Lou…
Le Hong An
“ Dog returns to his vomit”
English proverb
It was an afternoon of a breezy day before TET ( Luna New Year Festival}. My father and I (a boy of ten} were at QN railway station to pick up my uncle from Tourane. The train with coaches and goods wagons slowly came into view and stopped on the bleak platform. My uncle didn’t show up at last, perhaps he missed the train. However, from a luxurious coach, a Western couple of mid – age, with a dog were stepping down. Then, the man went to the booking- office, asking for some information. And when the whistle was resounding second time and the train started moving on, the man hurried to his lady standing by the coach; then, both of them rushed to board without noticing the dog on platform. As the train was gradually gathering its speed, the dog seemed to realize his situation and jumped upward to the coach. But it was too late for him. He was hit by the moving handrails. Terribly collided, he‘s flied in the air and fallen on the platform with a mouth bloodshed. Being abandoned, he’s groaning and moaning. My father and I, from the veranda of waiting- room, came over to take care of him. The dog was carried away on a bicycle.
At home, the dog was treated with herbal remedies by my father. When checking its teeth, he said:” Under age” … “ He is of a nice lineage in Germany, let’s call him Lou just to remember his European owner”.
In bright color of black – bronze, Lou looked handsome with a pair of vertical ears, and bright eyes…
Afraid that his injury would get worse, I got some good food from the cupboard in the kitchen to feed Lou. My father tenderly said:“ Don’t do that, my boy, the dogs are naturally immunized. He will soon get recovered and take all kinds of food you give”.
During childhood, my family lived in a farm close to the railway - station, I stood by the door, looking to the trains moving in and out. The trains have left in my mind a peaceful image and beautiful melody. The rhythmical sounds resulting from a running train, sang me as a lullaby in my slumber. The trains and its station seemed to be some thing amiable and mysterious to me.
After a week, Lou was completely recovered. We-Lou, Muc ( an indigenous black dog joined my family before Lou } and myself, became a small clique. The garden of my family was so big that no other dog was able to intrude into our territory. Besides doing homework, I spent my time training Lou and Muc. All tricks such as walking on hind legs, kowtowing with forelegs for food or hunting rats or chicken around bamboo groves… that I have learnt from my villagers, were applied in the daily exercises. It was obvious that Lou was slow- minded in comparison with Muc in training, perhaps, Lou didn’t understand my instructions in Vietnamese.
A month later, Lou got used to the way of life of the family. At first, cooked- rice with vegetable was trying to him. His hunger strike lasted 3 days. On the 4thhe couldn’t stand any longer and fought against Muc over food. No breakfast was available for both in the early morning.
Lou and Muc preferred to get the place of dog- gathering, on the curve of mandarin road, not far from home. There, they had chance to woo the bitches or to quarrel with other dogs from all corners of the village. At lunch and dinner, Lou and Muc were served with a bowl of rice for each. And frequently, there was a “conflict” over meal, but after that, they came along friendly as nothing had happened.
Several months later, Lou, with the might of a super breed, subdued Muc and played the role of leader of the dogs herd in the village. There was no other that could challenge his post.
The lovely view of trains going in and out, became an integral part of my village, that made the way of life half rural, half urban.
One afternoon, I didn’t find Lou and Muc playing together at home as usual. At first, I supposed they should have been somewhere on the mandarin road to look for their “date”, so I paid no heed to their absence. But, it turned out I was wrong. Lou and Mục were not available on the road.
I have found out the fact of the issue, when I met my uncle, Mr. Muoi, who was carrying out his work as a switch-man in the railway station QN. Below was what I have witnessed.
When the train was moving to the station platform and made a 2- minute stop, there were many dogs over there, noisily fighting for food dropped out by passengers from the coaches. Only Lou, stood thoughtfully on the platform, directed his head to the train until it‘s moving out of sight. It seemed certain that he was looking for someone on the coach.
And here, Mr. Muoi told me half a story.(What Mr.Muoi recounted)
“Every day, the train frequently tooted a whistle, ten minutes before entering the station. On hearing, a dogs herd led by a big one, from the village, immediately rushed to the station.”
And then came next the scene I have cited above.- “Lou was the very big one”- my uncle recalled.
When the train was out of the station, all dogs from my village returned home.
More than a year, Lou and his fellow dogs have repeatedly carried out their performance. He never gave up his habit, whether it was wet or dry.
Until one day, my uncle Muoi and I were at the QN station to welcome his wife coming from Tourane. The story came to an unexpected ending.
Being on the platform, Lou pretended not to see me. He stood safe near the train that was just stopping on the platform. And at the moment the train started moving on, from the coach -window appeared a female beautiful arm waving to Lou. Immediately attracted, he rushed quickly toward the woman. And then it came to the point Lou would risk his life for a false – reunion; I cried out with fright:” Stop it, Lou”. But too late it was! Lou was struck by a heavy crash.
The train kept moving southward; and Lou was left lying dead on the dirty platform…
It was more in sorrow than in anger that I felt over the death of Lou. I have done every thing for him but I could not keep his soul with me.
But Lou has won the villagers’ sympathy for being as an example of loyalty.
-“Lou died because he was haunted by his past”- My father said simply.
-“ The woman who called and waved to Lou is the culprit. She is really evil”-
My mother said.
Lou was gloomily buried by myself at a small corner of my farm. As not being the followers of animism, I have stopped thinking about Lou since then.
But now, at the age of an old man, I, sometimes, sit on a chair by the door, looking to trains moving in and out. “In the breezy horizon, there is a dogs herd’ running rapidly to the station, withLou in the lead” I see the image clearly and it obsesses me.
Le Hong An
