Chapter 7: Chapter 7 – The VC Demand Ransom to Set Us Free

Hoa says, "Mai, from what the VC woman said before Tin was taken away, I gather that the VCs would put him in a tunnel beside the retaining wall for the river's bank. I recall seeing a retaining wall near the Herculean Bridge. Let's go there."

We walk along the retaining wall, peering at the wall for any hole with smoke coming out of it, but seeing no suspected hole.

Hoa says, "Let's stick to this area for now, but look for smoke coming out of the ground." 

"It's a good idea," I say. "The problem is how we can figure out where to find the ventilation hole leading back to the tunnel where Tin is staying?"

Hoa says, "We face the daunting task of figuring out how to find the right tunnel, but First things first, let's try to find a hole with suspicious smoke coming out of it."

We come up to a spot where water is gurgling out of a tube going through the retaining wall. Nearby, smoke smelled of cooking food is squirting out through the leaves of a low tree, its branches hanging down to the ground. Hoa pokes her head into the leaves, saying, "The smoke is coming out of a ground hole!"

I pull on the leaves, and a leafy branch comes away from the tree easily. I make a hollow tube out of my hands, and placing it on the ground hole, I speak into the hand tube, "Tin, are you in there?"

No answer.

As we turn to leave, Tin's voice comes out of the ground, "The VCs have grounded me for telling you guys about their secret activity. You guys get away from where you are, now. Be careful. Don't get caught." 

I say, "Tin, I still have a full bag of cotton candy. Can I give it to you?"

Tin says, sounding glad, "Oh, sure. Thank you. Stuff it into the hole and push it down with a stick. Then go away."

I stick the blue cotton candy bag in the hole, and Hoa pokes the bag down the hole with a stick.

A man says in a rapid-fire riff from the underground, "What're you doing in that corner? Who's talking to you?"

Tin yells, "I'm unclogging a vent hole, and talking to myself."

At the sound of stomping feet, Tin screams, "The VCs are coming out! Go!"

Before we can run away, a man VC and a woman VC rush forward, pointing their guns toward us. I hold up the wedge. Picking the stick back up and grabbing a handful of stones, Hoa holds them out towards the VCs. She swings the stick at the man, hitting his gun muzzle. 

I say, "Please let us go, and the boy, too."

The man says, "You can pay ransom to VCs, and we'll let you three go." 

I turn to Hoa, saying, "Do you have any money with you?"

"Five dollars," Hoa says.

The woman says, "Not enough. I want fifteen dollars. That's the deal."

"I don't have that much money," I say.

The man's face hardens as he says, "Take it or leave it. Pay the ransom or go away." He grabs Hoa by the arm. "No, you can't go away. We'll put you two to work."

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The woman snatches my shoulder. "So you stay, too."

"Wait, let me go. I'll get the money," I say.

The woman turns to Hoa, saying, "All right then, you'll stay here until your friend comes back."

"Hoa, I'll be quick," I say.

The woman says, "All right then, we'll see you back here. Don't let us wait too long."

I run home. Mom's busy in the backyard. I dash to my bedroom, then run to the flea market.

"Come out and sell what you don't need," a peddler says in a convincing tone. She carries her wares in two baskets, each hung from an end of the bamboo pole balanced across her shoulder.

"Ma'am, How much can I get for this brand new outfit?" I say.

"Fourteen dollars and fifty cents," she says.

I repeat the price to myself, disappointed, but there's no time to haggle. I accept the money and hand over my precious outfit. I hope the old woman will understand.

The VC woman has taken the ransom money from me and motions her hands towards the rocks. Tin and Hoa come out of a camouflaged swing door set in a stack of large rocks, with a teenage VC holding a rifle pointed at their backs, the man VC covering the door back up with leafy branches.

Tin looks at the VCs with a defiant facial expression, and then grabs Hoa by the hand and pulls her towards me.

"Let's get away from the VCs, quick," Hoa says.

"I need to go back to the riverbank to retrieve the wedge," Tin says.

"Gold Nuggets River region is full of mysteries," I say.

Tin removes the metal wedge from the hole with the hammer lying beside it. The name TOM is engraved on the wedge. I pull the other wedge out of my pocket, and the name MARK is engraved on this wedge. The two wedges look identical in structure.

Tin says, "I found two wedges in a Cu Chi tunnel, one having the name MARK on it, and the other having the name TOM. I hid the MARK wedge in the Skyscraper Tree trunk and used this TOM wedge to dig holes for the VCs. I guess Mai is holding the MARK wedge that has come from the tree's trunk." 

I say, "I suppose you're right because I've gotten the MARK wedge from an old woman. She said she found the wedge in the Skyscraper Tree trunk." 

Tin says, "Mai, would you like to keep this TOM wedge, too?"

I say, "Oh, Thank you, Tin. I'd love to keep both wedges. Let's go to the Skyscraper Tree to play with other kids."

"And to celebrate Tin's freedom," Hoa says.

We're heading to the Skyscraper Tree. Upon hearing other kids' laughter echoing from the tree, we pick up our pace. We skip, skip, dodge, skip, dodge, and skip, striding over rocks and dodging low-hanging branches. We join other kids climbing up the tree, dropping into the river, and climbing back up the tree.

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