Ghost
Cave
From the moment he stepped onto the
steep path up the cliff, the ghostly green color, Pang felt trembling in
his knees, the little boy felt ashamed because he repeatedly told Binh
and his classmates that he was not a bit afraid of Ghost Cave, ready to
enter the cave if someone invited him.
Can't be not shake because this is
the last stretch, leading to a place where everyone living in this boy's
area is scared, telling each other not to go nearby.
Pàng tried to hold himself to not
tremble. Fortunately, it's also unfortunate that they aren't here right
now. Otherwise, they laughed to break their nose, even though Pàng had
a reason to say that he would only say he would not be afraid if there
were someone and other people when there was a team, of course there was
also Binh. And now the man with the black glasses almost forced him to
go.
- Go! Hurry up! - The man with broad
shoulders, limping legs, urged the boy who was trembling both hands and
feet when he saw this man lead him straight to the mouth of the dark cave,
there were some green spots inside.
A python, no, a big snake suddenly
crawled out across the narrow stone steps in front of him, blocking the
path, making the person wearing the black glasses panic. However, this
formidable reptile only released its tongue as if to scare it out, then
threw itself into the thick, creaking bush below.
when he saw two strange creatures
crawling to its hunting grounds.
- When we go to meet a snake, lucky
... - The man wearing black glasses muttered, seemingly to encourage himself
and then pulled Pàng's hand to continue climbing.
For generations, this mysterious
cave has been called Ghost cave, with so many bizarre stories, that not
only children, but also adults, no one wants to go around nearby. Almost
no one dares to enter the cave because all the rumors say that no survivors
have stepped out, once they have entered that "Hell" realm.
The thirteen-year-old boy, having
just finished eighth grade, This Pàng's name is even more horrified because
this is the second time he was led to the forest with Ma cave. Four years
ago he had traveled with his father to this forest, but still far from
reaching the path leading to the monstrous cave. However, when they returned
there was an unfortunate thing. Do not know if, as Witch Doctor said, it
was because the father and son dared to go near Ma cave or not?
But now this black glasses guy is
holding his hand straight in there!
Pang wanted to resist, he looked
around to find a way to run away, but knew where to run. He and the big,
shoulder-to-shoulder man wearing dark glasses - initially hiring a guide
to find a blind man, and then trying to seduce him to follow since yesterday
until now - are walking down a narrow road Climb, the two sides are cliffs
that are almost steep and deep, and immediately fall off the cliff from
any side. In the front, only a few dozen meters away, is the mouth of Ghost's
cave, which is opening like a monster with chipped but horrible teeth.
There was only one way to turn around
and run back, but the hand was being grasped by a large hand. The boy's
wrist is weak like a little goose neck, now tightened even more when the
black glasses wearer saw it intending to flee.
Until now, when standing close to
him, looking up with horrified eyes, Pàng sees that under the slightly
upturned black glasses there is a blind eye, which he did not know because
from yesterday until now. Both sleeping and awake, he never took out his
big, black-rimmed glasses.
- Grandpa, don't go into the cave,
I'm scared! - Pang tried to begged.
- Get in, afraid of what? - The man
snapped - Mother fucker! No, I will throw you off the cliff now! - My old
man suddenly shouted so loudly to overwhelm his fear, he was shaking his
hands and feet.
"Just push the guy in first, if he
does nothing, then go in later" - This man's hand is thinking like this
while reaching into his pocket, holding a flashlight ready to look in the
dark cave.
The teenage boy was pushed into the
cave. It was irresistible because he was pushed his shoulder and pushed
his buttocks, but only two or three steps into the cave it overturned and
rushed out.
An adult with a child struggled and
pushed each other, finally the old man wearing black glasses kicked the
boy's back so hard that he crashed inside, falling back onto the cold,
dark stone floor. The flash of a flashlight hurriedly flashed to follow,
only made the person holding the lamp tremble, and the boy was kicked down
and frantically crawled up despite his limbs now limp like a sponge soaked
in water.
- Oh, ghost ..! - It screamed
in horror when a human skull suddenly rolled over, from the eye sockets
of the horrible skull crawled out a magic snake, its head held up high
and shook.
The child struggled to get up, rushing
to escape from the cave, but the hard hit on his forehead by some waiting
demon made the limp boy turn unconscious.
After that, no longer knows anything
...
