A Thousand Wishes
by Kakita Kaori
Set during the Race to Volturnum.
"Are we there yet? " Chimitsu asked again, struggling to keep up with the older children on his chubby little legs. He found that it was a lot of work being a three year old just trying to keep up.
"Almost! Hurry up! We've got to be back before it gets dark." Kotori was obviously in charge: nine years old, her hair bound tightly into a long white braid, and with all the authority of an Empress.
"This is a lot of paper. Are you sure Father won't mind?" Satsume was always worried about what was proper. He was the oldest son. It was his responsibility.
"No he won't. This is really important. Besides, we're there." Kotori set down the large basket she was helping Satsume carry. The waves of the ebbing tide sighed past the rocks at the base of the cliffs below them. Soon, the sun would sink past the roofline of Shiro Doji, and the cliff's edge would be cast into moonlit darkness.
The children assembled. Chimitsu was the youngest, his black hair curling with the evening breeze. He forgot his tiredness to peer into the basket. Doshu and Ashiroko were both six, and, though unsure of Kotori's plan, could sense the solemnity of the occasion. They were best friends; their mothers were sisters. They stood side by side, paying careful attention. Satsume folded his arms and watched the others carefully. He was dressed in his best, blue kimono, a true representative of the clan.
Kotori found a small mound on which to stand, and took advantage of her superior height to add strength to her words. The others, save Chimitsu, watched her carefully. Chimitsu stuck his thumb in his mouth. Satsume quickly pulled it out again.
"All right. We are here for a reason." Kotori surveyed the village children critically. "I told you we had something important to do, and we have got to do it."
"What is it, Kotori?" Ashiroko asked.
Kotori puffed up, eager to tell the story. "Well, one of the Asahina visited us, nine days ago. He had found the body of a dead man on the beach."
There was no reaction from the children. By now, they all knew what death was.
"The Asahina was very upset. My mother gave him some tea, and he asked for paper. My mother brought it to him, but asked him what had happened. He would not say, but she saw what he was writing, and I heard my mother talking about it to your mom, Doshu."
"She did? What did you hear?"
"I heard that half of the Tao fell into the ocean. Right near here!" Kotori looked very smug.
Doshu cheered. "Great! That means I only have to study half as much!"
Satsume whacked Doshu on the back of the head. "Idiot. That means that it's gone, forever and ever. Then there will be no more monks, and then there'll be no more...." He tried to think of what else would disappear without the Tao, but could not think of anything. "And then it'll be really, really bad," he summarized.
"Right!" Kotori asserted. "It would be terribly bad indeed. So, I figured, since we live here, and the Asahina did not, it was up to us to get the rest of the Tao back."
"How are we gonna do that, Kotori?" Ashiroko asked, tugging Chimitsu back to her side so he did not go too close to the edge of the cliff. "It's in the water."
Kotori beamed. "We're going to ask Lady Doji to get it. She went into the water too, so she's got as good a chance of finding it as anyone."
Doshu looked a little confused. "Well, I guess she's out there."
"She is, " Kotori nodded with absolute faith. "That's why I had us fold all these origami cranes. See?" She picked one out of the basket and showed it to her friends. "All we need to do is tell it what we wish, and throw it over the cliff, and it will fly to Lady Doji." She made a gesture as though she was going to throw the Crane off the cliff "Got it? Make sure you wish that she'll get back the Tao too, though."
The others nodded, not sure of the plan, However, it was fun to watch the paper Cranes go flying into the ocean, so they readily agreed.
Kotori took one crane from the basket, and said, "Lady Doji, please bring back the True Tao so all the monks will be happy." She then threw the paper bird, sending it spiraling out into space into waves below. It turned into a white speck that disappeared into the surf.
Satsume took the next. "Lady Doji...Please make sure my Father comes back from the fighting safe. And if you could bring back the Tao, that would be good too." He threw the paper bird hard, but the wind did not carry it out too far before tumbled downwards.
Doshu picked up a paper crane and looked at it. "Mine's lopsided. I guess it is going to fly north and see if Lady Doji is there." Kotori frowned at him, and he hurriedly continued. "Dear Lady Doji, please don't let the sun go dark again like it did before, or the moon either. That was scary." Unnerved by his admission of fear, he quickly threw the bird over the edge and hastened back to the others.
Ashiroko followed him, thinking for a long time about her wish before saying, "Lady Doji, please help all the spirits find their way home." The others looked at her confused, but she would not recant her unusual wish. She did add a "And find the Tao, please," at Kotori's glare before throwing the bird over the cliff.
Kotori gave Chimitisu a paper bird, and led him carefully to the cliff's edge. "Make a wish, Chimitsu, and throw the bird and make it fly," she prompted.
Chimitsu looked up at Kotori with big blue eyes, then gazed out across the water. "Um...Lady Doji, please don't let the Scorpion steal us." He threw the Crane as hard as he could, but it did not have the height to reach the cliff's edge. Kotori helped throw it the rest of the way.
The sun continued slipping down in reds and pinks, down into the western sky. In the east, the moon, quiet silver, rose over the ocean, spilling its path of life across the gentle waves.
A thousand wishes, wishes by the armload, were tumbled over the Doji cliffs, sent spinning into the sea below, and swept away with the tide.
