Old Man Ia Nueng - short story by Li Phan (Gia Lai)

He was bewildered and didn't understand what was going on. He stopped to listen, grabbed someone's hand and asked eagerly.

- What's the matter that so many people are gathered?

- Someone committed suicide, left his sandals and bike there and jumped off. People couldn't stop him in time, now call the rescue team to come and get him!

Ông già Ia Nueng - truyện ngắn của Li Phan (Gia Lai) - Ảnh 1. — Illustration

Pulling people up… In this Ia Nueng lake, if anyone wanted to pull people up, except for the "Old Man", who would dare to go down? At most, they would just wade along the water's edge and continue to wait for the Old Man to appear. While he was deep in thought, he heard someone shouting from afar to disperse the crowd. He only saw a small figure with sparse white hair and beard, squeezing into the crowd and jumping into the lake. The calm water suddenly stirred, a few people still held up their phones, illustrating each filmed scene. Some people who didn't know what was going on whispered to each other: "I wonder if the Old Man can do anything, he's so smart!".

He felt very angry, but arguing and bickering would do no good. The most important thing was to get the person up, even if it was just a faint breath or just a lifeless body. Every now and then, he would come up to take a breath and then sink back down. Some people started laughing, some people suddenly frowned. A moment later, people saw him surface again, this time dragging the person with him. He splashed the water to swim to the shore, people also gathered around to pull the body that had lost its breath. It was not known whether it was relatives or just pitying the fool that made him cry. The old man shook his head slightly and slowly walked away first. The suspicious laughter died down, eyes followed his frail figure thoughtfully. Someone sighed.

- I wonder when I will be "unemployed"!

Everyone in this country knows his last wish, which is to see himself unemployed. The salvage work has been going on for more than forty years. The salvages are few, the losses are too great.

He revved up and ran in front of the old man, brazenly patted the saddle and said.

- Old man, come on, I'll take you home to prepare the offerings!

He was so used to it that he did not refuse. The car slowly drove away. The crowd was still jostling each other trying to get a few pictures of the deceased.

It took him around to the market to buy some incense, flowers, and fruits. He had to prepare a tray of offerings to pray for the dead and bring them back to the shrine he had built near the water. He was silent the whole way, not even bothering to say a word. It knew he was tormented by his inability to bring the living back.

- Life and death are predestined, you can't control everything!

It comforted him, because it knew he was blaming himself for being late. His small house was not far from the Ia Nueng suspension bridge. This time he was late because he had taken some children in the neighborhood to the shallow water to teach them how to swim. It had been one of the children he had taught. Whenever he had failed to rescue a survivor, it would quietly come over to his house to have a meal. At night, it would ask him to tell stories of the past, to distract him from his worries. This time it was the same, it planned to take him to the water's edge to make offerings and then come back to have a meal. He didn't look happy today, having it by his side would help him feel less empty inside.

After going around and around several times, he took him to the suspension bridge in the afternoon. He prayed and then walked around the water's edge. While walking and muttering as if he was talking to someone, he sat in one place and suddenly felt goosebumps on his hair, hurriedly ran after him and walked close to him to ease his fear. When the incense had burned out, he gathered all his belongings and returned, sharing cakes, candies and fruits with the children in the neighborhood. He told him that he was afraid of leaving behind some cow herding children who would stumble to the water's edge and get their legs pulled. Worship is sacred, so you should avoid anything that can be avoided. He often scolded him for being careless and careless. He laughed at the place where people were lying, not afraid of being scolded. He pouted and objected.

- Don't blame people like me, you have to blame those who see people in trouble and then "trim" them for everyone to see.

He sighed. The old car took him and her back to the small house not far away. Ia Nueng Lake returned to its silence as if nothing had ever disturbed her. She heard the pine needles rustling overhead, the afternoon was coming. The golden sunset covered a warm yellow area. But she still felt something cold and prickly on her spine, she pulled the throttle, despite the man repeatedly patting her shoulder, telling her to go slowly.

