Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
His brief biography: Nguyen Ngoc Loi
Date of birth: July 15, 1950. Homeland: Quynh Luu, Nghe An province. Published 6 collections of short stories and 2 novels.
Literary Award:
– 4th prize for short stories of Van Nghe newspaper in 2003
– Second prize (no first prize) short story about education in 2010
– Second prize (not first prize) novel about transport in 2013
– First prize for novel of Ho Xuan Huong Literature Prize for the period 2015-2020
– Second prize of the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Culture and Arts Associations
And some other local prizes
The old moon by Nguyen Ngoc Loi (Translated into English by Khanh Phuong)
Nong and I, along with more than 30 light wounded soldiers, arrived at the station when the sun was out. The forest was cool and airy in the afternoon. The contact station was busy, troops entering and leaving to rest. The hammocks were close together like butterflies scattered in clusters under the forest canopy.
The forest was so beautiful, bombs and bullets as if have never touched here, the super tall and rough wood trunks, the dense foliages were enough to cover the dense ground below of footsteps. The girls who raised the army, must be new, their skins and bodies are still firm, the pink lips making the forest more lively… Another unit joined the station, someone lowered their backpacks, another opened a water jug, someone pulled out a pipe. , there a man laying stretched out his arms and legs panting.
Everyone was already sitting and stretching, but Nong kept standing. Did not know what Nong was thinking. My battalion has seven, then five people went to nursing, I participated to the non-commissioned officer training course, Nong participated in a typical report at the decisive-victory congress of the military zone. Everyone relieved a sigh from the bombs and bullets… No one wanted to remember anything, just forgot it… But when I looked at Nong, I suddenly remembered the fire battle, the chains of huge explosions and the staggered bodies falling in the battle that day. Oh, the battle…
The team leader went somewhere for a while, then came back and urged everyone to go to the kitchen to eat. The dining room had a spacious thatched roof, the dining table was made of bamboo, and the chairs were freshly trunks. The soldiers was bustling around… Hot rice, canned meat soup cooked with sour leaves was very delicious. Nong got a few bows and then stood up. After eating, I went down to the kitchen to get water into the water jug, went up to the lagerstroemia calyculata, suddenly met Nong standing with a boy whose “milky face”. Nong’s face was pale and the other boy seemed just finished crying. He left hastily in a shrill whistle.
– What’s the matter, who just stood with Nong? I asked.
– Nguyet is dead! My brother just reported the news… Nong stammered, his eyes were completely wild. God… Is that true?
The team leader urged everybody to rest, tomorrow morning leaving early. The station staff only pointed a place near the edge of the forest. A cluster of like-castanea trees was airy and clean. A few tens of meters to the east was a gentle hilly area with grasslands interspersed among rhodomyrtus tomentosa. Nong was in a daze, his sorrow can be understandable.
That bad news was like a flood sweeping through Nong, like a thunder hitting making Nong dull and inanimate. The forest was already dim, the sound of birds nestling in the canopy of leaves sounded so sad… After setting up the hammock, hooking up the net, I helped Nong sit down. Nong dazedly looked at the rhodomyrtus tomentosa hill which was dark purple and gradually sinking into the night.
* Nong and I were in the same battalion without knowing it, because it was close to the battle then I was added. I did not know until the fighting example of “the hero to kill America – Tran Van Nong” was disseminated to the whole regiment. Meeting at the rear to go to the North together, the two of us rushed into each other: “Monkey boy, monkey boy …”. So glad…
The rear was quiet that night. At the distance, the south-eastern side flickered a few flares that were almost fallen, and the sound of airplanes was also very far. Nong dragged me into the cellar. I know it was hard to sleep early tonight.
