Co Duong

Once upon a time, the village under Hong linh mountain was place where fishers lived. They lived in fear that strong waves would bring them away. Then the unfortunate thing came, a storm had taken away many people and made many boats broken. Alive people had no choice but to become woodcutter. Every day, they went to mountain and collected fire-wood, brought to market to sell. The work was a hard work because they couldn’t climb up directly, the side of the mountain which was opposite their village was a cliff. Therefore, they had to cross other villages and found the way to climb. It, on other side, was too distant. They all hoped that they had a path to climb the mountain directly.

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A man who was over forty years old lived in the village. Others called him Co Duong because he always tried to help people as they came and asked his help though those were difficult works. He though that he had to go cross other village to climb to the mountain was unnecessary he used to climbed on the cliff to find the path to pass whenever he had spare time it but he couldn’t. He thought: “People can climb if they have a stair”. He came home and asked his wife about the idea. His wife talked him that was the craziest idea she had heard. Then he asked people for their help but all of them shook their heads.

“I can not. I have make money for my life first”, said each of then as he asked them.

“I make me crazy whenever I have to go cross villages to get fire-wood”, he said.

Five month had passed and collecting fire-wood had become main work of people living in the village. They were accustomed to the job but Co Duong. One day, Co Duong asked his wife:

“You will have to collect firewood alone and try to handle family’s problem. I will try my best to make a stair leading to the top of the moutain. I will start on tomorrow. When it was finished that is the time I, you and others have the easiest way to collect firewood”.

Though she knew her husband’s character she tried to prevent him: “Don’t do things which were beyond your ability. You are too old to do crazy things”.

But Co Duong appeased his wife:

“Don’t worry. The sea, though it is very large, was still crossed by human. The Giang man mountain, though it is very high, was still climbed by human. I can do that though I am alone. Please, wait for a while when it has been finished we and others can collect more firewood. Then we will have happier lives than now”.

“How long?”, asked his wife.

“I can not say any thing about that. If I can not finish it in first year I will continue doing and if I can not finish in the second year I will continue doing. Uhm, you know I will continue till it is complete”, he said.

Every day, he carried rice to the mountain and started doing. He dug, fell down tress and carried rock, tried to make a rock star. The work was very had but it couldn’t prevent him. The harder he met, the more engrossed he worked. Six months had passed he still didn’t stop. Every day, he went at the early morning and came back at the midnight. His wife, on the other side, couldn’t stand anymore. She sreamed:

“The god punishes you, does’t he? Why you have to do the thing and make I and our children are in poverty? You know when the path is complete, not only you but also others will go on the path. Now if you choice to continue you should not come back home”, said his wife.

He chose to appease his wife but the wife wanted to prevent. She said that she wold not serve him any more food.

Co Duong had never come back since the time. He made a hut near where he worked. Whenever he moved he carried the hut with him. God treated him not bad. When he felt hungry monkeys brought fruit to him. When he felt tired, bisons and deer came and helped him carry rocks. Birds sang around him and helped him forgot tiredness. Then, people living in village also came and helped him. They worked very hard. After five harvests, the path leading to the top of Hong linh mountain was complete. He had built a staircase on the deepest side of the mountain which helped people could go to top of Hong linh easily. They could go up and down the mountain few times per day and collected more fire-wood. People got easy live from the time.

Today, the staircase still exists which was in south of Hong linh mountain.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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