Monkey - the legend of Ong Mountain

.

PART I:

THE SOUL OF THE FOREST

From pre-existing times, when the mountains and forests were the domain of ancient spirits, people whispered about a strange creature – born from the blood moon and the sighs of the wilderness. That creature was Monkey – the gray monkey that foretold a great change in the mountains and forests.

Monkey is unlike any other monkey. Its fur is ash-yellow, shimmering with a silvery sheen in the sunlight, as if coated with stardust from the heavens. Its long, strong arms can break ancient branches with a single tug. And most remarkably, the tuft of fur on top of its head radiates in two symmetrical streams – like the crown of the monkeys in ancient mythology.

It was born under the sacred K'Thu tree, by the Da Ru stream – a sacred stream that the ancients said was formed by the tears of a little forest fairy. Monkey's ancestors once said: "You are a child of the forest moon. On the night of the red moon, your destiny will change."

Monkey's childhood was spent amidst the birdsong and the scent of forest honey, where all creatures lived in harmony as part of the great spirit of the ancient forest. It was mischievous, intelligent, but also kind-hearted. Many times, Monkey would break branches and lower them for its young to pick fruit, and shelter baby squirrels from the rain. Therefore, all the creatures in the forest loved and respected it like a "little king."

PART II:

A FIGURE AMIDST THE VAST FOREST

Then one day, amidst the blooming wildflowers – when the valley was ablaze with color – three figures appeared for the first time. They camped right beneath the sacred Sloth Tree – the very place where the Monkey ancestors used to dance every full moon night to pray for a good harvest. The entire troop of monkeys panicked and fled up the slope. But Monkey was different; it felt... curious.

Day after day, it secretly observed from the treetop, watching the men light fires, cook, and talk to each other in a strange language. One man with salt-and-pepper hair often left fruit on a large rock. Once, he placed a banana on the rock and stepped back. Monkey approached, wary. He took the banana – and in an instant – vanished into the forest canopy.

Since then, something has changed. The encounters became more frequent and friendlier. People brought rice, corn, dragon fruit – things Monkey had never known. With his keen sense of smell and taste, Monkey knew: this was a world of magic. Food from human hands tasted different – ​​as if infused with sunlight and sea salt.

Monkey told Chestnut – a charming female monkey with a chestnut-colored tuft of fur on her forehead and round, sparkling eyes like dewdrops – about the world outside. The two often left the troop, wandering across the high mountain slopes, exploring new life. Monkey began to dream of a harmonious future – where monkeys and humans lived together as friends.

But it didn't know that any light that shines into the forest leaves a shadow.

PART III:

WHEN THE MASK FALLS OFF

One peaceful morning, just like any other, with dew still clinging to the grass and baby monkeys playing under the Bodhi tree, Monkey felt something strange within him – an intuition ingrained in his very being. That day, humans brought food again. Sweet, ripe corn and juicy red dragon fruit were scattered along the edge of the forest. The monkeys chattered excitedly like children receiving gifts. Laughter and playful shouts echoed throughout the forest.

Suddenly, "RIP!" – a sharp, cold sound like a knife tearing through the sky.

Before anyone could understand what was happening, a giant net unfurled from the air, engulfing the entire troop of monkeys. From the edge of the forest, three figures emerged – no longer the people carrying corn and dragon fruit, but strangers with faces as cold as mountain rocks, wielding iron clubs, their eyes blazing like wild beasts.

The sound of sticks being swung. Heart-wrenching screams. The monkeys struggled in vain. Blood and tears mingled on the ground once considered sacred.

Monkey and Chestnut, playing in the treetops, heard the screams. They both jumped down, but it was too late. They were all tied up and thrown into sacks. Monkey stood there, speechless. His eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe that the people who had once given him bananas were now the ones who had stolen his family.

Chestnut trembled, clinging tightly to Monkey. The two survivors silently retreated into the shadows of the forest, leaving behind a trail of red blood scattered on the dry leaves – like the first slash across Monkey's tender heart.

PART IV:

A HOWLING SOUND IN THE HIGH SKY

From that day on, Monkey was no longer itself. No more afternoons spent lounging on rocks, no more clear, joyful laughter when playing with Chestnut. Its eyes were deep and silent, like two smoldering coals in the night. It wandered through the ancient forest, searching for traces of its beloved troop of monkeys. Only the sound of the wind remained, and echoes from the deep ravines, as if the forest were weeping with it. But the pain didn't end there.

