Pearls of Wonder

Pearls of Wonder

Lok Ta Moni Eysei was a wise hermit. He believed in sharing his knowledge and had three students. They were dear to his heart. Moni Mekhala was the goddess of the seas, Ream Eyso was the storm demon, and Vorachhun was the princely manifestation of the Earth.

One day, he decided to test the three, so he called them and presented each with a glass. Then, in his calm voice, he addressed them.

"My dear students, you have till tomorrow morning to fill your glasses with morning dew. Whoever shall present it first to me will be announced as the winner and will be rewarded with the magical crystal ball." 

He watched as their eyes grew wide with wonder and excitement and blessed them.

Vorachhun and Ream Eyso spent the whole night trying to figure out an easier way to complete the challenge in the least amount of time, but soon gave up. They ventured into the forests of Cambodia, collecting dew drops from every leaf and every petal in sight. Then they ran to their teacher, eager and optimistic they had been successful. However, they had to blink in surprise when they saw Moni Mekhala sitting at his feet, holding a glass filled with dew drops.

"How did you do that so fast? We spent the whole night trying to collect dewdrops, but you finished collecting faster than us!" Vorachhun asked in wonder. Moni Mekhala smiled a beautiful smile.

"I kept my shawl outside all night. It absorbed enough dew drops to fill a jar. In the morning, I squeezed out my shawl and filled my glass," she answered humbly. Lok Ta smiled at his student's wisdom.

"But that is not fair! The instructions were that we should collect morning dew!" Ream Eyso seethed. His eyes were wide with anger.

"Dear Ream Eyso, Moni Mekhala filled her glass in the morning. Surely, some of the dew drops must have fallen on the shawl in the morning," Lok Ta said, trying to humour his ill-tempered student.

"I, however, am proud of all three of you. You have all shown wisdom and perseverance and are all equally deserving of an award.  My wise Moni Mekhala, I present you with the magical crystal ball." He waved, and a small crystal appeared out of thin air. Moni Mekhala bowed as she received her award.

"Oh young Ream Eyso, to match your fiery spirit, I gift you this diamond ax. Use it to defend yourself and those in need. And Vorachhun, I give you this dagger to remind you that perseverance and hard work will always pay off!" He smiled benevolently, blessed them, and left.

Ream Eyso eyed the magical crystal Moni Mekhala was holding with envy. He had put in the hard work! He had walked across every forest in the land for some measly dew drops while that snitch had just sat there, waiting for her shawl to get wet! He was going to have none of it!

"Dear Moni Mekhala, I think it would be kind of you to share your magical crystal with Vorachhun and me. It's the only fair thing to do," he said silkily.  Vorachhun looked at him curiously and then nodded in agreement. 

"We should share our gifts to help the people," he said.

But Moni Mekahla shook her head. 

"I love you two as my brothers. However, I do not wish to disrespect Lok-Gru by giving away his gifts. Now, if you will excuse me, I have promised my friends that I will meet them at the sea." And she walked away with the crystal ball shining in the harsh afternoon sun.

"We should take the crystal from her," Raem Eyso said greedily, but Vorachhun shook his head.

"No, you heard the lady, she didn't wish to give it, and we should respect her and Lok-Gru. I will see you tomorrow, brother." Vorachhun said.

Raem Eyso knew now that the only way to get the crystal was by force. He was angry at Vorachhun's betrayal. But he also knew that Vorachhun was a chivalrous man. He wouldn't stand aside and watch Moni Mekhala be attacked. He had to do away with Voracchun before he dealt with Moni Mekhala. In a fit of fury, he threw his ax at him. To his glee, the ax hit Vorachhun straight in the face, and the prince fell to the ground. 

"Coward! I hope you are dead!" The storm demon spat angrily and flew to the sky. If he didn't get the crystal ball then he'd ensure that no one else would get it. He would make sure that Moni Mekhala paid the price of saying 'No' to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He found the Goddess of Sea with her friends, enjoying the warm seawater.

"Moni Mekhala!" He bellowed the women shrieked in fear. Pathetic! He thought to himself.

"Give me the ball. You know that you are not worthy of it. You know that I am its true owner!"

"Raem Eyso, I have made it perfectly clear that I do not want to give it to you."

"Then prepare to die. I will kill you and your friends if that's the price I have to pay!" Raem Eyso pulled out the ax that his teacher had given him. The women started running away, scared for their lives. Moni Mekhala looked in her friend's eyes - the onehad just threatened her with death. I can not let Raem Eyso use his ax here. He will cause havoc. Innocent blood will be spilled.

She flew into the clouds. Ream Eyso chased her, and once they were far away from the surface of the earth, Moni Mekhala turned and faced her attacker. She threw blow after blow, but Raem Eyso fought back, swinging his ax wildly. Finally, losing his patience, he threw his ax at her. In an attempt to defend herself and the ball, Moni Mekhala threw the crystal ball in the air, and it hit the ax. The impact emitted a bright light. It was so bright that it hit Raem Eyso's eyes before he could protect himself. The bright light blinded him and the ax fell to the groung while cutting through clouds. This created thunder while the friction between lightning and thunder produced small drops of water to fall from heaven.

Moni Mekhala approached the blind and defenseless Storm god. She wanted to hurt him for breaking her trust and harming her, but then she thought of her wise teacher. What would have Lok-Gru done? She thought for a few seconds and flew away, forgiving the demon for his mistake. 

But the demon didn't learn his lesson. He searched for his ax and chased her after finding it in the forest. As the two fought, thunder, lightning, and rain continued around the earth.

The drops of rain revived Vorachhun. He couldn't believe that he hadn't died.  He watched in wonder as his skin started glowing golden, the nourishing droplets had not only revived him but had strengthened him. Voracchun stared at himself for a few seconds, when there was a bright lightening. Voracchun's revierie broke and he remembered his battle with Raem Eyso and he looked up at the sky. He could sense the power of his two friends and knew that he should help Moni Mekhala, so he picked up his magic dagger. He flew into the sky to search for the demon and the goddess.

It is said, that every time it rains, it is because of the fight between Moni Mekhala and Raem Eyso, with every rain, there is a promise to revive the dry soil with new life. 

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