Phantom of the ape paw

PHUKET: A bizarre dream has convinced a woman in Phrae province that a pile of stones her husband dug out of a mung bean field are the fossilized hands of prehistoric apes.

In typical Thai fashion, residents of the village in Tambon Naphoon in Wangchin District are now queuing up to see the “hands” in order to divine winning lottery numbers from them.

Muangmon Phimpha, 42, was clearing grass from the field when his scythe hit a hard object.

In the ground he found several stones resembling human hands. Intrigued, he gathered them up and took them home.

That night, Mr Muangmon’s wife dreamt that a big ape came into her house and tried to embrace her.

She pushed the primate away until it started to cry.

Then the ape asked if it could come and live with the couple. That was when Mr Muangmon’s wife realized the stones could be fossilized ape hands.

Mr Muangmon said that since the “hands” were found on November 7, villagers have been flocking to his house to see them. The number of visitors is especially high on lottery day, he said.

Prayoon Panjiti, deputy mayor of Tambon Naphoon, said he had seen the stones and thought they were probably the fossilized remains of a creature of some sort.

The tambon has sealed off the field to prevent anyone from trying to dig up more. Archaeologists will be examining the finds to determine exactly what they are, he said.