From Wonso Pond by Kang Kyong-ae Read Free Book Online Page A

dawn?”
    She couldn’t recoginize him by the sound of his voice alone. Slowly, he pushed the door open. The two of them stared at him intently, trying to hide their fear. Though it was still too dark to see clearly, his silhouette and his height finally told them that it was Ch’otchae.
    But this untimely visitor was only cause for further alarm. What had that good-for-nothing come to do to them at this time of night, they wondered, their hearts racing faster than ever.
    â€œSo what are you doing here?”
    â€œI heard that you were sick, ma’am, so I just brought over some sumac roots for you to make medicine with.”
    His words gradually faded into a whisper. The mother and daughter were somewhat relieved by what he had to say, but now they were even more confused.
    â€œWell, thank you for going to such trouble . . . ,” said Sonbi’s mother, noticing the bundle of sumac he carried into the room with him. He placed the bundle down on the floor, then immediately turned to leave.
    â€œGo home safely,” Sonbi’s mother called to him.
    She waited for the sound of his footsteps to disappear into the distance.
    â€œWhat does that boy think he’s doing?” she said under her breath as she glanced at Sonbi. Though it was just a vague feeling, it hit her that maybe all of this had to do with Sonbi. She now felt even more pressed to make a decision about Sonbi’s future as soon as possible.
    The room filled with sunlight. The sumac roots poked through holes in the horribly tattered cloth in which the freshly unearthed roots had been bundled. Sonbi was still so terrified that she hadn’t moved an inch. She even recalled how he’d once stolen her sourstem when they were younger.

    â€œSonbi, go and hide those somewhere. Someone might see them . . . What is that vagrant up to, anyway?”
    The more Sonbi’s mother thought about it the stranger it all seemed. Then all of a sudden she was seized with fear. Mother and son had been terribly ostracized by the village, but Ch’otchae had made a name for himself as well by getting drunk and picking fights.
    Sonbi, for her part, felt a little hurt by her mother’s words, though she didn’t really know why. She was overcome by an indescribable sadness when she looked at the bundle of sumac, a sadness that just wouldn’t go away. For some reason, she simply couldn’t pull herself away from these feelings. Only after glancing at her mother lying in bed did she manage to pick up the bundle of sumac and go into the spare room. As she stepped up to the door she thought, Did Ch’otchae really stay up all night long digging these roots? She pictured Ch’otchae’s face in her mind’s eye, just as it had appeared earlier that morning in the doorway.
    Why in the world had he brought these over? A pink flush then rose to her cheeks, as her whole body was gripped by a fear. Without thinking she flung the bundle of sumac roots to the floor and ran out of the room as though something were chasing her.

15
    Several days later, Sonbi’s mother passed away. Thanks to Tokho’s good graces, Sonbi managed to hold a funeral service. She then moved into Tokho’s house for good. It was decided that she would stay in the room opposite the inner room, a room Okchom (Tokho’s daughter) used to stay in.
    Tokho and his wife treated Sonbi more kindly now that her mother had died, because they felt sorry for her. Besides, when it came to doing chores around the house, they would have been hard-pressed to find anyone more capable than Sonbi. With Sonbi now at her beck and call, Okchom’s mother left all the housework to her.
    Okchom’s mother came out of the inner room with a long pipe stuck between her lips and found Sonbi on her knees, washing down the breezeway floor with a rag. Taking the pipe from her mouth, she said,
    â€œLet Granny do that. You go and work on Okchom’s