An elderly couple raised their two sons in a wooden crib.

(Baonghean)Upstream of the Chà Hạ stream in Hào village, Yên Hoà commune, Tương Dương district, an elderly couple has spent over 10 years swallowing their tears as they raise their two unfortunate sons in wooden cages.

In the dead of night, upstream of the Chà Hạ stream, the people of Hào village heard the wild howling and screaming of savage beasts in the wilderness. These eerie sounds emanated from the poor children confined in wooden cages by the family of Mr. and Mrs. Lô Văn Toán and Lương Thị Châu.

Tears streamed down her wrinkled face as Mrs. Chau recounted: At 14, she married and moved to Hao village, where she gave birth to six children, five boys and one girl. Her eldest son, Lo Van Keo, born in 1967, suddenly fell ill in 1984 and fled into the deep forest. Later, Keo was found naked in a wild forest. Upon returning to the village, he attacked the villagers with sticks, forcing Mrs. Chau to ask her neighbors to build a wooden cage to keep him confined for three years. Then, her third son, Lo Van Xanh, born in 1976, suddenly "disappeared" just one day after his wedding in 2001. Someone hunting for bees reported seeing Xanh running straight into the forest as if being chased by a ghost.



Mrs. Chau is feeding Lo Van Xanh rice.

It took the villagers of Hao three days to find Xanh climbing a towering tree, naked, his eyes wide with rage, cursing and shouting wildly. Even after bringing him home, Xanh continued to hurl insults, then went into the kitchen, grabbed a sharp cleaver, and chased after anyone. Seeing how dangerous he was, Mrs. Chau had to have the villagers chase and capture him, locking him in a wooden cage. At that time, Mr. Keo had recovered from his illness and didn't need to be in the cage. Mrs. Chau said, "I love my son very much, but I had to lock him in the wooden cage, otherwise he would cause harm to the villagers."

From 1988 to 2010, Mrs. Chau continuously invited shamans from all over to perform rituals to "exorcise" and "capture" the evil spirit haunting her children. Five shamans from the surrounding area were invited, chanting incantations day and night, but to no avail. Dozens more rituals were performed to save her children, but to no avail. Each ritual cost 3-4 pigs, not to mention elaborate ceremonies with chickens and wine, as some shamans believed that a large ceremony was necessary to "exorcise the spirit." Her money for these rituals ran out, forcing Mrs. Chau to borrow from both Hao and Xieng Nua villages to repay her debts. In 2010, she had to sell her only wooden house to pay off her debts and erected a temporary thatched hut by the Cha Ha stream.

For many years, the elderly couple took turns caring for their two sons in wooden cribs like young children, a very arduous task. We saw that when Mrs. Chau put a ball of sticky rice into the crib, Xanh would throw it back out. Mrs. Chau would pick it up, brush off the dust, and put it back in the bamboo basket. She said, "Sometimes he goes without food all day; he throws it out whenever we bring him rice and other food. Many times, when it's freezing cold, we give him clothes, but he won't wear them. It's heartbreaking, but we don't know what to do. In winter, my husband and I cover the crib with palm leaves to keep him warm, and in summer we open it up for ventilation."



Mrs. Chau and Mr. Lo Van Keo.

Mr. Lo Van Mon, the Party Secretary of Hao village, said: "The villagers nailed the wooden cages with 10 cm nails, but sometimes Xanh still managed to break out and escape into the deep forest. The villagers had to carry food supplies and go into the forest to find Xanh." Mrs. Chau sadly recounted: "I have to stay home all day to watch over my two sick children, and my biggest fear is that Xanh will break out of the cage and escape into the forest, causing chaos throughout the village. At night, Xanh often has fits of vandalism and curses."

Fortunately, Mrs. Chau's family received 8 million VND in support from Program 167, along with help from neighbors, so they were able to build a house. On the day they moved into their new home, Mrs. Chau and her husband were overjoyed and shed tears of happiness. Mrs. Chau only hopes to have enough money to treat her child, so that Xanh will recover from her illness and be able to live in this warm and cozy home.

Mr. Mon added: "Mrs. Chau's family is in such difficult circumstances that the villagers feel very sorry for them. Every day, people give them rice, sweet potatoes, cassava, and other food. Recently, someone from Hoa Binh town bought Mrs. Chau's family a television and a satellite dish. Many times, during rainy and windy days, Mrs. Chau's family has nothing to eat; sometimes the whole family and her two sick children have to eat sweet potatoes and cassava. The burden of the family now falls heavily on Mr. Lo Van Toan's shoulders because Mrs. Chau's eyesight is getting worse. Mr. Toan suffers from back pain and joint pain, but out of love for his wife and children, he still has to work to earn a living every day. The other four children have started their own families and are all in difficult circumstances, unable to help the family any more."

More than ever, Mrs. Chau's family desperately needs the support and sharing of the community.

Van Truong