Talia And Cresealia Short Story

The Story of Talia and Cresealia
An adaptation of The Story of Tam and Cam
The first time I saw my sister, Cresealia, I knew I wouldn’t like her. Even her face was foul. But then things suddenly changed in a little flat in Vietnam.

“UGH! I’m sick and tired of your beautiful face, Talia! You will from now on do all the housework,” stepmother Beatrice said furiously.

My face formed a small frown. “I will do as you say, Mother,” I murmured.

“Now go catch me some fish, girls. Whoever gets the most fish will get a new yem (shawl)” announced stepmother Beatrice.

I hauled the fishing pole on my back and slowly walked to the Saigon River, while my sister carelessly ran ahead of me like a cheetah to just bathe in the water, while she grimly
smiled and laughed at me. How does she think she’s going to win and get this new shawl Beatrice has provided for one of us? I calmly ignored her and started to catch some goby (fish), as my face took in the smell and taste of grimy and salty air. As I finished my quest, Cresealia hollered,

“If you don’t wash your hair, Beatrice would get very mad and punish you, Talia.”

So I washed my hair in the muddy water, which really wasn’t making my hair clean.
When I was almost done soaking my hair, Cresealia got her chance to snatch some fish out of my basket and return home. I saw what she’d done and cried for a few minutes, until I heard a loud noise. I looked up and saw a clear figure above me and to my surprise it was a Buddha. The Buddha said slowly,

“Don’t cry child, there is still one more little goby left in your basket. Take that goby and put it in the well behind your flat and say this, “Good evening, little fish,” whenever you feed it earthworms.” When I got back to the flat, I snuck over to the well and dropped the fish in it. I spoke the saying and fed the goby. As it grew dark, I walked back to my room. The next day, I fed the fish again. Eventually, I fed the fish everyday. Beatrice could notice something weird was going on with my behavior, so one day I snuck to the goby to feed it, but little did I know, Beatrice was watching. After I was gone, she ended the fish and put it in her porridge
rice.

I broke into some sobs and the Buddha appeared again.
This time he told me to put the bones of the goby into four jars and lay them under my bed. I did as he told and waited the next day to see what would happen. Later that day, King Gonang, the ruler of the Tajmasago castle, proclaimed he would throw a festival. Stepmother Beatrice and Cresealia went without me to the festival. I got chosen the job to sort a basket of green and black beans. The Buddha arrived and told me to unbury the fish bones for a surprise in each one. I ran quickly up to my room and unburied the bones. Inside the jars were a blue satin dress with silver lace trimmings, a pair of blue satin slippers to match the dress, a leather saddle for a horse with golden trim, and a black horse with white furred hooves with beautiful emerald eyes. I was very excited that I suited myself up in my new attire and rode my horse to the castle.

I took a shortcut into a stream, when one of my slippers dropped into it. The slipper followed the stream to the king’s garden. One of the servants saw the slipper and reported to the king immediately. The king explained that if any maiden’s foot who fit the slipper shall be his queen. Every maiden at the festival scrambled to get their hands on my slipper, but none of their feet would fit. At the last minute, I got to try the slipper and it fit. Soon, I was carried into a palanquin for a wedding ceremony, right in front of Beatrice and
Cresealia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At my father’s passing anniversary, I proved my filial duty and made a short trip home to honor my family. I told Beatrice to get me some betel nuts from some areca trees around our flat for my father’s altar. She complained, but did as I said. While she was picking some off the trees, I quickly grabbed an axe and screamed, “I AM DONE WITH YOU, STEPMOTHER!”

Beatrice fell with a thump onto the ground and didn’t move. Cresealia saw what I had done and ran over to the motionless body.

“Stepmother! Talia, why did you do this?” Cresealia bawled.

“Cresealia, you have no idea what it’s like to be a slave and do all the housework because you live in luxury and get to do whatever you want,” I answered.

“You don’t get to live like me because you deserve it, sister,” she cried.

Cresealia ran to get someone to pick up Beatrice’s body as I walked to the Saigon River with my head facing the ground.

I guess if you don’t love somebody who cares for you, it can affect you as well. Tears streamed down my face, falling into the river.