Two elephants had just arrived at the pagoda with its golden tower situated on the edge of a thick jungle forest in Indo-China. Out of the palanquin of one of the elephants, a princess and her little daughter dismounted with their ayah (nurse). The princess and the little girl were dressed in costly silk garments, decked with jewels. The young child, about six years old, had the same beautiful, sweet features as her mother. She put her hands into those of her mother and the nurse, chatting happily, hut the eyes of the two women were full of tears. An old priest, nearly a hundred years of age, with snow white beard, welcomed the guests with great, respect and then waited in silence.
The princess said: “My father, the gods have heard our prayers and have given us two sons, therefore in gratitude my husband and I are going to consecrate our little daughter to the service of the temple to be an apsaras. Be kind to her for she is a sweet, loving child, and it breaks my heart to sacrifice her.” The old man only groaned instead of answering, rang a little bell, and a Chinese nun with hard features appeared and took the child away by the hand. As soon as she found out that she was to be separated from her dear mother, she began to scream pitifully, and so the nun dragged her into the interior of the pagoda. With aching hearts the two women mounted their elephants and soon disappeared in the dense forest. The sacrifice had been accomplished.
There were about a dozen other girls in the pagoda, consecrated to be apsarases. They had to dance before the gods and to recite the long story of the idol Rama. The young child soon learned it to perfection because she was graceful. and intelligent. The old priest was very kind to her and gave her the name of Golden Lotus. He also taught her to read and write. He lived in a cell in the temple of Angkor nearby. It was a magnificent building, and although half in ruins, it was still very beautiful. Golden Lotus was not afraid to go there. She did not mind the many bats, snakes, and spiders of winch the ancient place was full, and often would. kneel alone for a long time before the giant statue of Buddha. But she found no satisfaction in all these religious ceremonies and was afraid of the many ugly idols with fierce faces and threatening swords in their hands. Often when she was sitting with her little hand in that of the old priest’s at the gate of the temple under the starlit sky, she would wonder whether there was not a kind God above the stars who loved His worshipers.
The princess visited her daughter. regularly. When she wanted to give the old man a present for all his kindness to the child, he refused it saying: “I do not need anything, I only want peace. May the gods give it to me before I die, I am afraid of hell and the evil spirits.” Once the princess brought, her little girl a dog, called. Suko (comfort), which made her very happy. Golden Lotus was now twelve years old.
One day the mother came with a happy, peaceful face and gave her daughter a little book asking her to read it carefully, because it would tell her about the only true God and His Son, the Saviour Jesus Christ, who loves us and has given His life to save us. She told the child how their nurse had first heard these glad tidings from the lips of white missionaries, and believing she had found peace. Through her testimony the princess was also won, and was now saved and happy in the Saviour who had died for her sins on the cross. She was very much concerned that her daughter might become a Christian too.
ML 01/08/1950