100 words about the ghosts of war. They are all around us.
The story is for Friday Fictioneers and is inspired by the photograph below supplied by Raina Ng. Please check out a few,or all, of the stories produced by a wide variety of writers from around the world. You may even find yourself saying, “Hey, I can do that.” (John Bigbooty, this is your moment.)
(Author’s note: Chất độc da cam is Agent Orange, a defoliant whose use in the Vietnam war scarred two countries and kills and maims to this day.)
Hien Giang rises the hour before dawn. Soon the rich aroma of Pho Ga and fresh Bánh Mì fills the kitchen with Ai’ Long’s presence. They met during the struggle, she a nurse and he a cook in the vast tunnel complex of Cu Chi.
After reunification, two stillborn children emptied her of tears and their house of laughter. She died of cancer a year later.
Chất độc da cam destroyed his life long before he ever asked Ai’ Long to marry him.
In a darkness no flashlight can pierce, Hien Giang sits alone and breaks bread with his family.
ironwoodwind 
Very moving. Your use of language is beautiful. I love “In a darkness no flashlight can pierce” – it really speaks to the depth of his suffering.
Dear Janet,
Thank you for reading and commenting so kindly. It is a dark place he’s in. Humankind? Sometimes I’m not sure.
Aloha,
Doug
It’s difficult to click on “like” with this story. Too much truth, too much pain. Too real. Whether or not it is, it feels very real. Thank you for making me appreciate today. My today.
Dear Paul,
Thank you for one of the nicest, most telling things anyone has ever said about one of my stories. I truly appreciate it.
Aloha,
Doug
Paul wrote what I was going to write. Lovely piece, Doug.
I agree with Paul. This feels so very real. I watched History Dectectives Monday night on PBS. The story was about a Marine who picked up a diary lying on a dead North Vietnamese soldier in 1965. The History Dectective helped locate the family and return the diary. It was a touching story and drove home the point that we are all human and our similarities outweigh our differences.
Very powerful writing, Doug. My hat’s off to you.
Dear Russell,
You sir, are too kind. Two weeks running i’ve felt like flying to the heartland and renting space on a billboard to thank you for you comments.
It’d be more fun to see what you’d write on it, though. Your story this week is to die for and I’m still chucling over it.
Thanks again, Russell.
Aloha,
Doug
Doug, this pierced my heart. I appreciate your use of the present tense and then past tense to go into his past. You seamlessly wove in the foreign names while keeping the story completely accessible to the reader. Wonderful.
Thanks for the praise and for noticing the foreign words. Hien Giang’s story lives in his house with him and not in ours so I knew I had to write it from his point of view. Glad you liked it.
I was thoroughly impressed with your story this week. As Russell says, “My hat’s off to you.”
Aloha,
Doug
You make me consider how far reaching the ripples of our actions can travel. Such terrible consequences in this case. Regrettable for all of us.
Dear JK,
Thank you for turning your keen eye toward my story this week. I appreciate the comments. Thought yours was pretty special, too.
Aloha,
Doug
Hi Doug,
Last week you showed up fashionable late to the party. This week you’re early. Nobody can say you’re predictable, not in your habits or your writing. I admire the authenticity in this story, your knowledge of Vietnamese culture and history. I felt the intense sadness and loss of your main character. A great reminiscense of one of the most senseless and tragic eras in U.S. history. You should be very proud of this one. Ron
Dear Ron,
Thank you for your comments and compliments. This story is one that seemed simply to move through me and on to the page. I wonder if America will reverse its course and become known as a nation of peace. I am scared for us and for our future. Too many ghosts.
Aloha,
Doug
This just broke my heart…i read it about 3 times…and now i am here with lips pouted. This is so moving, and it just nabbed at my heart.
Very well done. This is one emotional and very well written story.
Dear Boomie,
Thank you so much for your kind comments. I’ll give you back your heart next week.
Aloha,
Doug
Very moving Doug, very intense!
“After reunification, two stillborn children emptied her of tears and their house of laughter.”
Simple yet powerful.
Dearest Parul,
Thank you very much for commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
‘Hien Giang sits alone and breaks bread with his family.’ is such an evocative line. Very beautiful.
Dear Claire,
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it.
Aloha,
Doug
a darkness no flashlight can pierce. that’s powerful. i wonder if “lightning” might be even more powerful. maybe, maybe not.
Hi Rich,
That sentence is meant to incorporate the flashlight on the table, the one he’s carried with him ever since his tunnel days. Lightning would work, but wouldn’t encompass some of the parts of Hien’s story I had no room for. Thanks for bouncing that idea by me. I like the give and take on the subject we all love.
