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Nostalgia

LAM ANH November 26, 2024 11:09

The dry early winter sun takes me back to memories.

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Childhood in the fields

Mom called and said: "If you don't come back, let the children come back to me. As long as there are children in the house, I will know that I am alive." I was suddenly startled. It had been a long time since I had visited my mother. In a flash, it was already the end of the year. It was really unfair to my mother.

I arranged my work to bring the children back for a few days. In previous years, during the long holidays, I always let them come back so that they can smell the straw, know the banyan tree, and the river wharf of their hometown. My hometown is nestled behind the Thai Binh River dike. The villagers grow two rice crops a year and rely on the crops on the fields and the fields for the rest. The Thai Binh River silently nourishes the banks of my hometown day by day. Walking along the dike that leads me to my mother's hometown, I can still see in the distance the silhouettes of women and mothers planting corn and cutting grass, hidden in the fields. The dry early winter sun suddenly makes me miss my old days so much.

My hometown with the lowland sunlight is very special, it is not harsh but enough to scorch the hair of the buffalo herders. That is why all the children in my hometown have golden hair, we still like to call it the color of sunlight. So we all wandered bareheaded and barefooted across the fields and alluvial plains of our hometown.

The best part was the weekend afternoons when we didn’t have to go to school, we would sneak out of our mother’s way to the fields to catch fish. During this season, the water was low, and crabs and fish would hide in the ditches. We just had to stand on the bank and use a crab hook, or hold a basket and turn it upside down, and we could catch as many crabs and fish as we wanted.

When we felt like it, we would build a ditch to catch fish. Catching fish was not easy. To catch fish for the whole group to harvest a large batch, we had to survey the terrain first, and we also had to have some technique. The ditch chosen had water that was neither too deep nor too shallow, because if the water was too shallow, all the fish would have gone away, and if it was too deep, it would be very tiring to catch fish. The ditch had to have green moss, and there was a lot of grass on both sides of the bank, indicating that there were many marlin, perch, crucian carp, etc. staying there. The preparation work was considered complete. Early the next morning, we gathered under the banyan tree at the village entrance, some holding a bucket to catch water, some carrying baskets and baskets, and then we all went into battle. By noon, the water was low, allowing us to catch fish as much as we wanted.

The most memorable moment was when the fish smelled, the pungent smell of mud rushed up to our noses, everyone had mud splashed on their clothes, their faces were dirty, but our laughter echoed throughout the fields. Sometimes, we were so excited that we ran to the edge of the field to gather the dried straw from the sun and grilled the fish. At noon, when our stomachs were growling, smelling the strong aroma of fish mixed with the smell of straw burning in the yellow sunlight, looking at it made us want to grill a piece. Anyone who had ever eaten grilled fish like that, could never forget it. Although I have been to many places, eaten many delicacies, for me, grilled fish with straw right in the field is the best, nothing can compare.

Each season has its own food, when the rice harvest is over, birds from somewhere fly back to pick up the remaining rice that perches on the electric wires strung across the fields. The children in the neighborhood have a good time catching birds. What the hell, I am naturally gifted at catching birds, very good at it and always catch a lot. There are days when I catch so many that the family can’t eat them all, my mother even takes them to the market to sell. Every time she comes back from the market, my mother never forgets to buy me a gift.

Time flies so fast, my hometown is still peacefully behind the bamboo fence. This season, the alluvial fields are a deep green. The dike is still peaceful, but now I no longer see children flying kites or playing soccer on the dike. I suddenly feel a sense of regret rising in my heart. While lost in thought, I got out of the car and saw my mother waiting for me. Seeing her children and grandchildren, she smiled warmly. The children happily rushed into her arms. Stepping into the yard, scooping a ladle of cool well water and splashing it on my face, I felt a strange sense of comfort, listening to the sound of the winter wind blowing in the silence, my heart suddenly felt so peaceful. I just realized, my hometown always gives me a feeling of being comforted.

LAM ANH
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Nostalgia