Set during the Race to Volturnum.
"Are we there yet? " Chimitsu asked again, struggling to keep up with the older children on his chubby little legs. He found that it was a lot of work being a three year old just trying to keep up.
"Almost! Hurry up! We've got to be back before it gets dark." Kotori was obviously in charge: nine years old, her hair bound tightly into a long white braid, and with all the authority of an Empress.
"This is a lot of paper. Are you sure Father won't mind?" Satsume was always worried about what was proper. He was the oldest son. It was his responsibility.
"No he won't. This is really important. Besides, we're there." Kotori set down the large basket she was helping Satsume carry. The waves of the ebbing tide sighed past the rocks at the base of the cliffs below them. Soon, the sun would sink past the roofline of Shiro Doji, and the cliff's edge would be cast into moonlit darkness.
The children assembled. Chimitsu was the youngest, his black hair curling with the evening breeze. He forgot his tiredness to peer into the basket. Doshu and Ashiroko were both six, and, though unsure of Kotori's plan, could sense the solemnity of the occasion. They were best friends; their mothers were sisters. They stood side by side, paying careful attention. Satsume folded his arms and watched the others carefully. He was dressed in his best, blue kimono, a true representative of the clan.
Kotori found a small mound on which to stand, and took advantage of her superior height to add strength to her words. The others, save Chimitsu, watched her carefully. Chimitsu stuck his thumb in his mouth. Satsume quickly pulled it out again.
"All right. We are here for a reason." Kotori surveyed the village children critically. "I told you we had something important to do, and we have got to do it."
"What is it, Kotori?" Ashiroko asked.
Kotori puffed up, eager to tell the story. "Well, one of the Asahina visited us, nine days ago. He had found the body of a dead man on the beach."
There was no reaction from the children. By now, they all knew what death was.
"The Asahina was very upset. My mother gave him some tea, and he asked for paper. My mother brought it to him, but asked him what had happened. He would not say, but she saw what he was writing, and I heard my mother talking about it to your mom, Doshu."
"She did? What did you hear?"
"I heard that half of the Tao fell into the ocean. Right near here!" Kotori looked very smug.
Doshu cheered. "Great! That means I only have to study half as much!"
Satsume whacked Doshu on the back of the head. "Idiot. That means that it's gone, forever and ever. Then there will be no more monks, and then there'll be no more...." He tried to think of what else would disappear without the Tao, but could not think of anything. "And then it'll be really, really bad," he summarized.
"Right!" Kotori asserted. "It would be terribly bad indeed. So, I figured, since we live here, and the Asahina did not, it was up to us to get the rest of the Tao back."
"How are we gonna do that, Kotori?" Ashiroko asked, tugging Chimitsu back to her side so he did not go too close to the edge of the cliff. "It's in the water."
Kotori beamed. "We're going to ask Lady Doji to get it. She went into the water too, so she's got as good a chance of finding it as anyone."
Doshu looked a little confused. "Well, I guess she's out there."
"She is, " Kotori nodded with absolute faith. "That's why I had us fold all these origami cranes. See?" She picked one out of the basket and showed it to her friends. "All we need to do is tell it what we wish, and throw it over the cliff, and it will fly to Lady Doji." She made a gesture as though she was going to throw the Crane off the cliff "Got it? Make sure you wish that she'll get back the Tao too, though."
The others nodded, not sure of the plan, However, it was fun to watch the paper Cranes go flying into the ocean, so they readily agreed.
Kotori took one crane from the basket, and said, "Lady Doji, please bring back the True Tao so all the monks will be happy." She then threw the paper bird, sending it spiraling out into space into waves below. It turned into a white speck that disappeared into the surf.
Satsume took the next. "Lady Doji...Please make sure my Father comes back from the fighting safe. And if you could bring back the Tao, that would be good too." He threw the paper bird hard, but the wind did not carry it out too far before tumbled downwards.
Doshu picked up a paper crane and looked at it. "Mine's lopsided. I guess it is going to fly north and see if Lady Doji is there." Kotori frowned at him, and he hurriedly continued. "Dear Lady Doji, please don't let the sun go dark again like it did before, or the moon either. That was scary." Unnerved by his admission of fear, he quickly threw the bird over the edge and hastened back to the others.
Ashiroko followed him, thinking for a long time about her wish before saying, "Lady Doji, please help all the spirits find their way home." The others looked at her confused, but she would not recant her unusual wish. She did add a "And find the Tao, please," at Kotori's glare before throwing the bird over the cliff.
Kotori gave Chimitisu a paper bird, and led him carefully to the cliff's edge. "Make a wish, Chimitsu, and throw the bird and make it fly," she prompted.
Chimitsu looked up at Kotori with big blue eyes, then gazed out across the water. "Um...Lady Doji, please don't let the Scorpion steal us." He threw the Crane as hard as he could, but it did not have the height to reach the cliff's edge. Kotori helped throw it the rest of the way.
The sun continued slipping down in reds and pinks, down into the western sky. In the east, the moon, quiet silver, rose over the ocean, spilling its path of life across the gentle waves.
A thousand wishes, wishes by the armload, were tumbled over the Doji cliffs, sent spinning into the sea below, and swept away with the tide.
