Story and Art by HK
Last week I went to China for a few days. During my stay there, one afternoon I spent a couple of hours at a Chinese museum in Beijing where I saw and admired many ancient Chinese emperors. That night when I went to sleep in the hotel I had a dream of becoming the NEW EMPEROR of VIETNAM.
And also in my dream, a pretty Tevada came and asked me,
“Xen, do you want your bad eye back to be normal?”
I was so happy and exclaimed,
“Yes Madam!”
“Ok but there are some tradeoffs. I have to have your two front teeth and your replacement eye will come crossed sighted with your good one,” the Tevada replied.
I thought it over for a moment. Well I could pay a dentist to fix my front teeth and a real good eye would improve my vision even though my sight would be crossed.
“Yes Tevada, I do want the tradeoffs.”
“Ok Xen, your wish is fulfilled.” And the Tevada floated away and disappeared into the lovely moon lit night sky…
As the NEW EMPEROR of VIETNAM, I lived in a small palace in the city of Hué and was surrounded by many Viet concubines, eunuchs, servants etc…
Inside the small palace everybody kowtowed to me when they saw me walking by. But outside it was a different story; nobody respected me from the top officials all the way down to the Viet beggars.
I was so angry. And this was how I saw myself in my dream.
Prince Huyen Xen,
Son of the 13th concubine and the late emperor Bao Dai
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