As soon as laid my back, I told Nong: “Only you can fight the whole American company, you are really good”. “Stop, stop, don’t say it, it’s embarrassing…”. Nong recalled the battle. That day, Nong’s 2 company fought with four companies of US Marines…Nong said as if to say himself… “how many soldiers sacrificed but not me…”. “What do you say?” I stood up, surprised… In the dark, I couldn’t see his face clearly, only Nong’s eyes were like firing. There was a terrible torment in Nong. He talked about death as calmly as nothing, as if Nong was ready to die, fight to death…
There were 4 children in Nong’s family, two boys and two girls. The two boys were Nong and older brother Dong. Brother Dong did not know what kind of disease he had, but was so thin and pale, unable to do anything but study. The eldest sister got married in distance. The youngest sister was disability, her feet were turned upside down, she had to use hands to support the ground when moving. Nong’s house had three rooms with thatched roof, surrounded by bamboo and a taro garden. Nong’s mother worked all day, busy at the house and outside the field. Nong’s father worked as a barber.
An image of the thin old man, barefoot, old pants, worn-out shirt, from morning to noon, from noon to afternoon, sitting on a shabby canvas chair under the bamboo at the end of the alley, waiting patiently for customers that haunted me to torment. I brought that up to my mother. My mother sighed and said, “It’s a pity… In the past, their house was also quite good, with a tiled house, several acres of fields, enough trays of copper pots and pans… But turned out…” My mother sighed again: “the life nobody can guess… The rice fields, gardens, houses, trays… have all melted away, from where they have spare property to now become empty-handed..”
My house and Nong’s were only a distance of hibiscus tree, so in every freetime I rush ed over there. I was just at the beginning of the alley, Nong’s father called “son, you have a friend…”. His parents were happy to see my face. The joy of Nong’s parents was a bit strange, as if I was a small fire that I brought warmth to their cold house. I went to Nong’s house eating whatever they had, doing whatever they requested and did it together, a batch of roasted corn at night, boiled potatoes at noon…
How was the friendship of the poor so warm, so deep… One day, Nong asked “are you afraid of being implicated in making friend with me”. I said “there is nothing to fear!” Nong was still not happy, his face was still sad. I brought up the story that Nong was always sad to ask my father. My father said that “many things that you do not understand, when grow up, you will know… But making friend with him, just keep playing, but learning from his good things!
Knowing that my father said like that was meant to remind me because I did not study well. At that time, I knew that God gave good people to be good, like Nong. Moreover, Nong’s father was a teacher, and his family had a large bookshelf. Nong’s brother was also good at studying and had a good reputation… What about my family? My parents were illiterate, and her two sisters can only read and write.
Knowing that I could not study further, after the seventh grade, I stayed at home, happily working every day at a cooperative. And Nong, he finished high school and then went straight to the university. At that time, entering the university was not an exam, but only a review. It was said that when applying the document, people almost did not admit Nong because of a certain composition. Then we aparted for Nong to enter the university. At that time, American airplanes dropped bombs on the North.
Nong’s university evacuated more than a day’s walk from the village. So far away, but every Sunday, Nong comes back, sometimes borrowed a bicycle, or hitchhiked a car. Every time coming back, we all met each other. Nong talked less about studying, by the small bridge at the top of the village, the two of us only talked about slapping, catching crabs, fishing, stories in the village and outside the neighborhood… Then we sat still for a long time under the starry sky until late at night.
Then, Nong suddenly returned. That day was early afternoon, from the field carrying a plow to the beginning of the village, I met Nong carrying a wooden box and just got off the car (Nong hitchhiked a military vehicle). I asked why come back and brought the furniture..? “Back to join the army, I dropped out of the university!” Nong replied dryly. Looking at Nong’s cold face, I was a bit embarrassed. That night I went to Nong’s, the two of us went to the small bridge to sit as usual. Then Nong told me that he had a lover on the boarding house.
The romantic love story told by Nong fascinating but sad. In the dark Nong looked old, seemed to be frustrated with something very unpredictable… Why was that? Why did Nong drop out of studying midway? I was happy for Nong, thinking that in the future Nong would be a teacher, would be a white shirt, blue pants, carrying a briefcase every day, have fun with his students, the future would be opened… And I would be a happy farmer with plowing and harvesting…
So the war ruined everything. The war brought our identities back together. Because Nong had been gone for less than two months, I was on my way to join the army. Then we finally were on the same campaign, the same battalion.
