A short story in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Văn Thiện 
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Art: Đinh Trường Chinh

Banished

I’m being banished from civilization. Historically I’ve gone backward for hundreds of years. I’m surrounded by crumbling ancient monuments. A feather is all that’s left of a bird that has flown the coop. Left is an empty space, where the tree has completed its ancient life cycle. Your question will always be: “How could anyone be that brilliant, brilliant enough to turn back time?”. Look, allow me the pleasure, I’ll let you in on the secret, it’s a lengthy tale, impossible to tell in an afternoon. That’s why, where I live, there are not many storytellers but instead an army of poets and writers. Hence my determination in sharing this tale, because I know there are idle ears out there willing to listen and read every word, waiting for me to…