DEEP FOREST ELF

Just like other times, my grandmother always affirmed that this story was true. On a recent trip back to my hometown, I tried to ask my relatives near home. And it was surprising when they all confirmed that what my grandmother told me was true. Although there are many different versions, the main character is the same old woman. She is very old, lived so long that she turned into an ogre. A goblin that eats people.

cannibal goblins

The Vietnam War, which our country's history calls the Resistance War against America to save the country (1955 - 1975) was the second and most fierce phase of the Indochina war (1945 - 1979). The two sides of the war included the Republic of Vietnam in the south and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north. However, participating directly in the war were other allies of the Republic of Vietnam such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. In contrast, the north received strong aid from the Socialist bloc countries, especially the Soviet Union and China.

During the Tet Offensive in 1968, the liberation army launched a general offensive and uprising throughout the south, attacking most cities, towns and US military bases. Then, in the spring-summer campaign of 1972, the liberation army continuously broke through three important defense lines of Tri Thien, the northern Central Highlands and the southeastern region. The 1973 Paris Agreement was the agreement to end the war. With the departure of the US expeditionary force, the outcome of the Vietnam War was clear.

During that period, my maternal family lived in Nhut Ninh area, Long An province. Since the time of my great-grandfather and nun, the whole family has been farming, and my grandfather was a driver, driving in the Ba Ria and Vung Tau areas. But due to his worrying nature and lack of courage, he often changed places of residence and occupations. Most of the reason is to stay away from combat zones.

As a driver, you should know a lot of people and get news faster than others. Whenever my grandfather heard there was a fight somewhere, he would take his wife and children and hide. But everywhere there were Republican soldiers, everywhere there were liberation troops. In the morning he could drive a vehicle to transport people from the country, and at night give the liberation army a ride. Even rice and blankets he did not hesitate to give away. In short, he was a person who lived well with all parties.

grandfather

In the seventies, the southern battlefield was at its fiercest. My grandfather left the city and took the whole family all the way down to Soc Trang. Here he worked as a boat transporter with his friends. My grandmother, along with my mother and aunts, built a house in Bo Xan, about ten kilometers from Nga Nam. Hearing the news that Saigon had been liberated, my grandfather chased the whole family and ran to the area next to the Temple. Although he was just an honest person, my grandfather had little courage. I heard people say that the liberation army will come in and force people to go to the new economic zone.

"If you go to the new economy, you'll end up in dry fields with burned grass, and you won't even have dry banana leaves to eat." It was because of hearing such cruel rumors that my grandfather had the intention to "get ahead of the project", running into a remote area, hoping to find a good piece of land to reclaim.

My mother and aunts cried like rain, they had only lived in the city before, and knew nothing about farming or farming. However, even though my grandfather was shy, he still had an extremely patriarchal personality. Once he made a decision, the whole family had to remove the leaves.

Marry your child to the land next to the Temple.

Mosquitoes cry like flutes, and leeches float like soup cakes.

Listening to that song is still not as scary as experiencing it in real life. My mother said this area was like a forest, like the end of the world. "The land is large and sparsely populated, demons are rampant. Each house is separated by a howl." But how far the howl in the vast forest of water must echo. Such a unique distance measurement unit is unlikely to be found anywhere else.

The second impression is that this country does not seem to be a deep, unexplored wild forest. Hundreds of acres of land have been plowed and plowed into rows that stretch for a kilometer. No human or machine power at that time was capable of creating such a magnificent project. Hearing about this story, I suddenly remembered the mysterious circles that had appeared in the UK, America or Africa... Could those be mysterious traces left by UFOs in Vietnam?

The new answer really confused me. All the people in the Temple area firmly believe that this is a trace left by King Gia Long's army. It is said that in the past, this king fled here, the name Next to the Temple also refers to the land next to the king's temple. My uncle added that after liberation, someone dug gold near where my maternal family lived. It was a princess tiara of some sort, and was immediately sold. In short, there is no way to investigate. If this really happened, Nen Temple would surely have been classified as a national monument.

But within the scope of the story, I would not argue about the "truth" of the rumors. If it were possible to find out the truth of everything, then what would be the mysterious charm of ghost stories?

In short, Next to the Temple in my story is a sacred forest with poisonous water and raging demons. When it comes to the devil's behavior, everyone in my family can tell a few stories that they have personally experienced.

