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3. Devil in vase

Once upon a time, there had a woodcutter who lived in a small village at the edge of a forest. He was a hard-working man working from the sunrise to sundown, but it didn’t bring to him much money. He had a son. He gave him much love and didn’t want he would have a life as a woodcutter.
“Son”, he said, “I have saved a little money. This is all my effort. My son, you take it, try to get a career. When I am old and can’t work, that’s the time you have to take care of me”.
The son took the money and set off. Firstly, he came to a school and stayed at there a time. He studied very hard and teachers were also satisfied about him. Later, he came to other schools to continue his studying but the money his father gave him had gone before he finished it. He was forced to come back home
vietnamese fairy tales
“I can’t give you any more”, said the woodcutter, “Prices are rising and I can’t buy anything more but bread”.
“Dad, don’t worry”, said the son, “I will manage”.
When the woodcutter prepared to go to forest, the son asked him to go with.
“Dad, I will go with you. I will help you”, said the son.
“Oh my son”, said the woodcutter, “This is a hard work. If you aren’t accustomed to it, you can’t do. Besides, I have only an ax”.
“We will borrow one from our neighbor”, said the son, “and when we have enough money, we will give it back and buy a new other”.
The woodcutter went to his neigbor’s home and borrowed an ax. The next early morning, he and his son went to forest together. The son happily helped his father. Though that was a hard work, he seemed not to feel tired. Instead, he felt happy. Then, the sun went on top.
“We will rest awhile, son”, said the woodcutter, “Come on and get your serving. We will back to work after resting”.
The son took his serving.
“Dad, I don’t feel tired. I will go around when you stay here”, said the son.
“You proud”, the woodcutter grumbled, “Then, you won’t force yourself to move. Come here and rest”.
Though, the son didn’t stay, he went. He went to deep forest with bread on his hand, happily. He saw an ancient oak. The oak had to have lived for hundreds of years. it had a gigantic trunk that six people couldn’t cover it by their arms. Huge branches and leaves left a gigantic shadow on ground. The son didn’t see the top of the oak it must be very high. He stopped at the oak.
“Must have many birds here”, he thought.
He planned to climb but he heard some whispering voices echoed to his ears.
“Help me! help me out here”
He stopped, looked around but he didn’t see anyone.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m here, under ground by the oak”, said the voice.
He spent time dug around the oak. At last, he found out a crystal vase which was put on a hole by the root. The held up the vase, let sunlight lighted it. There’s a frog which was jumping in it.
“Help me! Help me out the thing!” prayed the frog continuously.
He didn’t think much and immediately found the way to help the poor frog. He opened the stopper. A cloud of mist poured out from the vase. It spread out widen then gathered. The mist transformed into a jinee, a gigantic evil god. The jinee had a felon face with blood eyes, fierce red hair, upgrow eyebrow and thick curly beard. His body was as big as a tower and high as half the oak he was standing by.
“Do you know what you will get if you rescue me?” he said, laughing. His voices were like thunders.
“I don’t know”, replied the son. There had no fear in his voice.
“I will smash your head”, roared the jinee.
“Why did not say me?” said the son, “I would you stay still in the place.” “But, you can’t smash my head. This is not the thing you can manage.”
“I can’t manage. Why I can’t manage?” laughed the jinee cruelly, “That’s thing you thought. Do you know why I was locked in? Because, I am good, uhu?”, laughed again, “Idiot! I am not any good. I am Macgaya powerful and sinister. Staying in the vase is the punishment for me because of doing sinister things. I will break your neck, the neck of the person who rescues me that’s what I did say”.
“Don’t rush”, said the son gently, “I know a jinee never betrays his saying. But, aren’t you a jinee? I don’t know. Aren’t you did come out from the vase? I also don’t see it. You are a jinee or you are only a liar? Unless you can come back in the vase, I believe what you said is true then I will let you kill me without any complain”.
“It’s so easy” said the jinee arrogantly.
His body got smaller and smaller. At last, his body turned small enough to pass the mouth of vase. The son immediately got that chance putting the stopper on the vase. He brought the vase having the jinee in back to where it had stayed. He he turned back walking toward where his father was.
“Please, let me out. Please, help me”, screamed the jinee.
“No”, said the son shortly, “I will never do the stupid thing tiwce”.  
“Please, if you free me, I will help you be rich”, insisted the jinee.
“Don’t try to lie me”, said the son, “I know you will do as like the fist time I free you”.
“Don’t waste the chance”, insisted the jinee, “I promise I will never harm you any litter but to gift you wealthy”.
“It's worthy to risk” the son thought, “He maybe give me the wealthy or he also can do as the first time”.
He pulled the stopper out. The jinee got out. He turned bigger till he reached his gigantic size. The jinee bent down and give him a piece of silk. The silk had two colors on its two-sides. One was red and the other was yellow.
“If you use the red side rubs on injury, it will be cured immediately,” said the jinee, “and the yellow side will change any iron into silver if you rub on it.”
“I will try it”, said the son. He took the ax and did a big wound on a trunk nearly. He rubbed the red side on the wound and then after seconds, the wound closed and was cured as though it had never existed.
“You’re right”, said the son.
The jinee thanked the son for freeing him and the son thanked the jinee for the gift. After that, they parted. The son came back to his father.
“Where did you go?” asked his father angrily, “You did forget to work. I did say you couldn’t do this work”
“Dad, please, keep calm”, said the son, “I will work harder”.
“Harder”, roared his father angrier.
The son rubbed the ax he took by the silk. The iron ax was changed into silver ax at one. He raised the ax highly and chopped strongly on a trunk.
“Look! The blade ax is broken”, he said, “it’s too bad”.
“See what did you do?” screamed his father, “How can we have money to pay for it? That’s what you can help me son?”
“Not being too angry”, he said, “I will pay it”
“You pay?” roared his father angrily, “You have money? You don’t have any one coins but the money I give you. You don’t have any thing but the stupid head”.
Minutes later, while his father was working, he said:
“Stop working dad. We should take a rest.”
“What?” said his father, “You think I will give up as you. I have work and you, you can come home now”
“Dad, I can’t come back home. This’s the first time I come here”, he said.
His father stopped. They went home.
“Sell the ax”, said the father, “Then I will find some money to pay for our neigbor”.
The son brought the ax to a jewelery shop in city. The owner of that shop weighed his ax.
“I don’t have enough money here”, said the owner.
“How much do you have?” he said.
“Three fourths”, said the owner.
“Alright!” he said, “You can give me the rest later”.
The owner gave him much money. He took the money then went straight home.
“Dad, I have money. You go to our neighbor and ask him how much is his ax”, he said.
“I knew how much it is”, said his father, “six coins”.
“We should give him double of it”, he said, “I got a lot of money”. He showed his father the much money that his father had never seen in his life. “You will live in wealthy with this money”, he added.
“Alassss!” his father screamed, “How can you have it”.
He told him whole the thing. He gave his father almost of the money. He got a little from it, came back school. Years later, his name was spread out largely. He was known as a doctor who could cure every disease.

THE END

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1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore

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2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese

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