thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Chapter Three
By nightfall, Prin's fever had subsided, converting his state of agonizing pain to loads of relief. He woke up and checked his watch for the actual time, wondering if it was the same time as the future. The only source of time was that watch on his wrist and his iPhone. His phone! He could use it to try and call the others at the campsite. "Where is it?" Prin asked himself, searching around the room for it.
"What are you looking for?"
Once again without warning, Princess Minthida, followed by Nang Noi, had appeared behind him.
"There you are," Prin said to her. "Where is my phone?"
"Phone?" asked Princess Minthida, puzzled.
"What's a phone?" asked Nang Noi.
Prin scratched his head wildly. How was he supposed to describe it?
"How about my pants?" he asked them. "Where are my pants?"
Prin tugged on the silky, ivory pants he was wearing.
"My green pants that I had on when you guys first found me?" he added. "Where are they?"
"I had the servants wash your clothes for you," replied Princess Minthida. "Why?"
"I need those pants," said Prin. "Can you get them for me?"
Princess Minthida and Nang Noi looked at each other absurdly.
"I want my clothes back," said Prin.
He felt much more comfortable in his own clothes. Not that the clothes he had on at the moment were uncomfortable but he felt awkward wearing them.
"Do you not like the clothes we have provided for you?" Princess Minthida asked him.
"No," Prin quickly responded. "It's not that. I'm just used to my clothes. Will you get them for me, please?"
Princess Minthida nodded at Nang Noi, who nodded in return and went out the room.
"Nang Noi is getting them for you," said Princess Minthida. "I see that you feel better now."
"Krub, er...khor rup," said Prin.
He still hadn't gotten used to the ancient terminology. Princess Minthida laughed.
"You're so weird," she said. "The way you speak, the way you dress, your hairstyle...it's like you're not from around here."
"That's because I'm not," said Prin. "Well, I am but I'm not. I'm from Krungthep."
"What is Krungthep?" asked Princess Minthida.
Maybe it was time to tell her the truth, Prin thought to himself. Now that no one was around, it was a perfect chance to tell her without other people suspecting him. Besides, she was the most trusted person at the moment.
"To be honest with you," began Prin. "I don't belong here...I mean, I don't belong in this era. I'm not from this era."
She stared at him blankly.
"I don't get it," she said.
"I am actually from the future," said Prin. "Hundreds of years from the future."
As he expected, she automatically broke into laughter.
"I know you don't believe me but I am," said Prin.
She laughed again.
"My name is Prin Suparat," he added. "I'm an archaeology student that is studying the history of the Kingdom of Morakot. I was on an expedition with my professor, Ajarn Krerk and a few friends and there was a storm and...
"Aow la," said Princess Minthida, interrupting him. "I believe it now."
"You...you do?" asked Prin.
"I believe it that you have amnesia," she said.
"What? I don't have amnesia," said Prin. "I'm telling you the truth. It's fine if you don't believe me. But no matter what, I must go back to that marketplace where your guards found me. That could be my only way of finding my way back home."
Princess Minthida laughed again and shook her head.
"Jao ying jao ka," said Nang Noi. "Here are the clothes."
Prin grabbed his clothes from Nang Noi and checked his pant pockets for his cell phone. It wasn't there.
"Are you looking for these things?" asked Nang Noi, holding up a silky pink towel tied up into a little pouch. "These items were in your pants."
"Arai la Nang Noi?" asked Princess Minthida.
Prin unwrapped the pink towel to reveal his cellphone, wallet, and handgun.
"What are those?" asked Princess Minthida, picking up the gun.
"Don't touch that!" exclaimed Prin.
Startled by his loud voice, Princess Minthida dropped the gun on the bed.
"Why did you have to scream for?" asked Princess Minthida.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," replied Prin. "But, you shouldn't touch that. It's dangerous."
"I don't even know what it is," said Princess Minthida.
She turned to Nang Noi.
"Nang Noi, why didn't you tell me about these things?" asked Princess Minthida.
"I was going to but I forgot," replied Nang Noi. "You were too concerned with...
"Aow la," said Princess Minthida. "I forgive you."
"This is a gun," Prin told them. "I think you'd better stay away with it."
He put the gun down on the bed and picked up his iPhone.
"What's that?" asked Princess Minthida.
"My cell phone," replied Prin.
He unlocked the screen and was surprised to see that he had 66% battery left. However, there was no signal.
"Come on," said Prin, shaking his phone hoping that he would get a bar or two. "No signal."
"What are you doing?" asked Princess Minthida.
"Trying to get a signal," replied Prin. "But nevermind, I forgot there are no phone towers in this era."
He threw his phone on the bed.
"Look," said Princess Minthida. "I don't know what you're trying to do or what you told me was true or not but if you really want to go home, you must not worry about anything right now but to take good care of yourself so you'll heal faster. I promise, once you're better, I'll have those guards lead you back to that spot in the marketplace."
"Thank you," nodded Prin. "And everything I told you is true but that's all up to whether or not you choose to believe me."
"I want to believe you but something like that is unbelievable," said Princess Minthida. "Also, that warning you gave my father makes me worry so much."
"Your father," said Prin. "Has he left yet?"
"What?" she asked.
"I need to see him now," said Prin.
"Why?" she asked him. "Aren't you afraid...
"I'm not afraid of anything at all," replied Prin. "Just take me there and you'll know."
Princess Minthida hesitated for a bit and finally nodded in agreement.
"You are very daring to come see me."
Jao Sompohb waved for his guards to walk away.
"You must thought that I would take your words seriously," said the King.
"I knew you wouldn't," said Prin.
Princess Minthida, who was standing behind her father, made a face for Prin to kneel before them. Prin slowly got down on one knee.
