THE TEMPLE IN THE JUNGLE

Short Story

When Mr Kim Neak discovered that Raksmey, his son, had disappeared, he asked his neighbours if they had seen him, but nobody had. The lady next door, Mrs Ouch Bopha, asked Neak if his son had ever disappeared before.

Neak replied that he had. "Of course, I've told him many times not to go far by himself, but he's an explorer. Last year I gave him a book about explorers for his fourteenth birthday. Perhaps it was an error, because soon after he disappeared for almost a whole day. When he returned, he told us he'd discovered an ancient temple hidden among trees just outside the town. I tried every means to explain to him that there could be landmines in a place like that and he shouldn't go there again, but you can't impose a rule like that on a young boy." "Well, he shouldn't just ignore you." Bopha replied. "Especially as that temple is dangerous." When Neak looked surprised, Bopha asked him if he had never heard that before, but he hadn't.


While they were talking, they saw Raksmey walking down the road towards them. He looked tired and his trousers were bloody. "What have you done to your leg ?" Neak almost shouted. "It's all right, Dad," Raksmey answered. "I fell into some animal trap. It’s just a minor injury. It looks worse than it is. "Let me wash your leg," said Bopha. "Your mother would be shocked if she could see you like that." "You're right," said Neak. "Thank you very much."




















When Bopha washed Raksmey's leg, the bleeding from the small wound below his right knee had already stopped. "There," she said, when she'd finished. "Nothing to worry about." "Well it's not me you should be worried about," Raksmey said. "It's Thea."

Chea Thea was the brother of one of Raksmey's friends. He knew about the temple Raksmey had found and that morning he had told Raksmey to take him there. Raksmey didn't want to go, but he was afraid of Thea, so he agreed. They went on Thea's motorbike, but the path to the temple was so narrow that Thea had to leave his bike hidden in the forest.

The temple's huge stone blocks lay among the trees. "Look," said Thea, pointing to a Hindu god. "If I could sell that, would you like to share the money with me ?" Raksmey, who didn't want to steal from a temple, didn't reply. Thea climbed over a quantity of stone blocks that led up to the statue. Suddenly there was a horrible noise, which made Raksmey jump out of his skin. On the ground around him lay pieces of metal mixed with bone.


Thea, who was trapped beneath a stone block, called for help, but the rock was too heavy for Raksmey to move. "If I could find the keys of my bike, would you get some help ?" Thea asked. "Of course," Raksmey replied, but unfortunately Thea couldn't find his keys and


Raksmey had to walk back to the town.

When Chea Thea woke up in the hospital in Champa, he discovered that he had become another mine victim. "You're lucky you didn't lose your leg," Neak told his son. "I know," Raksmey replied. "I'll be more careful in the future. I promise."