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Dịch từ nguyên tác Anh văn, “Rooster”, trong Tales of the Chinese
Zodiac, của Jenn Reese.
Rooster
In the Year of the Rooster, Chen dreamed of a giant rooster with a beak
as hard as stone and eyes the size of the moon at night. His nightmare bird
pecked its way across the countryside destroying houses, uprooting trees,
and killing the animals too slow to run from its massive clawed feet. And
each night—for Chen had this very same dream nine evenings in a row—he
awoke clutching his ears to shield himself from the creature's sky-splitting
crow.
Chen was convinced these dreams were a portent sent by the gods, and
that he was supposed to warn everyone of their impending doom. He took
his message to the village wisewoman, who laughed at him. He went next to
the nearby town and spoke with the magistrate, who nearly had him thrown
in jail. The monks on the hill listened, but did nothing, as was their way.
And every time Chen slept, in his bed or under the trees, the nightmare
came and ravaged his sleep. Always, he woke with his hands pressed hard
against his ears.
At first, Chen was frightened of the roosters in his neighbors' yards. He
ran and hid when one got loose and the neighbors found him two days later
at the top of a tree. But soon, Chen's fear became hate. He carried a small
silver-tipped axe wherever he went and began wandering the land,
