Chapter 26 — Puppets Under the Lights

Part VI — Puppets Under Light

The last two weeks before the district cultural festival passed in an urgent but exciting pace of practice. Minh Long, now fully returned to his role as the club's technical coach, put all his effort into bringing the full performance program back to the original plan, even adding some new details, inspired by the techniques he found in his grandfather's diary.

"I think we should add a special opening," Minh Long suggested in the planning meeting, "a short introduction about the history of water puppetry, combined with a slide show of old photos of him and previous artists. I think that will help the audience understand and appreciate more the value of what they are about to see."

The group excitedly agreed, and Diem My, with her meticulous organizational ability, quickly began collecting and digitizing old photos that Minh Long brought from home, along with some other documents that Mr. Phuc had kept for many years as a club advisor.

Training sessions now take place almost every day, with the full participation of all fifteen current members of the club - a number that has increased significantly from the meager nine members when Minh Long first returned to this art. The practice atmosphere was full of positive energy, different from the stress and anxiety of the weeks before the first community festival.

"Mr. Long, I think I have mastered the hand rotation technique!" Thao squealed with joy during a practice session, mastering the movements of controlling the carp puppet that she had learned with difficulty many weeks before.

Minh Long applauded, feeling a warm sense of pride rising in his heart as he witnessed the girl's outstanding progress. "Very good, Thao. You are ready to take on a leading role in the performance of carp crossing the martial arts."

Hearing that, Thao was so happy that she almost dropped the puppet pole, making the whole group laugh happily. It was one of countless small but meaningful moments that Minh Long cherished throughout his training journey, moments that reminded him of the real reason why he returned to this art — not just for technique or fame, but for the pure joy of teaching, of watching others find themselves through each puppet, each movement on the water.

One afternoon, when the practice session ended late, Tuan Anh stopped by to watch, standing on the shore of the lake observing the entire practice process with eyes full of interest. "I have to say," he said when Minh Long came to say hello, "I never thought I would see you standing here, among the students, teaching like a real teacher. It's very impressive."

"Thank you for coming to watch," Minh Long smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Do you want to try? I can teach you some basic moves."

Tuan Anh waved his hand and laughed loudly. "Well, I think I'll save my talent for cheering from the shore. But if you need more people to help backstage, with sound or lighting or something, just call me."

"Actually," Minh Long said, an idea suddenly flashed, "we need more people in charge of sound for a big show. Are you interested?"

Tuan Anh nodded immediately, excitedly accepting the invitation, and from then on, he also became an indispensable part of the team preparing for the district festival, in charge of the loudspeaker system and coordinating background music with the musicians.

In the following days, the atmosphere of preparation became more and more exciting. The school, after hearing about the resounding success of the previous community performance and the touching story about the legacy donation, decided to support additional funds so that the Club could prepare more professional costumes and props for the district festival, a large-scale event with the participation of many schools and art troupes throughout the region.

One evening, after practice ended, Minh Long and Diem My stayed late together to prepare a slide show of documentary photos for the opening segment of the program. Sitting next to the old school laptop, the two together selected and arranged each photo in chronological order, from old black and white photos of previous artists, to more recent color photos of Minh Long's grandfather and generations of students.

"You know," Diem My said, eyes still glued to the screen, "looking through all these photos, I can really feel the breadth of this art. It's not just an art, but a whole flow of history, passed down from generation to generation."

"That's exactly what my grandfather always wanted everyone to understand," Minh Long replied, looking at the last photo in the collection — a photo of him standing with eight-year-old Minh Long, both smiling brightly by their home lake, holding a small carp puppet. "And I think, now, I have the opportunity to continue to convey that, not only through technique, but through the story, through the spirit that he left behind."

Diem My smiled, looking at him with eyes full of pride and love. "I'm sure this show will be something truly special, Long. Not only because of the improved technique, but because of the story behind it, the story of continuity, of love overcoming loss."

Minh Long nodded, took her hand, and they both looked out the window, where the night sky had completely fallen, the first stars began to peek out, as if welcoming a new, promising chapter of the journey that they were both writing together.

One week before the festival, the whole club held a rehearsal of the entire program for the first time, inviting Mr. Phuc and some members' parents to come watch and give comments. The rehearsal took place at the school yard's lake, with full costumes, props, and a slideshow of documentary photos that Minh Long and Diem My had diligently prepared.

When the opening slide showed images of previous artisans, then Mr. Vu Dinh Tai and generations of students, and finally a photo of him and eight-year-old Minh Long, the entire small auditorium fell silent in an indescribable emotion. Many parents, even though they did not know Minh Long's grandfather, could not hold back their tears at the story told through each frame.

After the opening segment, the performance officially began, and this time, with careful preparation over many weeks, every performance went smoothly and full of emotion. Scene Teu opened with a fun act, followed by the scene of the carp crossing the martial arts gate with the participation of Thao in the main role, her movements were much more mature and graceful than in her clumsy early days.

Coming to the performance of the Four Spirits Gathering, this time it was expanded into a fuller version with the participation of eight members, coordinating harmoniously with the pounding drums, creating a majestic performance that made the entire small auditorium applaud endlessly when it ended.

"Excellent," Mr. Phuc commented after the rehearsal, his voice filled with pride. "I am confident that with this program, you will leave a deep impression at the district festival. This is not just a performance, but a complete story about preserving and continuing the legacy."

Minh Long stood in the middle of the group, looking around at the radiant, proud faces of the members, feeling a deep contentment spread throughout his heart. He thought about the journey that had passed — from the first afternoon when Diem My came to his house, to the first hesitant practice sessions, to the crisis over the wood workshop, and now, standing here, preparing for the most important performance in the club's journey.

"Only one week left," Diem My said, coming to his side and holding his hand after the rehearsal ended. "How do you feel?"

"I feel ready," Minh Long replied, smiling at her, "more ready than at any time during this journey. Not because everything will be perfect, but because I know, no matter what happens, we will face it together."

On the way home that night, Minh Long stopped by to visit the small display corner in the living room before going to the bedroom, as a new habit he had formed since the award ceremony. He stood looking at the neatly arranged puppets, the warm yellow light covering them with a layer of soft light, and felt like he was watching and supporting every step he was taking.

"Only one more week, grandpa," he whispered to the dragon puppet placed in the center. "I hope you'll be proud of what we're about to do." He stood there for a moment longer, letting the warm silence of the room settle in his heart, before going up to his room, preparing for a promising final week of sprint training ahead.