* Did not know what time it was, it was so quiet. From the beginning of the day, Nong just laid still. I only heard the sound of steady breathing from there… I laid thinking and thinking, remembered Nong’s love story… Nong said that the Mathematics department was located in a mountain village. The village was remote, every house had a tea field, a jackfruit trees…
According to Nong described, it was a peaceful countryside, with vast rice fields, a trail running among the rhodomyrtus tomentosa hills with innocent and naughty village girls like Ms. Hoa and Ms. Lan .. in the story of Van Linh’s “Castanea Season”. The two of us had passed from hand to hand for reading. Went to school, the student’s rations usually only had a few stewed grain noodles or a piece of boiled noodles like a bicycle bell, so we were hungry all day.
Fortunately, thanks to the food that the villagers, sometimes the cassava tubers or potatoes, the pieces of jackfruit and pineapple pieces… That afternoon, studying at home, hungry, Nong put down the book and walked out into the yard, just reached the shore, the other side appeared a face with black eyes “brother… a brother… do you eat jackfruit, come here…”
So Nong came. Fortunately, he was so hungry that grimaced: “Parents… where are they?” Nong timidly asked… “Parents are in the field”… The girl answered calmly… “But why did you ask my parents?” .. “Then knowing”. “Know what to do?”. Just like that, this side asked the other side answered for a while, the two laughed… Nong tried to encourage “What’s your name?”. “What to ask for?”. “Ask to know!”. “Know why???” Then smiled again, eyes in eyes, glittering…
That was Nguyet, not a village girl, Nguyet come to stay and study in the tenth grade majoring in Math of the Province. It was rare for a girl to be good at Math. One day, Nguyet confidently looked directly into Nong’s eyes and said: “You can do math with me…we’re the same. You well educated and I’m sure you are good, I’ll “harass” you for it…”
Then Nguyet “disturbed” Nong really. A few days later, did not know where Nguyet brought back a math quiz. Still the afternoon was quiet, the cuckoo sound evoked a peaceful scene… At the beginning of the quiz, Nong knew that it was quite difficult. “Where do you find this difficult math?” People who specialized in math were different, curiously… But then Nong also solved the constan survey.
After drawing the heart-shaped graph, Nong looked up and saw a pinkish-white face with eyes filled with many things… Nguyet smiled. It turned out that Nguyet has already solved it or maybe someone has explained it. Seeing Nguyet smiled, he knew. Nguyet smiled, her cheeks flushed red and her black eyes sparkling. At that time, he did not think that Nguyet wanted to hint anything, but Nong only felt emotion in his heart. Another time, Nguyet also asked Nong to explain, also a the constan survey.
Reading the quiz, Nong asked: “Can’t Nguyet really solve it?”. “Real! I cannot solve, so I am asking you…”. “For this quiz … first we need to transform to bring the constant expression back to its simple form…”. Nong said honestly. “Do it by that.. don’t rush…”. Nguyet propped her chin in an absent-minded manner… Seeing that, Nong tried his hard best explaining. Whatever Nong said, Nguyet was also dazed. Nong drew a graph. Nong said:
– The result is a… moon… like a face…
Nguyet laughed.
– I don’t want my face to be round. I just want… to be just a piece of the early moon of the month…
– So wise… the early moon of the month is slim and cute… Nguyet is so smart… but at the early month, the moon is less bright and quickly sets down…
Nong meant to tease. Hearing that, Nguyet’s eyes lit up.
-But then there will be light on the other side..
