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| Illustration: Phan Nhan |
The sunset had just gone, darkness covered the entire forest of the Southeast, Mr. Hung hurriedly returned to the tent. After wandering in the forest for ten days, he felt tired. Adding firewood to the big fire, sitting with his knees drawn up, staring into the darkness, in him, many thoughts were endlessly confused. In the distance, the gecko clicked its tongue anxiously. The gecko's plaintive and mournful sound made him shiver slightly. It was the eighth time he had returned to this forest to find the remains of Tam, his friend, his comrade who had gone through life and death with him. The day Tam sacrificed himself, with only a bayonet, he dug the ground to bury his friend in the middle of the forest, next to the starfruit tree, placing a stone with his name engraved on it with the hope that when the country was unified, if he was still alive, he would find and bring Tam back. However, his military career kept dragging him away, from fighting the Americans to fighting Pol Pot, until he changed careers, he had time to look for Tam. The times he came to this forest with a short vacation, he had not found his friend. Every time he returned to see Tam's mother, he saw her withered, her hair was thin and white, her dry and skinny hands held Tam's picture, her eyes filled with tears, her voice trembled: "Try to bring Tam back to me...!" Hearing his mother's words, his heart felt like a hand was squeezing it painfully. Since his retirement, he had packed up and searched for Tam several times but had not found him. This time he returned, he hoped to bring his friend back. He spent ten days wandering in the forest, trying to find the two-branched star tree, the bayonet he had stuck in the tree trunk and Tam's rubber sandals. He searched his memory, trying to locate where Tam lay but could not find it. He lit a bundle of incense sticks and stuck them in four directions, stood with his face up, and prayed: "Tam... show me where you lie... I've come to take you back to your mother, if you don't show me, I can't find you... Tam!". As soon as he finished his prayer, the wind suddenly rose, tilting the rustling forest, blowing the bright red incense sticks everywhere. It felt like Tam had heard his words. Lying back on the hammock, his eyes focused on the empty space. A star shining through the leaves seemed to twinkle as if Tam’s eyes were looking at him and wanting to say something, making him very restless. Half a century had passed, the once devastated forest, plowed by bombs and bullets, was now so green and dense that he could not find where Tam lay.
The gecko's voice faded into the forest, and memories and Tam came back to him.
…
Studying together at the Faculty of Mining and Geology, Hung and Tam became close friends from their first years at university. Their father died in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, their two older sisters were married, Tam was a priority, not having to perform military service. Tam was a good student, was sent to study abroad in the Russian Federation, but Tam chose the most arduous path for herself.
At the end of 1971, the war situation became heated across the battlefields, from Quang Tri , Thua Thien - Hue, the Southeast region... urging young people across the country to volunteer for military service. All students of the Faculty of Mining and Geology wrote applications to volunteer to go to the battlefield. Originally a man of few words, Tam became even more taciturn in those days, sullen all day. During breaks, he often sat alone, his eyes looking far away.
The day he received his enlistment notice, Hung skipped home and boasted to Tam: "I have achieved my wish. You stay and study well. When the country is unified, you will be the core to rebuild your homeland." Waiting for Hung to finish speaking, Tam's voice was sad: "I will go with you." Hung exclaimed: "You're not joking, are you?". "Do you think I'm joking? I've received my enlistment notice." "What about your mother?". "She will be sad, but she is very resilient...".
…
After four months of training, the commandos were ordered to the front. After two months of arduously crossing the Truong Son Mountains, the unit arrived in the Central Highlands and continued to march south. The Southeast forest was the unit's base. The Regiment's area of operation stretched from the upper reaches of the Dong Nai River, in the Cat Tien forest, to the Be River. The unit's mission was to protect the War Zone D base, the Central Committee of Zone VI, prevent enemy sweeps into the base, destroy military ships moving on the Dong Nai River, and infiltrate and attack enemy firepower points around the revolutionary base. The battles between us and the enemy were always extremely fierce, fighting for every tree, hill, and river because this land was not only the gateway to War Zone D, but the Cat Tien forest was also an important intersection between the North-South strategic corridor, connecting the Central Highlands with the Southeast. After two years of standing in this land, his company lost a third of its troops and had to be continuously supplemented. Jungle fever was also the cause of sacrifice for the soldiers. One time, Tam had a very high fever, foaming at the mouth, convulsions, and several men lying on top of Tam only then stopped shaking. On the tenth day of fever, Tam no longer reacted to space, and his pupils began to dilate. Thinking that Tam was dead, he and his comrades took Tam out into the forest, but he suddenly opened his eyes, his chapped lips moved, asking for water. Tam's miraculous resurrection was the topic of heated discussion of the whole company during the short breaks between battles. "Tam died and came back to life like that, he will live a long life." "That's right, he will live to be a hundred years old." Hearing everyone's comments, Tam just smiled.
