Chapter 15 — Puppets Under the Lights

On the evening of the performance, the ward's cultural yard was decorated simply but warmly - a row of small lanterns strung around the temporary stage area, a lotus-shaped backdrop prepared by Mr. Phuc and a few students' parents together over the past week, and a temporary water tank set up right in the middle of the yard, the water surface was calm and waiting for the wooden puppets that were about to glide in the light.

Minh Long arrived early, with the whole group preparing backstage behind the bamboo curtain - where the puppeteers will stand and soak in water throughout the show, out of sight of the audience. He wore his grandfather's brown three-piece suit, a little too big for his size, but when he put it on, he felt a strange connection, as if he were there, entering this important performance with him.

"Is everyone ready?" Diem My asked, her voice could not hide her nervousness, even though she tried to appear calm in front of the group. She wore a traditional jade green ao dai, her hair was neatly tied in a bun, and she looked much more mature and beautiful than usual, making Minh Long look dumbfounded for a moment before regaining her composure.

"Ready," the group replied in unison, although each person's eyes sparkled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

The audience began to gradually arrive, not only parents and friends of the club members, but also curious people in the neighborhood who stopped by, attracted by the bustling drum sound coming from the temporarily installed speaker system. By show time, the cultural stadium was filled with nearly two hundred seats, some people even had to stand in the back.

Minh Long stood behind the curtain, looking through the small gap towards the stands, his heart beating as fast as the other members. He saw his mother sitting in the front row, next to Tuan Anh waving enthusiastically, and a little further away, he recognized his neighbor Mrs. Sau was also present, along with a few other familiar faces who had known his grandfather.

"It's time," Mr. Phuc whispered, standing in the position to control the sound and light. The sound of the festival drums rang out, opening the show, and Minh Long, along with Nam, stepped into position, hands lifting the pole to control the perfectly repaired Teu puppet.

Teu puppet appears on the water surface, undulating and greeting the audience with a characteristic grin, flexible and playful movements just like the character's inherent charisma. Applause and laughter erupted from the stands immediately, a good start that made the whole team behind the curtain breathe a sigh of relief.

The program continued smoothly through each performance. The scene of the carp crossing the martial arts gate was performed with emotion, the orange-red painted carp gliding gracefully on the water surface to the rhythm of the fast-paced music, then suddenly "transformed into a dragon" when replaced by a long dragon puppet sparkling with golden light under the stage lights, making the audience admire and admire, some children sitting in the front row even cheered with excitement and clapped their hands incessantly.

Standing behind the curtain, soaking in the water, Minh Long clearly felt the rhythm of the whole show, the harmonious coordination between the members that he had diligently trained over the past five weeks. Every time she glanced over to see Diem My, with another group controlling puppets, her eyes were always filled with concentration but could not hide her radiant happiness.

In the final performance - the shortened scene of the four spirits gathering - the whole team, including Minh Long, coordinated to control four puppets representing the dragon, unicorn, turtle, and phoenix, moving to the exact rhythm of the drums drummed by teacher Phuc and the group of musicians. This is the most difficult performance, requiring absolute coordination, but thanks to non-stop practice sessions, the whole team performed almost perfectly. The four puppets converged in the middle of the lake at the moment the drums rang out most intensely, forming a circle of shimmering light reflecting on the water surface.

Thunderous applause rang out from the stands when the performance ended, many people stood up and applauded non-stop, some parents even shed tears at the emotion of the performance. The whole team stepped out from behind the curtain, wet but radiant, bowing to the audience amid endless applause.

Minh Long stood in the middle of the line, looking out at the sea of people applauding, an emotional feeling welling up in his chest that was hard to describe in words. He looked at Diem My standing next to him, saw that she was also crying, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks, and unable to hold back, he grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently as a way to share joy without needing to say it out loud.

After the show, when the audience gradually left, many people came to congratulate and express their admiration for the group's talent. A middle-aged man, introducing himself as a representative of a local cultural fund, approached Mr. Phuc, offering to sponsor the club to maintain long-term operations, even proposing to organize more periodic performances at the ward cultural house.

Minh Long's mother squeezed into the middle of the crowd, hugged her son, her tears kept falling. "You make me so proud, Long," she said chokingly. "I'm sure he's seeing you right now, and he'll be just as proud as I am."

Minh Long hugged his mother tightly, feeling a complete warmth spread throughout his body, erasing all remaining doubts in his heart about his decision to return to water puppetry. He looked up at the starry night sky above the cultural courtyard, and in that moment, he felt like he was there, somewhere among the sparkling stars, smiling down, satisfied with what he had accomplished.

When everyone gradually dispersed, only the club group remained to clean up the stage, Diem My came to Minh Long's side, both stood looking out at the water tank that was now quiet again, the puppets were neatly arranged on the shore, the lantern light was still shimmering reflecting on the calm water surface.

"We did it," Diem My said, her voice still shaking with emotion, holding Minh Long's hand tightly. "Thank you, for everything you sacrificed, tried, to get tonight."

"It's not just me," Minh Long replied, gently squeezing her hand. "It's all of us, together." He paused for a moment, looking into her eyes under the dim lantern light, "And I think, this is just the beginning."

Diem My smiled, nodded in agreement, and in that peaceful moment, between the shimmering lantern light and the calm water reflecting the starry night sky, they both realized that, although the journey ahead still had many challenges awaiting them, they had passed an important milestone together, not only saving the club from the risk of dissolution, but also healing the wounds in their hearts, and finding each other in the midst of that meaningful journey.

Before leaving the cultural house, Mr. Phuc gathered the group one last time, his face radiating a rare happiness. "I want to tell all of you," he said, his voice choked with emotion, "that tonight is not only a successful performance, but also proof that a precious cultural heritage can still live on, as long as there are young people who are passionate and courageous enough to preserve it. I am proud of all of you, and I believe Mr. Tai, if he could witness this night, would be equally proud."

The whole group was silent for a moment, many people could not hide their emotions at those sincere words, then simultaneously clapped their hands and hugged each other to celebrate their success. Nam, a student who was once so worried that he cried because his Teu puppet was cracked, now smiles brightly, boasting to everyone that his mother filmed the entire performance to send to relatives in the countryside to watch.

Thao, the shy girl every day, ran to hug Minh Long, her voice full of excitement. "Mr. Long, today I also get to perform, even though it's just a supporting role, but I feel very happy!" Minh Long stroked her head, smiled warmly, feeling his heart filled with a simple but profound joy at the growth of the young students he had worked so hard to guide.

When everyone had left, the ward's cultural yard returned to silence, with only the last lantern still gently swaying in the night breeze. Minh Long stood for a moment, looking out at the calm water surface, and in his heart, a feeling of deep gratitude welled up - grateful to him for everything he had taught, grateful to Diem My for persistently reaching out to him, grateful to the whole club for giving him a reason to step out of the darkness, to find his own light, under the shimmering lanterns of the most memorable night of his life.