“Brighter on the this side”, “Oh dear! Nguyet is so dreamy. Nguyet’s indifferent sentence is so haunting, why is it so unstable…”
According to Nong, Nguyet was very pretty, slim, with a black shirt, silk pants that fit her slim and elegant figure and thick black hair braided heavily, suggested a healthy and the innocence of puberty… Nguyet’s entire body was gentle and dignified charm. One day early on the edge of the hibiscus fence when it was just two of them, unable to control it, Nong blurted out: “Nguyet, I love you…Do you love me?”. “No!”. Mouth said no, but Nguyet stood close to Nong. Nong could hear both the throbbing heartbeat and the fragrant breath of Nguyet… Nguyet was very close, Nong felt as if he had the urge. Nong whispered: “Nguyet, give me…for me…”. “Don’t, don’t…”. Nguyet put her fingers on Nong’s mouth… “Don’t! … prefer to be like this…”
From that day on, sometimes Nong and Nguyet arranged to meet each other. The meeting place was a rock near the top of the hill behind the boarding house. Nguyet was very smart to find the place, the flat rock next to an old jackfruit tree in the middle of a tea garden with young buds, enough for the two of them to sit a few inches apart, not too far nor too close. Up to there the two of them quietly sat down. Just like that, sat still and let the sweetness spread in passion…
Once, when the two of them reached the place, the early moon of the month peeked out from the thin white clouds. Nguyet grabbed Nong’s shoulder and pointed: “Dear, the moon is so beautiful…”. “Yes, the moon is beautiful, the moon is always beautiful, but it’s about to go down!” After saying that, Nong knew that he could say a good sentence… Nong said that, but why did Nguyet remain silent, it was not like any day when Nguyet would say “then the moon will shine on the other side”. If Nguyet said so, Nong would say that he wouldn’t be able to see it anymore. Nguyet did not say anything. Her eyes were far away…
From that day, Nguyet often felt a little sad whenever they met. Nguyet smiled but sad, Nguyet said but also sad… Nguyet’s eyes were far … Nong asked why she wasn’t happy, Nguyet said she didn’t know that she was worried and scared… A day the two of them sat quietly and then suddenly Nguyet said “maybe I’ll have to drop out of studying…” Nong asked but Nguyet replied nothing. Something was making Nguyet worried and panic. Nong asked, Nguyet did not speak but only hugged Nong’s arm, the whole body shook slightly. And so on, until the dew came down and wet their heads and shoulders…
Nong was ordered to join the army three days later, that was the day he met Nong carrying the trunk. Then Nong went to the university to say goodbye to Nguyet. The last night in that village, also a moonlit night, just up to the place, Nguyet rushed to hug and rubbed her head on Nong’s chest, her body was shaking. Nong also trembled, suddenly realizing what Nguyet now felt and feared. She trembles:
“Dear, you…”. “don’t worry.. I’ll go, then I’ll come back …”. “I’m afraid that you will be died, the battlefield is like a bomb…” “I can’t die! You see, now anyone loving to be together under this circumstance?”.
The fourteenth lunar moon was about to be full and very bright, and Nguyet’s eyes shone with despair and pain. Nong joked: “Today I can see the beautiful moon before I go”. “But it’s only beautiful for a few more days… then will be off…”. “What did Nguyet say?” Nong panicked. “No! I’m not sad anymore, and you’re not sad either…”
* The first letter from Nguyet to Nong had only reached Nong recently. So the love letter and the miss that had to go round for nearly seven months. At this time, it was in Nong’s chest pocket, but Nguyet was not there… At afternoon, when he had not met his brother, when near to Ben Hai Nong river, he smiled and said that the trip back, Nguyet would be so happy…
It turned out that poetry had some good but also bad things… It seemed that I did not understand, Nong said “In Nguyet’s notebook at that time, there was a copy of the poem “Purple rhodomyrtus tomentosa” by poet Huu Loan… I said I knew that poem too. The poem had the sentence “Married during the war. A few can go back…”. “It turned out that way. But you are not dead… She’s happy”. Nong remained silent. I thought Nong was living in a scene where two people met again… Loving Nong, Nguyet was so sensitive. She was afraid that Nong would not return, Nguyet was afraid that Nong would be died…
The soft heart of the girl in Nguyet was trembled too soon. When leaving, Nong said he did not think about life and death. What a pity when the girl fell in love… Nong was determined, even if he died, he wouldn’t mind. But Nong did not die. Nong fought bravely, had achievements… But Nguyet died. That like-paiting village, the place where many memories of the two still hidden where Nguyet fallen… “Nong, I feel sorrow for you…” I silently cried out in the night.
