Chap 2: A Moonless Night

Dũng had a point.

The truth was, the storytellers had never actually played the game themselves. The characters in the story—of which there were countless variations—were always a cousin, an older sibling, a friend of a cousin, or a cousin of a friend who had supposedly participated. Each storyteller had their own version: some said the game used a Coca-Cola can, while others insisted that an Ông Thọ condensed milk can was the best choice.

Of course, with a game where the kids were always destined to lose, how could anyone have survived to tell the tale firsthand? In the end, the "Ma lon" was just a creepy, irrational urban legend—one that thrilled adventurous kids, terrified the timid ones, and inspired those who loved to make up stories.

"If there really is a Ma lon, we just need to gang up on it, stomp it to pieces, and burn it. Let's see if it can bite anyone then!" Dũng swung his arms wildly to illustrate his point.

"Hah, as if it were that easy. Just wait until it starts chasing you—then you'll be pissing your pants and begging for mercy," Minh retorted.

"Maybe you would, but I sure as hell wouldn't." Dũng glared, his face gradually turning red. For some reason, he was genuinely angry, completely unlike his usual self.

Lately, Dũng had been acting withdrawn, irritable, and quick-tempered. The group had started letting him have his way more often. They'd even overheard him muttering under his breath, "You kids…"

"Oh, and you think you're all grown up now?" Ngọc sneered, adding fuel to the fire.

"What's wrong with you these days? You act like some grumpy middle-aged man," Hoa chimed in, doing nothing to ease the tension.

"You kids wouldn't understand…" Dũng trailed off, his voice catching in his throat as if something had lodged there, preventing him from speaking further.

"Well then, oh great adult, do you have the guts to play the Ma lon game?" Minh taunted.

"I never want to be an adult if being one means turning into a coward like you."

"As if I wanted to grow up! You guys wouldn't understand unless you were my parents' kids… Grow up fast so you can work, grow up fast so you can take care of yourself, grow up fast so you can support your family."

"Alright, alright, grown-up or not, we should at least try playing the Ma lon game. Consider it your last memory as a kid…"

"How can we know if it's real unless we play?" Ngọc sided with Minh.

The rest of the group joined in, each trying to appear brave. Even Bảo, Chiến, and Thắng joined the excitement. They'd all heard the story countless times but had never had the chance to test it out.

Although some were skeptical, they all wanted to play, if only to show off their courage to the girls in the group.

Bảo suggested, "Hey, tonight's the first day of the lunar month. The sky will be pitch black—no moon, no stars. Perfect time to play, right?"

Hoa, the most adventurous of them all, immediately agreed.

"Alright, midnight tonight. Anyone who doesn't show up is a little puppy! Ngọc, can you sneak out?"

"No problem. But I heard you have to chant something for the Ma lon to appear, right?" Ngọc asked.

"I got it covered. Just don't forget to bring your coconut candy," Minh said, puffing out his chest as he spoke to the girl he always stole glances at, hoping for her approval.

He boasted, "Nobody's better at this than me."

"You mean eating coconut candy?"

"You'll see. Oh, and someone bring three incense sticks and a lighter for me. We can't summon 'it' without them."