Once upon a time, in a village beside green rice fields, there lived two sisters named Tam and Cam. Tam was the older one. She was gentle and hard-working, and every morning she swept the yard and fed the hens. Cam was little, liked to have her own way, and had not yet learned to share. They lived with their father and Cam's mother, who was always busy and a little grumbly. "Tam, do this! Tam, do that!" she called all day long.
One morning their stepmother gave each girl a basket. "Go to the fields and catch little shrimp," she said. "Whoever fills her basket gets a new red scarf." Tam waded through the paddy, slow and careful, and soon her basket was full. Cam chased butterflies and picked flowers, and her basket stayed empty. "Sister, I have nothing," Cam sniffled. So Tam poured half of her shrimp into Cam's basket. And there, at the bottom of her own basket, Tam found a tiny goby fish with round, shining eyes.
Tam carried the little fish home and set him in the well behind the house. She named him Bong. At every meal she saved a spoonful of rice, went to the well and called softly: "Bong, Bong, little Bong, come up and eat, come up and eat!" Bong knew her voice. Up he came, flip, flap, flip, blowing tiny bubbles like a happy laugh. Every evening Tam told him about her day, and Bong listened with his round shining eyes.
Cam noticed her sister going to the well and followed on tiptoe. She wanted to play with Bong too, so she shouted, "BONG! COME UP!" Splash! Bong dived down and hid. Cam sat by the well feeling sad. Tam sat beside her. "Try a soft voice," she whispered, "and hold the rice very still." Cam tried. Bong peeked up and nibbled the rice from her palm. "It tickles!" Cam giggled. Now Bong had two friends. When he grew too big for the well, the sisters carried him together to the wide river. Bong swished his tail as if to say, "I'll come and visit."
Soon it was time for the village festival, and everyone was excited. Their stepmother mixed a basket of rice with a basket of husks and said, "Tam, sort these before you go." Tam looked at the huge mixed-up pile and sighed. Then a kind old man with a long white beard appeared. It was Bụt, the good spirit of the old stories. "Why so sad, child?" Tam told him. Bụt waved his hand, and a flock of sparrows fluttered down. Peck, peck, pick, pick! In no time the rice was in one pile and the husks in another. Tam thanked the birds and gave each one a pinch of rice.
"Now go to the river where Bong lives," said Bụt. "A gift is waiting." At the riverbank Bong popped up with a little bundle. Inside was a dress the color of young rice and a pair of slippers stitched with golden thread. Tam put them on and hurried to the festival. As she skipped over a small bridge, one golden slipper slid off into the grass. A curious crow flew by, saw it sparkle, picked it up and carried it straight to the king.
The king held up the pretty slipper. "Whoever owns this slipper, please come forward. I would like to thank her for making our festival so bright." One by one, girls tried it on. Too big. Too small. Cam tried too, but the slipper wobbled on her little foot, and she pouted. Then Tam stepped up. The slipper fit just right. She took the other one from her pocket, and everyone cheered. The king invited Tam to the festival feast at the palace.
But Tam did not want to go alone. She took Cam's hand. "Come with me, little sister." Cam's cheeks turned pink. "I'm sorry I didn't share before," she said quietly. "And you still shared with me." Tam hugged her tight. After the feast they brought sweet cakes home for everyone. Their stepmother saw the two sisters smiling together, and her voice grew soft. "I asked too much of you, Tam. From now on, we'll work together and rest together."
And every evening after that, the two sisters walked down to the river. Tam called, and Cam called too: "Bong, Bong, little Bong!" Up popped their fish friend, flip, flap, and the water shimmered gold in the setting sun. Everyone in the village agreed: kindness comes back to you, and a home where people share is a warm and happy home.
Parent tip: Whisper the 'Bong, Bong, little Bong' call softly each time it appears and invite your child to call along with you.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
A gentle retelling of an old tale — nothing scary, just kindness, sharing and a happy ending.