Aloha,
Doug
oh, i see what you mean.
i hadn’t even noticed the flashlight.
Very sad, and very real. For some of us from that generation during the Vietnam war era we know about the ‘agent orange’ and delayed stress syndrome, and the complacency and lack of compassion that many in our country had when the Vietnam vets came home. My cousin’s husband had those problems when he came home from the war and for years suffered with the ‘delayed stress syndrome’ disorder. He was an intelligence officer for the army, and interrogated the Viet Cong and north Vietnam soldiers captured. My husband was exempt from the draft when he enrolled in college, but the war and its effects lingered on for many years for everyone, whether vets or not.
Dear Joyce,
You are so right. Michael Herr, in his epic work, Dispatches, wrote, Viet nam, Viet Nam, Viet Nam, we have all been there.
Thank you for commenting from such a deep place in your heart and in your memories.
Aloha,
Doug
Powerful story of a man who had been given too much sadness for one lifetime. Your last line really tops it off.
Dear VB,
Thank you for dropping by to read and comment.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug,
Stunning story. That Agent Orange destroyed his life before he ever asked her to marry him drilled me to the depths. II’m sending a standing ovation across the sea to you. This whole piece is so amazing I’m almost speechless.
Shalom-Aloha,
Rochelle
Dear Rochelle,
I like what I tried to do here…
Thanks for your fine comments.
Aloha,
Doug
I like that he breaks bread with his family despite the darkness he feels. Doesn’t seem so completely dark after all.
We all carry the memory of sunshine with us no matter how dark it gets. Thank you for reading my story this week. I do appreciate it.
Aloha,
Doug
Such a heartbreaking story yet so true. I love the way you’ve put it across.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it. Fuel for the tank. Mahalo.
Aloha,
Doug
Beautifully written, sensitively conceptualised. A remarkable piece, and one that projects more than a few reflective moments. Well done Doug.
Dear Sandra,
Merci beaucoup for your fine compliments crossing oceans to reach me.
Aloha,
Doug
Thank you Doug for a very moving beautifully told story. Your economy of words tells so much more than descriptive explanations.
You conveyed the pointlessness and futility of those times so very powerfully.-.
Dear Valerie,
Your cogent comments always leave me smiling. Fuel for the tank, ink for the pen and inspiration for the next story. It is I who must thank you.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug, what a rich scene! I loved how you filled the home with viet cuisine and her presence. It was a very heartwarming read. And a little sad too.
Dear Raina,
This story had its roots where you do, I’m thinking. I wanted to honor you and your fine picture. And i Love Viet cuisine.
Aloha,
Doug
Thank you Doug.
Heart-rending contrast between Hiet Giang’s isolation and his family’s presence. “Emptied her of tears” speaks of such depth of pain that I want to cry with Ai Long for her losses.
The effects of war linger through time, something which you’ve portrayed so well here.
Our little corner: http://www.lazuli-portals.com/flash-fiction/left-behind
A very moving piece Dog, and beautify written.
http://adrarasdreams.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/fridayfictioneers-in-kitchen.html
Who you calling a dog? (Thanks for the comment)(Pesky typos)(For a small fee I will correct that….:)
Aloha,
Doug
You’ve put an all too human face on an old enemy, and that is much needed. “Collateral Damage” is the perfect title for this well-spun tale of ill-thought actions have unforeseen but nonetheless horrific consequences.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/shuttered/
Dear Maggie,
Thank you for dropping by and reading.
Aloha,
Doug
Very affecting piece, well -told in few words.
Even made me hungry too!
Dear Perry,
Thanks. I loved yours. None better.
Aloha,
Doug
Haunting story, Doug, though I was confused by the names. Thanks for the visit. I’m here for others: http://readinpleasure.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/fridayfictioneers-the-empty-heart/
Dear Celestine,
Names like Kuk? We humans have a wide variety of names, don’t we. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Goodness, Doug. This was heart-breaking and, as usual, beautifully executed. Well done, my friend.
Dear Kady,
I’m glad you got a chance to read Collateral Damage and appreciated the writing. Knowing my stories might be seen by you keeps me striving for the best. Thank you for stopping by and making my morning. I’ll keep my eyes out for your story.
Aloha,
Doug
Wow, Doug. You are right at the other end of the spectrum from me on this prompt. I clearly prefer my warfare intergalactic and fantastical.
I found your story completely heartbreaking and the final image just endlessly desolate.
Dear Jen,
Just balancing out the scales. I love it when you stop by and read. Thanks for visiting.
