A boy, named Tu Thuc, lived in Tran dynasty. He was offspring of a mandarin and was taught carefully. When he was 20 years old, he got passed all contests the king organized. So, he was appointed to be district mandarin. Not like other mandarins he liked freedom, hated rules. He also didn’t like to swarm others. He liked to drink, do poetry and go sightseeing.
A large temple stood in the area he managed. Peonies were grown in temple’s garden and they bloomed in every January that was also the time the temple had a Buddhist festival. Many people from anywhere gathered at there as the festival started.
Tu Thuc had heard about the festival and wanted to go to there one time. He put on normal clothes that helped him not to be realized by others. He went alone to the temple. That time, Buddhism was national religion of the country so monks were people who had high positions. Monks set a rule that anyone who picked up flowers or broke boughs would be paid for that and if they had no money they had to work in temple till they had paid. The rule was set and none dared to protest.
That day, a girl went to temple participated in festival. She didn’t know about that rule so he picked up a flower in private because the flowers were so beautiful. Monks saw that they immediately caught her and asked her for money. The girl said that she didn’t bring money and only came to see but monks didn’t let her go they tied her and scolded her front others. They forced her to send her family a letter telling them bringing money to there.
Tu Thuc went cross the place while people were gathering at place. He felt angry when a girl was offensed front others. He made his way to monks and requested them to untie the girl but they didn’t they scolded at him:
“If you don’t have enough money, you will never touch on this girl”.
Tu Thuc turned very angry he planned to punish them by his position but he stopped because he didn’t want to make things loudly. The immediately took off his shirt threw toward them. Monks grabbed the shirt then they released the girl. The girl approach Tu Thuc and thanked him.
“Where do you live? Your voice is not like others living in this area”, asked Tu Thuc after he heard her pretty voice.
“I lived in Chau Ai district, Tong Son province”, said the girl.
The place was also where Tu Thuc was born and grew up that made him felt familiar with the girl. They had a conversation while they were waking out the temple. Before they separated, she invited him to her home whenever he could.
Because he was not accustomed to coercion farmers, he used to be blamed by higher mandarins. One time, a higher mandarin scolded him bad words because he collected taxes less than what he had to collected.
“I can not stand it anymore”, he thought then took off his mandarin clothes, hat and seal. He hung them front his office then set off. He went toward his hometown, met his parent and neighbors. Stayed at home few days, he remembered to the girl who he had met in festival. Therefore, he set off went to Tong Son district. He found the way to stepped on almost whole Tong Son area but couldn’t meet the girl. But, he didn’t give up.
One day, he climbed up to the highest mountain standing next to sea and saw an island which looked like a lotus flower. He seemed to be seduced by the beautiful island found the way to have a boat and row toward it. When he arrived to the island he saw a cave on cliffs facing the sea. He landed on island found the way to go in the cave. It was darker and darker as he steeped more deeply. Later, it turned dark no light could go in the cave more but Tu Thuc still went in he groped and steeped carefully. Minutes later, after passing the dark path with full of rock, he got light again. Where he was standing at that time was a large area which hid itself after cliffs. The place seemed to be a wonderland that which was filled full by flowers, many kinds of flower, grass, butterflies, yes, many kinds of butterfly in many sizes and bee course, many kinds of bee. The sight front his eyes couldn’t only expressed in one word, wonderful. But, there were not all that had a high steep mountain stood in the middle of the area that looked as the place to hide something from curious eyes. He couldn’t force himself not to climb the mountain. After hours climbing, he got on the top of the mountain and immediately felt surprised as what was front his eyes, now, was magnificent castle. One more time being surprised as two little girls who was in blue clothes appeared front his face.
“Welcome, groom”, said one of them.
Though he felt strange with things and people here, he still followed the girls went toward the castle on the road which was full of flowers and grass aside. Just passed the gate went in a hall, he met a royal woman who approached to welcome him.
“This is the sixth cave in 36 caves of wonderland. I am the person who manages this castle. Do you like this place?”, said the woman.
Tu Thuc nodded lightly.
“I want you to meet a person”, added the woman then hinted others to call the person. Later, a beautiful fairy went in the hall. She looked at and smiled with him. That fairy was not anyone but the girl he was looking for.
“I have found you for long time but I have never thought that I can meet you at place like here”, he said happily.
“She is Giang Huong who you have saved. Though you just met her one time, you seem to be a faithful spending your time and effort finding her till here. That is the fate. So, what do you want to marry with her”, said the woman.
It seemed nothing could make him happier Tu Thuc nodded. That night, a wedding was organized with participation of fairies in wonderland. Tu Thuc and Giang Huong to be a couple. And course, Tu Thuc was allowed to live in wonderland. Thought that the life with a beautiful wife, in beautiful place, walking to anywhere in wonderland, joining in royal parties would make him happy in the rest of his life but he felt that he lacked of something. One day, he talked to his wife in honest:
“Honey, I have left my home for long time. Now, I very miss my parent and friends. So, you know, I want to meet them”.
He looked at his wife and felt she was hesitant. He added:
“Only one time. I swear that is the last time I leave to meet them”.
Giang Huong advised her husband to give up because wonderland and people’s land were two different lands that people couldn’t go cross them. But, that couldn’t help him not to miss his parent. The more Giang Huong advised him, the more he felt missing home. He turned weaker each passing day. At last, Giang Huong had to say his mother about that.
“I have never thought that he have much love with his family”, said his mother then asked servants to bring him to his home one horse wagon running on cloud. Just few seconds, he realized he was standing in his hometown. The horse wagon landed on the river shore where he used to swim when he was child but things seemed to change a lot. House, people and others were too different with his memory. He asked people and they said him the name of village and that was exactly the village he was born but when he asked them about his family, all of them didn’t know who they were. At last, he asked old person about him. One thought a little then replied him:
“When I was a child, I heard my grandpa said that my ancestor who had been a mandarin lost in his travel as he went in a cave. My ancestor had same name with the person who you want to meet but that has been 300 years since the time he lived”.
Now, Tu Thuc understood what his wife said. He stood seeing the tree he had grown when he was child it had been an ancient tree. He shuffled to the place the horse wagon landed but it disappeared. Felt sorrow, he one more time found the way to the island which led to wonderland but the cover filled and he couldn’t find the way leading to wonderland. Tu Thuc continued going. None knew where he went and he had met again his wife or had not that is a secret. Today, the cave where found the way to wonderland is called Tu Thuc cave.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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