Long time ago, Nhi Khe was a wild area that trees and bushes grew very thick. This area had a large lake with a small island, Rua island, standing in middle of the lake. The island was filled full by seeds, hiding a monster in there. That was an ancient snake which had lived at there for one hundred years and only more short time it would change, being a powerful monster with many extraordinary magic that was known by the name Xa Tinh.
“Tomorrow, we will have days off to cut off seeds on the Rua island. You must be surprised that we will build a class on it”, said Nguyen cheerfully, “Wonderfull, isn’t it?”
The ancient snake could know that people were intending to destroy its house. It found the way to warn teacher Nguyen. While Nguyen was sleeping, it came.
“Man! Why you want to ruin my house? I have not harmed you a little but if you dare to touch on my home I’m not sure you will be safe in future”, said a strange woman disappearing at one.
Nguyen woke up when sun had risen. He spent much time thinking about his strange dream but he didn’t understand much. Later, he remembered that day was the day his students cleaned Rua island.
“It must be.” He thought, “A devil lives in Rua island and want me not to touch on the island”.
The thinking gave him a little trembling so he nearly stopped his students but later, he thought again: “It’s just a dream and dreams are vague” so that he ignored the dream. He made the way to Rua island to see his students working. They had cleaned a large area.
“Do you see something strange?” he asked.
“No. we don’t”, replied students.
“Let me know if you see”, he added.
That night, the snake came again. The teacher was sleeping, he saw a woman hold three children standing front his face. Her face had changed, turning gentler.
“Give me three days, please.” She begged, “When my children are old enough, I will go away”.
“All right, I will stop in few days”, he said, feeling pity.
He woke up at the next morning, still didn’t understand much so he walked to the place where students were working. When he just came, a student sprinted to him and said:
“Master, we had seen an ancient snake. We nearly did kill it but it escaped with a serious injury on its tail.” He said, “It left three little snakes on its hole and we had killed all”.
That moment, the teacher understood what his dreams meant.
“As the woman’s words, she need time for her children to grow up, but”, he chucked, “I’m late”.
The snake lost her children, had a serious injury so that she hated the teacher very much. She intended to revenge the teacher. One day, she sneaked in the roof of the building which had been built on Rua island. She planned to kill him by her venom while the teacher was reading. But, the teacher early realized her so that he screamed to call people’s helps. She scared, fastly escaped the place after left a drop of blood on his book. The drop sunk to the third paper that made him frightened.
“She will revenge. My grandchildren, my third generation will be the people she evenge on”, he sighed.
Few decades passed. After long time, the snake hid herself, waiting for her injury cured and becoming Xa Tinh, she transformed into a beautiful girl and found the way to meet her enemy. That time, the teacher and his sons and daughters had died he only had a grandchild who was Trai Nguyen. Trai Nguyen at the moment was a powerful mandarin who served the king in capital. One day, when Trai Nguyen was striding on street and felt curious as he saw a girl standing at the gate of citadel to read a notice. That was not normal because normal women weresn’t allowed to go to school in that time. Besides, the girl put in shabby clothes but her action and her sayings were gentle, not like person living in normal family. Trai Nguyen stopped he ordered his servant to go and bring the girl to him.
“What is your name? And why do you do this job?” said Trai Nguyen, looking at the girl who was a street seller.
“I’m Thi Lo. Because my parent died early, I had to this job to live”, she replied.
“How can you read?” he said.
“My father taught me when I was a child. He’s a teacher”, she said.
“All right, I will do a poem and you will let me see how much she can do”, he spoke,
“Street seller, where you come from?
Your goods’ ve gone or still not
How many springs you’ve counted
Have you ever married, how many your children”.
Immediately, he replied:
“I’m here, West lake.
My goods’ever gone or not, what do you ask for?
I’m just older than full moon a little
Have no husband so how I can have a child”.
Trai Nguyen was satisfied he gave her praises.
“I need someone who can help me in my job. Do you want to follow me?” he added.
She nodded her head at one so that she could stayed by Trai Nguyen and found chance to harm him. Trai Nguyen brought Thi Lo to his mansion and let her stay in there. The more days passed, the more love he gave her. Thi Lo was not only his wife but also his fellow who could understand him, do poems with him. Her beauty and talent made people in the mansion jealous but Thi Lo was very very clever she made all people satisfied. She served Trai Nguyen very well and helped him much in his job.
