Passing Over – Parted from Loved Ones
May has been a tough month in our small, remote rice-farming village in northern Thailand.
Three people had already passed over — until this morning. A birthday party for a popular young woman brought much-needed cheer. But just an hour ago, I had to call my wife at that party to say that the wife of one of her best friends had just passed over unexpectedly at home. She was probably about sixty.
That brings our total to four this month… and it’s not over yet.
It’s not the worst I’ve seen. After our wedding, years ago, eight people died in a single week. I feared the locals might blame my family’s visit. But no one said a word.
Not even Covid-19 took lives in our village like this.
Why are so many people passing over? No one knows. But March and April are the hottest months here — and just as cold snaps claim the elderly in the West, the heat here can be merciless.
I write fiction, but I live reality — and sometimes, reality writes back.