Wild places, sacred forests, poisonous waters, and demons

My uncle, when he was young, was also one of the bravest and most famous athletes in the neighborhood. Living next to the Temple, people go home at five o'clock, and at six o'clock they retreat to prepare for bed, but he still often hangs out at the neighbor's house drinking. Speaking of neighbors, the two houses are actually a few kilometers apart. If one family shouts hoarsely about something, the other family can hear it.

Returning home drunk, my uncle saw from afar a figure walking by the field. There aren't many people living in the same area, so everyone knows each other. My uncle intended to come closer and say hello, but the other person kept walking in front and wouldn't stop even if he called. I don't know if it was because of the alcohol or his curiosity, but my uncle resolutely chased after him.

From walking quickly to running, he still couldn't catch up with the person walking leisurely in front of him. Angry, he used his sandal to hit someone. The person walking in front stopped, my uncle happily ran closer to see who it was.

As a result, the next day, my family found him hidden on a tree branch, his mouth stuffed with clay and unable to speak. By the time we brought him to the ground and pulled all the clay out of his mouth, he was still dazed and unconscious. In the next few days, he could gradually talk, but no matter how he asked, he could only remember the part about using sandals to fight people...

My little boy's story is not that thrilling. My uncle was only a dozen years old at that time, obedient and gentle, and never teased anyone. Only one night my uncle and his grandmother went to tattoo fish when they suddenly encountered a large group of shrimp. The shrimp jumps to look at the wolf in the mud. Just raise your hand and you can catch a few. The mother and daughter happily filled the basket and then ran home to get more things to put away.

Who would have thought that when I poured the shrimp into the bowl, all I saw was thick black mud dripping down. I couldn't even find a shrimp's whiskers, let alone a shrimp. Only then can we see how much demons roam around and tease people.

Demons are rampant

My mother's story is just one day when it rained heavily. My grandmother and my brothers were still out in the fields and hadn't returned yet. Only my mother and aunt looked after the house. It was only around noon, although the clouds covered it up, it could still be counted as morning. My mother saw someone standing outside the window and kindly opened the door to let them in to take shelter from the rain.

Who would have thought that the yard was completely empty and there were no people left. In just such a split second, wanting to run out of the yard and hide into the trees is not an easy task. I'm afraid it's another mischief by the monsters.

Another story told by my aunt. Luckily, there was a death anniversary that day, so my grandfather prepared a whole pig to treat the neighbors. Pork can be used to make many dishes, the pig's head can be used to cook a huge pot of porridge. Unexpectedly, my aunt just turned her back to chop onions for a bit, and when she returned, the pot of porridge had a terrible rancid smell. The fire was still in the oven , the porridge was still boiling, but it was as if it had been left there for three or four days.

Having lived in Beside Temple for less than two years, my maternal family left the country again. When I saw my mother's whole family living with the devil for nearly two years, I was extremely impressed. But the truth is that petty harassment like the one mentioned above is nothing compared to the story I'm about to tell. It was because of the cannibal goblin that my grandfather was determined to return to Long An. It's better to be forced into a new economy than to be eaten by demons.

It's really not natural that my grandfather chose the land next to the Temple to come to. because my mother's relatives have a ten-year-old uncle who came to live here before. Remembering that my uncle's family had several children who all participated in the rally, my grandfather believed that living here would be extremely safe. My 10th uncle had a vast land and the house was sparse, so when my grandfather and grandmother came to live, they were very happy and immediately divided a few acres of land for us to work on.

People in the countryside are kind and gentle in nature, and have the habit of living in groups. The entire area is filled with relatives of the same family. Even though many generations have passed, our relationships have become less frequent, but we still recognize our relatives.

At that time, a few "screams" away from my grandmother's house was my seventh aunt's family. This aunt was only a few years older than my grandmother, who at that time was just over thirty. They were considered sisters, but their roles were very different. My seventh uncle is a little older than my grandfather. Living with my family, I have my grandmother-in-law.

My grandmother told me that this husband's grandmother is very old. Her gray hair only had a few thin strands left, her whole body was hunched over, her appearance was just that of a child. Wrinkled skin has skin diseases like mold. She also suffered from the forgetfulness of the elderly and kept asking for food all day long.

deep forest elf

One day, the seventh aunt had just put down the dinner tray and was washing the dishes when she was startled to discover a dark shadow standing behind her. The seventh aunt just turned around and saw her husband's grandmother standing there.

- Where's the rice? Quickly prepare rice for me to eat.

- Grandma, I just finished eating. I'm still washing dishes. - The seventh aunt explained.

- I haven't eaten yet, hurry up and prepare dinner. Do you want to leave me to starve?