Thinking about everyone's joke, he found it was true. Tam had participated in hundreds of battles, suffered dozens of injuries, once a bomb buried him for several hours, his comrades found him unharmed, he was in the infirmary for a few days and then returned to the unit to fight, still active and resilient. How strange! Since entering the battlefield, he and Tam had always been together, the two had promised to live until the day the South was liberated. But in the end, Tam had passed away, leaving him with endless pain. He could never forget that field research trip.
About a dozen kilometers from the center of the D war zone base, on the other side of the Dong Nai River in Lam Dong Zone VI, is a fairly high, isolated hill. The hill is home to a group of monkeys, so the local people call it Monkey Hill. Taking advantage of the hill's height, the Saigon army landed troops, leveled it, and turned it into an artillery position with a 175-caliber battery. The artillery shelling from here targeted the Central Bureau, Zone VI Party Committee, and the revolutionary base of Zone III, causing huge casualties among cadres, soldiers, and guerrillas.
One afternoon, in the company bunker, there were the company commander, deputy company commander and three platoon leaders. Kho-anh circled the red lead around the Monkey Hill position on the map, the company commander's voice lowered: "Comrades, this is the location of the enemy's artillery position, the order from the Battalion, at all costs must research and eliminate this dangerous position. On the hill there is a solid bunker, protected by a company of puppet soldiers. The hill is not big, three comrades are enough. Going inside the enemy base with the protection of the inner and outer layers is extremely dangerous, so I would like to volunteer." The company commander finished speaking, everyone present raised their hands. Looking around, the company commander shook his head slightly, his voice soft: "Thank you comrades, let me choose. I will personally command, plus Tam and Hung". Hearing that, De jumped up: "Report to the Chief, I will go instead of Tam." Tam stood up and interrupted De: "No! You have a family and a small child, let me...".
The meeting ended, Hung and Tam went back to the bunker to prepare. At seven o'clock in the evening, they set off. They only had their shorts, an AK with a folding stock, and a few duckbill grenades on them. After about four hours of trekking through the forest, the three of them crossed the Dong Nai River. From the riverbank, they had to cross an open area about eighty meters to reach Monkey Hill. Crawling under the grass, the grass sprouts prickled and the night dew made them shiver, but they quietly crept up. When they reached the first fence, with just a few movements, the Company Commander opened the fence, then the second fence, the third... each layer of fence was passed by the three of them, they split up in three directions...
After two hours of research, the Company Commander and Hung went to the meeting point, but Tam, who had encountered soldiers on patrol, had to hide. When he had just passed the last fence, he suddenly encountered a herd of wild boars foraging at night. The herd panicked and rushed into the fence! Boom boom boom… the mines protecting the fence exploded continuously, Tam collapsed on the spot, both feet crushed. At the same time, flares shot up, bright white, the puppet soldiers on the hill rushed out, shooting one after another.
"Put Tam on Hung's back", the company commander ordered - "Run quickly to the river". Hung carried Tam and rushed down the hill... Behind him, the sound of AK and grenades from the company commander mixed with the sound of AR15 bullets from the puppet army. Tam shouted loudly: "Put me down, go back and support the company commander quickly, I can't make it". Mac Tam shouted, Hung hugged Tam tightly and ran to the river's edge. The soldiers saw that there was only one person, they were determined to capture him alive so they spread out, forming an arc. The company commander retreated and fought back fiercely.
Hung carried Tam and jumped into the river, one arm around his back to support Tam on his back. The river was about twenty meters wide, the water flowed quite strongly, pushing the two of them along with the current. After drifting about thirty meters downstream, Hung was able to help Tam to the other bank. Placing Tam close to the edge of the forest, he grabbed his gun and ran back up the river. Under the bright white light of the umbrella, Hung clearly saw the Company Commander standing close to the water's edge, surrounded by puppet soldiers on three sides, but he did not jump into the river. A puppet soldier spoke in a kind voice: "Hey, Viet Cong soldier, surrender to your country, you will have a happy life."
