Swallow
July 4, 2011
I have a fairytale my mom told me when I was in preschool.
There were two brothers in a small village, Young one named Hungbu, old one Nolbu.
Hungbu was very poor but very generous or stupid while Nolbu was stubborn, greedy or smart.
One day Hungbu found a baby swallow fallen down from her nest, broken her leg unconscious on the ground. He sincerely took care of the baby bird with ointment and bandage and put her back to the nest.
Soon after the baby recovered she flew away to warm southland before when it was getting cold.
Spring has come after the cold winter.
One sunny day, Hungbu saw a bird holding a pumpkin seed in her beak and spit out toward him.
He planted the seed near his fence.
Though he was poor and hungry, he didn't want to bother his brother. He sneaked out his sister-in-law to ask some rice. At the moment she scooped up rice with mean face and screamed "how come you always here on time I take up rice." And slapped his face with sticky rice scoop. Picking rice off on his face to his mouth one by one he asked her to hit one more time on the other face. This time she put the scoop of water and hit his other face.
Time goes by fast.
The pumpkin grew big. He harvested one golden big one. He opened the pumpkin in half with a saw, one hand by his wife another by himself and sang,
I'm always happy, happier than any other,
forever till my life.
I was born to live happy,
Nobody broke us from happiness,
given by God.
Finally the pumpkin spread in half overflowing gold, silver, diamond and all kind of jewelry.
He got a "Jack Pot". he got everything, house, clothes and delicious food.
Nolbu heard this news and called Hungbu jealously and asked what was going on.
Hungbu explained details. Nolbu immediately got an Idea.
Nolbu had been very rich but not enough as his brother. He want more.
He waited all day long if any baby bird fell down on the ground. He couldn't wait any longer.
He broke a bird nest nearby his house and caught one bird and broken her leg. He tighten the leg with string roughly and put her back.
The bird flew away when it was cold.
Next spring, he waited for the bird every day hopping to bring any seed. Finally he saw a bird spit a seed.
He planted the seed on a good fertilized soil surrounded by strong fence monitoring every day.
One autumn day, he took an unriped pumpkin and sawed in half, singing;
I can't wait any more
I'm not happy because of Hungbu.
My life is nothing if I poor than him.
I want more, more. . .
The pumpkin was open, overflowing with ants, spiders, frogs and snakes, etc.
steve choy
from my infantry memory
