The Mural

Quy Le

Manh Long Dam who came from the Giang Tay district and Scholar Chu shared a flat in the Capital City. One day they went for a walk and decided to call in a pagoda on the roadside.

The worship temple and surrounding building were not very large. The residing monk came out to greet them and asked them to feel at home.

At the center of the altar there was a statue of Buddha mounted on a pedestal. The murals on the opposite sidewalls depicted beautiful scenery.

The mural on the East wall also showed a group of fairies walking among the flowers. One of them looked about 16 years old. She had long fair floating over her shoulders. Her smiling eyes appeared to be moving. Master Chu stared at her, his body becoming numb.

Suddenly he felt as if he was being lifted up closer to the mural. Then he saw so many magnificent castles and temples unlike those he had seen before.

He saw a monk standing on top of a tall tower, preaching to a large crowd. Chu went to mingle with the crowd. Suddenly he felt someone grab the back of his jacket. He turned around and saw a girl with long hair floating over her shoulders. She quickly walked away. He hurriedly followed her. She turned around the corner then entered into a small house. Chu hesitated, not knowing what to do next. The girl turned her head around, waved her hand as to ask him to come in. He quickly stepped inside.

There was no one else inside the house. He went up to the fairy and gently put his arms around her. She responded favourably by hugging him fondly. Tenderly they moved to the bed and began involved themselves in the ultimate intimacy. She later got up, reminded him not to open the door to any one else and left him.

When the night fell, she came back. They continued their love relationship for the next two days. Other fairies heard about his present decided to drop in the house. They found the couple drinking tea together. They laughed and said teasingly to the fairy with long hair floating over her shoulders, "The little baby inside your body is getting bigger each day, so don't you pretend you are still a single girl".

They gathered around her, combed her hair up into a topknot, a traditional hairstyle for married women. The girl blushed but did not say anything.

"Girls!" One of the fairies said, "We should all leave now and let them enjoy the fun." The fairies giggled and left. Chu looked at her new hairstyle. A few wisps of hair hung over her forehead. He thought that she looked even more charming and beautiful than before.

Silence now reigned over the house. Chu sat closer to the girl and caressed her. They fell into ultimate love again.

They were aroused by noisy footsteps. They also heard the sound of chains and that of people talking. The fairy promptly sat up. She gripped his hand and they both tiptoed forward and peeped through the gaps between the door shutters. They saw a black faced angel, wearing the yellow battle garment. He held the handcuffs in one hand, and swung with other hand a chained iron ball. He walked angrily toward the house.

The angel then asked the crowd: "Can you hear me clearly?"

The crowd responded in unison: "Yes, sir."

The angel then said loudly: "Do you harbour any lawbreaker or immoral people?"

The crowd responded in unison: "No, sir."

The angel was taken by surprise, turned around and stared at the crowd, trying to detect any lie.

The fairy was shaken by fear. She looked around then whispered into Chu's ear: "Darling, crawl under the bed and hide yourself there."

She then opened a secret side door and left. Chu took her advice and curled up under the bed, trying to hold his breath. He could hear voices coming from the next room. A moment later the noise died down. He began to feel more secure. Next he could hear people gossiping in the street. As he had to curl himself up for a long time, his body began to ache. However he had to wait until the girl returned. He became confused, not knowing why he went there.

At the same time, Manh Long Dam wandered in the temple, had the feeling that something was missing. He asked the residing monk whether he has seen Chu anywhere. The monk replied smilingly: "He has gone to listen to the preaching!"

"Your Venerable, may I ask where it is?" asked Manh Long Dam.

The monk said: "It is not very far."

A moment later the monk knocked at the mural on the East wall and said loudly: " Mr Chu! What made you enjoy yourself for so long and forget to return?"

Looking at the mural he saw the image of Mr Chu craning his neck as trying to listen to somebody talking, the monk continued: " Your companion has been waiting for you for a long time."

Chu's image suddenly flew from the mural to the ground. He reappeared in real life but looked totally stunned, his eyes rolling up, hardly able to speak.

Manh Long Dam asked him what has happened.

Chu looked around and stammered: "I have been crouching underneath a bed. When I heard a loud thunder, I ran back here."

Both of them looked at the mural on the East wall. The young fairy walking among the flowers no longer had her hair floating over her shoulders. Instead she wore a topknot. Master Chu was shaken by what he saw, He put his hands together and bowed to the monk. He then respectfully asked him to explain about the strange things that have just happened. The monk smiled and gently said: "Illusion came from one's own mind, how can I explain it?'