He lit incense again at the shrine that was always full of flowers, fruits, incense, and lamps. He mumbled a prayer and then returned to the small house. It was called a house but in reality it was just a simple hut. The traces of time were imprinted on every door frame, every wall, every corner of the kitchen. The board with the phone number so that anyone could call when needed. The paint peeled off with each rainy and sunny season. Looking closely, one could see how many times he had repainted each line of writing, the old color overlapping the new, creating the stains of time, but also deepening his devotion to this unique profession.

He didn’t need much, he just hoped that his job would be gone. Knowing that, he just hoped that, every day he had to walk around Ia Nueng Lake a few times, his brick phone always tucked into his waist, waiting for a signal. He never expected the phone to ring, because every time it rang, the thing he feared would happen again.

He knew the lake like his own heart. The deep rocks, or the cold water that made people turn purple. But when he saw someone trying to go into the water to play, he would laugh it off when he tried to advise and point out. Every time he told them about this place or that place, there was always an invisible hand pushing the boat, pulling them deeper into the lake. Some people didn't believe him, others thought he was trying too hard. When he warned them to be careful when passing by, they would criticize him for scaring them with childish stories and then laugh heartily. Until something happened, he would feel heartbroken because he couldn't change anything.

Every time he told a story, she indifferently interrupted.

- You know you're old, why don't you just leave people alone? Trying to live or die won't do anything!

He ignored her insolent tone and gently said that it was because she had never lost anyone in the blue water. That was her luck, and she should not take away the hopes of others because she had never experienced loss. She had also heard her mother tell her the reason why he stayed by Ia Nueng Lake, spending all his time doing the job of salvaging corpses. It was just a story that had been distorted by many people, and what she cared about in the end was still: Why should I rush into danger for the sake of others?

What's past is past, a dead person saved is just a corpse waiting for someone to bury properly. The important thing is that the living must preserve and cherish it more. It kept talking, he criticized it for not understanding life. It stubbornly argued that it knew what was important to it, unlike him, who was always worrying about other people. He got angry and sent it away without letting it eat. It smiled flatteringly and pretended to apologize, then continued to criticize him the next time.

After that day, it was still the same carefree and carefree way. He still carried the brick phone on his waist, wandering around a circle of the lake. It was still leisurely doing this and that. He was still waiting to stop or quickly jump in to save people in times of danger.

This afternoon, there was a commotion again when a boat carrying tourists capsized in the middle of the lake. The old man and the rescue team rushed into the water to save people. He heard the story and still ran boldly. He heard people whispering, only three or four people were saved, the rest were nowhere to be seen in the lake. Some people said, it seemed like there was only one person left. But why did it take so long to see the old man come up to breathe like every other time? He felt his heart twist, restless and impatient. Whispers began to ring out, like needles pricking his heart. Fidgeting a few times, he ran down to the edge of the lake, his mouth continuously shouting " old man ". There was no sound of the old man scolding him to go to the place where people were lying down and making a fuss. There was no sound of the old man telling him to be careful when the water was deep. He dove into the lake despite a few arms holding him back. A few acquaintances shouted his name. At this moment, there was nothing to worry about. It only remembered the small figure with sparse white hair and beard diving into the water. It was flustered and scared. The cold water seemed to sting its body, it hesitated to come up, but then remembered the old man, it opened its eyes wide and groped in the water. It came up to catch its breath and then dived back down, ignoring the shouts of the crowd above it calling for it not to disturb the rescue.

Until someone shouted to tell him that he had pulled people up on the other side of the lake. People told him to come back up quickly and not to get entangled there. When he heard about him, he quickly swam back to shore. Water seeped into his clothes and made him shiver, but he didn't care, he tried to run quickly in the direction where people pointed out that he was there. In the distance, he could see his figure sitting absent-mindedly in the middle of the bustling crowd. He also wanted to rush over and shout at him, why did he dive down without coming up to catch his breath like the other times, making him think that he would not come up to scold him anymore.

