Saigon Writers Club: Short Story Anthology

By Saigon Writers Club

Diverse [dɪˈvɜrs, daɪ-, ˈdaɪ vɜrs] Adjective

Showing a great deal of variety; From the Latin root diversus meaning various

The etymology of the word diverse accurately defines

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saigon Writers Club
• Release date: Mar 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088021774

Book preview

Saigon Writers Club

Saigon Writers Club

Saigon Writers Club

Short Story Anthology

Rainy Season 2022

publisher logo

Table Of Contents 

Short Stories 

A Fan Deal by Ceceko ------------------------------------ 11

They Call Me Coconut by Freeda Kingelin ------- 47

The Gecko by TrHoang Ktrang ----------------------- 85

Crime by Kyle ---------------------------------------------- 105

Hu Tieu Dream by Dung Nghi Tran --------------- 127

Flash Fiction Stories

War Casualties by Sam Korsmoe -------------------- 163

Forgotten World by TrHoang Ktrang ------------- 171 

Argentina by Kyle ---------------------------------------- 177

Whoosh by Alex Minh Tam ---------------------------185

Preface

When I was locked out from my normal life for a second time due to Covid-19, I had a discussion with myself about the ‘what abouts’ of life.  The what abouts of life are the numerous ways a person can convince themselves not to do something that they have always wanted to do or that they really need to do.  In both 2020 and 2021, Covid had prevented me, like nearly everyone else in the world, from doing many things.  That was unavoidable.  But the what abouts of life are more pervasive and sinister than a pandemic. They can hit people when they really want or need to do something even when they have the ability or opportunity to do so, e.g. to get a new job because their current job sucks, to find a partner because they’re tired of being lonely, to take a Bucket List kind of trip, and so on. The what abouts hit them even when there is no Covid-type calamity preventing them from trying. There are only the what abouts of life and they can be quite powerful to prevent people from moving forward.

It usually works like this.

Say your job totally sucks in all aspects of suckiness. You want to quit and find a new job and are preparing to do so when the what abouts enter your head.  "What about your rent/mortgage payment? You don’t have enough in savings.  What about the job market? You should just stay with the job that you have because the economy is not very good."

Or say you want to go trekking or climb a mountain like Fansipan (Vietnam’s tallest mountain) and the what abouts starting screaming in your head, "What about the climb and the weather?  What about your weight? Are you sure you’re in good enough shape?  You’re kinda fat. Maybe you should just stay home. It’s safer."

Or say you have always wanted to take a creative writing class and write down the story that has been smoldering inside of you for years.  "What about your English ability?  The Saigon Writers Club classes are in English and yours is not good enough to write a story.  And what about your story? If you ask me, it’s kinda stupid.  Do you really want to embarrass yourself in that way?" 

And so it goes with the what abouts of life especially when it comes to trying something new like creative writing.

When I returned to Vietnam in November 2021 (after enduring a second Covid hotel quarantine), I told myself that I would never allow the what abouts of life to prevent me from doing what I wanted to do. For this reason, the year 2022 was really fun. Among other adventures, I ran a 25-kilometer trail race in Cuc Phuong, two half marathons (Quy Nhon and Nha Trang), and a full 42K jungle trail marathon in Pu Luong in Ninh Binh Province. We published the Saigon Writers Club’s second short story anthology, hosted three new creative writing classes, and launched a website for the club as well as a newsletter. This Saigon Writers Club idea might actually be working! 

At the very end of 2022, I did one more thing that was pretty big. It caused a ton of what abouts to ping around my head for more than a year as I prepared, but I still did it.  I followed up on a Bucket List commitment that I had made to my son Colter more than 10 years ago when he was in the 5th grade.  This was for the two of us to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  I wanted him to be able to tell his grandkids that he had climbed Kili with their great grandpa when there was still snow on top of the mountain. I also wanted him to understand clearly that with careful focus, commitment, and a lot of heart the what abouts of life can be overcome.

So on the very last day of 2022 and after five days of climbing, the three of us (my son, my new soulmate Thao, and I) woke up at 11 PM on December 31 at Barafu Camp. We climbed out of our tents and got ready for a midnight push up a ridge line to the summit of the 5,895 meter high Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain on the continent of Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.  We set off at 12:00 AM and six hours later witnessed an incredible sunrise from Stella Point on the crater rim of the Kilimanjaro volcano. We reached the summit an hour later to welcome in the very first day of 2023.

This was the completion of a 10-year Bucket List dream for my son and I. He considered it the most challenging endeavor he had ever undertaken in his 21 years of life. Thao, who was born and raised in Saigon, saw and touched snow for the first time in her life on the summit of Kili. She is still stunned that she made it. Me? I knew I could do the climb, and it was indescribably joyful to do so with two people whom I love. I also appreciated that I had ignored the what abouts of life and chose to reach as high into the sky as I could reach.  In this case, it was almost 6,000 meters high where we were able to see the sun rise above the horizon before the other 1,426,046,716 people who live on the continent of Africa.

In your hands is the third anthology of the Saigon Writers Club.

The nine stories inside are very diverse.  The writers are from different countries as well as generations. The settings of their stories range from the Mekong Delta of a couple hundred years ago to Berlin Germany in 1945 to Phnom Penh Cambodia in 1994 to the bushveld of South Africa as well as Hanoi and Saigon in contemporary times.  For the first time, we have also published flash fiction stories.  These are very short stories that feature all the aspects of good fiction such as character, plot, voice, setting, hooks, leads, and closings that make you feel alive.  And, it’s all done in less than 1,500 words. These writers ignored the what abouts of life that undoubtedly bounced in and around their heads as they sat down to write their stories.  Instead, they told themselves that they had a compelling story that needed telling.  And then they told their stories.  They gained a new appreciation of the value, as well as their own ability, to overcome, ignore, and move past the what abouts of life.