One gloomy, rain-soaked morning, like a funeral procession, Chestnut was caught in a trap. A branch snapped up, pulling a wire that tightened around her hind leg. Chestnut's terrified screams pierced the heavy rain, echoing all the way to the canyon. Monkey rushed to her side. His mate hung suspended in mid-air, moaning weakly, her eyes red and pleading for help. Blood dripped from her leg like holy water oozing from a wound inflicted by nature.

The monkey screamed, jumped, pulled the rope, broke branches... all in vain. The monkey's claws couldn't untangle the human-made trap rope.

That night, the rain poured down. Chestnut hung suspended all night, each soft whimper sounding as if to say, "I'm still alive... don't leave..." Monkey could only sit there, hands covering his head, his heart broken.

On Tuesday morning, the two men came to dismantle the trap. They carried Chestnut away, gently, as if carrying a broken object. Monkey hid in the tree, his hands clenched so tightly they bled. There were no more tears. Only anger.

From that day on, Monkey disappeared.

PART V:

THE REVENGE GHOST

From the day Chestnut was taken away, Monkey seemed to transform into a different entity – it was no longer the mischievous monkey who once loved life, but a vengeful ghost, appearing and disappearing in the mists of Mount Ong. The farmers whispered to each other: "There's a monkey with eyes as red as fire, standing on the hilltop howling every evening – it sends chills down everyone's spine."

At first, it was just corn cobs stripped bare and scattered haphazardly. Then, sweet potatoes were uprooted, cassava was trampled. Animal traps were suddenly bent, some even dismantled as if someone knew exactly how they worked. Night after night, the monkey's howl echoed, prolonged and agonizing, like someone screaming from the depths of the forest.

Rumors circulated: "It's no longer a monkey. It's the spirit of the mountain, the demon we've awakened."

Experienced hunters were hired. They set traps everywhere—snoose traps, snap traps, even bait traps made of bananas and dragon fruit. But strangely, not a single trap caught Monkey. On the contrary, one day people found the traps broken, the bait gone, leaving only a branch standing upright—a defiant challenge from a mocking intelligence.

Monkey doesn't kill or harm people, but it instills an unnamed fear in them. Its appearance is an ominous sign – an impending storm, a harbinger of silent death. Even the most experienced foresters dare not stay after sunset.

But behind that revenge lay a broken heart.

Every afternoon, Monkey would return to the rock by the Da Ru stream – where he and Chestnut used to play with the minnows. He would sit there for hours, gently tapping the water's surface, his eyes gazing towards the deep forest, as if waiting for a familiar figure to return. But there was no one. Only the sound of the babbling stream and red dragonflies fluttering above the water's surface like the spirits of dead dreams.

PART VI:

FAREWELL AMIDST THE BOLDING

One misty morning, the desperate cries of a civet cat echoed from the edge of the field. Monkey immediately rushed over. It was an old-fashioned trap – a noose around its hind leg, just like the one that had snatched Chestnut from its grasp. The civet cat struggled, its eyes filled with panic and a desperate plea for help.

Monkey tried everything – pulling branches, biting strings, pushing through the soil – but to no avail. In that moment of helplessness, the past flooded back like a torrent. The image of Chestnut, the tiny drops of blood, the faint cries of yesteryear… all seemed to pierce its heart once again.

A gunshot rang out.

Painful, cold, piercing – like a bolt of lightning striking straight into his chest. Monkey staggered. From a distance, a man approached, gun in hand, his face as cold as a mountain rock.

Blood soaked its ash-yellow fur. Monkey collapsed. Before its eyes closed, it saw something strange…

From afar, Chestnut stood under the tree, smiling, her hand outstretched towards it. Behind her were the monkeys – familiar faces, gentle eyes, their arms outstretched in welcome. No more pain. No more resentment.

Monkey felt himself floating upwards, as light as a wisp of smoke. The mountains and forests below faded further and further into the distance… only the sound of the wind and the lullaby of the mountains remained.

PART VII: LEGENDS

STILL ALIVE

The monkey's body was never found. Only a trail of blood remained on the rock, and a dried leaf with a monkey's handprint, seemingly drawn with blood.

Since then, whenever the crescent moon rises over the mountains, people hear the echoing howl – not angry, not painful, but like a distant, gentle call, steeped in longing. The elders in the village say: “Monkey is not dead. It has become the spirit that guards the forest, a final warning: Do not offend life.”

The children in the village are taught: "If you encounter a monkey with ash-yellow fur and sad eyes, bow your head. For it is not a monkey – it is the King of the Forest."

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/monkey-huyen-thoai-cua-nui-ong-130989.html