"Have to go now. Promised Lan to be back to school."
The glee group was preparing for a performance in honor of the March 8 ceremony.
Lan was unable to come back, so she asked me to bring her family things that they had asked her to buy for the death anniversary of the clan head.
Getting off the bus, I began to walk for more than two hours on a country road. I was being very active at the early afternoon party. I toasted drinks with many household heads. Hồng and Lan were sisters. Hồng swiftly got moving along the aisle lined with guests, busily toasting diners with wine. Her deep look, teasing smile seemed to be reserved for me only, a city gentleman. I began to get drunk. When I felt sober, dinner was ready. I washed my face with warm water Hồng brought in a small pot and I was to sit at the table again for not being "scolded by the elderlies". Wine loosened their tongues, torrents of poetry flew out. People were listening to me in appreciation. Hồng, one table line apart, was sitting with her arms clasping her knees, staring at me.
But I had a promise to keep. With my head lightened, I pulled myself off the chair, buttoned the sleeve that covered the rustless chain, an inseparable thing for self-protection once I was away from home.
The last bus would start at nine p.m.
I would catch it if I hurried.
I ran along the village road. Here appeared the banyan, covered with darkness.
I tried to set foot on the embankment between two fields, with eyes opened. Dark as pitch. If only… There, two figures ahead with two haloes of light.
I made quick steps, "Wait for me, please." The distance between two circles of light and me, as a joking trick proved longer. I began to run,
"Wait, please!" The light circles quivered. I slowed down, being too tired. They slowed down, too. I felt quite lightened and buoyant.
I tried to straighten myself up after a stumble and stared ahead: a whitish, unriddled surface of water in front. Two circles, beyond the water, stood motionless as if to prevent and threaten me. I was going to roll up my sleeves. But it was quite dark and deep, my chains wouldn't work. I picked up some dirt and threw away in a blind way. The surface of water suddenly rang with peals of laughter. I turned and began to run, my two legs, seemingly attached with stones, kept running into each other…
I suddenly woke up. Hurricane lamps are shining, indoors and outdoors. Guests were still in groups talking.
"Once upon a time, there lived two orphaned sisters. They loved and cared of each other, always side by side like figures and shadows. One day, how ironical it was, they both fell in love with a young man. In order to keep their sisterhood intact, they both went to the swamp and drowned. The water then became transparent and has never run dry. And many a person has been drowned since then…"
"It served them right, those drowned men were all wicked ones. As for decent people, they were saved by the lady-ghosts. They were lost in the fields in the dark, they saw the two circles of light and returned… People say that the two ladyghosts lighted the path to save decent people…"
A light laugh escaped interrupting the story. The following morning, I went to the swamp following directions. I walked along the embankment full of wet straw. Here, the water spilled over, transparent. I stopped short. There appeared on the field tottering footprints towards the village.
- Lê Khắc Thao