But then it just stood there looking at him, dumbfounded, tears streaming down its face, unable to say a word. The disheveled appearance like a wet rat, and even shedding tears, it had never been like that before, he was also surprised and came over to ask.

Perhaps it was different from many people waiting for him to save them. He had once saved it from the cold lake. It should have been like everyone else, sharing his help with those in need, but it selfishly considered him as the one who gave birth to it again, not wanting to lose him in the cold water. So many times it urged him to quit that job that didn't bring him any benefits, but after he scolded it for a while, it never gave up. Only today, in that cold water, did it understand the feeling of someone who was afraid of losing something precious and wanted to preserve.

She hugged him tightly, leaving him wondering what was wrong with the brat who usually loudly tried to stop him today. All he could hear was her shivering, her teeth chattering as she muttered.

- You have to teach me how to swim one day, and then it will be my turn to go into the water to save you!

Ia Nueng Lake was still restless, the wind still blew the pine needles. She saw him deep in thought, then after a long while he looked at her and nodded slightly.

Rules

Live beautifully with total prizes up to 448 million VND

With the theme Loving Heart, Warm Hands, the 3rd Beautiful Life contest is an attractive playground for young content creators. By contributing works expressed through various forms such as articles, photos, videos ... with positive content, full of emotions and attractive, vivid presentation suitable for different platforms of Thanh Nien Newspaper.

Submission period: April 21 - October 31, 2023. In addition to the forms of memoirs, reports, notes, and short stories, this year the contest has expanded to include photos and videos on YouTube.

The 3rd Beautiful Living Contest of Thanh Nien Newspaper highlights community projects, volunteer journeys, good deeds of individuals, entrepreneurs, groups, companies, enterprises in society and especially young people in the current Gen Z generation, so there should be a separate contest category sponsored by ActionCOACH Vietnam. The appearance of guests who own works of art, literature, and young artists loved by young people also helps the theme of the contest spread strongly, creating sympathy among young people.

About the contest entries: Authors can participate in the form of memoirs, reports, notes, reflecting real stories, real events and must have accompanying character images. The article must express the content about a character/group that has taken beautiful, practical actions to help individuals/communities, spreading warm, humane stories, optimistic and positive living spirit. As for short stories, the content can be composed from real or fictional stories, characters, events... of beautiful living. The contest entries must be written in Vietnamese (or English for foreigners, the organizers will take care of the translation) no more than 1,600 words (short stories no more than 2,500 words).

About the prize: The contest has a total prize value of nearly 450 million VND.

In the category of articles, reports, and notes, there are: 1 first prize: worth 30,000,000 VND; 2 second prizes: each worth 15,000,000 VND; 3 third prizes: each worth 10,000,000 VND; 5 consolation prizes: each worth 3,000,000 VND.

1 prize for the article most loved by readers (including views and likes on Thanh Nien Online): worth 5,000,000 VND.

For the short story category: Prizes for authors with short stories participating in the contest: 1 first prize: worth 30,000,000 VND; 1 second prize: worth 20,000,000 VND; 2 third prizes: each worth 10,000,000 VND; 4 consolation prizes: each worth 5,000,000 VND.

The Organizing Committee also awarded 1 prize to the author with an article about entrepreneurs living beautifully: worth 10,000,000 VND and 1 prize to the author with an outstanding charity project of a group/collective/enterprise: worth 10,000,000 VND.

In particular, the organizing committee will select 5 honored characters voted by the organizing committee: award 30,000,000 VND/case; along with many other prizes.

Articles, photos and videos to participate in the contest, readers send to the address: [email protected] or by post (Only applicable for the Article and Short Story contest categories): Thanh Nien Newspaper Editorial Office: 268 - 270 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (clearly write on the envelope: Works participating in the 3rd LIVING BEAUTIFULLY contest - 2023). Detailed information and rules are posted on the Living Beautifully page of Thanh Nien Newspaper.