Aloha,
Doug
All I could think was “oh” as a lump formed in my throat. Very sad, powerful and beautiful.
Dear Jan,
Shall I aim for light hearted in the next story to make up for it?
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
An extremely powerful piece of writing told from a perspective that isn’t represented nearly enough. The concept of a war coming to an end is such a flawed one. For those who were directly affected, it never comes to an end, as your piece beautifully illustrates. Instead of celebrating when the last shot is fired, maybe we should work harder to ensure that the first one never happens!
Dear John,
You are so right. Thank you for visiting and leaving such a nice comment.
Aloha,
Doug
Thanks Doug for a thought provoking story. Not easy to ‘like’ as Paul said. Not easy to describe the words as beautiful either, but they are incredibly evocative.
Dear Sarah Ann,
(Permissable to say that I love your name?) I know what you mean about the ‘like’ button. There ought to be a wider choice. Thank you for your kind comments. I look forward to reading your story in a few days.
Aloha,
Doug
What a heartbreaking story! “Hien Giang sits alone and breaks bread with his family.” So many things we do have long trails of consequences that nobody stops to think through at the time – especially in the middle of war.
Dear NPB,
Thanks for stopping in and reading. Almost time for another. Looking forward to reading yours.
Aloha,
Doug
Tender and heart wrenching from one of my favorite FFictioneer contributors. This place would be a sorry site without Doug’s brilliant stories.
Dear Lora,
You do me honor and i appreciate it. Knowing that you are out there reading keeps me on my game. Thank you very much.
Aloha,
Doug
Your details, from the small to the large, are what makes the tragedy so strong in this – the rising before dawn, the aromas and the memories mingled. Your stuff is usually very powerful, but this is even a cut above the rest I’d say. Great writing.
Dear Brian,
Comments like yours are like a drug. Sadly, I am addicted. Thanks for being my supplier.
Aloha,
Doug
Aloha
Ha, just doing my part
What an amazing, heartfelt story in such few words. Doug, you are a master. My eyes are stinging with tears as I write this. It hit home because the brother of my husband’s best friend just died this past week. Main cause: Agent Orange.
Well done. My very different take is here: http://banterwithbeth.blogspot.com
Dear Beth,
You and many others were the inspiration for my story. Humans are a strange breed, always fouling their nest… I wonder about our future. Destined to keep learning the same lessons over and over again. I appreciate your fine comments very much.
Aloha,
Doug
So many nations having caused so much pain in their history. I have started researching the transportation of prisoners to Australia from Britain in the 1700s and 1800s, which is part of a pain that my country inflicted on others. Yours brings home such an episode from your country and makes it oh so personal. Thanks for the insights and the learning.
Dear Anne,
Thank you for your comprehensive comments. Do you plan to incorporate the results of your research into a novel? I’m intested.
Aloha,
Doug
That’s right Doug, it’s a ‘semi-fiction’ project based on the life of one of my husband’s ancestors, with whom I happen to share a name 🙂 Definitely going to be written as a novel, hence my need to learn how to write fiction. I’m reading a non-fiction book about the time at the moment, and it just doesn’t have the same feeling of a story that I want to achieve. Thanks for the interest, Anne.
I loved the reference to the flashlight. Makes me wonder if he keeps it around just in case. Great, moving story.
Dear Shirley,
The flashlight was what made me imagine Hien Giang’s story. In the end there was no mention of it, but, yes, he keeps it there, just because. Keen eye.
Aloha,
Doug
Very touching; truly the effects of war are long term and painful for almost all involved. Well told in so few words. Thanks, Doug.
Dear Erin,
Thank you for your kind comments.
Aloha,
Doug
My. That is a powerful tale, Doug.
Dear Ted,
Thank you, sir.
Aloha,
Doug
Get my lei ready, Doug…
Dear Ted,
Stringing it now.
Details, Ted….details please.
Thanks.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear D,
Once again, I can associate myself with your words. Although this time it’s a little bit more than usual. You know I’m half Vietnamese, right? My family fled the war and the phrase “in a darkness no flashlight can pierce” made me shiver. A story well written (even if the food mentioned in it made me hungry).
Love,
Cae
Dear Caely,
Yes, knew from your name of your Vietnamese heritage. Were you born there? Your comments on this story really mean a lot to me becasue of your history. Thank you for brightening my day. I’m also glad you think I got the food right. (I love Viet Cuisine.)
Aloha,
Doug
Dear D,
Nice, not many people can figure that out actually. I was born in Sweden, but grew up in a very cultural home. When we meet, we’ll have lots of Viet cuisine 🙂 It’s the best food I know.
Love,
C