The Magnificient Seven Chapter 4

            Two weeks have passed since the Red Lao soldiers captured the threesome and sent them back home.  Fearful of alerting the villagers, the soldiers dropped the three off at the edge of the village.  The young teacher had taken Teeb from the back of the Red Lao Hmong soldier, Thoj Zoov Ntxhw, and carried him on her back to her sister-in-law’s home.  It was already midnight when they reached Teeb’s family’s thatched hut on the north side of the village.  Xwm knocked on the family’s door and a few seconds later, the pregnant woman showed up.  Upon seeing her son, she grabbed him from the teacher’s back with tears of joy.  She thanked the elder boy and the teacher for helping to find her son and for sending him safely back. 

The teacher and her elder student decided to conceal their captivity from Teeb’s mother to help the woman to remain calm.  After she took her son, the teacher sent Xwm home.  They agreed not to share the experience with his parents either.  Xwm’s parents were concerned that he returned home so late but were grateful that their son was safe. 

When Noog Xi returned home, Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua were worried as well.  Since she had come to live with them, wherever she went to, she would usually be home before the sun set.  So her late return made the couple extremely inquisitive, and they kindly forced her to reveal the truth. 

They were terrified to learn about the incident.  They became circumspect and forbidden their niece to pass further than 10 feet from the house.  She had reassured them that they did not need to take that much precaution, but they felt uneasy if they didn’t.  Having been captured twice now, they could not let her endure such an experience again.  In the end, they intended to keep the girl home until they could confirm that it was safe to walk around the village again.  So, the teacher had to cancel class and the husband and wife lied to her students’ parents that she was ill and would keep to the home for many days.

Unable to sleep one morning, Noog Xi woke before the roosters crowed.  After washing up, she made fire from a pile of thin woods under a tripod.  She poured two ladles of water into a lauj kaub plab qaib—chicken stomach pot, and laid the pot on top of the tripod.  When the water boiled, she poured the over-night soaked rice into the pot and cooked the rice.  Afterward, she prepared the other morning meal course.  

When Noog Xi finished cooking, Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua still have yet to wake up.  The girl then grabbed a dirtied white cloth bag full of dried corn, and stepped outside to feed the chickens.  She grabbed a handful of corn and threw it on the ground.  The hens and chicks rushed over, fighting each other to get more than their share.  To end their fights, she threw more food onto the ground. 

Once the chickens were fed, she walked into the extended kitchen on the outside and poured a green slimy porridge made from banana trunks into a black bucket.  Snatching a white guard ladle from the wooden countertop, the girl paced toward the pigs’ sty.  When she got there, they were still asleep.  She poured the green slimy porridge into a trough and woke the pigs up by calling them.  Though still tired, the pigs rushed over to the trough when they smelled breakfast.  They hogged and chewed the food greedily.  She was forced to refill the trough a couple of times until the pigs were satisfied.

Just as Noog Xi poured the last of the pig’s food into the trough, she spotted them—Red Lao soldiers with rifles casually hanging on their backs.  There were about five or six of them, fierce and frightening.  She panicked and hid behind the pig’s pen until they passed through.  Although still tense, she quickly came out of hiding and pried into the affair of the soldiers by following them.  She found that they were heading straight toward the village chief’s home, a thatched hut just around the corner.  Knowing that there was not time to fool around, she hurried back inside the house.  Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua have just come out of their bedding area when she entered the home. 

“Niam Tais!  Yawm Txiv!” she called them, panicking.

“What’s the matter, daughter?” Niam Tais Paj answered and yawned.  “Why are you up so early?”

“Niam Tais Paj!  Red Lao soldiers!” she nervously informed her aunt. 

“What?” Niam Tais Paj questioned curiously, snapping out of her half-dreaming state of mind.

“What did you just say, daughter?” Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua asked in a serious tone. 

“Yawm Txiv, Niam Tais…I saw Red Lao soldiers.  They just passed by our home and were headed for the village chief’s house.”

Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua looked at each other with shocking countenance.  Niam Tais Paj quickly grabbed my left arm and pulled me from the door.  “Put the fire out, Husband!” she demanded. 

He nodded and poured a ladle of water over the fire to put it out.  Niam Tais Paj then pulled them over to the bedding area, and they sat silently in the dark. 

Now and then, they could hear yelling, knocking, and clanking sounds from nearby.  It was not until the hut became fully bright that the startling sounds vanished.

“I think it should be alright now,” Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua said and patted Niam Tais Paj’s left shoulder.  He got up, opened the front door, and stepped outside.

Niam Tais Paj turned toward me.  “Daughter, you stay home.  No one must see you,” she instructed.  “Yawm Txiv and I will go search for news after the morning meal.”  

She then walked outside.  After the aunt and uncle brushed up, the morning meal was served and eaten without a sound, without eye contact.  When the food was consumed, Niam Tais Paj forbade her niece to do the dishes.  She did it herself instead.