Pang has been friends with Binh for
almost four years. Previously, Binh's mother and son lived far away, down
to Ha Dong, Ha Tay, and then his father was transferred to the position
of an officer at the District Military Department, his mother asked to
go up here to teach, took him with her. At that time both boys were eight
or nine years old.
Back then, the Pang family was very
difficult, and the corn and sweet potatoes were not enough to eat. Thanks
to Binh's mother to mobilize the school and the local for help, he can
continue to go to school. Two years later, when teacher Thin - Binh's mother
- transferred to the boarding school Please allow him to come there to
study, so the two of them still played close together.
Because Binh moved up here from the
lowlands so he likes mountains and forests. After completing the lesson,
he ran to the Pàng house and invited his friend to go into the forest
to pick mushrooms, collect sandbones, dig tubers, When he hadn't returned
to the Boarding School, the thing they liked best was going to the adjacent
Muong to listen to Tàng's stories. It is called a Mum, but even the grandchildren
of this hundred-year-old grand-mother are already the father and mother
of the kids. There is one thing this old lady has a cheerful personality,
is still very witty, she likes people to call her Mum.
- Why do I see everyone here calling
parents, like the people below down - Once Binh asked Pàng like that -
but the old lady called her a mum?
- My mother told me that Tàng was
not born here, but married from the Muong people must follow up here. So
the old woman likes to call herself like the Tay or the Nung - Pàng
explains to Binh, he also adds:
- My father told the old woman's
husband to fight against the French in the past, he lost. He had to flee
somewhere else, in the Tay village, so he married Tàng.
- Oh, we never lost to France - Binh
did not believe - the French lost a lot at Dien Bien Phu so they had to
withdraw all of them back home, the textbook clearly had such speeches?
- Oh yeah - Pàng was dumbfounded,
but suddenly he remembered what his mother said - Well, we lost to France
in the past, my mother said that, but a long time ago ...
- Yeah, I guess so.
*
* *
When Binh was in lowland, Pàng was
just five years old, but he used to listen to Mum Tàng to tell stories.
As long as there are children in the group who work hard, just sitting
and chasing away the sparrows who sneaked down to sneak peas, millet are
drying in the yard and massaged Mum Tang, the oldest person in Muong Ruc
would tell a few fairy tales.
The story of this old toothless woman
must be counted in days, not by hour or by each story, Pang witnessed that
when two brothers and sisters were far away, either in the capital or as
far away as Ho Chi Minh City, bringing machines to record the old woman's
story.
There are so many stories that the
old lady tells, the children others stand others sit they could not
remember them all, but even brother and sister called "Culture" from
far away could not remember. So they have to bring small machines, let
the spinner come over so they can memorize it. The children with eyes fluttered
listening to the Cultural Officer wearing brocade clothes, short haircut
explained to Mum Tang:
- Grandmother, please tell all your
stories to your children and grandchildren. Then these tapes will remember
for us, will remember to replace you and tell everyone when you is a hundred
years old.
- Mum Tang is more than a hundred
years old! - The young man reminded making her giggle with her hands over
her mouth.
- Yeah, I forgot. When she was two
hundred years old. At that time, no one would tell these stories if we
did not record them on tape.
- How can those devices remember
it for you? - Little Man is older than Pàng, went to school at the commune
school, asked when the officer of Culture put some small things on the
wooden table, close to Mum Tàng's side, half lying, half sitting, leaning
back against the blanket is like a blanket with antiar bark.
- I will explain to you later. Now
everyone is quiet, Tàng start telling stories - She said while pressing
the buttons for the small machine to run, making a timid sound.
Mum Tang tells the story of Phi Pha
in Heaven, Phi Dong in the forest, all of which are formidable gods or
demons. It was a long story, couldn't remember so many of them just
stood and watched the two circles spin, with brown glossy paper gradually
changing from one to the other.
The old woman continued to tell the
story of the Confucianist and the Toad of God and then to
TE TAT TE DẠC (Bringing the country to birth) was very long.
- Mum tells the story of the Tay,
Nung and Muong people - Mr. Van Hoa whispers to Ms. Van Hoa
- They say that every ethnic group's
story, Mum knows all - Ms. Van Hoa also whispers in response - Please write
all down, we will arrange it later at home.
Mum Tang told many, many. Dozens
more people came to listen to Mum to tell the story,
Everyone admires. How could stories
stay in her mind, she was over a hundred years old, but when they got into
someone else's ear, they just left immediately, refusing to stay, causing
people to confuse this with that!