Story: Broken Hearts

In a small village south of Sepon, there lived a young man and his family. They were poor and did not have much to eat. They did not care about how they looked, just as long as they had food on the table. The young man once asked his father for a new pair of clothes but his father responded, “If the pair you have now are not ripped or torn badly, then you don’t need another pair.” The young man was used to this way of living so it did not upset him at all.

One day the young man was out hunting for birds and he came across a beautiful young lady. She had walked to another village and was just passing through but they had a special connection and just couldn’t stop talking to one another. Every day after, she came back to the village to spend time with him. She liked him because he was a gentleman and money was not the only thing on his mind He was a hard worker and enjoyed being outside and helping his family.

The young lady’s family was extremely poor once, but they worked hard to get where they are now. However, they are not wealthy. One day, her parent’s noticed that she was not home as often and would get home really late. They didn’t ask her where she has been, her father decided to follow her and see what she has been doing. As she was walking to the village where the young man lived, her father followed her. He made sure she did not see him and kept a close eye on her. As she got to the village she met up with the young boy and they both worked around his house. Her father was furious and went back home. He did not want his daughter to fall in love with this poor man at all. He knew how hard life would be if she married him because he has experienced it before. He had to stop this and the only thing he could think of was having an arranged marriage for her. There was a family that lived in the same village as them and they had a son. Their son was interested in marrying his daughter when he was younger but she was never interested. This was the perfect timing for her father to contact them and arrange this marriage without her knowing.

One week later, the young lady was about to head out but she noticed there were people at her door. She recognized them because they had met before but she didn’t know why they would be there. Her father told her to sit down with them to talk. She was so nervous and had a really bad feeling about this. Her father finally told her that he had arranged her marriage and now she is getting married. She ran to her bedroom with tears running down her face. There was no way that they could turn back now because the other family has already paid money and given a cow for the young lady. Her father made her go and they dragged her out.

Many days have passed and the poor young man walked to her village to find her. He asked around to see if people have seen her and they all told him that she got married. He could not believe it and was heartbroken. He knew that a beautiful young lady like her would never marry someone as poor as him so he went back home.

The young lady was more heartbroken. She starved herself for several days and became extremely sick. She told everyone that if she could not be with the one she loved, then she would rather die. A couple days later, she passed away. Her father never cried so much in his life. He finally regretted everything he has done and blamed it on himself. If he did not arrange her marriage and force her to get married, this would not have happened. He begged her to wake up and so she could go marry the one she loved but it was too late.

Author’s Note: After reading the story “The Lovers’ Leap” I was inspired to write this one. In the original story, the daughter’s father did not allow her to talk to the young man and chose someone for her to marry.  Towards the end they both run away and are chased by her father and a group of men. They both decide to jump over a cliff and die together. I liked the whole story and just wanted to add more to why the father did not like the young man. I also changed the ending to show how much the daughter loved the young man and to also show how the father immediately regretted his decisions.

(Broken Heart:Pixabay)

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson. Web source.The Lovers' Leap