Friends

Four students who came from other areas but they had a long time lived together and became best friends in the time they followed the same teacher. Later, they separated turning back their houses.

Giap was only one person who inherited wealth from his family and turned more wealthy after that while the others, his friend, were poor. Though, Giap was clever and amorous. He didn’t felt satisfied because his wife was an ugly woman though she was the person who helped have much more money. He had ever seen wife of At, one of his best friend, in the time the followed the class. She was a beautiful woman. Giap’s really jealous with his friend he spent much time thinking about the woman and of course he wanted the woman.

One day, At visited to Gaip’s house. He was welcomed in Giap’s house. After they had great meal they had time to have a conversation.

“I see you don’t change much after the last time we met”, said Giap, “You see I have changed very much, having more money, wealthier. Why you don’t get rid of your books and do business, change your life”.

At shook his head.

“Of course, I know but it need a lot of money to start a business while I have no much”, said At.

Giap didn’t hesitate laying money front At and said:

“We are friends so I’m happy to help you. This money is first thing I help you.” said Giap, “I know a person who will teach you how to do business. I will send him a letter and when you come, he will help you.” “Hope you will not forget this friend when you are wealthy” added he, smiling.

At had never thought that his friend was so kind he helped him to much that he didn’t dare to forget his help for the rest of his life. He raised his hand and swore.

“Under the witness of the God, I will never forget your help today”.

Later, he went home, said goodbye his wife before found the way to the person Giap introduced.

When At left, Giap started his plan. He killed his wife while she was in deep sleep because of a hard day. He cut off her head and secretly hid the head. Later, he made his way to At’s house and invited his wife to his home.

“Before he left, he left some money at my home. Now you can go to my home and receive the money but you have to keep it in secret because creditors can know about that and they will annoy you”, he said, of course a lie.

The woman didn’t have any doubting she had heard too much about his kindness. So, she followed him to his home but when she arrived to there, he immediately changed. He used money, promises, swearwords to entice her but the woman’s a faithful wife she preferred to die than to do the unclear thing. At last, he had no choice but to prison her in a locked room, set a maid to watch her. Everyday, the maid brought food and drink to her while Giap did the next step of his plan. He brought headless-corpse of his wife and placed in At’s house, the house now empty. He feared that his maid would disclose what he did to others so he bought a vial of poison from foreign trader and forced her to drink. After she drank, she couldn’t speak a word exactly.

At came back home after the first time doing business. He happily brought the benefit he had to home and planned to share the happiness with her but what he saw first when he came home was a nude corpse without head. The corpse had laid on there for many day, rotting and spreading terrible smell. He didn’t have time to cry, soldiers had rounded him and brought him away. He didn’t admit though was beaten pained but that couldn’t clear doubt soldiers gave him. He said that he didn’t do the crime but he also couldn’t prove. Then, beatings turned more and more painfully tha they couldn’t stand up anymore. At last, he admitted the crime he had never done. He was condemned to death.

That time, death criminals could save their lives if they have enough money to pay for the crimes and have a guardian. So that, when At was in prison waiting for his death, his mother outside found her way to everywhere, borrowed money to save his life. Relatives, neighbors and including passers she also asked their help but she couldn’t manage to have the money. It’s too much while the time’s too short.

Two other friends of At and Giap were Binh and Dinh. When they heard about their friend, they hurriedly went to prison to meet him. Later, they met his mother on the way she was begging passers’ help. They had a conversation and in that time, Binh and Dinh remembered to their other friend Giap, a wealthy person. So that, they set off, found the way to Giap’s house.

“As you know At, our friend, was sentenced to death for the crime he didn’t do. We plan to save him but we just have half of the money so we go to here and hope you can donate a half to save him”, they said, “Think that is very little with you”.

Thought that Giap will be willing to help their friend and also his friend but honestly, Giap wanted At to die.

“Are you sure that he’s clean and that he didn’t do the crime? A criminal have to be punished and I don’t want to waste my money to save a killer”, said Giap coldly.

Honestly, Binh and Dinh felt disappointed about Giap. They left but also couldn’t manage enough money to save their friend. At last, they did a stupid thing that very few people would do donating their lives for their friend’s life. They went toward mandarin office and told the mandarin a lie.

“Sir, we come here to admit. We are the people who had killed At’s wife.” they said, “Few days later, we went our friend’s home to meet him but he’s absent and there had only a woman who received us, his wife. You did not know but she was a beautiful woman that we couldn’t stop ourselves not have dark thoughts with her. So, we violated her and because of fear that the bad thing we did would be discovered we killed her. we cut off her head and threw into river so that no one could know who she was but,” they stopped, “you know our souls couldn’t be peace from that time. We really really feel remorseful and want to pay for our crime. Hope that can give us a little relieved”.

No witness, no material evidences and only God couldn’t know what they said was truth or lie. The mandarin had no reason to doubt so he prisoned Binh and Dinh after released At. Their cruel crime they had admitted led them to the most terrible punishment. Normally, they would be tied against crosses then were cut off each piece of their flesh till they died. The people who were punished by that way would be stood up terrible pains. But, they admitted before they were discovered so they would be died by the normal way, cut off heads. They were prisoned to wait.

The day they were executed came. They were brought to field. The killers raised their swords and were ready to kill them. But that time, a woman appeared. She pointed at Binh and Dinh, used her hands to hint the mandarin stopped. The woman spoke but no one understood what she was saying what she said were only unclear speeches.

The mandarin immediately stopped executing. He forced soldiers to go and find a doctor. A doctor was brought to and cured her. After she was cured, she told the mandarin all things she had witnessed.

The case, because of that, was clear. Soldiers came to Giap’s house. They caught Giap and released At’s wife. Giap was condemned to death. Though, Binh and Dinh were very kind they still treated him as their best friend they managed to have the ransom. And therefore, Giap was released.

Giap left prison after few days prisoned. That day was a sunny day but no one knew why lighting could appeared, crossed air and shot on his head. He died. Others were very kind that they carried his body to home for people could bury him but they were just on their way and a tiger suddenly appeared, frightened them and brought his body away.

THE END

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