Chapter 1
"Is there really a parallel world? Am I there too? Are my parents there as well?"
Shwe Yin Htoe, a character, opened his eyes and tossed and turned on the bed. Could a parallel world, like in the movies, really exist? His thoughts were quite deep.
"Yin Htoe... Yin Htoe... Aren't you awake yet? It's already late. You'll be late for school today."
Due to his mother's voice heard from outside, Wai Yan's train of thought was interrupted.
"Yes, Mom... I'm up."
Shwe Yin Htoe got out of bed and walked towards the window. Outside, the sunlight was bright, and the little birds were singing sweetly. Was that world the same as their world?
"Hoo... What am I thinking about?"
Shwe Yin Htoe shook his head and turned towards the bathroom. After washing his face and changing his clothes, he went downstairs. His father and mother were waiting at the dining table.
"Oh dear... this boy is such a sleepyhead. Eat quickly, you'll be late for school."
His mother said with a smile. His father also nodded in agreement.slShwe Yin Htoe looked at their faces and felt a strange sensation in his heart. In the parallel world, would there also be a family who cared for him like this?
"Son... what are you thinking about? Your food will get cold."
His father's voice brought Shwe Yin Htoe back to his senses, and he shook his head.
"Nothing, Dad."
He ate quickly and got ready to go to school. When he arrived at school, he felt a strong urge to talk to his friends about the parallel world. But he didn't know where to begin.
"Yin Htoe... hey buddy... why are you so quiet?"
His friend, Nyo Chit San, who had come to his side, nudged him.
"Ah... it's nothing, Nyo Chit."
"Your face looks strange. Are you unwell?"
"No, man. I watched a movie and I'm thinking about it."
"What kind of movie?"
"About a parallel world, man. I was wondering if another world, similar to ours, could exist."
Nyo Chit San thought for a moment and then said with a smile.
"Haha... you actually believe in those things? It only exists in movies, man."
"But I was wondering what it would be like if it really existed."
"If you went to that world, there would be two of you. There would also be two sets of your family."
As they were talking, the teacher arrived, and their conversation stopped. Although Shwe Yin Htoe focused on the lesson, the thought of the parallel world lingered in his mind.
"Could it really exist? What would I be doing in that world?"
Shwe Yin Htoe's thoughts swirled in his head all day. In the evening, after school, he returned home. When he got home, his mother was preparing dinner.
"Son... you're back? Wash your hands and let's eat." "Yes, Mom."
Shwe Yin Htoe washed his hands and sat down at the dining table. While the family was eating together, Shwe Yin Htoe asked a question.
"Mom... do you think another world, like ours, could exist?"
His mother looked at him for a moment and then said with a smile.
"Oh... son. Those things only exist in science fiction. There's only our world."
"But even if there was, it's important for us to live our best in this world, son."
Shwe Yin Htoe nodded at his mother's words. He knew it too, that these things were unlikely. But in his heart, he was still curious about that parallel world. When night came, Shwe Yin Htoe went to bed. Before sleeping, he thought back to the parallel world in the movie he had watched. What kind of person would he be in that world? What would his family be like?
"If I really did go to that world..."
Shwe Yin Htoe's eyes narrowed, and he gradually drifted into the dream world. In his dream, he had arrived in a parallel world. In that world, everything was the same as his world. However, something felt off. The family members beside him were not the family members he knew... Shwe Yin Htoe looked down at himself in surprise.
"My God... what am I wearing!"
What he saw before his eyes were not modern clothes, but a lower garment like a longyi and a long-sleeved shirt that ancient people used to wear. The clothes were made of rough cotton fabric, and the color was also quite dull. Where was he? Were these dreams? Or had he really arrived in a parallel world?
"This... how did this happen?"
Many questions swirled in his head. Wasn't he just in his bed? And he had fallen asleep after talking to his mother at home. So where did these clothes come from? He quickly looked around his surroundings. He was standing in a room that didn't look like a normal room; the walls were built of stone, and the light was dim due to candlelight. In place of modern glass windows, he saw small wooden shutters.
"Did... did I really arrive in a parallel world?"
Fear and astonishment mixed in his heart. If he had really arrived in an ancient world that he had only seen in movies, what would he do next? No one here would know him. What about his family...? Were they in this world too?
Shwe Yin Htoe, unsure of the era he had arrived in, looked around with a bewildered expression. He noticed that he was like a young servant in the midst of many people. Everyone was diligently carrying out their tasks, so Shwe Yin Htoe, not knowing what he was supposed to do, quietly walked to a flower garden and sat down, lost in thought.
"Are... are these dreams?"
Unable to believe himself, Shwe Yin Htoe pinched his arm quite hard.
"Wake up... wake up, Wai Yan... this must be a dream."
He even gently patted his cheeks with his hand. However, the feeling of the surroundings did not seem like being in a dream world. Everything was very stable, calm, and alive.
"Is this world much more behind our world? Telephones and computers probably don't even exist here. So who should I ask? Who should I tell where I am?"
Many thoughts were mixed and tangled in Shwe Yin Htoe's head. He felt as if he was left alone in that place. It seemed that there was no one who could help him. At that moment, a woman in her forties walked towards the flower garden where Shwe Yin Htoe was sitting and said with a nod.
"Hey... boy. What are you doing? Don't you have work? Go and fetch a water pot for the king over there. Hurry up."
Shwe Yin Htoe was startled by the woman's voice and looked at her in surprise.
"Water... do I have to fetch a water pot, Auntie?"
"Auntie? Don't call me Auntie. I'm older than you, but I'm your superior. Call me Mother. Hurry up. The king will be waiting."
Shwe Yin Htoe didn't know what to say and stood up hesitantly. He had to call her "Mother"? Was he really in the olden days?
"Go... hurry up."
Because of the voice of the woman called "Mother," Shwe Yin Htoe, not knowing where to go, started moving his feet in the direction she pointed. In his head, many questions continued to revolve. What era had he arrived in? How could he get out of this place?