"If you're here to fill me on with more of that nonsense, you may now be dismissed," said Jao Sompohb. "I don't want to have to punish you again. Otherwise, people will think I'm a heartless king. If it weren't for the many people who begged for me to spare your life that day, you wouldn't be standing here now."
"I know," said Prin. "You don't have to believe me and take my warning seriously."
"Well what do you want?" asked Jao Sompohb.
Prin pulled out his gun from the back of his waistband and handed it to the King.
"What is this?" asked Jao Sompohb.
"What're you doing?" asked Princess Minthida.
"This is a gun," Prin told Jao Sompohb. "Take this with you and in case something life-threatening happens, press this part as fast as you can."
"Why are you bringing this thing to me?" asked Jao Sompohb.
"Well since you choose not to believe what I have told you, I am giving you this to defend yourself and trust me, it's much more convenient than a dagger," Prin explained.
Jao Sompohb stared at him.
"And you expect me to believe you?" he asked Prin.
"That's all up to you," replied Prin. "You don't have to but when the time calls for it, at least you'll know what to do."
"Jao khun por ka," said Princess Minthida, nervously.
Jao Sompohb held up one hand for her to be quiet.
"Gaw dai," he said to Prin. "I'll believe you this time but if your information isn't relevant, I'll have you beheaded at once."
Prin nodded once and stood up. He wondered if this would alter history. If it did, would it affect the possibility of him returning home?
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They had been walking and searching for three hours now. It was almost noon and still no sign of Prin. Nadech stopped to get a drink of water. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and turned to Pakorn.
"Do you think we'll find him?" he asked Pakorn.
Pakorn sighed.
"I don't know," he replied. "I hope so. It's been hours now and we haven't heard anything from anyone. This isn't a good sign at all."
"I think it's really weird," said Nadech. "I swear, Phupoom and I lost him at that spot and I remember him saying something about going into a tunnel...
"What tunnel?" asked Pakorn.
Nadech sighed and gulped.
"Are you hiding something from me?" asked Pakorn.
"I've been wanting to tell you this," began Nadech. "Yesterday when Phupoom and I were yelling through the hard rain telling Aie Prin not to go any further, he wouldn't listen. He kept walking forward and telling us to follow him into the tunnel. However, Aie Poom and I didn't see a tunnel. Next thing we knew, Aie Prin just vanished."
"Aie Dech," said Pakorn. "Do you know what you're saying? Do you know how serious this is?"
"I know that's why I wanted to make sure first if there was a tunnel or not," said Nadech.
"There is no damn tunnel in this forest!" exclaimed Pakorn.
He turned around and punched a tree behind him.
"Toh aoey!" he yelled.
Nadech put one hand on Pakorn's shoulder.
"Let's keep searching," he said. "If the day isn't over, we shouldn't give up."
"I can't believe this is happening," said Pakorn. "Do you want me to believe that Aie Prin just disappeared magically?"
"Let's not assume anything right now," said Nadech. "I should've told you about this in the first place. I'm sorry."
"Let's keep going," said Pakorn.
"Are you alright, honey?" Ajarn Krerk asked his daughter. "Are you tired? We can take a break."
"No," replied Natwara. "I'm not taking a break. If we haven't found P'Prin yet, I'm not taking a break."
"I'm sure he's fine," said Ajarn Krerk. "Aie Prin is a smart kid, the best among all of my students. I've taught and trained him for many years so I know what he is capable of."
"What if you're wrong?" asked Natwara.
"I'm not," said Ajarn Krerk. "Prin is a very determined kid and if he wants to do something, no one can stop him. If he wants to accomplish something, he will work very hard for it. I think he must've found something that has to do with the Kingdom of Morakot."
"Well why hasn't he contacted us?" asked Natwara. "If he has found something, he would tell us, right?"
"Look, let's not give up hope or assume anything until this day is over, okay?" asked Ajarn Krerk.
Natwara nodded and kept walking. As the minutes went by, her hopes of finding her fiance was diminishing. There was nothing more they can do but keep searching.
"Oy!"
Phupoom turned around and saw Jarinporn on the ground.
"Oyy!" she yelped.
He rushed to her and squatted down.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"I think I sprained my ankle," said Jarinporn, massaging her right foot.
"Let me see," said Phupoom, rolling up his sleeves.
"No!" she exclaimed. "Don't touch it! It hurts."
"How am I supposed to help you if I don't look at it?" asked Phupoom.
"Fine," she said. "Be gentle."
Phupoom tried to be as gentle as he could.
"Yeah, it's sprained," he told her.
Phupoom took off his backpack and turned around.
"What're you doing?" Jarinporn asked him.
"Get on my back," he said. "I'm going to carry you."
"What? No," said Jarinporn.
"Well I can't just leave you here," said Phupoom. "We must keep going. Aie Prin is somewhere out here waiting for us to find him. Do you want to just sit here?"
Jarinporn hesitated and looked around her.
"You know there are lot of snakes out here," said Phupoom.
"Okay," she said.
She threw the backpack over her shoulder and climbed on Phupoom's back.
Finally, it was time to reassemble at the campsite. Everyone returned safely, exhausted and sweaty.
"We need to get out of here and call the police now," said Ajarn Krerk.
Natwara began to cry silently. She remembered the last time she and Prin went to the temple for a palm reading. Maybe the monk was right...she and Prin were not meant to be.
"Soon disaster will strike," she remembered the monk saying. "Nature will take its course and you two will soon be parted. No matter how much you love each other, you are not each other's soulmates. Your actual soulmates do not live in this world."
Natwara never took the monk's words seriously. Now, she was beginning to believe it...
