Synopses of Stories I'm Working On

Nkauj Nog

This story is roughly-based on the original Hmong folktale, Nkauj Nog, but it does have many changes.

“It’s only the petals of the white jade plum blossoms fluttering like a thousand fireflies.  Why do you carry a red hemp umbrella during this March’s spring?” ~Nkauj Nog

“To shield us from the gentle breeze that if brushed past our faces, may forever change our fates.” ~Siv Meej

“It’s only the pearl rain that waters the Earth like diamonds from the heavens.  Why do you carry a red hemp umbrella during this November’s eve?” ~Siv Meej

“To shield us from the tender storm that if wet our hands, may forever alter our chances.” ~Nkauj Nog

“It is inside the red hemp umbrella that I shall find my destined mate.” ~Siv Meej

“It is inside the red hemp umbrella that I shall wait.” ~Nkauj Nog

 

During the golden ages of imperial rule in San Miao Kingdom, a wealthy salt businessman married two wives who each gave birth to a daughter.  The elder wife is as beautiful as she is kind, so her daughter, Nkauj Zuag, mirrors her mother in nature and beauty.  The younger wife is beautiful too, but not equal to the elder wife so she is always bitterly jealous and cold and cruel, and nurtures her daughter, Nrhee, to be the same way.  Determined to rid of the elder wife, the younger wife comes up with every possible trick to try to make her husband divorce his elder wife.  One day, the younger wife feigns sickness and her foolish husband is made to believe that only the sacrifice of a cow to his ancestors will cure her.  However, he and his elder wife are a few minutes late to the local market and all the cows were sold out.  Furious, the husband blames his elder wife for their ill-luck and chases her away.  Disappointed and sad, the elder wife runs away and soon discovers herself inside an enchanted forest.  Then from out of the blue, magical flowers begin to blossom twirling tall and slender white bamboo trees.  While she sits beside a pond with the moon’s reflection dancing in the water, the elder wife thought of her husband and wishes that if it was possible she is willing to trade her life for a cow’s.  Unbeknownst to the elder wife, her wish is granted by the magical flowers and she changes into a cow.  She leaves her daughter Nkauj Zuag to cry for her mother for many days, and leaves her prone to abuse from the younger wife.  Without a mother now, the town’s people pity the poor girl and everyone begins to call her Nkauj Nog (orphan girl).  No one seems to remember that she was once named Nkauj Zuag (hair-comb, the eponym of feminine beauty) by her mother.

One day after returning from taking her mother, the cow, to feed on the green grasses in the distant hillsides, Nkauj Nog saves a lost and terrified young boy named Sis Nab—the only son of the governor.  But that day, he neither asks for her name or she he’s.  He returns the next day to express his gratitude, and learns that his savior’s name is Nrhee.  Little did he know that she, who gave her name to him, is not the same girl from the day prior.  Nonetheless, the young Sis Nab promises his savior that one day when he grows up, he will return to fulfill the debt he owes her.  This mistaken encounter and a kid’s simple words forever change the fates of those involved.

After the seasons repeated themselves for many years, Nkauj Nog and Nrhee both meet Sis Nab at the annual local New Year’s festival.  Gifted in playing the qeej, Sis Nab is tall and beautiful too, making the young men envious and the young ladies jealous.  While Sis Nab looks for and keeps his eyes fixed on the one who is named Nrhee, Nkauj Nog catches the interest of another young man.  Whereas Sis Nab glitters in silk and wealth, this young man is dressed in commoner’s hemp clothing only.  However, he possesses a handsome, masculine face and prudent features.  His stride is noble and his gait glows in perfection.  Although he is initially attracted to Nkauj Nog for her beauty, he later learns to love her for her generosity and kindness.  He asks for her hands in marriage and her stepmother was unhesitant to give her away to a man who she believes to be a low-ranked thief.  The stepmother hopes that with Nkauj Nog out of the way, her daughter Nrhee and Sis Nab can soon be wed. 

What will Sis Nab do when he finds out that Nrhee lied to him, and that the girl who had saved his life was her elder sister, Nkauj Nog?  Will he pursue Nkauj Nog even after she is married?  Will Nkauj Nog find the courage and strength to fight the malice of her world and use her goodness and purity to change the vicious hearts of her nemesis?

Dance with Dandelions

25 year-old Paj Huab Thoj is a world-class ballerina.  A childhood incident cost her parents’ lives and she is living with the guilt of killing them.  Aside from this, her cousin Kerri Hawj makes her world a living hell as she is bitterly jealous of Paj Huab in every way and competes vigorously to steal fame, career, and boyfriend away from Paj Huab.  When Kerri succeeded in doing so, Paj Huab fell into depression and figured that the only way to save herself was to travel back to the homeland of her ancestors to find a meaning to live on.

