Oak Thoranee

The exhilarating sound of the Phon drum echoed from afar, and moments later, shouts spread through the crowd: "The Buddha float is here! The Nom Phra is here!" The massive crowd packed tightly along Ratchadamnoen Road stirred with excitement. Then, the Chak Phra (Pulling the Buddha) procession—one of the most important traditional festivals in Nakhon Si Thammarat province—appeared before their eyes. Every procession headed toward Sanam Na Mueang (the city field), with each float elaborately decorated to compete with the rest.
A pedicab passing the Brahmin Shrine and the Shiva Shrine arrived at the Tha Ma Market and braked suddenly at its passenger's command. The passenger stepped out, revealing himself to be a strikingly handsome young man. His tall, broad-shouldered, and imposing figure exuded masculinity in every inch, while his attire clearly indicated that he came from the capital. The young man walked over to watch the procession with the crowd by the roadside.
As one of the floats approached, a beautiful but cheeky-faced young woman danced at the front, putting on an animated and playful expression. As she danced, she playfully bantered with "Uncle Maen," an older man beating the Phon drum in the procession. Uncle Maen called the cheeky girl Kamlai. Suddenly, when Kamlai spotted the young man from the city, she abandoned the procession and rushed over to him, overwhelmed with joy. She called him Loi. Her excitement made her speak so fast she barely took a breath, leaving the young man almost no chance to get a word in.
Loi asked about Saraphi. Kamlai told him that Saraphi had gone to make merit at Wat Mahathat with their mother. When Loi decided to head to the temple, Kamlai asked to tag along, promising she wouldn't be a third wheel between him and Saraphi. When Kamlai mentioned that Loi had arrived just in time for the blooming of the kapok flowers, her words pulled Loi back into memories of his past.
The night the kapok flowers bloomed held deep meaning for him. He was Loi Bunlue, a boy who, as far back as he could remember, lived with his Grandmother in a house at the end of Tuek Din Alley. He had no father and no mother. His grandmother told him he was a "crocodile child" who had floated down the river from Khlong Na Mueang, and she had found him and taken him in. His grandmother made and sold toddy palm cakes, and Loi was her only—albeit lazy—helper.
When Loi reached school age, his grandmother enrolled him at Municipal School 1 (Wat Phra Doem). However, he only made it to the third grade before dropping out after fighting with a classmate and being caned by a teacher. Seeing that his grandmother was upset the teacher had hit him, Loi faked being deeply traumatized, simply because he was too lazy to study. But his grandmother didn’t let him quit school entirely; she transferred him to Municipal School 2 (Wat Sema Mueang). This school became the first major turning point in Loi's life.
One day, a young preparatory-grade girl was crying by the well. Surrounding her were three boys Loi's age, teasing her and snatching her bullet wood (pikun) flower garland. The ringleader of the bullies was Thawin Witthayaphan, backed by his two lackeys, Somphong and Iat. Loi asked Thawin to return the garland to the girl, but Thawin refused and provoked him to fight. The girl, afraid of a brawl, told Loi she didn't want the garland anymore and urged him to leave. Loi was tripped, fell, and was mocked by Thawin's gang. Not one to let anyone bully him, Loi punched Thawin. Thawin's lackeys shouted loudly that Loi had just punched the District Chief's son.
When the issue reached the teacher, Loi was the only one punished. Thawin's gang falsely testified that Loi had started the fight. Combined with the teacher knowing Loi's bad record from his previous school, Loi was caned five times and given an hour of detention after school. Thawin's group received no punishment at all. Loi was deeply bitter, convinced he was punished simply because Thawin was the District Chief's son, while he was just an orphaned boy and the grandson of a poor sweet-seller.
After his detention ended, Loi left to go home. Reaching the pavilion in front of the school, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the girl who owned the flower garland waiting for him. She said she was waiting to walk home with him because he had been punished for her sake. Loi insisted he was punished because Thawin was the District Chief's son, but the girl asked to walk home with him anyway. She introduced herself as Kamlai, saying she remembered his name from when he punched Thawin.
His resentment over the teacher's injustice made Loi hate school. He started playing truant, but to keep his grandmother from finding out, he pretended to go to school every day. Instead of going to class, he hid his uniform and went to catch fighting fish. When Kamlai noticed Loi wasn't at school, she waited at his alley and trailed him. She tried to convince Loi to go back to class, but he refused. So, Kamlai decided to skip school and catch fighting fish with Loi every day too.
The two children had a lot of fun for nearly a month, but eventually, they were caught. Loi was beaten by his grandmother, and Kamlai by her mother. Loi declared he wouldn't stop skipping school. Kamlai said if he kept skipping, she would too, because she was afraid he would be lonely. Loi thought about it and told her he would stop skipping for a while just to let his grandmother's suspicions die down.
The day of the final exam results arrived—the day top-scoring students received awards. The principal announced that for the first time in the school's history, a fourth-grade student named Loi Bunlue had set an astonishing record. The principal invited Loi to the front of the assembly. Loi walked up confusedly. The principal told everyone to look at Loi, but emphasized not to follow his example, because Loi had miraculously achieved the lowest score in history: 8 percent. Loi was incredibly humiliated.
Then, the principal announced the student with the highest score: a third-grade girl named Saraphi, who scored 97.45 percent. Saraphi was called to receive her award and stand right next to Loi. It was a stark comparison of the absolute best and the absolute worst. Loi was so ashamed he didn't dare make eye contact with Saraphi or anyone else.
That same year, Kamlai also failed her exams, but she didn't seem bothered at all. She proudly told Loi that Saraphi was her older sister. And it was on this very day of Loi's utter disgrace that another event occurred—one that would once again turn his life upside down.