Page 149 - Thorn In The Heart

Chinh Nguyên

the ground. Some kids ran without direction on the road, cried
and look for their parents.

Nguyen looked at them and thought of the situations of war
on his village two years ago. Suddenly, Nguyen had trembled
fearing to die. He took a quick look around him, made a decision
on his direction and left the main road. He ran as fast as he could
under the shadow of the bamboo bushes and trees without pay
attention to the refugee people. Nguyen hoped he might have a
chance to be back the Thanh-Lap village and away from the war
if he gets the North gate of Bai-Vang village. During the time
Nguyen was running on the paths, his mind always remembered
the words of his grandpa, when they ran out of the house toward
the paddy to escape the death in a moment:

“Nguyen, you must bend your back a little bit and run as fast
as you can toward the bamboo bush for hiding.”

“Listen to the howling sound of the cannon shells. If it did
not howl any more and has the sound of shh... shh... shh...in the
air. You must lay flat on your belly in quickly, your arms were
under your chest, and your hands over your head. Because it
may drop on your hiding place or close you of a short distance.”

“Do not close to the soldier of both sides. You will get shots
by either one.”

Nguyen stopped and hid behind the large foot tree when he
was a short distance from Bai-Vang’s North-west gate. He saw
few French militarist tanks on the paddy, and they had directed
their canons to the Eastern of Bai-Vang village. They fired the
canons at some bamboo bushes on the field to support their
friend troops moving into the Eastern of Bai-Vang village.

Nguyen Looked at the flowers on his hand with his emotion
grew in his soul, then left them on the corner of foot tree with
his tearful and thinking:

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