what he expected.
“Thank you,” she repeated, as if correcting herself after the first time.
“What’s your name?”
Her Burmese was fluent, which surprised him. Despite her very pale skin, her eyes and brows had a distinctly Burmese look, making it hard to tell if she was truly foreign.
“My name is Loon Yarkyaw.”
“Oh, Loon Yarkyaw. What an unusual name. My name is Khinn Nan San.”
“Daughter, Nan San, who is that person you’re talking to?”
Nan San turned to look at her father after hearing his slightly stern voice.
“He’s the one who returned my shawl, Dad.”
“Oh… Don’t you have many shawls like that? Come on, let’s go. The car is here.”
Her father glanced at Loon Yarkyaw without acknowledging him, calling his daughter away.
As she followed her father, she turned her head back and glanced at Loon Yarkyaw with a look of apology and regret on her face.
They got into the waiting black Mercedes and drove away.
“Big brother, her dad seems kind of strict, huh?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have bothered returning the shawl if I knew he was like that. He’s probably worried I’d flirt with his daughter.”
“The daughter is sweet, but the father is pretty intimidating, huh, brother?”
“Yeah, sure. Let’s go. Auntie Myint has just arrived. Let’s go greet her.”
Loon Yarkyaw started walking toward Aunty Myint, glancing once more at the black car as it disappeared into the distance.
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The morning sunlight gently streamed onto the green lawn and blue swimming pool in front of the Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel.
Khinn Nan San was sitting on the long wooden deck near the pool, soaking in the sun, as she looked toward Aunt Thuza sitting on the other side…