The seventh aunt was a daughter-in-law, so she did not dare to argue back, and was afraid that her neighbors would blame her for not being filial to her elders. The seventh aunt served the rice again, thinking to herself that grandmother had already eaten, so she had no stomach to eat any more. But she continued to eat well. Just like that, I eat seven or eight meals a day and still want to serve dinner. A great-grandson who is growing up cannot eat as well as an old woman like that.

My seventh uncle, like my grandfather, often went by boat far from home. Sometimes I just come back for a few days and then move on. Even though the couple was very far apart, the seventh aunt did not dare to complain. During the war, it was difficult to earn money, so how could you complain when your husband was making a living? However, because grandma suddenly started eating so much, aunt seven was also a bit distraught in spending. The seventh uncle saw a sudden shortage of rice in the house and scolded his wife. Only then did the seventh aunt dare to mention the matter of grandmother.

Who would have thought that the seventh uncle did not believe him, and even scolded his wife, fearing that the seventh aunt at home was spoiled by gambling, and even spoke ill of her husband's grandmother to hide her sin. The seventh aunt was very upset but did not dare to argue. Every day she spent more sparingly, ate less bowls of rice, and caught more fish baskets for her grandmother to eat all day.

Everything continued until the next time my seventh uncle came back by boat. This time the sale was a big hit, the seventh uncle brought a lot of money back to his wife, and also asked the seventh aunt to buy two chickens to celebrate. During the meal, the couple and their child could not finish a single chicken. Six eyes stared blankly at the husband's grandmother who ate the entire chicken and even swallowed all the bones without spitting it out. The seventh stepfather was afraid that the grandmother would eat too much, so he stopped him. Unexpectedly, the old woman fiercely bit the seventh stepfather, causing him to bleed profusely. He grabbed the chicken and ran into the room.

At this time, the seventh uncle realized that his wife was telling the truth. My nearly 100-year-old grandmother did not expect to be so healthy and voracious. He was not reassured, so he temporarily postponed the next boat trip and stayed home to observe for a while.

Forest

At that time, everyone went to bed early at night, the fields were empty and there was nothing to play with. Going to bed early saved oil, so the next morning you could get up early to go to work in the fields. The seventh aunt was inherently cowardly. She and her son each had a room at home, locked the door and went to sleep early. Having my seventh uncle at home is more courageous. In the middle of the night, he heard a loud noise and immediately woke up, turned on the light and checked the whole house to see if there were any dangerous thieves.

The seventh uncle discovered that the kitchen door was open and there was no one in grandmother's room. It was so dark late at night, the old grandmother didn't know where to go, so he lit a lamp to look for her.

The cold late night wind blew so loudly it seemed like it wanted to rip the roof off. Everything around was dark, only the sounds of rustling grass and frogs could be heard. The seventh uncle carried a lantern to look for him, his heart filled with anxiety. Suddenly he was startled to see two spots of light flashing between the bushes. The flashes disappeared immediately, but he recognized the looming black shadow as his grandmother. The seventh uncle breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the other bush.

- Grandma, where are you going in the middle of the night? You're making me so worried.

Halfway through speaking, he fell silent in surprise. His grandmother was sitting and chewing deliciously on half a rat's body, with only blood and blood in her mouth.

- Oh my god, why do you catch mice to eat?

The seventh uncle ran over and snatched the mouse out of grandmother's mouth. While she was having a good time, her food was stolen. She angrily rushed over and attacked her seventh uncle. He didn't expect that a person so close to the earth and far from heaven would have great strength. With one knock, he fell to the ground, the lantern in his hand fell, and the spilled oil burned into a flame.

Grandma bit and scratched, her throat hissing like a wild animal. He looked at the cruel eyes reflecting in the firelight and was terrified as if he had seen a ghost. She just bit into his forearm and held it tightly without letting go. He struggled with all his strength, feeling his blood flowing out more and more wetly. Thanks to his healthy physique, he was finally able to reverse the situation and control his grandmother who was having a fit of rage. He brought her home, locked the door himself, and was extremely sad because his grandmother had gone crazy at this age.

The next morning, he and his son struggled to carry wood to reinforce his grandmother's room. The windows were boarded up, the door was locked, leaving only a hole for food. Being locked up, of course, my grandmother struggled, howled and screamed like an animal; But she absolutely did not say another human word, only a terrible bloodthirsty glint remained in her eyes.

