Once upon a time, in a village nearby forest where a little girl living with her family, father, mother and sister. Though she was only little girl, she had a big heart. She was very kind loving everyone. Even three stone statues of Kitchen God she also spent them her kindness. The stone statues were set in kitchen next to fireplace and always were heated by fire that made her felt pity. One day, that was the hottest day in summer, she that time was a five-year-old girl taking a jug of water and poured on the statues. Steam rose and the God of kitchen appeared.
“Oh my little girl! I know you love me and don’t want I am heated. Yes, I know but the more I am heated the more I feel satisfied”, said the God of kitchen.
Since that time she hadn't poured water on the statues but God of kitchen sometime appeared to converse with her and her old sister.
“Do you like anything else but fire?”, she asked in a time they met.
“Of course, I want a carp. Tet holiday is going to come and I want a carp which I will mount on and fly back the heaven”.
She and her sister go fishing. They caught a carp and brought it back home. They put it next to fireplace and said:
“God of kitchen! This is carp we gift you”.
Suddenly, the carp disappeared front of their eyes. The night God of kitchen had to go back heaven he showed up mounting on the carp. He left their house, flew up heaven.
Her father was a great hunter who protected their village from beasts. He used to say that:
“I will hunt until all beasts are killed”
He didn’t want his children to be a hunter as him because they all were women but she, the little girl, liked to be a hunter as her father. When she was 9 years old, she asked her father to go with him to forest to hunt. Her mother and her sister were very worry they didn’t want her to go because there place was very dangerous.
“Don’t worry mom, sister. I can’t kill beasts by one hit as father but I can kill them by three, five or more hits”.
Then, she followed her father going to forest. The first time hunting, she caught a big boar.
Then, a flesh-eating monster suddenly appeared in there area. It had leopard body with a human head. Everyone turned nervous. Honestly, they scared because the monster liked to kill and eat human beings especially children. Her father brought her to forest to find and kill the monster. Her mother and her sister stopped them but they couldn’t.
“Don’t worry. I bright her with me just to let her see how I kill the monster. She will be in safe”, said her father.
She and her father went. Few days later, the monster was killed. She and her father came back. People were happy they held a party to celebrate. She put a carp next to fireplace and said:
“God of kitchen, I gift you this carp”.
As soon as the God of kitchen appeared and said thank you. They had a conversation.
“Do you scare when you had to face to the monster?”asked the God of kitchen.
“No, I don’t”, she said clearly, “I’d like fighting to it with my father but he don’t let me do that. Just seeing”.
Years later, her father got ill. She, her sister and mother took care of him wholeheartedly. Her father got passed but his health was not strong as before. Then, another monster appeared. It’s a python with a human head, a flesh-eating monster. People, one more time, came and asked their help. Her father looked at her and said:
“Are you willing to help them?”
“Yes, I am”, she said.
“I will go with you”, said her father, “But, this time I am only a helper and the person who fight to the monster is you”.
Her mother and her sister were very worry much more than the first time she went with her father.
“Honey! It’s so far from our house to the place where the monster is. The monster is so ferocious while our daughter is only 14 years old. I’m scared, really scared honey”, said her mother.
“Dad! Dad and sister, you all refuse it. I want all you in safe”, said her sister.
“Mom and sister. Don’t worry”, said her, “Though I’m very young but I’m sure that I can kill the monster. I’ll back”.
Her mother and sister knew that they couldn’t prevent them. At last, they were people who arranged all things for their trip. Tet holiday was coming and her mother had sewed a suit for her. The suit was not dyed. Her mother wanted her to wear the new suit before she left.
“What color do you want?” asked her mother.
“I like yellow, the color of sunsight”, she said, looking out window.
Then, her mother dyed her suit in yellow. The day, they set off, she wore on that suit. She looked strong and happy.
“After the monster is killed, I will come back wearing in this suit and you all, my mother, my sister and everyone can realize me”, she said happily.
Before she go, she went to statue of Kitchen God and said:
“I will tell you about the fighting after I come back”.
“Goodluck! I’ll wait”, replied God of kitchen as he appeared.
