Cong Tran was a pedestrian. He had gone to many places and helped many people. One time, he walked to a place, name Ha Hoa. Ha Hoa, that time was being burned by the sun and had not had any raindrops for years. Tre turned droopy, the ground was tore. He went along roads in long time but he could find no tea shop. Therefore, he made his way to a house by road to ask people for water but none was in the house. He looked around to find a little water but he could not find a little. All jars, bottles and other things which were used to contain water were dry. He went out and walked into the next house. There was nothing different, none in the house and no water. At last, he climbed up a huge rock, looked around to find ponds, river or somewhere had water but he only saw bottoms of ponds and rivers. Though he was thirsty, he had no choice but to continue walking, he steeped and steeped in hours till he saw a crowd of people who were tried to take water flowing from a cliff. He immediately approached them, asked to give him some water. A man gave him his jar of water. He drank as if he hadn’t drunk for years, huge gulps of water.
“Omg, I am nearly dried. Get my soul again. Thank you so much, man. Just curious but could you tell me why water is so rare in there”, he said.
“You may not know that the goddess of rain seem to forget us. It has not rained for two years. Hope someone can go and remind her”, said the man.
“I will be the person, going and reminding her”, he said. Then he set off, made his way to palace of rain-goddess. He had gone for months, climbed pass many mountains, wading cross many streams but he hadn’t arrived the palace. One day, he climbed up a hill, he met an old gibbon that was white-fur gibbon. The gibbon was trapped in a beast trap.
“Help me! Help me!” yelled the gibbon as it saw him.
He ran toward it and helped it escape.
“Thank you so much man”, said the gibbon, “Hope I can help something. Anyway where are you going man?”
“I am going to raingoddess’ palace”, he said.
“Ohh, how can you arrive to there? You are too old to do that thing”, said the gibbon.
“I know but I have to. If I don’t, many people living in Ha Hoa will die. They will die because of thirst”, he said.
“If that is your purpose, I think that thing will help you much. Wait me awhile”, said the gibbon, running away. Later, the gibbon came back, gave him a stick which seemed to be a dried stem, looked ancient but small enough for people could hold.
“This is magical stick which will bring you to anywhere in the world. What you need to do is giving it a command”, said the gibbon.
He received the stick, thanked the gibbon then poked the stick on ground.
“Palace of raingoddess”, he shouted.
Suddenly things seemed to run backwards him very fast that made his eyes sore and his brain twirl. Therefore, he had to shut his eyes and waited for the transit stopped. It was about quarter day till he didn’t hear winds blow cross his ears. He opened his eyes and realized he wasn’t on ground but to stay on clouds. The palace of rain-goddes was front his face, magnificent. He approached the huge gate.
“Anyone inside? I want to meet raingoddess”, he cried.
“Come in”, a voice came out from the palace. The gate gradually opened. He walked in the palace, met an old woman, looking very weak.
“Are you raingoddess”, he said.
“Yes, I am”, she answered gently.
“I come to remind you making rain. You may not know but people in Da Hoa are dried”, he said.
“That is my work. I will”, she said, “You must felt tired after the long journey. Follow me and I want to treat you something”.
She led him to kitchen, asked him to sit on an empty chair.
“Hope you like them, dishes. I will leave you alone, must to go”, she said.
From somewhere food flew out and landed on table gently. He happily enjoyed them. But, raingoddess seemed to ignore his words she only stayed on her bed the next days. He reminded her again.
“I know that is my duty but I can’t. I am sick and can’t leave. Therefore, I plan to wait my daughter come back and ask her to make rain but it is too long and I don’t know where on the world she is. So, I want you to help me, making rain, having no choice”, she said.
“How can i?” he said.
“Ohh, it is so easy. You only need to do what I say you”, she said. She led him to back of palace where had a small waterfall flowing down a small pond. Middle of the pond stood a flat rock and on the rock was a vase with a small branch. She took out the branch, filled the vase with water in the pond then put the branch into again.
“If you agree, I will direct you”, she said while giving him the vase.
He nodded.
She smiled and led him to other place where had a lion. That was a huge white lion. Course, the lion could understand people’s language and also could speak. The lion approached them, rubbed its head on raingoddess.
“You only need to sit on its back firmly. It will bring you to places which need rains. When it stops you need the branch to take water from the vase and wave that drops will flew down and become rains. But you have to remember, do it gently and don’t wave too many drops”, she said while helping him mount on the lion.
The loin walked on a cloud. While it walked gently, the cloud on its feet flew very fast to the designated places. They lowered cross lower clouds whenever they came a place. Though he didn’t see exactly what things were in ground but that was enough for him to realize where that was. He did as raingoddess said, gentle and waving not much drops. But, when they came to Da Hoa, he remembered his promise with people there. Therefore, he put the branch into vase and waved, again, again and again but it seemed to waste much time. So he took upside of vase down.
“Stop! Stop! That is too much”, said the lion in scare.
He stopped and took again the upside up. The made their way to raingoddess’ palace. Short time later, they came back the palace. Rain-goddess was waiting them at the gate. She asked him about the work and he honestly told her all things.
“Alas! You have done a foolish thing”, she cried after heard he said, “Da Hoa now have nothing but water that none can live in there”.
Though he felt surprised, he didn’t believe her words much. The next morning, he left raingoddess’ palace.
“Da Hoa”, he said, poking his stick on ground. The stick brought him to a high mountain which near Da Hoa. He looked in the Da Hoa's direction where now had only water, looked like sea. He chucked:
“It is so foolish, what I did”.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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