Standing on this side of the river, Hung clearly heard the loud laughter and serious voice of the Company Commander: "Ha haa... Uncle Ho's soldiers, don't like the life of traitors...".
Seeing the Company Commander standing in the middle of the enemy siege but not returning fire, Hung understood that he was out of bullets and Hung was sure that the commander still kept grenades for himself.
Helplessly watching the leader surrounded by dozens of guns, Hung stood still and watched. Just as Hung had predicted, when the company commander threw the AK out of bullets into the river, several puppet soldiers immediately rushed in and pinned him down. Boom! Two grenades exploded in succession, creating two bright circles of fire. Hung clenched his teeth, trying to hold back his tears and the cries that wanted to burst out. Goodbye, my company commander. Having said that, Hung bent down and ran back to where Tam was lying, helping Tam deep into the forest. At the same time, the sound of a motorboat rushing on the river, AR15 bullets were fired into the forest like chaff until the parachute lights went out.
Tam was very weak because of the serious injury, her voice was tired: "Leave me here... I can't get through... go find the chief". Hung deliberately lied: "The chief has passed through the forest safely, don't worry".
The umbrella light went out, the forest became dark again. Leaving Tam next to a tree, Hung hugged his friend tightly, the two whispered to each other but often interrupted by the pain from the wound that always tormented Tam. The next morning, Tam was very weak. Hung carried Tam through the forest to find the unit but the more he walked, the more disoriented he became because the forest was too dense. Another day still not out of the forest, hungry and tired, Hung tried to find something to eat for Tam but was helpless, could not find anything to eat. On the third day, Tam passed away hungry and thirsty, in pain when he managed to say a few words: "If you are still alive... come back... try to take care of my mother for me!".
Holding Tam tightly, Hung shouted loudly through the forest: "Tam.iii! You died without a full meal, without even a set of clothes on your body... Tam.iii".
…
While he was lost in his memories of Tam, the sound of the gecko rang out again, waking Mr. Hung up. He turned the tarp, and it was already morning. In the thick morning mist, the gecko rang out again. Normally, the gecko would only chirp once and then stop. This morning, the gecko's chirp sounded loud and continuous. Finding it strange, he left the hammock and cut through the forest in the direction of the gecko's chirp. After walking a few dozen meters, the gecko's chirp rang out again. Passing through some dense bushes, he quietly moved forward. On the trunk of the starfruit tree, about two meters above the ground, a gecko as big as a wrist rang out again. He muttered to himself - the gecko is so beautiful, he must catch it. Gently moving toward the base of the tree, he raised his hand to catch it, but the gecko ran high up. He looked up at the gecko with a regretful expression, but his body suddenly trembled. About four meters above the trunk were two branches that split in two. He exclaimed, "Oh my God! What looks like rubber slippers?" - rubbing his eyes to look closely... it was the tip of the slippers and a piece of the bayonet handle sticking out. That's right, he himself had stuck the bayonet and hung Tam's slippers on this starfruit tree. The tree trunk was as small as a thermos, now it was as big as an arm's length. The spot where he stuck the bayonet between two branches was only chest-high at that time, now it was about four meters high. The bayonet was hugged almost to the handle by the tree, only the tip of the slippers was exposed. With trembling hands, he dug through the thick dry leaves under the tree to reveal a rock. It was the rock on which he had carved Tam's name. His whole body trembled, he knelt down and hugged the rock, tears welling up uncontrollably, the whole forest seemed to spin and sway before his eyes. The thick fog suddenly cleared, a sudden gust of wind rose up and stirred. The first streaks of dawn fell down, landing on the forest leaves, swaying in the wind, dancing as if they were singing happily. He burst into tears like a child who had been lost for many years and suddenly found his family again. His sobs were sobbing, choking, and heartbreaking in the middle of the vast forest: "Tam... I finally found you! I'm sorry for leaving you lying there cold for decades. The day I left the army and came to see my mother, she only hoped to find you soon and bring you back to her. Now I've found you... but... my mother can't wait... Tam.iii...!".
Source: http://baolamdong.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202501/tro-ve-sau-nua-the-ky-912247b/
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