This story is taken from an interview by Siengkham Keophanya in Nayang Tai Village, Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR. January 2015.

---

There once was a couple, a husband and a wife. They had one daughter, Outhany. But the husband wanted a second wife. So he decided to get a second one

After he married the second wife, they had one child together. They moved in with the man's first wife.

One day, the man took both wives to fish. Each wife carried one fish basket. When they reached the pier, the man's first wife sat on the boat's bow while the man's second wife sat on the boat's stern. And sometimes he gave it to his second wife.

After they had enough fish, the second wife said, "Big sister, let's change seats." They changed seats. The second wife was a glowing ghost. She ate all the first wife's fish. But the second wife's basket which the first wife was guarding, was still full of fish.

So the man used a wood stick to smash his first wife's head. She drowned and died in the water. After that, they returned home. When they got home, the first wife's child asked for her mother. The man said, "Your mother is dead. Now your mother is the glowing ghost. I have killed your mother."

That child no longer had a mother, so the second wife ordered her to go and tend the buffalo. "Go and feed the buffalo", she said. She told her own child to stay home.

And thus the first child's wife had to go to the field to raise buffaloes. And while the little girl was looking after the buffalo, her mother, who was now a golden-shelled turtle, came to see her. She came to dress her child and comb her hair.

Every day, when the girl was out, tending to the buffalo, her mother came out and dressed her up. This made her a beautiful young girl.

The step mother snuck a look at the girl and thought to herself, "Outhany's mother is already dead. So who helps dress her up?"

While the stepmother was watching, a golden-shelled turtle came out. The stepmother then pretended to be sick. Her husband went to see a fortune teller. The fortune teller said, "Go and take the golden-shelled turtle for a soul-blessing ceremony so she'll recover"

After that, her husband went around asking villagers to look for a golden-shelled turtle for a soul-blessing ceremony. The girl went and told her mother, "They will come and catch you for a soul-blessing ceremony for my stepmother. If they cast a net in the south river, you have to go to the north river. And if they cast a net in the north river, you have to go to the south river. If they fish in both rivers, please go inside a hole."

The villagers couldn't find the turtle. They wanted to kill Outhany because she told her mother to hide. After that, Outhany went and told her mother, "They will kill me." Her mother said, "I will not let them kill you. Let them kill me"

So Outhany brought her mother for them to sacrifice. They killed the turtle for the soul-blessing ceremony and then ate. A dog grabbed a bone, and this small black dog took the bone to Outhany.

She wanted to bury it but was afraid that people would find out. So, she buried it in a far-off forest. She watered it until it grew into a Bodhi tree. This Bodhi tree was called "Phosalay."

This Bodhi echoed sounds. Whatever sound it heard, it reproduced the same sound, such as a gong sound, a drum sound, or a string instrument sound.

When Outhany grew up, there was a rich young man who fell in love with her. Then they got married and she moved in with him. They had two children. Later, the stepmother asked Outhany to come and visit her father because he was sick. Before she left, she dressed up with jewellery

Then when she arrived, her stepmother and father killed her. They killed her and took her jewellery and gave it to their daughter. After that, she returned to Outhany's husband. When she reached there, Outhany's child said, "You are not my mother. Your eyes are so big like an owle's. You are not my mother."

When Outhany's husband realized this, he got angry. He killed her and put her in a big jar. He preserved her. He cut her head, feed, and hands, and put them in the bottom of the jar. After seven days, he took it to his parents-in-law to eat.

When they were eating, they said, "Oh! You're a good son-in-law. You brought preserved meat for us to eat." While they were eating, the glowing ghost mother was watching. The stepmother, who was eating before her husband, realized there was a hand.

Then they saw hands, feet and a head. They got angry and wanted to kill their son-in-law

"Why did you do that? Why did you make us eat our own daughter?"

Soon after, they were about to go and kill their son-in-law. However, Outhany, who they had killed had been reborn as a bird. She was a parrot, so she flew to the house to call out to her husband. When the Bodhi tree heard that, it produced a sound.

See, when Outhany wasn't born yet, the Bodhi tree was silent. But after Outhany was born, there was a sound. Outhany said, "I was reborn. I am a bird now, outside the house. Please take me in."

Her husband took her in and she turned into a human. She became a human and lived with her husband and children. Outhany's father and stepmother realized they couldn't get rid of her.

"She always comes back alive. I'm so angry. They killed our daughter."

They wanted to kill their son-in-law and Outhany. While they were travelling, the earth split open and swallowed them.

In the end, there was no killing. Outhany and her husband lived together happily ever after.