Page 43 - Thorn In The Heart

Chinh Nguyên

tried to run as more fast as to keep up with his grandpa's steps
and get in time the service.

The Catholic Church and a high bell tower adjoined its part
on the post front door. It built a long time ago by the red bricks
and coated by the mortar. Therefore the brick walls have been
changing its color, cracking on someplace, and its red-tiled roof
had few spots of green moss. On top of the high bell tower had a
cross with white paint coating, where the bird always stopped by
to sing, it had turned to gray and dirty by the time long.

The Church's landscape was beautiful with a small natural
lake on the right side and a short distance on the Church's front
yard. On the side nearby the Church, the lake's bank had twelve
wide red brick staircases, and its last step was in the water. The
people had used those staircases to go down the last step and
wash their hands, feet before they walk on the red brick
sidewalk to come into the Church. Around on the lake's bank
remains were the big longan trees, which the oldest generations
in the village had planned for the common profit for the village.
They continued passing over those common properties to the
next generations to take care of it. Therefore the longan trees
have been growing with the long life and became the big two
cycle rows with their shades have dropped on the surface of the
water and covered the bank.

At the Summertime, almost the oldest persons in the village
went to the lake's bank with the mats holding on their hands.
They spread out their mats on the bank nearby the water in the
shades of the longan trees, and lying down or sitting on the mat
to relax in the cool of water evaporation. Few of them were quiet
on their mat to watch the fish swimming in the water. Another
lay on the mat to pay attention to the birds, which stopped by on
the branch of longan trees and singing.

In usually, they felt a little tired at noon by the hot weather,
then they fell asleep with the light wind in the shades, and the
43