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| Illustration: HANG XUAN |
Out there was the white river. The water rose to the stone embankment. The mist covered the tree roots, the roots that stuck out of the ground, the wild flowers I couldn't see.
My office is high up, sheltered from the wind, with glass doors on three sides, but the crumbling walls and the tall buildings rising on all sides make my tears well up every time I look at them.
Where I was standing high up and looking down was a piece of land of a nursery garden. The trees grew quite tall, with white trunks, white flowers, and round leaves that looked like old mushrooms dividing their spores. The old trees cast shadows over most of the garden, perhaps their shadows even touched the base of the wall of this building. And like that, it was very wide, very long, and very deep, with wild flowers crawling all over the ground. White, purple, and pink tigon flowers, pale yellow morning glory flowers, silvery white reeds, and sparkling green grass playing around.
And towering at the end of the garden, a giant fan-shaped tree soars across the sky. The wind never stops playing with its dark green leaves, millions upon millions of leaves constantly fluttering, creating an endless melody. And I see: a huge bird's nest like a sturdy castle clinging to the tree trunk, the flock of birds flying back and forth as if soaring into a storm.
I have discovered that place for the past two months. My mind is no longer haunted by books that flicker like fireflies, but is always ready to release all its energy towards the leaves above.
Phone! The phone rang. I hurriedly left the window filled with sunlight. But strangely, a herd of deer suddenly appeared from the garden, eating grass and trees. They seemed to have appeared from a fairy tale, tall, with skin like brocade, like water veins, their bodies soaked. Their large, muscular chests were pushing each other, flowers from the ground were flying all over their bodies. Sitting on the back of the black-eyed king deer was a tiny boy, wearing a shiny black cap, his clothes tight to his body, making him even smaller. I rubbed my eyes hard. Oh no, the boy was smiling, like all the other cheerful boys. The phone patiently played its hateful refrain. I had to step out, bewildered, not knowing what to do?
***
A herd of deer leisurely grazed in the garden. The ground was green and dewy everywhere. In the distance, the voices of children could be heard. I was absorbed in watching the agile and strong bodies moving between the wild bushes, and remembered these images in animal movies. Could they be real? Long snouts exhaling steam, tall and large bodies as if they had just jumped up from the bottom of the river.
Suddenly a tiny hand grabbed the bars of the window, startling me. Then a head wearing a Jacket cap popped out. The little boy was hanging between the bars of the window, smiling mischievously at me.
- Hello, I just came from far away. What are you looking at?
- Look at the deer, they are so beautiful!
- These are my deer, sister - the boy said proudly - I have led them all over the land. They like it here...
I asked:
- What about you, what are you doing up here?
- To see higher, farther. Oh, you can't see what I see.
- What do you see?
- Oh! The boy answered mysteriously: I have to look after the deer. In my free time I climb up to the houses… I see trees growing from the high walls. They bloom too, sister. Their flowers are white, they look like clouds.
- Is that all?
- Oh no. I also saw thousands and thousands of roofs pushing against each other. I almost fell into a huge pile of broken bricks. The roofs were very clean, sister. Birds often landed here to rest. They even chose a place to hold a bird convention. They brought all kinds of flowers to sow elsewhere, but the wind blew them away.
- Is that all?
- That's not all. I still see a vast river, surrounded by lush green grass and trees. My deer could eat for thousands of days without running out. I see rough tree trunks at the foot of a bright red rainbow.
- Do you see everything?
- Oh no, you see how small I am… But I see you, over there. You are sitting in a hot room with a very low ceiling. You are sitting in front of a very large table, full of books. I see the words appear on your thick glasses…
The boy was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps. The boss had arrived at the company, and the customers had arrived. The boy smiled and disappeared into the gutter, but his voice still echoed:
- I'll come again tomorrow morning!
***
The fairy deer still roamed endlessly in that garden. And every day the little boy came to tell me what he saw up there.
He saw a horse flying over the water, its neighing sending a white spray into the air. He saw a mountain range covered with heather, my favorite flower. He saw ancient cities made of honey and millions of bees working tirelessly.
- Then you will see everything, everything…
I often took off my glasses, silently looked into space, and whispered the things the boy told me.
After those conversations, the Boss appeared. He came to my desk and asked:
- Hey, are you okay?
- Sir, I'm fine - I don't want you to suspect anything.
- You look very tired.
- Oh no. There are mountains running across the land, covered with heather. I love it.
He held up a finger in front of my eyes:
- So, what is this?
- A tiny boy wearing a Jacket hat.
- Oh! - That was all he said, and then he walked away.
One morning, the boy told me:
- When he was young, Mr. Boss often wore a Jacket hat and tight clothes. He even carried a plastic sword and always pulled it out to scare the newly hatched chicks.
The story makes me laugh forever.
- Hey, what are you laughing at? - He appeared again with a questioning look.
I replied:
- What's a plastic sword for, sir? And why scare a bunch of newly hatched chicks?
- You are paranoid. - He roared.
***
I hid in the bathroom and laughed with the boy as the sun began to rise. The sweet light spread everywhere and I now got into the habit of getting up early to be the first to go to work. The boy leaned on the window sill and told me stories about how the deer had traveled to different lands. There were places where there were no rivers but there was wine, there were mountains of sweets that never wore away…. Just like that, I forgot that the door was not locked, and with just that distance, one could squeeze into another person’s world .
The director stood behind me, stretched out his long arms and grabbed the boy tightly.
- Oh, what are you doing? – I cried out in panic.
- Look - he said triumphantly - Look, a broken doll is sitting on the window. Who left it here?
- No, no. No… - I tried to reach out to rescue the boy.
He clenched his fists and threw the little man to the ground.
I saw the boy fall into that garden. As soon as he touched the ground, he disappeared like a mirage. The beautiful deer also disappeared as if they had never existed. But the boy's eyes, brighter than any light I had ever seen in this world, remained in my soul forever.
Short story by Tran Thu Hang
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202506/chu-be-di-khap-the-gian-8b90d59/
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