Illustrations drawn by AI
Cuckoo eating longan fruit
Familiar with the pot...
Every time I hear that song, I get so angry that my gallbladder swells, my gills flutter, I can’t bear to dive into the basin, let it be. Cuckoos love to eat longan fruit, of course! But I can’t get used to the tiny basin, I swim back to my old place before my fins are tired. So if you pay attention, you’ll see that our Lia Thia family never bothers to swim in the basin. When we have free time, we just stand there, looking at the scenery, bored, and regretting the glory.
During his ancestor's time, when he was lucky enough to escape from captivity and confinement, he worked hard to carve on a stone stele in front of the cave entrance, instructing his descendants to absolutely not be caught and suffer the fate of "birds in a cage or fish in a bowl". But because of his wanderlust, generation after generation took turns leaving the cave, exploring the world , and satisfying their heroic spirit.
I was the youngest child, so every time I saw my older brothers leave one by one, I just wished it would be my turn soon. At that time, I wished my scales were strong enough, my fins long enough and my tail spread out to its fullest so that I could follow my older brothers to find food and see the world outside. Contrary to my expectations, my parents were always afraid of leaving me, afraid of lurking dangers, afraid of deep whirlpools and even giant baskets with no way out. I never cared about those things. Because my mind was on the roads.
The last night before leaving. I kept standing in front of the cave, waiting for the morning to come. I don’t know if it was because of my noise or because of anxiety, but my parents couldn’t sleep. They stood huddled together, their eyes filled with tears, looking at me eagerly before the roads. I spread my tail to fan the water really hard, swimming straight ahead . I was absorbed in watching the Rong Rong school diving and bobbing along the shore, the Lim Kim guys swimming upstream singing absentmindedly, the old Cua Dong guys digging holes and the talkative Long Tong school with their oversized lips. When I turned around to look back, I had already left the river without realizing it. At this time, my parents were probably still standing right at the cave entrance watching me. Before I could get over my sadness, the Ba Trau fish swam up and started to argue.
- Hey Lia Thia, do you know the way to the sedge field?
I swam around Ba Trau and then spoke in a big brother voice.
- What are you doing there?
- Yes, when you get there you won't need to worry about food anymore.
I cleared my throat and looked at it.
- The road there is still far. How can you get there, all alone?
Ba Trau looked at me blankly for a moment and then said:
- But the harvest is bad where I live, Lia Thia. Can I go with you?
I waited for that but still tried to pretend to hesitate as if I didn't want to get into any more trouble. I hesitated for a long time before speaking.
- You can follow me. But you have to listen and work hard.
Ba Trau nodded his head repeatedly, flapping his fins up and down until he felt dizzy. After a while, Ba Trau kept calling me big brother, it felt so good to my ears. While I was still in ecstasy with that feeling, Ba Trau swam around me.
- Which way should we go now, bro?
Looking at the road ahead, I didn’t know where to go. I had only heard the villagers talk about the sedge field once. But now, if I were to confess to Ba Trau, I wouldn’t know where to hide my face. I had no choice but to mumble and change the subject, just to remember what the villagers had told me. Ba Trau was impatient and swam right in front of me.
- Big brother! Which direction should we swim?
I glared at Ba Trau.
- What are you doing, getting all worked up? Just follow me!
Saying that, I dodged past Ba Trau and swam leisurely, still trying to imagine the way to the sedge field in my mind. Ba Trau swam behind me the whole way without daring to say anything more. The scenery along the road was very different from my village. No wonder everyone who grew up was eager to leave home and travel the world. I stopped, turned my head towards Ba Trau, and he almost bumped into me. He looked at me happily.
- Have you reached the sedge field yet, big brother?
I yawned, blew bubbles, and slowly let myself fall to the bottom of the field.
- Not yet. It's still a long way off! - I glared at him - But I see you're tired, so let's rest a bit before we continue.
Ba Trau was so moved that he almost cried. We swam to rest in the water lily bushes. After a while, I looked at Ba Trau, my mouth itching.
- Even though you and I are distant relatives, you look different. Your tail and fins are pale as alum water. Look at me.
As soon as I finished speaking, I spread my tail to show off my splendid, battle-ready appearance. Ba Trau stared at me and then exclaimed in admiration.
- If only I were half as cool as you, I'd be happy!
I told Ba Trau about the Lia Thia lineage that I overheard from the elders in the village.
- In the past, my ancestor once commanded the best army in Củi Mục city. He won countless battles. His reputation was resounding. Later, he was even appointed to the position of prime minister.
Ba Trau looked at me with admiring eyes, he kept poking his beak waiting to hear more. But I yawned loudly, pretending to be about to fall asleep. Although it was a pity, Ba Trau had to swim with me into the coconut shell to avoid hearing the sound of the frog practicing long jump on the lotus leaves. That day, Ba Trau kept tossing and turning, making it impossible for me to sleep. I was restless all night, making me miss home so much. If only my mother could sing me a lullaby right now!
We traveled day and night, and spent five days swimming before reaching the sedge field. Before us was a vast grassland with hundreds of residents. The atmosphere was bustling and bustling, like a festival. Looking at the cheerful face of Ba Trau, I was extremely pleased.