I am really looking forward to the adventures to come in 2023 because I know how to handle the what abouts.  These adventures will include two new anthologies – Dry Season 2023 and Rainy Season 2023. It will also include two flash fiction writing competitions and at least six creative writing classes.  Colter will graduate from the University of Michigan in April with a degree in mechanical engineering.  He already has a professional engineering job waiting for him. Thao and I will summit a few more mountains and probably run a handful of races in various regions of Vietnam. I also have a bunch of writing projects that I am eager to complete.

Man, does the world look different when the what abouts of life are gone.

I hope you enjoy this short story anthology.  I hope you consider being one of the writers in the next one.

Writers write.  The writers of the Saigon Writers Club also publish. 

Turn the page and see for yourself.

Thanks for picking up this book and happy reading.

Sam Korsmoe

Founder and Teacher of the creative writing classes of the Saigon Writers Club

February 2023

www.saigonwritersclub.com

Short Stories

A Fan Deal by Ceceko

They Call Me Coconut by Freeda Kingelin

The Gecko by TrHoang Ktrang

Crime by Kyle

Hu Tieu Dream by Dung Nghi Tran

Ceceko

Ceceko, whose real name is Diep Nguyen Tran, is a seasoned writer with a strong passion for exploring the intricacies of everyday life. As an avid reader from a young age, she draws inspiration from both books and real-life experiences. After living and working in three different countries for eight years, Ceceko returned to her homeland of Vietnam with a newfound appreciation for diverse perspectives.

Drawing inspiration from the famous Vietnamese poem Thằng Bờm, I felt compelled to write a backstory, which ultimately brought A Fan Deal to life. The story explores the motivations and desires that drive the characters to strive for a special hand fan. It's a tale of an unexpected encounter between a not-so-bright, impoverished teenager and a wealthy old man. As the two characters' interests clash, a deep secret is revealed, leading to a newfound sense of hope for an entire impoverished town.

A Fan Deal

By

Ceceko

Today, we gather at Bờm's house on his granny's first death anniversary to remember her as an admirable artist and a pioneer in the hand fan business. Her legacy is palpable in the crowded home, filled with white flowers and an abundance of colorful, handcrafted fans. The fans are of varying sizes, from grand enough to cover a door to dainty enough to fit inside a rice bowl. Some of the fans are painted with elegant images of our town, and the river Delta.

In the heart of the house stands a grand altar crafted from ironwood, a type of wood known for its slow growth rate and exceptional density which makes it sink in water. Ironwood is prized for its hardness and durability, much like the bond between Bờm and his grandmother Hoa. I light up a few incense sticks, bow three times before the altar, and place them in the censer in front of the ancestral tablet. Despite the early hour, the censer is already filled with spent incense sticks, making it a challenge to add new ones. Beside the ancestral tablet, I notice a familiar bird figure made of tortoiseshell. It never occurred to me back then that such a small item would hold so much value.

Splash! The sound of water draws my attention towards the front door. My eyes fall upon a newly dug pond, teeming with bighead carp. The fish gracefully swim and play in the water, their movements a mesmerizing sight. Beside the pond, the main path leading from the house to the main road comes into view, sparking memories of my first meeting with Granny Hoa and Bờm.

- - - -

About a decade ago, they came to our impoverished village and we welcomed them with the warmest of hearts. The origins of Granny Hoa and Bờm were a mystery to us, but it was clear to me back then that they had struggled to adapt to the fast-paced and competitive lifestyle in more affluent villages such as the silk village or the pottery village. 

I heard stories from my grandparents who had moved here from the silk village. They described how the demands of silkworms left little time for anything else. People's lives were intertwined with the life of the silkworm because the worms require constant care and attention in order to produce the best silk. The silk villagers were constantly working to maintain a clean environment, the right temperature, and a strict diet for the worms. This resulted in a lifestyle that only focused on work and efficiency to maximize silk productivity. While they might have had so much stuff, wearing the best clothes and all, they didn't have time for trivial things like we did in our village. Me, I would never wanna live there. 

Life in our village was simple. We only put in good effort during the start of the rainy season, using buffalo to plow the rice fields and our own hands to plant the seedlings, five at a time with two hand-spans between each. We often sang a catchy tune while working, repeating five seedlings, two hand-spans. We relied on the rainfall to nourish our crops and harvested them at the end of the rainy season. The climate was predictable, with dry and rainy seasons, always warm and sunny. Our plants were blessed and so were we.

During the dry season, we looked to other pursuits to keep us a bit busier. We turned our hands to growing sweet potatoes and then gathering with kin and neighbors. Very often, we joined forces to search for suitable matches for the youngsters in our community based on their zodiac signs. Sometimes it’s the trivial things in life that bring us the most happiness.

- - - -

You must be proud of this young boy, Uncle Ba says to me. The uncle’s loud voice brings me back from my deep thoughts. 

Right, says Aunty Hai Huyền as she pats my shoulder. Without Sis Sáu, all these things wouldn't have happened. Thanks to you, our village has now become one of the most famous towns in the Delta.

I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time, I respond as I always did to such compliments.

Look around here, things have changed a lot. We have never had that many visitors and vehicles transporting goods in and out, said another person though I can’t tell who because I got lost in my thoughts once again while looking up at the ceiling.

- - - -