Ghost on the Tree
The remaining people continued their training, including me, and were more careful until nine o'clock at night. When the command whistle sounded, no one dared to go outside.
***
At that time, I was a freshman, still very inexperienced. The school allowed me to participate in a military training camp for a month. I was thrilled because I would finally learn what it meant to be a soldier.
Excitedly boarding the bus, I thought it was my destiny. However, that bus ride led me to a situation where I suffered for years, and even now, I feel scared when I remember those times.
On a cold counting day, after a grueling day of training, my friends and I crawled onto the simple and bare beds. There were thin blankets and pillows on the beds, nothing else. We listened to Nguyen Ngoc Ngan's ghost stories, and the noise caused the commander downstairs to become annoyed and reprimand us several times. Everyone was cold, scared, and listened to ghost stories. Some pretended to sleep to avoid the cold.
It was still chilly after winter, and I only had a backpack with me while my friends had clothes, blankets, and perfume. It was freezing, and I only had clothes, no blankets, which made me shiver and moan.
My friends could hide under the blankets when they got scared, but I had nothing to cover myself. I wore my uniform to keep warm while listening to the frightening stories. I couldn't tell if I was shaking from the cold or the terrifying tales.
The creepy sounds from the speakers combined with the desolate scenery outside and the howling wind through the cracks in the door made me even more frightened.
Suddenly, I noticed a letter jumping up and down on some distant white trees. I was on the second-floor bed with a small window for ventilation, no glass, and an easy view outside. Other people on the second floor covered themselves upon hearing the wind howl outside, but I was the only one who dared to look out. I realized that perhaps it was just the branches swaying or my poor eyesight in the dark.
Afterward, I decided to cover my ears tightly and force myself to sleep.
The next day, I overheard my friends gossiping about someone who had died, hanged on the very same white tree that I saw the figure on last night. My back was sweating profusely despite the cold.
The commander declared that we would have a day off to investigate what happened. The deceased was one of our interns, and many were frightened, considering quitting military training and returning home.
Those who remained continued their training, including myself, with more caution until nine o'clock at night, when the commander's whistle sounded, and nobody dared go outside.
Since then, Hùng spoke less and less at home. After a few years, he inexplicably lost weight and became emaciated despite efforts to treat him. A few months later, he passed away, and I went to pay my respects with a heavy heart. I wondered if I was indirectly responsible for his death because I didn't let him see that scene. Maybe he would have been alive and well now if he hadn't seen the figure on the tree that day. I don't know and I'm scared to find out. Only he saw everything that day, and now he's gone.
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