In China, she met a warm and kind-hearted but blind school teacher named Tshaaj Yeej Muas and his extended family.  He helped open up her cold heart and eyes to a world of vibrant colors, sweet songs, rich dances, and love, and gave her strength to carry on.  But in her voyage to reconnect with life itself, Paj Huab discovers that Tshaaj Yeej’s world is darker than her own.  Born to a famous Miao singer and a Chinese music composer, Tshaaj Yeej was abandoned by his parents after he was left blind by a fire.  While his parents shone their own biological son, they adopted a Chinese boy to be their son instead.  Heart-broken and left in an abyss, Tshaaj Yeej had to learn to navigate the world without his sight or his parents.  But when Paj Huab learns the truth behind Tshaaj Yeej’s ill-fated story, she decides that it was best for everyone including herself to give her eyes to him.  Will Tshaaj Yeej be able to accept the outcome once he finds out who his eye donor was?  Can he find Paj Huab and teach her to open up her heart to him once more?  Will Paj Huab ever see the brilliant colors of this world again?   

The Magnificent Seven

A rare female of her time, 22 year-old Lis Noog Xi returns to Laos in 1964 after completing college in Australia only to find her homeland in turmoil and war-torn.  Shortly after her arrival and on the morning of Hmong New Year, her hometown of Nong Het was raided by Pathet Lao soldiers and she was taken a prisoner.  After her miraculous escape and having no news of the whereabouts of her family members, she went to live with her maternal aunt and uncle.  But no Hmong village was safe against the infiltration of communist soldiers, so she and her aunt and uncle were forced to seek refuge in Samthong.  It was there that Lis Noog Xi met Edgar “Pop” Buell, head of the USAID Program in Laos.  With her ability to read and write in English, Pop hired her to recruit, train, and heads a team of ethnic highlander nurses.  She along with her fellow friends and comrades, Vaj Yuj Yeev, Hawj Yaj Mim, Thoj Suab Cua, Muas Ntsa Iab, Yaj Lwg Dej, and Xyooj Ntxhi Nag ran the hospital at Samthong to serve the needs of the people and the injured Hmong soldiers under Military Region II.  Their journey as nurses tested their strength and significance as Hmong women in an era of ever changing fates, where their history is neglected in the context of a man’s world.  They get tangled up in love affairs with some of General Vang Pao’s top ranked soldiers, pilots, and secret agents.  Lis Noog Xi would have to choose between her youth sweet-heart, Lauj Yim Tsheej on the communists’ side or the CIA-backed astute Colonel, Vaj Ceeb Tsheej.

Thov Qiv Koj Ua Thawj Tug Hlub

 

(Note: This is not a fanfiction)

"I saw him...my favorite singer.  He sported a glitzy jacket like he often do during his performances.  I decided that it's now or never, so I gathered all my courage and approached him.  I tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around.  He looked just the same as he did on television...handsome and tall.  And then I asked him to confirm if he was the person I thought he was.  He nodded and smiled, showing his teeth.  Oh heaven...I almost fainted.  His teeth...the one feature I look at first in a man and he barely had any; the ones he did have were stained red...as if with betel juice too.  I swallowed hard...decided that whatever the case is...I'll just close my eyes and ask for his autograph..." ~ I woke up and it was just a dream...just a dream...

It has been a year since 24 year-old Atlantis Tsheej graduated from college, but she has had no luck in landing a job.  In this world of materialism and unrealistic beauty standards, most employers want female employees with looks and brains.  Although she has the brains, she is overweight and does not fit the look.  After an arduous journey of submitting job applications and getting rejected, she is finally hired as a radio hostess due to her soothing voice and the fact that her face would be concealed from listeners.  This job, however, throws her into the path of the biggest music sensation, Yeej Fwm Lis. 

Arrogant and self-indulged, he gets off on the wrong start with the strong-headed Atlantis, and they often fight.  Fashionable, suave, and charismatic, Yeej Fwm declares he would never like a chubby, rude tomboy.  However, his words turn against him when his best friend and CEO of his record company, Vaj Lis Ham, suddenly show an interest in the girl he detests the most in the world.  When Yeej Fwm learns that Atlantis was his childhood crush, his jealousy forces him to hire her as his personal body guard to keep her within his sight.  Will Yeej Fwm learn to re-love Atlantis for her present self or is he just toying with her?  How will Atlantis react when she finds out that Yeej Fwm is the little plump boy who terrified her as a child?  Will she choose the calm and handsome Vaj Lis Ham or the hot-headed Yeej Fwm Lis?