The tale of watermelon

Once upon a time, a young man whose name was Mai An Tiem was a slave. He was sold to a King named Hung Vuong. Mai An Tiem was clever, he learned vietnamese language very fast. Futher, he knew so many stories, places and could do everything so good so he was liked by Hung Vuong very much that wherever Hung Vuong had come he also came with him. Three years later, he was Hung Vuong let to become a noble and was stayed in a building near the castle. Besides, Hung Vuong made his daughter become his wife. Mai An Tiem now had wife, a five-year-old son, servants and assets. He seemed to lack nothing. Although he had never been arrogant people still were jealous with his his luck.

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One day, people who were participating in a party complimented as much as they could but he only said: “That because of my previous life, I had done many kind things”. Because of his beliefs, all people who followed thought that all things they had in recently were result of what they had done in previous life. People who hated him went to report Hung Vuong. They said that Mai An Tiem was a proud. Hung Vuong was angry. After hearing, he roared: “He is too sassy. Today, he can say that. I wonder how he can be sassy in the future. DETAIN him immediately!”

That afternoon, he was detained. He, now, realized that he had said without noticing. He talked to himself that he had to meet that unfortunate thing because he had done bad things in previous life.

Meanwhile, people who were in castle were discussing how to punish him. Someone suggested killing him and someone suggested cuting his legs but only one made Hung Vuong pleased.

“My Lord, he deserves to be died, but when he die he still think that all things he had are result of good things he had done in previous life. We must make him realize what he had are from you, my Lord not from his previous life. I know a wild island in the sea, you should send him to it and he will have time to think about who give him his luck this recent life until he stop breathing.” said an old nobleman.

Hung Vuong nodded. But he added:”Give him enough food for a month.”

The day, when he was sent to the island his wife, though, was prevented by everyone she still brought their son and went with him. She always believed in her husband. She said: “if elephants were born, of course, grasses have grow up.” But when she landed in the island, saw large-wild sand with nobody; she felt unhappy, fell her head on her husband’s shoulder, burst in to sobs.

“We will die in there”, she said.

Mai An Tiem was hugging the son on his arms and said his wife: “God always observe us. Don’t worry. We have to cheer up then we will find out the way to survive."

The first day, they found a cave which was large enough to whole three them lived in. The early days, their life was easy they could take water from streams and salt from the sea. Everyday, Mai An Tiem woke up very early, wandered around the island to find some things which could eat. His wife stayed in the cave, took care of their child. At last, the food they had been given by the king was over. He had to go to forest to hunt and his wife also went to find some fruit.

The first day, he brought nothing back. His wife, in other hand, brought some wild apples which had strong sour flavor so they had to sleep with empty stomach.

The second day, Mai An Tiem brought some fish he had caught then he could fill their stomach with a little fish but they still slept in hunger.

The third day, Mai An Tien brought a big strange black bird. But,

“Ouch, its taste is terrible” said the son then they ate some apple and grapes the wife had brought.

Day by day, he went to forest deeper and deeper and his wife spent more and more time to wander around, found more fruit that could fill full their stomach

Days later, it became easier but they always felt hungry.

One day, when Mai An Tiem was hunting he saw birds which flew from the west, landed on the sand. When they saw him and his wife they yelled loudly, then dropped some seeds. He took the seeds and put them into the ground front their cave. Everyday, the son watered while he was hunting and the wife was picking. A short time later, plants grew up from ground, they spread widely around. They bore green fruit what needed one month to have sizes as a football. When the fruit were ripe their peels changed into little yellow. Mai An Tiem picked one fruit and cut it into two. It showed up red meat-fruit with black seeds inside its peel. He bit a piece.

“Wow, it is so sweet” he said.

They called them west- melons because it was taken by birds from the west. From that time, they tried to grow as much as they could. They planned to eat that fruit instead of rice.

One day, a lost fishing-boat went to the island. After helping them repair their boat, Mai An Tien gifted them some fruit. As they ate those fruit, they liked them very much and wanted to take them to their country. Therefore, they had a agreement that they would bring rice for Mai An Tiem and received fruit. Every week, the boat took rice to the island and brought fruit away that made their life became easier. They had rice to eat then had clothes, other seeds, chickens, pigs, knifes and all things they needed. Mai An Tiem now was siting by his wife and his son. He said: “The God didn’t leave us behind, he gift us a rare kind of fruit that saved our life. Thanks for God’s goodness.”

People who had eaten the fruits said that they had never seen a kind of fruit which was rare as the fruit. Many people talked that they would give as much as rice they could to get a melon. After three year, name of Mai An Tien spread widely. People called him father of melon.

About Hung Vuong, he always remembered his and had said his name twice front his servants. But whenever he said: “How is Mai An Tiem, now?” his servants always said: “Maybe, He died”

Hung Vuong did not believe. He forced a noble to come the island and brought food for them. A month later, he came back and brought many melons and said:

“This is present Mai An Tien give you, my Lord.” He said Hung Vuong all things Mai An Tiem had passed and his recent life. Mai An Tiem now had a luxurious building with dozen of maids, fields with full of melons and rice, so many pigs, chickens …

After hearing, Hung Vuong was surprised. He said:

”It can be true that things he had were result of good things he had done in his previous life”.

Then he forced his soldiers to bring them back to castle. He presented him two maids to console him. Of course, Mai An Tiem lived in people’s respect from that time until he died.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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