- Thanks to you, I was able to get here! - Ba Trau was overjoyed.
- It's a small matter. Did you forget that I come from a mandarin family?
Ba Trau nodded but his mouth kept eating. In no time, his belly was full and he swam towards me. Ba Trau burped and said.
- It's been a long time since I had such a full meal.
I looked at it and laughed.
- I've come this far. From now on, I don't have to worry about food. You don't have to follow me anymore.
The Betel Nut was startled, his voice stuttering.
- No big brother! I… I don't know where to go.
Seeing her crying, I couldn't bear it. Having her with me would make me feel less bored. It was obvious, but I still raised my voice.
- Oh well. But seeing you, I feel so sorry for you!
From then on, wherever I went, Ba Trau swam right beside me. Sometimes I even made him rub my back, scratch my itch, and clean up my sleeping place. He did everything obediently, as if if I was even a little careless, I would kick him out. It seemed like life was going on peacefully. But one early morning, while I was still half asleep, I heard loud noises continuously pouring down, and the water suddenly became muddy and spread over a large area. I swam out to the edge of the grass while Ba Trau kept biting my tail and wouldn't let go. Suddenly, Ba Trau asked me.
- Is there a war, bro?
Before I could answer, Loc Cung quickly replied.
- What war at this hour. The kids are catching fish.
I suddenly remembered the advice of my ancestors but it was too late. The children stood in a circle, stomping their feet continuously and then slowly pressing closer to each other. The circle shrank so that I, Ba Trau and Loc Cang were pushed into a hole in the ground. Suddenly, something lifted us up. Water rushed down like a waterfall, and before we could regain our senses, we were lying on our bellies in the basket. In a flash, Loc Cang fell back to gain momentum, quickly diving into the water and disappearing. Ba Trau and I struggled but because of our weakness, we could not escape. The children laughed loudly when they saw me struggling in the basket, while Ba Trau lay still and endured the beating. The squinty-eyed boy (who would later become my owner) cupped his hands to pick me up and slowly put me in a glass jar. That was the first time I saw the world on the ground so clearly. The chubby boy grabbed Ba Trau's tail roughly.
- Fish
The children didn't even look at me. The toothless boy snapped his fingers at the glass jar, glared at me, and called back.
- Throw it in the water!
Ba Trau was released into the water. He did not run away immediately like Loc Cuong. He looked up at me with teary eyes as if waiting for the moment the children would return me to the vast water. The children climbed ashore but Ba Trau kept looking at me. At that time, I did not shed a single tear. The indomitable fighting fish lineage did not allow me to do that.
Since I was locked in the jar, I have dreamed of returning to my hometown, of resting my head on my mother’s lap, of listening to Ba Trau’s nagging voice in my ear. If I had not been so gorgeous and warlike, I would not have been captured. Now I do not have to go out to find food every day. Every day, my master brings me plenty of food. And he also “releases” me into fierce battlefields, amid the cheers of children. The battles, whether I win or lose, leave me with wounds all over my body, aching all day long.
At night, the geckos would stand around the jar, waiting to “fish” for me. Only now did I fully understand my ancestor’s suffering. I didn’t know if I would be lucky enough to escape from here like my ancestor had done. Unfortunately, he only left behind some advice, not how to escape from here.
Summer ended. The master returned to school, and I was forgotten in the kitchen corner. The water in the jar was cloudy and smelled bad. From a healthy, strong young man, I had become thin and emaciated, looking like a walking skeleton. My fins began to fade and slowly rot. The geckos no longer cared about me. One morning, seeing me gasping for breath, listlessly floating on the water, the master's mother called me upstairs.
- Cu Bi! The rotten fish is about to lie on its back.
The master hurried down, changed the water, and put worms in it, but I had no more strength to eat. The master paced back and forth.
- What should we do now, mom?
- Or I will let it go.
The master carried me to the edge of the field and gently put me into the water. I gradually sank but my eyes were still trying to find Ba Trau. Each stream of cool water bathed my skin, I clearly heard familiar sounds in my ears. I tried to swim into the grass and fell asleep without realizing it...
I don’t know how long I was unconscious at the base of the sedge. I only know that when I woke up, I no longer felt pain, and my wounds had gradually thinned out. I slowly swam out of the grass, looking at the paths, the kind residents, and the soft seaweed drifting in the water. I turned my head to look back at the sedge field and swam straight home. Only then did I realize that the most exciting path in my life was the path home. I stood in front of my old house, dazed. My parents were gone, and my siblings had all scattered in different directions. If only I could be a child again like before, so that I could live in the protective arms of my parents…
I came with many injuries to kowtow to my ancestors. Moss had covered the words on the cave entrance, I wiped my lips to clean off the stubborn moss. The ancestor’s words appeared sparkling as if they contained so much sadness. I decided to stay and guard the ancestral temple, to continue telling what my ancestors wanted to say…/.
Nguyen Chi Ngoan
Source: https://baolongan.vn/lia-thia-khong-quen-chau-a196197.html
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