The Bell That Rang After Midnight

In Bumthang valley, when the prayer flags stop fluttering and the wind settles...

the silence becomes heavy, like the valley itself is holding its breath.

There is an old mossy footpath near Kurjey Lhakhang. Locals avoid it after sunset.

Long ago, a young monk named Tenzin rang a hand bell every midnight.

One winter, Tenzin died alone. But that night, the bell rang longer than usual.

Years later, a traveler followed a mysterious ringing up the old footpath.

He saw a figure whose face was pale and unfinished, a memory forgotten.

He never left. Some prayers in Bumthang, they simply never end.