Page 143 - Thorn In The Heart
P. 143

Chinh Nguyên

                “Yes.

                “How far from Hanoi Capital to our village.”


                “About  25  kilometers  but  I  though  maximum  is  30
            kilometers.”


                “Mom. Did you take a bus to go back to the village?”

                “Yes. At bus-part Cong-Vong.”


                “Mother.  How  many  hours  is  from  here  to  our  village?”
            My-Thanh asked.


                “Half day, if nothing happens. Someday I must sleep in the
            bus at Van-Dien or Thuong-Tin bus park.”

                “Why? Mom, it is only 25 kilometers....!”  My-Thanh asked
            with her eyes opened wide.

                “Because  The  high  way  was  so  badly  plus  Vietminh
            destroyed  the  high  way.  Sometime  Vietminh  agents  used  the
            village people, forced them to made the large holes on the high
            way and lay the mines around those areas at midnight to disturb
            their enemy.”

                “Mom.  The traveler  will die  by the  mines!”    In the angry
            voice, Nguyen said.

                “Yes,  a  lot  of  people  had  to  die  in  this  situation,  since
            French or Vietnamese soldiers had patrol every early morning to
            clear and control the high way until late evening. If they saw the
            heaps of earth on the high way, they must

                careful to remove the mines and fill in the holes on the high
            way in the early morning before they open the high way for the
            buss and traveler.”



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