– Nong… are you asleep?
Nong’s hammock still softly snored…So Nong was asleep. Hearing such terrible news, why didn’t Nong say anything, but now he can sleep. The pain and loss that came so suddenly made Nong’s heart frozen? He hasn’t opened his mouth since he got into the hammock. Looking at his pale face and gloomy eyes in the afternoon, I also felt cold…
At that time, Nong was asleep, that was good. Time would make Nong’s pain subsided. It was probably very late, and the thin and cold early moon had already set down. The mountains and forests were engulfed in misty night…
It was in a daze, heard a sound, I woke up, bewildered, grabbed the gun… Just then, was that Nong’s voice. Nong just said something… Nong just mentioned Nguyet. Looking at Nong’s hammock, there was no one left, only the thin blanket had been thrown off and the curtain had also been fallen aside, which was looming in the mist. Where was Nong, where was he going? Nong’s call was loud and clear, just recently…
The sky was without moon and starless, the night was opaque, and the thick fog made the things floating… Surrounded by only a blur mist, the hillside was dark. A faint light was in the distance… Where did Nong go? I put on my slippers and pulled the curtain down, then took my gun and walked out to the edge of the forest. A blurred figure in the middle of the rhodomyrtus tomentosa hill, must be Nong.
I hurriedly chased after, the grass under my feet was wet, the slippers were slippery…- Nong, Nong… I cried softly in my throat. It was dark, the road was not clear, I couldn’t walk fast, but Nong still walked like walking in the middle of the day. I groped my way to the looming shadow below. Until I reached the edge of the cluttered shallow slot with black rocks at the foot of the hill then I caught up. I grabbed Nong’s shoulder:
– Where are you going to?
– Nguyet is here! Nguyet in here! And the moon too, the moon is so bright…
Nong’s eyes kept looking at somewhere in the dark of the night, saying decisively, his voice was conscious:
– Nguyet called me out…
– Where is Nguyet? Where is moon? no moon tonight.
I was startled.
– The old moon…Nong raised his hand to point up to the sky…Can’t you see? Let me go. Nguyet is here…
Nong’s eyes were bright, his face was covered with a transparent layer of light, and his whole body was trembling…
I panicked, feeling that Nong’s soul was now far away from his body. Has Nong seen a moon from the other side or was there a full moon in Nong? The vast universe had no beginning, no end, why Nong can see the things that no one else can see.
Under the deep night sky, Nong and I, a real person and a dreamer, were sinking at the bottom of an ocean full of darkness, but each person’s visions were completely opposite. The night there was not airplane sounds, there was no explosion, it was as if the war had never happened to this land…I hugged Nong’s shoulders:
– Come back, it’s too late…
Nong turned his face, looked at me, bewildered eyes…
Until many years later, I still can’t forget Nong’s eyes that night, his eyes were like a strange light, it sparkled deeply, it trembled blankly, it had something not of human… At that time, I tried to help Nong go up. When we returned to the hammock, Nong was still convinced that he had just seen the moon. The moon was very full, very clear and very bright. And also Nguyet. Nong said that Nguyet had come here to find Nong, it was like stepping out from the moon…
I coaxed Nong for a long time until he got into the hammock. About ten minutes later, I heard a humming sound, not a cry, maybe the pain from the heart…
The next morning, Nong woke up quickly to fold the hammock with a calm face as if there was no event last night. Nong looked at me and said, his voice definitely didn’t come out anymore… Thought to hear wrong, I asked “what do you say?”
– I don’t come out anymore!
Nong repeated calmly. I still thought that Nong was joking. The two brought our backpacks to the meeting place met the brother, Nong stopped to say “remember to visit my parents”
Only that! After saying that, Nong aimed at the forest across the stream, where his brother’s unit was gathering to go in, walking hurrily.
* So only I followed the team back to the North. After completing the non-commissioned officer course, I was kept as a resour officer. It took almost a year before I had the opportunity to return to the village and go to Nong’s house.
Oh well, Nong died. Nong fell a few days after the two of us apart.
