Free Monsoon by Di Morrissey

closer Tom burst out laughing.
    â€˜The floating farmyard!’ He reached for his camera to take a shot of the small fenced pens on stilts above the water. One held chickens, another a fat pig.
    â€˜What are in the fenced cages in the water?’ asked Anna.
    â€˜Big fish for eating. In the tanks are shrimp,’ answered Captain Chinh.
    Anna watched a girl sitting on the edge of a sampan moored next to her dwelling as she washed her hair, pouring a bucket of water over her head. ‘Do you reckon the loo, bathing, washing and so on is dumped into the water?’
    â€˜Of course. No sewerage or plumbing here,’ answered Sandy.
    â€˜Yuk. I’ve changed my mind about a swim.’
    â€˜Ah, don’t worry, the catfish clean up everything,’ said Tom.
    The girls howled at him and even Captain Chinh laughed. ‘This old-style village. Over there, that Hung’s father house.’
    There were several boats tied up and people sitting in the open doorway smoking and eating. They glanced at the tourists and Anna suddenly wondered if one of the men was the one she’d seen on the boat with Hung last night. As if to confirm it, the man acknowledged them with a slight nod.
    â€˜Are they Hung’s relatives?’ she asked.
    Captain Chinh shrugged. ‘Yes, and some people from the mainland. They do business.’
    Anna was about to ask what kind of business would be conducted in such a small out-of-the-way village, but the others were stroking strongly back towards the Harvest Moon as another batch of tourists in kayaks and tenders headed into the cove to see the floating village.
    Back on the junk Hung had prepared food and, with Captain Chinh in command, he took a canoe, waved goodbye and skimmed across the water to visit his village.
    When the three Australians were alone, Tom took another look at the photos he’d taken, then handed the camera to Sandy.
    â€˜What do you make of this?’ he asked, showing a photo of the grotto in the large viewing screen.
    â€˜Pretty. The light in the water is great,’ said Anna.
    â€˜Yeah, but look at the ledge I pointed out. Above that.’
    â€˜There are steps,’ exclaimed Sandy, taking a closer look.
    â€˜Odd, don’t you think? Where would they go? Who’d access them from the cave?’ asked Tom.
    The girls studied the picture. ‘Weird. Ask Captain Chinh,’ suggested Sandy.
    â€˜What about the old nun at the temple up the hill? How does she get up and down to get supplies?’ asked Tom.
    â€˜How do we know there even is an old nun at the pagoda?’ added Anna.
    â€˜Let’s go and look!’ joked Sandy.
    â€˜I’ll go have a yarn to Chinh,’ said Tom. ‘You chat up Hung when he comes back.’
    â€˜Well, we don’t have anything else to do this afternoon,’ said Sandy. ‘Might cost more, an “extra” excursion.’
    â€˜Be a great view from up there. Tom looks fit enough to make it up to the pagoda,’ said Anna.
    â€˜Let’s talk to Hung when he gets back.’
    Returning from his village with fresh fish, Hung was relaxed about their idea and shrugged. ‘It is not a very impressive pagoda but the walk winds around so it’s not a steep climb and it’s a shady walk.’
    â€˜So let’s do it. I’d like to talk to the old nun. She must get lonely. How long has she been there?’ asked Sandy.
    â€˜She was a novice near Dien Bien Phu, but fled when the French were defeated in the early 1950s and the communists took over. She finds this place very peaceful. Occasional tourists visit her and my family take her food. She is nearly blind but manages to cook and look after herself and the temple.’
    â€˜Heavens, poor thing. What can we take her?’ asked Anna.
    â€˜Just make an offering: that will please her. Fresh fruit. After the spirits have eaten she will enjoy the fruit,’ said Hung.
    â€˜So how do we