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4. Three soldiers and devil


Somewhere in the world that based a country. The country had been covered by wars for many years. Men were forced to leave their homes to join the fights which seemed to have no end. Death, diseases and poverty covered on whole the country. Soldiers who had promised that they would be loyal to their king and fight for the benefit of their nation, now, felt very tired. Everyday, they were forced to rush in fights and looked their fellows die and be injured. Besides, money and food which were provided for soldiers were cut off each day. All the things made soldiers felt tired. Their trust with their king was shaken. Some of them drunk and fought with their fellows while the others found the way to escape. Those were there soldiers in a camp. They planed to escape that night.
“If we are caught, they will hang us”, said the first.
“So what do we should do?” asked the second.
“Do you see that field?” said the third, “we will stay in it. Soldiers are not allowed to step on fields and tomorrow others will move. We wait for them moving then leave.”
They made the way in field and stayed at there. But, not like what they expected, the others didn’t move they still camped around there. They had been waiting for two days and night. They all felt very hungry. They nearly died but they didn’t dare to move out because, if they moved, the death would be more horrible hundred times.
“We will die and our bodies will be rotten here”, said one of them.
They all sunk into hopelessness. And when the third day came, brought the sun to come and burn them at midday that made their hope completely vanished. While all of them believed that they would die there, a gigantic shadow laid on their head preventing them from the hot sun. The shadow belonged to a gigantic dragon. They looked up and see that. That’s a fire Dragon. The dragon was covered by red scales, had four legs with sharpen claws at the end. It had a long and strong tail with a fire at the end. The big head had horns in. The eyes were very terrible it looked like fires were in if you looked in the eyes. Sometime, smoke came out from its nostrils. It must be the most beautiful and awesome creature in the world.
The dragon stopped then landed on the field next to the soldiers.
“Why do you stay here poor creature?” asked the dragon showing them big teeth sharpen.
“We are soldiers and we are people escaping. We are waiting to die, maybe because of hunger or being caught by others”, said one of them.
“If you agree, I will save you all.” said the dragon, “And all things have their price, you all have to serve me seven years”.
“We agree. We have no choice other”, they said.
The dragon brought them flew up highly, away from others’s sight. When they flew far away where other soldiers camped, the dragon landed down. It gave each one a stick and said:
“There are magical sticks. The gifts I give you all” whispered the dragon, “They will help you all have as much as money you want. If you poke them on ground three times, money will automatically stay on your pockets. You will live with the gifts in seven years before I come back to you. That time your lives will belong to me.”
The dragon took out a notebook and asked them to sign in.
“I will bring to you a riddle”, said the dragon again, “If you can answer, you can escape from my power and you can be free.”
The dragon flew away.
The soldiers used sticks to have the lives they wanted. They bought houses, bought nice clothes and hired servants. They got travels to beautiful places in the world. With others they were rich and generous and their lives were full of happiness and peaceful.
Seven years were going passing, the date was coming. They all gathered. Two of them felt nervous while the other seemed to have no worry.
“It will not be a normal riddle”, said the first, “We signed our names in notebook of a devil.”
“It will suck our souls out”, said the second nervously.
“Don’t worry my friend. We are not idiots. We will answer the riddle”, said the third.
They walked to the field they meet the dragon. Two of them sadly sat on the road passing the field.
“Why do you look so sad?” asked an old lady passing them.
“Though you know it, you can’t help us”, said one of them.
 “Maybe, I can help you sons”, said the lady, “Believe in me and talk me what is bothering you.”
Then, they told her about the meeting of them with the dragon, their promise and their names were signed in the notebook.
“Our lives will belong to it if we can’t answer its riddle”, they said.
“If you all need help”, said she gently, “one of you must go in the forest at the end of this field. And the person must find the way to come a rocky mountain. There had a house was built inside the mountain. You must go in the house and you will have help”.
The first and the second had given up. They stayed still. They accept their lives would be disposed by other. While the third’s still full of hope. He immediately stood up, went straight to the forest. About half day later, he arrived to the house. There had an old woman. The woman had while hair and skin with a kind face. The woman was no one but the devil’s grandmother.
“How do you come here son”, she said gently.
“A lady lead me here grandma”, said the third politely.
“So what you know where here is?” she said, “There is my grandchild’s house and he’s a devil, servant of Death”.
“I don’t know grandma”, he said still politely, “But the woman who led me here said that I could find help at here”.
Then he told the woman about his trouble. The kind woman couldn’t refuse to help him she was too kind. She led him to the cellar.
“Stay inside, try to hear all saying”, she said, “When my grandchild come home, I will ask him about the riddle. What you have to do is listening carefully the answer.
“Remember not to do anything for him to discover you here”, she warned.
Midnight, the dragon flew back. As soon as it landed on ground, it transformed into a creature which looked little and weak. The creature was as high as a normal man. There were limp and bony arms and legs, long finger. He had a big head with enormous eyes which always dazed around. His bat-like ears something moved as like he was trying to hear something strange in the house.
“Today is not lucky day”, he said, “But I will have three in few days. They are soldiers”.
“Three soldiers”, said the woman pretending she felt surprised, “They are strong and brave. They are smart enough to escape from you”.
“I will get them”, he said proudly, “I will ask them questions they will not manage to answer.”
“What’re the questions”, she asked.
“I will give them a serving with a spoon and a goblet”, he said, “After they ate, I will ask each one a question. I will ask the first what the serving is made of and the second what the spoon is made of and the third what is the goblet is made of. Hahaha”, he laughed, “bet they will never know”.
“So what’re the things made of?” she said curiously.
“I got meat from a dead sea lion living in North Sea to cook the serving, take a rib of a whale to make the spoon and picked an old horseshoe to make that goblet”, he said.
The devil continued enjoyed his meal. After he went to bed, his grandma hurriedly went to the cellar opened its door to let the soldier out.
“Did you hear the sayings?” she asked.
“Yes, I did. Thank for your helping very much”, he said showing his deep gratefulness.
The soldier left the house right the night. He hurried to his friends and told them the devil and his riddles. After they all knew how to answer the riddle, they all turned happy and prepared for the meeting with the devil.
The devil brought his notebook to the meeting. His appeared in the ugly and weak creature the third had ever seen when he was in his house. He pointed at the signs.
“Those’re your names”, he said, “and which you all signed in is Deadnote. I will bring your souls to the hell now. But, before you come with me, I will give you a serving with necessary things to eat. If you find out what the things are made of, my power on you will vanish and you all free”. “Hope you all lucky”, laughed him then gave the soldiers their serving.
The soldiers happily enjoyed their serving, drank wine in goblet the devil gave them.
“A sea lion died in North Sea. The serving must be cooked by meat of it”, said the first.
The devil couldn’t prevent his anger his face turned red. He turned to the second.
“What about the spoon?” he asked.
“It is made of a rib of a whale”, said the second shortly.
Right the time he heard the answer, his face turned pale.
“How? How do they can?” he repeated three times.
At last, he turned to the third.
“Do you know what the goblet is made of?” he asked showing the expressive hoping he didn’t know.
“It’s made of an old horseshoe”, said the third.

“Ahhhhhhhhh” the devil screamed angrily. It changed into dragon and flew away. He now had no power on the soldiers’ names while they still owned the sticks he gave them. They could use the sticks all the ways they want while the devil was in somewhere doing his job trying to get some souls.

THE END
"Translater: Hung Nguyen"

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