Later, anyone passing by his house would hear loud screams. Curious neighbors ran in to visit, the seventh aunt pointed to the crazy grandmother's room, everyone who looked through the door seemed like they weren't looking at someone, most agreed that it had to be locked up like that to feel secure.

Goblin locked up

At that time, people's intelligence was low, their thoughts were ignorant, and superstition was not uncommon. If someone in the house is crazy, they don't take them to the hospital for treatment, they just lock them in the house to raise them. It's better to pray to God than to Buddha than to ask for doctors, they like to operate on people, they do whatever they want to cure. If you're crazy, can you have surgery on your head? Aunty Seven and her husband were partly because they were poor and partly because they were afraid of doctors, so they just went wherever they wanted.

Until one day, aunt seven came back from the fields and discovered the floor was covered in blood. The son's body lay on the hallway in front of his grandmother's room, his stomach and intestines were gone. One of his arms was pulled deep into the feeding hole. Inside the room, the bowl of rice was knocked over, and the grandmother was holding her grandchild's hand and tried to chew it until the wrist. The seventh aunt on this side pulled her son's body back, screaming and crying to see if anyone would come help.

The neighbor's house was separated by a scream and took half an hour to reach. Looking at the terrifying scene in the house, they couldn't help but feel sad. The mother hugged her son's broken body and cried hysterically. In the locked room was the scream of a creature that could no longer be considered human.

The seventh uncle, who was on a boat far from home, received the news and quickly returned, just in time to take his son to bury him. That night, in front of the elders in the neighborhood, he could only cry and explain.

- My family is unfortunate enough to let such a tragic situation happen. Although the person in that room had turned into a cannibal monster, he was still flesh and blood. My son died because he was careless when giving food to his great-grandmother. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to stay with her for long, and if I escaped, I would harm the lives of other people in the area. Now, please let the elders decide for me. I'm really not that sad, I don't know what to do.

Hearing the sincere explanation, everyone looked at each other and exchanged worried looks. Indeed, a few people that day ran over and saw the boy's mangled body. They swallowed dry saliva, coldly thinking of their loved ones one day being eaten like that. So everyone agreed to burn the monster to death.

Aunt Seven's house didn't have much. They moved the wardrobe, bed and bamboo shoots out and the whole house was empty. The people divided and gathered straw and firewood around the house to burn the monster to death. Although the seventh uncle was heartbroken and cried, he thought of his son who had just died and his determination was also strengthened. They lit a fire and burned the thatched house of Aunt Seven and her husband.

The screams in the house continued from beginning to end, filled with hatred and threats. People stood around silently, trying to witness how the monster burned to death. The inhuman scream made the hair on all of their arms stand up. An hour, two hours later, the scream died down. Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, the burning roof suddenly burst open. The monster with thin silver hair, all wrinkled and moldy, stood on the roof laughing.

People were terrified and quickly grabbed sticks and sticks to defend themselves. The monster jumped out of the burning house, howling and attacking anyone who came close. Luckily, there were many people attending the event that day so they were able to support each other. Each scream rang out simultaneously as the monster pounced on one side or the other.

They used the stick to poke the monster directly to force it back. The demon screamed one last time then turned around and jumped straight into the forest. All the witnesses looked on in shock as if they could not believe their eyes. Fire really doesn't burn that monster.

Later, people still said that when they went into the forest, they sometimes saw a wrinkled-skinned monster catching mice and snakes and eating them alive. They said to each other that the seventh step-grandfather's grandmother had lived so long that she had actually turned into a star. That deep forest goblin haunts the people no less than a tiger, leopard, or crocodile. A monster that eats human flesh and burns to death, of course becomes a nightmare that haunts the land next to the Temple.

As soon as my grandfather heard this story, he immediately told my grandmother to demolish the house. He would rather return to Long An town to work as a driver again, even if he was forced to work in a new economy, than to live in a land full of ghosts and demons like this. Of course, my grandmother and aunts were overjoyed.

From that day until now thirty years have passed. After liberation, my mother's family went through many ups and downs, and the traces of all relatives in the countryside were gradually cut off. The story of the cannibalistic old woman in the Temple area is now just a fun story to scare children. But each person recounts, still containing a steadfast gaze looking far into the past. I can confirm that they are remembering the events of that day, not imagining it to tell the story.

Retold old stories, interesting or not depends on each person's feelings. I love mysteries, so I don't want to dig deeper into the roots. And if you are a person who loves to explore, why not stop by the temple once, listen to what they tell about the old story, and follow the old traces to the forest where the deep forest elf still lives to this day. now.