Free The Tapestries by Kien Nguyen

two excited pigeons during the mating season.
    The foreigner looked at Master Long and spoke a string of odd words. His thick fingers sliced the air in counterpoint to his bizarre speech. Magistrate Toan leaned closer to his son and cast a brief but expressive glance at the foreigner. “What did the French captain say?” he asked.
    “The mandarin wanted to confirm that we have taken him to the correct address of the rebels,” Master Long answered. His short, pomaded hair copied the Frenchman's style, in contrast to his father's traditional headdress.
    Magistrate Toan urged his son, “Tell him yes, quickly.”
    Master Long said a few words to the French official. As they conversed, Magistrate Toan stood next to his son, waiting impatiently to receive the information from the foreign dignitary. “What did he say just now?” he asked, seizing his son's arm when the two men grew silent once more.
    “He wants to search the entire place for clues of the rebels,” Master Long translated. “Also, he ordered the arrest of everyone inside, regardless of age.”
    Under the shadow of the hiding place, Ven exhaled. “Bastards,” she said under her breath. “It is unfortunate that our master placed his trust in these poisonous people. They are dangerous not only to our family, but to the very air the Cam Le Village breathes.”
    Song placed a finger against her lips to plead for Ven's silence.
    On the veranda, Master Long, followed by his men, traversed the long walk to the living room. Once they disappeared behind the door, Dan listened to the sounds of furniture being thrown on the floor or smashed against a wall. Through the opaque windows, he caught sight of a torch leaping from room to room. Shadows of men danced against the white parchment paper of the windows. Their images reminded him of the stories his father often told about monsters who were half men, half goat, and who ascended from Hell to steal the souls of the living. Dan covered his ears with his hands. Still, he could not block out the sounds of destruction.
    Outside, in front of the ornamental vase on the wooden stand, Magistrate Toan and the French mandarin awaited the soldiers' return with visible impatience. The magistrate, with terror in his eyes, studied the foreigner, hoping for some positive words, dreading to see a frown. More than half an hour went by, an eternity to Dan, before Master Long and his men emerged from different doors of the house and reassembled in the courtyard.
    Master Long stepped out of the living room, staggering under the load over his shoulder. A few strands of pearls peeked out from his front pockets. His face wore a grin. Like him, the soldiers clutched large bundles on their backs. With each step they took, the clanking of metallic objects stirred the night like the rattle of ghostly chains. Others came from behind the house, leading Dan's entire collection of barnyard animals, including cows, horses, pigs, and cages of poultry, as well as a pair of oxen Song had rented the month before from a farmer in the neighboring village. Under the men's prodding, the animals moved in rows, following the fires held high in the soldiers' hands.
    The French official and Master Long exchanged some words. But the foreigner did not seem satisfied with Master Long's response. He turned away and folded his arms in front of his chest. Master Long tried to speak, but the mandarin became livid. In front of the shocked soldiers, he blurted out some loud comments, then strode to the sedan and kicked its front tire.
    Looking at his father, Master Long explained, “The mandarin wanted to know if I found any evidence against the fisherman. When I told him that I had found nothing, he wanted to examine these bags. Once I informed him that they contained the fortunes I had confiscated from the rebels' home, he lost his temper. He even called us a bunch of greedy monkeys.”
    “I see,” the old man whispered, trying to maintain an air of poise.
    “Do