Only short time later, her name traveled through over the capital. The recent king was looking for a maid who read book for him. He heard about Thi Lo so that he forced Trai Nguyen to gift him the woman. Trai Nguyen had no choice but to send Thi Lo to his king.
Thi Lo served the young king very well that made the king not want to remove her. Besides, the king ordained her woman scholar. One day, the king’s mother had eyes sored. It was serious that all doctors serving royals couldn’t cure her.
“My father had taught healing. Let me try”, she said after hearing the king told about his joylessness. The king agreed and it was so amazing that Thi Lo only needed to lick on his mother’s eyes and she was cured without any medicine. The king gave her more love and trust since that time.
Other time, the king’s tongue was pained. He remembered to Thi Lo so that he called her to his room. Thought that was the best time to revenge, she asked the king to stick his tongue. When the king stuck his tongue, she bit him. The king immediately fell down on ground he died. Thi Lo and including Trai Nguyen and his family were prisoned. Thi Lo was brought away to execute without judging. When the executioner nearly executed her, she prayed him to let her bath she wanted to be clean before she died. The executioner agreed, led her to a river near there. She transformed into her original shape, a snake and disappeared. So, the executioner was caught and instead of Thi Lo, he had to die.
The murderer, Thi Lo, had escaped, all guilt poured on Trai Nguyen and his family. All of his relatives, old or young, men or women, were killed. Trai Nguyen and the executioner were executed by the cruelest way they were buried while they were alive. The executioner was executed first. He was threw in a deep hole then gently soldiers poured sands into the hole that made his body was stuck in sands, couldn’t move. Till sands were over his nose, his face went red, trying to moving but he couldn’t. He had to stand up pain till he died. His wife broke soldiers line, ran toward his husband. She cried loudly, and planned to follow her husband.
Trai Nguyen felt pity, he advised the woman.
“I have to die because of a woman and your husband, because of me, has to die. That is the fate. So, I want to give you something. Give me your palm”.
He spit out saliva on her palm. Suddenly, she felt trembling a little when the saliva dropped on her hand. Then, she was pregnant. After nine months and ten days, she gave birth to a pretty boy. She named him Anh Vu. She thought he was Trai Nguyen’s son so that though her last name was Pham, she gave the last name of Trai Nguyen. Anh Vu grew up healthy and smartly. When he was twenty years old, the recent king cleaned his father’s name, Trai Nguyen. All his assets were allowed to return his relatives but how it could happen as all his relatives people knew had died.
The widow brought Anh Vu to castle and told the king and all his servant about her strange story from the time Trai Nguyen spitted out to her hand to the moment. The king spent short time thinking then he judged: “This boy is Trai Nguyen’s son”. Of course, people could realize that Anh Vu looked like Trai Nguyen when he was young. Immediately, Anh Vu was known as Trai Nguyen’s son, he was ordained to be a mandarin. The king was a person who respected Trai Nguyen very much. Therefore, all his love he had given Trai Nguyen, now gave to Anh Vu. Years passed, Anh Vu stepped on the top of fame ladder. Because of his talent, the king sent him to China. He, his servants and soldiers set off on a ship.
Xa Tinh seemed to have a peace life she traveled to anywhere but recently, she heard that one of Trai Nguyen’s offspring still alive. She turned angry and hurriedly found the way to see Anh Vu. She chased after the ship Anh Vu was on. The ship was on haft of its way, waves turned madly after them. The head of Xa Tinh emerged from water and squeaked his name, Anh Vu. People on the ship could see her tail which was as big as a mast. Their face turned white because of scare. The ship followed waves moving madly and intended to sink in water. Anh Vu knew that she went to kill him so he cried:
“Please, let me finish the duty the king gives me. When I come back, I will give you myself”.
The river turned gentle and Xa Tinh disappeared after that.
Few months later, Anh Vu and others came back. When they were half of their way, she appeared and called his name. Anh Vu took a sharpen knife, jumped into water after he told others something.
“I have to revenge for my father”, he screamed.
Tears dropped down from people’s eyes. They looked toward him. Later, they saw blood spread on water surface. The young mandarin didn’t come back.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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Tale 148: Snake revenge
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