Then, Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua were gone for the day and Noog xi was left to guard the house alone.  With nothing to do, she tried to sleep but could not.  Every time she closed her eyes, she kept seeing flashes of memories and people that she wanted to wipe out from the face of this universe.  

Unable to set a foot outside to enjoy nature, she was about to go mad.  After half the day passed, Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua finally returned.  Noog Xi came out to the living area when she heard the front door creaked.  Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua came inside first and Niam Tais Paj quickly closed the door behind her.  She took off her bamboo back-basket and leaned the basket and the metal hoe on the wall.  The couple then came together and sat around the tripod and ashes left unmoved from the morning.

“Any news?” she asked her aunt curiously.

“Let your Yawm Txiv tell you,” Niam Tais Paj replied dimly.

“It’s not good news, daughter.  How could there be anything good when it comes to the Red Lao?” Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua questioned, tiredly.  The pouch of skin that sagged under his eyes seemed to droop even lower now, making him look thinner and older than his age.   

“What’s the matter, Yawm Txiv?”

“Niam Tais Paj and I just came back from a meeting with the village chief.  He said that Red Lao soldiers came to pay him a visit this morning.  It was exactly as what you’ve told us, daughter.”

“Is he alright?”

Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua nodded.  “It was a friendly visit, daughter.  All they asked for was some bags of rice, meat, and vegetables.  The village chief was petrified when stumbled upon their uninvited visit so he of course had to obey their demands.  They left after getting what they came for.  But if they came once, who’s to say that they won’t return again.  It is better for ordinary village folks like us to not get in the way of political struggles.  If we get implicated for helping the communists, our punishment would be grave.”

“Then what should we do?”

Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua sighed and nodded.  “The village chief suggested that we move.  And, we need to move quickly…as soon as tonight!”

Noog Xi was shocked at the urgency.  “But where can we move to, Yawm Txiv?  This village was my last resort for safety.  Is there another place in this country that is still safe?” she questioned cheerlessly.

“There isn’t, daughter,” Niam Tais Paj answered, moving closer to her niece.  She took Noog Xi’s hands and smiled tenderly.  “Yawm Txiv and I are sad that we have to leave the village we’ve called home for so many years.  But the situation is dire, and out of our control.  We must leave to protect ourselves from harm.  Although there is no place in Laos that is safe, there is still one place that we will be protected.”

“And where is that?”

“Looj Ceeb!” Niam Tais Paj replied firmly.

“Looj Ceeb?” the young woman repeated the name with a perplex facial expression.  It sounded like a frightening but hopeful place. 

That afternoon, Niam Tais Paj, Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua and their niece packed speedily—taking only what they could carry individually.  Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua packed dried food and supplies to protect them against the coming monsoon rain while Niam Tais Paj shoved her silver and jewelries into a backpack.  Noog Xi, on the other hand, took only her clothes.  They were the only possession she had.  Before zipping her backpack up, she saw a square shape, white glossy paper lying on top of the wooden counter near her bamboo mattress.  She picked it up, flipped it over and noticed that it was that photo.  The one he returned to her.  The only thing left that reminded her of whom she used to be. 

She was hesitant at first about whether to take it or let it perish away.  She contemplated, and in the end, decided to leave it.  It was for the better, a way for her to forget everything that happened in the past.  She left the paper on the wooden counter, and turned to walk away.  But before she could take more than three steps, her heart became heavy and she stopped.  She turned around and glanced at the paper once more.  Then without a thought, she snatched it and shoved it inside her backpack.  She then left her bedding area to help Niam Tais Paj pack.  

Near the end of the day, they left the chickens running around the house, the pigs playing in the mud at their sty, the house, the beds, the cooking utensils and china, and the plants and herbs that were rooted deep within the earth.  They only took the pertinent things, their grief, and their memories.

The village chief had ordered all the villagers to meet at six o’clock in the village square.  It was nearing six when the trio finished packing.  Prior to stepping outside, Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua called all the good familial gods and spirits to follow the family to their new home.  Afterward, Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua stepped outside first, followed by Niam Tais Paj, and then Noog Xi—who took the task of locking the door. 

Niam Tais Paj stared at the house one last time and sighed.  “If everything is well, we will be back,” she murmured confidently.  Then, she turned her back on the thatched house and followed Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua away. 

Before proceeding with Niam Tais and Yawm Txiv, Noog Xi took one last glimpse at the house—the place that she had called home for many months now.  She sighed too, feeling depressed to have to leave a place so tendered to the heart.  As she ended her observation, she was about to follow her aunt and uncle when she saw a shadow.  A human shadow crept behind the corner of the house!  It was odd.  Unless it was their home, no human should be at another’s home during such critical times as this one.  Curious, she turned around to check out who the shadow was.  But when she moved to the spot where the shadow had been earlier, there was nothing there.  “Maybe my eyes are tired,” she thought. 

