The Gentle Heart Institute
The Gentle Heart Institute was not merely a place of learning.
It was a place where memories lingered…
waiting quietly for the ones who would one day come seeking them.
The air, once warm, had begun to cool as evening approached.
Dark clouds drifted slowly across the sky,
and the world seemed to hold its breath.
Wee and Lamai entered through the grand courtyard.
Several children were already present.....
among them, a boy named Suda,
who had come to submit some important assignments.
The atmosphere was strikingly serene,
so still and dignified that it felt less like a school
and more like a sacred hall where a judgment was about to be declared.
At the front sat several teachers and officials,
carefully examining a towering stack of papers,
one sheet after another.
Suda was already assisting them in their task.
The moment Wee and Lamai stepped inside,
the officials motioned for them to sit.
The questioning began at once.
Every answer they gave was noted.
Every detail was verified.
This was not to humiliate them,
but to ensure that there was no deceit...
for many children from wealthy households would lie,
pretending to be poor,
all to gain free admission.
But the Institute's policy was not cruel.
Even rich children were accepted....
so long as they lived with discipline.
The undisciplined, the unruly,
those who chased idleness instead of knowledge.....
they were thrown out without hesitation.
Wee and Lamai felt their throats run dry.
Lamai's hands trembled in her lap,
her heart pounding as though she were a criminal awaiting her sentence.
And Wee…
she felt as if her very soul whispered to her:
"This… this place…
What is happening?
I feel like these people will send me straight to the underworld…"
Their examination was not yet complete.
Until the officials reached their verdict,
they would be placed in the Waiting House.
There, they would remain for seven days.
Only then would their admission be confirmed.
With this explanation, the officials dismissed them,
and they were escorted to the Waiting House.
---
As they left, Suda's eyes caught sight of them.
His face lit up, and he hurried over.
With a cheerful smile, he rushed forward to greet them.
Suda loved meeting new people.
"What's your name?" he asked Wee.
Then Lamai.
The joy on his face was genuine,
and his warmth spread easily.
Wee and Lamai couldn't help but smile back.
It was impossible not to feel lighter around someone like Suda.
Soon after, he led them to a grand, elegant building....
the Waiting House.
Inside, everything was beautiful:
ornate halls, polished rooms,
a place so fine it felt more like a noble mansion than a dormitory.
Suda guided them to Room 510,
the very room where he himself had once stayed two years ago.
The moment the three of them stepped inside,
Wee and Lamai collapsed onto the bed with laughter.
Exhausted from the long day,
they sank into the soft mattress,
relieved at last to find a place of rest.