The Old Pastor

The Old Pastor.

Hai Lee sat down, put his blade aside. Oldman Bang was telling stories in his poorly decorated, extremely old little inn. That day seemed to be a busy day for Bang’s business. It was pretty crowded, people were waiting for their meals and the waiter worked at full speed. Most of the customers were passers-by, from all over the country that came here for their own stuff. Lee drank a sip of rice wine, his dinner were served with rice, of course, and grilled beef. An adventurer himself, he wandered Dainam in search of fortune. Oldman Bang’s stories including every little things from the Emperor’s harem to the affair of a local fisherman with a widow in his neighborhood. The customers enjoyed his stories so much that their laughing seemed to make the poor little inn shake continuously. Lee was still not so care.

‘Not funny. Most of’em were bullshit!’ He thought.

But there was a story that really attracted him, the story about a Westerner. He was an old Pastor called Phillipe, who lived in a local small Church.

Vietnamese Emperor that time was an anti-Christians. He lauched many campaigns to exterminate the Christians and to drove them out of the country. He even placed bounties on Western Missionary heads. That was a hard time for Vietnam when blockage were set up, industrial technologies from the West could not reach the country. So that Dainam was a poor, backward agriculture state,of course. Famine, bandits, rebels still haunted the people for many years.

The Village was located on the very Southern part of Vietnam. Where goods from the surrounding countries, or even goods from European trading companies were smuggled into and consumed. About 90 percent of the villagers were converted Christians. But there was only one Church, about 4 kilos from the dock.

‘So what’s wrong with this Father Phi-Phi?’ a customer asked.

‘Father Phillipe!’ Oldman Bang intervened, he’s a weird man who came here about 10 years ago. He provides foods and breads to us villagers. But that oldman past was still unknown. Whenever we ask, he always keeps silent. What a stubborn old bastard’.

‘Hey old freak! Don’t talk about Father Phillipe like that!’ A farmer said.

‘Remember last year you were in debt, he gave you foods, didn’t ya ?’

‘Yea!’ Another person said.’The guy gave me shelter and protected me when the bandits burned down my house. Damn! I just don’t know why that oldman is so stronglike that. We all know those blue-eyes, white bastards are slow and silly. Remember what our grandfathers used to say fella? The bigger you are, the more dumb you are !’

The whole inn bursted into laughing.

‘That oldman is a real deal you know? He’s nearly as tall as the tree by the village well. Damn! The shoulder is just broad like Guan Yu from Three Kingdoms. Never see anyone that big, even the Westerners.’ One villager said, claimed to be Father Phillipe’s friend.

‘The night the pastor fought off the bandits, that was so damn impressive. He used somekind of martial art I never seen before. His kicks were so fast that when I open my eyes I only saw those assholes lying unconcious’.

‘Yea, I saw that kind of martial art before, when a Western merchant hired me and my crew to transport the goods from his ship. I saw the sailors fought each others, they were so damn fast. They told me that they were fighting Chausson, which is very popular.’ Dien, a local wrestler said.

‘So, the old pastor was a sailor too?’ Lee asked the wrestler.

‘Don’t know! They said that people from all classes practised that martial art too. Wish one day Father Phillipe would teach me that.’

‘You know that The Emperor is placing bounties on Missionary heads? One of the customer said.

‘Never! Father Phillipe is a good man! We will never betray him!’ The farmers stated.

Suddenly, there were loud noise outside the inn. The people inside went out. The Imperial troops were there, demanding Father Phillipe arrest, along with all of the Christians. Everyone who resisted were massacred, the soldiers burned houses down. What a tragic! Bodies lying on the road, blood covered their twisted faces….

Dien and Lee were the only survivors there.

‘Hurry friend, we need to get to the Church, we have to warn Father Phillipe. Our children are there too. The soldiers will spare no one! So let just…hurry up!’
Then they were surrounded by a group of Imperial lancers.Lee and Dien swung their blades, the lancers were cut down on their feet.

‘We need to hurry!’

Suddenly, a musket ball hit Dien’s chest and he fell. Lee rushed to him.

