Thai Huynh

The Red Silk-Cotton Tree

The land where the young lady once lived was next to a river. Like thousands of other Vietnamese rivers, it had two seasons. When the weather was colder and, the sky turned pale, the water silted up and was covered in an opaque red film. When the sun returned, the ground turned piping hot with pollen in the air, and the river became as lucid and green as ancient translucent jade. The other side of the river was where the young lady attended school. An old bamboo bridge was across the river. The bridge was only big enough for a motorbike to pass through at a time. When the girl was ten, a storm destroyed the bridge into pieces. The villagers had to evacuate to the higher hills and mountain jungles for refuge. Later, three new ferry stations were built along the riverbanks for transportation to the city.