Posts - Stories in English en-us http://www.english.edu.vn N/A http://www.english.edu.vn kn@vikhoa.com 20 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/398/1/Being-a-mother/Page1.html Being a mother by Truong Thi Thanh Hien I was crossing the sea alone, writhing in pain so strong that I didn’t want to keep living. I seemed to be walking through a mist, doing my utmost to reach the place from where my mother was waving to me. I wanted to bury my face in her lap and sob like a child, so that I could forget all my physical and mental pain. Mother opened her arms wide to embrace me. I sobbed violently and woke up. But mother wasn’t there. There was only stepmother embracing me. I yelled: "What are you doing? How in hell do you dare embrace me?" hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/397/1/-A-new-season-of-wind/Page1.html  A new season of wind by Tran Minh Thuan The chilly drafts of wind swept over the riverside village of Cai Gia Tren, which was surrounded by cork oaks stretching as far as the eye could see. That morning, the wind had turned so cold that Mr Lanh had to put on thick clothes and a heavy scarf when he went out to fish. Hao, his daughter, teetered with two heavy baskets of sticky rice dangling from her shoulder pole, her teeth chattering. At 30, she remained single, bitter in her solitude. Often, she sang folksongs to conceal her sorrows. Her singing was so melodious that passers-by would stop to listen to "Miss Bach Thu Ha", as they nicknamed her, after the main character of a soap opera. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/396/1/Tuy-Hoa/Page1.html   Illustration by Dao Quoc Huy Tuy Hoa by Vu Thi Thanh The poor village lay between small sand dunes, very close to the estuary that fed into the sea. Sand dune after sand dune stretched up and down the edge of the beach. The sand made its way to the floor, even inside the room of the newly-married couple. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/395/1/The-victor/Page1.html   Illustration by Do Dung The victor by Ta Duy Anh During a trip to my native village to uncover my clan’s genealogy I was taken to a shrine dedicated to Lady Tran Thi Doan Trang. This small temple stood in the shadow of an age-old banyan tree by the river bank where most of us local kids used to come and play every day, rain or shine. When we were tired of frolicking, we hauled fresh, clean water from a nearby well. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/394/1/The-gift/Page1.html   Illustration by dao Quoc Huy The gift by Nguyen Huong I want to begin this story with a familiar phrase: "Once upon a time... " Once upon a time there was a very rich man whose great fortune came from a golden opportunity. Growing up in dire poverty, his only dream was a decent meal, but as luck would have it, he was taken in, raised and educated by a kind-hearted elderly man. When he had grown up this lucky man would recount this little-known story to his children and grandchildren, who would giggle and say that it was just an allegory told to teach ethical lessons. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/393/1/Is-that-true/Page1.html   Illustration by dao Quoc Huy Is that true? by Nguyen Minh Phuc When I was a little boy, my mother would often ask: "Is that true, son?". Whenever I told mother any stories of school, friends, teachers and fights against school mates and boys in my residential area, mother would take me in her lap and ask, tears streaming down her cheeks: "Is that true, dear?" hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/392/1/Missing-the-sea/Page1.html   Illustration by Do Dung Missing the sea by Huynh Viet Ha There was a woman who missed the sea badly even though she was now facing it. The reason: she was missing a man who was thought to have disappeared a long time ago, but in fact had just left. And their love affair, which was thought to have fallen into oblivion, was now still alive like tiny sparkles which would never go out. That was the story that Nhien was going to tell her mother this evening. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/391/1/A-companion-for-just-one-night/Page1.html   Illustration by dao Quoc Huy A companion for just one night by Phuong Trinh Linh herself onto the sofa. Her high-heeled shoes partly slipped off her feet and partly clung to her toes. One of her bag straps dangled loosely on her finger and the other hung free. Teardrops trickled down her cold face. Now at the age of thirty-one, she had just ended an eight-year relationship. This evening her boyfriend took a pretty young woman to her home to introduce his new girlfriend to her. "Linh, this is my girlfriend. We first became friends a long time ago," he said, smiling. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/390/1/The-way-home/Page1.html   Illustration by Do Dung The way home by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan The room I had rented was small, narrow and empty, like an image from a dream. Dirty. Lonely. When I wanted to go up to my "dream" on the fifth floor, I had to climb 120 steps and pass by a corridor full of children. They were naked, dirty, in need of good care. I saw my own childhood in them. I did not often see their parents, who would leave early in the morning and return late in the evening. The older children had to care for the younger. Joyful laughter would periodically erupt, as if the laughter was carrying in itself a storm that could break out at any time. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700 http://www.english.edu.vn/articles/389/1/The-oath-taken-beside-the-stone-hand/Page1.html   Illustration by do Dung The oath taken beside the stone hand by Vo Dieu Thanh Mieng gazed at the world map spread on the table, tracing the southern curve of the S-shaped coast with her forefinger. She did not believe that it really lay so far away from the land where she was living and working: Taiwan. In her mind’s eye, the image appeared of the stone hand at the edge of Da Bac Island, its five fingers pointed upwards as if a person attached making a solemn oath. She often thought of the first time her lover Thao had taken her to that place. hoangkimngan@gmail.com (EEV Admin) Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0700