She shook her head of the eeriness, and facing the path toward the village square again, she took a deep breath and paced away. 

As the shadow came out once more to stare at her, she could feel its presence—as if a person was watching her every footstep.  Her heart waned and she felt a shower of sadness, as if she was parting someone dear to the heart once more.      

Before arriving at the village square, she heard quarrelling and crying sounds from a nearby house.  She turned to observe and eavesdrop on the conversation. 

An old petite couple stood a few feet from the entrance of a hut, under the shade of the thatched roofing.  The woman pinned her hair up in a messy bun with a silver barrette while her bald husband had some of his hair combed over in a crescent moon shape to cover the nude area of his forehead.  A few feet in front of them and standing in the setting sun was a young man carrying a small black duffle bag.  Unlike his parents who were dressed in traditional clothes, the young man wore Western clothing—indicative of some form of education.  He seemed to be about Noog Xi’s age and stood about his father’s height.  However, his countenance resembled that of his mother’s. 

At the moment that Noog Xi stumbled upon them, his mother’s face was filled with anxiety and tears while his facial expression showed anger and frustration.  “Why must we leave?” the young man questioned angrily.  “If we must leave, then let me go according to my wish!  I will never pay allegiance to the Americans!”  He chuckled.  “Just like the French, the Americans too will use and then abandon us!  If that is the outcome, why not join the party that won’t manipulate us!”

“Son, why are you doing this?” the wife cried loudly.

“Son, we are just moving to Looj Ceeb for protection.  Who says that you will have to join the army?” his father asked in a calm voice.

The young man smirked.  “How do you know, Father?  I think General Vang Pao is just a dog for the Americans.  I will never follow in his footsteps!”

“Blasphemy!” the father exclaimed furiously, raising his right hand and was about to slap his son’s face. 

“Husband!  Stop it!” the mother shouted in tears and halted her husband’s arm.  “We only have one son…”

The father pouted.  “I cannot believe that I sent you to school all this time and what did I get in return?  Insults?  Resentment?  You were supposed to come back and be a leader who cares and loves the Hmong people.  Not someone who would turn his back on his people and parents like this!”

“I will, Father!  But not on the path where you are now decisively heading to!  I will help the people on the other side with Grandfather!”

“You!” his father shouted and then stopped.  “I will not stop you anymore.  Do what you want to do!  From now onward, I don’t have a son anymore!” 

“Husband!” the wife yelled and stared incredulously at her husband, who had ignored her and stepped angrily back inside the house.  She then turned her attention toward her son again.

The young man tittered.  “Father is right.  From now onward, just consider that your son is dead.  We won’t see each other again!”  The young man turned his back to his mother, the woman who carried him in her womb patiently for nine months, who nurtured him to this age.  He gripped tightly onto his black duffle bag and walked away.  His facial expression was ambivalent, showing neither regret nor anger.

“Son, come back!” cried the old woman who fell onto her knees.  “Don’t take your father’s words to the heart!  I will always forgive you and you will always be my son…”

Although he was a few feet away from his home now, the young man could still hear his mother’s sorrowful words.  The more she cried and yelled, the faster he ran away.  Soon, he disappeared behind the thatched homes on the right.  

Noog Xi grieved with the old woman.  Turmoil times were capricious.  Villages, strong familial ties and infrastructures, and hopes of the older ones could easily be destroyed, disrupted, and broken anytime.  Now, who would take care of the couple when they could not move anymore?  Their only hope was their precious child, the “root son” who was bequeath with the responsibility of carrying on the family’s name, fortune, and fame.  But he was gone now.  Gone forever and never to meet his aging parents again.  This categorical consequence of war that aligned family members on opposing sides, inflicting the separation of a family forever was one that left a trail of tears. 

Noog Xi moved on.  The weight on her shoulder suddenly became heavier than before.             

Six o’clock and all the villagers showed up promptly at the village square, including the couple whose son left them in despair.  The area was composed of dried yellow-brown dirt and when a gust of wind blew past it, dust particles twirled up to create a minor sandstorm.  The dust made the scene murky and dirtied the faces of adults and children, who carried belongings dangling on their backs.  Those with infants also strapped their babies under a nyias-baby carrier, on their backs.  Now and then, people would cough to push the dust out of their lungs. 

Once the village chief arrived, he called for the spirits of the village to leave with the group, called the spirits of the small children to follow, and called the group to march forward to a new life.  Before proceeding ahead, the villagers turned to look at their home one last time.  In the blink of an eye, the village was deserted and would soon turn into a ghost village.  The old ones cried due to memories, the young ones cried due to chaos, and the middle ones gazed at the once happy, self-sufficient and geographically insulated place with blank looks—apprehensive of the journey ahead.