One month that’s the time she and her father had to spend to go where the monster was. They rested for few days before they found it. She and her father fought to it two days but they couldn’t kill it while her father turned weaker and weaker.
“Dad! You should take a rest. Tomorrow, I will fight to it. I have an idea. I will use knives and pinned its tail and its body to ancient trees. When it can not move, we will chop its head”, she said.
“Good idea but it’s so dangerous”, said her father.
“Trust me”, she said, glancing at him.
Her father nodded he believed in her.
“Be careful”, he said.
The next day, the fight to the monster by the way they had planned. They chopped head of the monster but before it dead it swung its tail and its body and got them out of the trees then wrapped around her and tightened. All her bones were broken her body turned soft. She fell down when the headless monster released her. Her father dropped his sword something inside him was broken. He ran. Exactly, he sprinted to her with tears dropping out from his eyes. Everyone who followed them also sprinted to her. Her father kneeled he hugged her and broke into sobs. She had died. Everyone felt sad they stood around her and her father. Long time later, people brought her body to go and bury. They built a temple and worshiped her. But her soul still existed she prayed the Mountain God where she was buried to change her soul into a bird, a yellow bird that people had never seen. The bird flew toward her house to meet God of kitchen.
“I died while I was fighting to the monster God of kichent”, she said, “My mother and sister will be sad, very sad and they will not want to live. Please! When you come back heaven, please pray King of god to revive me”.
God of kitchen promised. The yellow bird flew down place where her mother and sister were sitting it sang for a while before it flew up and disappeared. That time was also the time her mother was known that her daughter had died. She fainted lying on ground next to fireplace. God of kitchen appeared he touched on her forehead by warm hands and then she woke up.
“Don’t worry!”, said God of kitchen, “Tonight, I’ll back heaven and I will pray my king to let her revive”.
Her mother and her sister immediately kneeled. They thanked him. That night God of kitchen came back heaven and seven days later, he turned back their house.
“King of God really wanted to revive her but she has died for a long time. Therefore, he can help her to live 9 days each year”, said God of kitchen.
Though it’s not thing they expected, they still felt happy.
“When does she revive?” said her mother.
“Whenever you want, King of God will revive her”, said God of kitchen.
“How about tonight? We want to see her now”, said her mother.
“Tonight is too early”, said God of kitchen, “But next night she can revive”.
“Yes, next night. Please revive her next night”,said her mother.
That night, her mother and sister stayed up waiting for her. And whole the next day, they also didn’t do anything just waiting for her. It seemed a long time to midnight. They waited for night then for midnight. At last, they heard someone calling outside.
“Mom! Sister! I’ll back.”
Her mother and sister broke out and it’s their girl. The girl in yellow suit they could see clearly that yellow suit which shone as sun lights. They ran toward the others and hugged tightly. Happy tears dropped down from their eyes.
Her father was on the way back to home. He wondered how to talk his wife and daughter that made their relieved but when he came back what he saw was his little girl was sleeping by her sister and mother. He didn’t believe in his eyes so he rubbed his eyes and saw again. That’s real his little daughter was there. Immediately, he approached then hugged her, his little daughter, not noticing tears dropping from his eyes.
She stayed with her family 9 days. The time coincided with Tet holiday. In 9 days, she helped her mother all homework but people didn’t want her to work much they want her to have time to play and relax. The 9th day, the day she had to go, she hugged her family tightly and didn’t want to part. They kept hugging until she turned faded and disappeared. All people felt sad but they knew that the next Tet holiday they would meet her so decided to turn back work and wait. Of course, the next Tet holiday she came back and the next years she also came back. The strange story about her was spread out going to the village where she fought to python monster. People living in the village found the way to her house and invited her family to come and live in their village that they could meet her each year and her family agreed. They moved to the place. She still came back each year till her mother, father and sister died. She didn’t come back. She changed into a tree which stood by her temple. Almost time in year, the tree only had leaves but when Tet holiday came there had many yellow blossoms on its branches which were brilliant. After 9 days, the blossoms withered as like the thing she had to go after 9 days staying with her family. And tree had the name that was apricot tree.
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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