Temple bells

The Littlest Bell-Ringer

      Of the hundreds of photos I took in my too-short visit to northern Thailand, this one of the little bell-ringer is my favorite.

      The long line of bells alongside a building at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep proved irresistible to this little guy. I first noticed him when he was just past the halfway point in the row, ringing each bell he could reach, with his parents walking slowly behind him. As I watched him, I couldn’t help thinking of another once-little boy, my own son. I smiled, remembering my little guy at that age: everything is such an adventure!

      From a distance I caught his parents’ eyes, raised my camera, and pointed to their child with a questioning look on my face. I didn’t want to intrude on the moment without their permission, and they were too far away to speak. His mother smiled and nodded, and I positioned myself to capture a few shots. Like a typical little boy, he ran top-speed in circles between his parents and each bell. He jumped and giggled and looked back at his parents with glee before and after each sonorous ring – what was I thinking, trying to capture a tiny dynamo?

      I managed to get just three shots of him ringing a bell – and only in this one is his face visible. It’s the last bell in the line, and my last chance to get the shot I wanted. Success! Even on the camera’s small screen, I loved it.

      I approached his parents with the idea of getting an email address to send the image to them – and ran into a big language barrier. How the heck do you pantomime “what’s your email address?” I didn’t speak their language, and they didn’t speak mine; unfortunately I was unable to get my offer across. After a few moments attempting to communicate, the three of us smiled, nodded to each other, and went our separate ways. I couldn’t help stealing one last look at this adorable little boy as he hopscotched across the plaza with his parents.

      Perhaps one day they’ll come across this post, recognize their son, and contact me. I hope they do. I know that if someone had taken a photo of my son like The Littlest Bell-Ringer, I’d want a copy no matter how long it took to get it.