‘Leave me here, I will distract the soldiers, go friend! It’s a honor to fight alongside a warrior like you!’

‘But…’

Dien said nothing, he picked up his blade, struggling to stand on his feet.His mouth filled with blood. He smiled and nodded at Lee, then turned around. Lee nodded, and rushed into the direction that Dien had instructed him.

Father Phillipe was giving the Christian kids some cheeses and books. He was a friendly person. Despite the language barrier, the children loved him as their grandpa. They often came and visited him after days on the rice paddies. They called him’ Granpa White Gorilla’ and he really enjoyed it. Kids from this countries were adorable. Sometimes, observing these kids reminded him of his own daughter.It had been a long time he hadn’t meet his daughter. This made him feel like something in his eyes that gonna make tears fall down.

Lee opened the door, in front of him was a large man in brown robe. It was the first time he met Father Phillipe. The oldman looked big and strong, his gray moustache and beard seemed like they were belonged to the king of the jungle, a tiger. His eyes were deep blue, like the color of the ocean. You can point out a person characteristics by just looking at their eyes, and in Father Phillipe, they were experienced and reliable.

‘What brought you here, young man? You looked battered and worried! Let me give you some medicines! You need to rest….’

‘There’s no time left, Father Phillipe. The Imperial troops are out there looking for your head.They’re killing the villagers and I think they’re really close!’ Lee said, hardly catched his breath.

‘Dear God, that such a thing could happened!’ Father Phillipe said.’ Why did they do that?! May their souls rest in peace…..’

‘The Emperor is an anti-Christian, he thinks that Christian is ruinning his country, and he had launched a hunt for Missionaries like you and no one would be spared, even these little kids….. if they are Christians’. So we need to hurry! Let’s get you and those kids to safety, before it’s too late!’ Lee urged.

‘We need to get to the dock, my friend Pierre is the captain of a trading ship, I get the stuffs from his crew. Let’s get the children there, Pierre would give you shelters’. Father Phillipe answered.

Suddenly the door got kicked down, the children were too scared so they cried. Three soldiers bursted in, armed with swords and muskets. Father Phillipe picked up a wooden stick and in a brink of eye, the three soldiers lying unconcious. Lee stood there, his mouth wide opened in impress. This old man was ridiculously fast!
‘There’s a way through the jungle leading to the dock! Son, we should hurry up!’

Father Philliped said. He bodily instructed the kids to go first.

They reached the dock in about 15 minutes. Pierre was there, waiting for them.

‘Hey! What’s happened Father Phillipe? I saw firre in the village’. Pierre worrried.

‘You have to set sail right now, Pierre! The Annamese Emperor is an anti-Christians, and now his soldiers are killing the innocents. Take care of these children for me, friend! It should be this old man last wish!’.Father Phillipe said.

‘Father Phillipe, but…’.

Father Phillipe stood still, he recalled his past. The glorious days when he and his fellow Grenadiers fought alongside Emperor Napoleon I. Countless battles, from Austerlitz, Jena, Dresden….. He remembered Waterloo, it was the first, and also the last time his fearless regiment knew the bitter taste of defeat. In front of his eyes, the image of the battlefield became clearer than ever. There he could see his comrades being gunned down by British volleys……the death of Private Moret, his best friend and cousin, the artillery fire, the charge of the cavalries… the screams of the wounded…..

He couldn’t save his loved ones before, but not this time.

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

‘There must be other survivors’ He insisted.

‘No!’ Lee said.’The village is gone! Come with us! They’re hunting you down, Father Phillipe! You’re a good man. Those people have sacrified their lives to protect you! So, don’t let them down!’

‘I won’t! This time I will not!’

Father Phillipe stood there, solemn. He drew a medal from his small sack and gave it to Lee.

‘Please give it to my daughter, Helene, when you reach France, tell her that I am sorry! It’s a great honor to meet a brave man like you. I will never regret it!’

Lee was about to say something, but Father Phillipe had already gotten off the ship. Standing on the ground, he watched the ship sailing away. Drawing his saber, he walked into the darkness, to the burned village.