A firefly's light

[Renka09]

The scent of one summer evening starts to sway, as the busy people of kyoto are hurrying for the Fireworks Festival, left and right, people are wearing their beautiful kimono, elegant yukata, and for men, they wear their jinbei. Their colorful clothes blend through out the lights of the stalls that vendors set up to sell different kinds of things, such as yakisoba, okonomiyaki or even the shaved ice that children are fond of, they sell those artful noh masks that children loves as well.

"Here you go, Ishi!", his mother exclaimed, giving him the shaved ice that he always crave for.

"thank you mother." said the little boy, reaching for his favorite snack, smiling behind the noh-mask, he stated,"you always know that I am fond of sweets."

"of course, mother knows best." bragged his mother, staring at his kitsune-mask, she asked, "Son, why did you choose that mask instead of your favorite one?"

"I don't know, well it looks cool, do you know what's the story behind the kitsune, mom?"

"Well, Alright, I will tell you." She said, offering her hands to Ishi, "Let's stroll down for a while."

As they start to walk throughout the crowd. his mother begins to explain him the story.

"Well, a kitsune, they say, are intelligent beings that has mysterious supernatural powers, some say they could even turn into humans, the origins of their power is unknown, and no one knows why"

Ishi, looking a little bit curious, he asked, "Are they good? Or are they evil?"

"I don't know," she paused, "but we could say that they are evil, for the people that travels the mountains, they say that they are wise, very wise and thrifty they are, that they have no motives but malevolence, they bring nothing but mischief and bad luck."

Ishi is young enough not to believe in false myths, not being interested anymore, Ishi released his hand from his mother's grip and said, "I'm going to find my friends, I'll see you later mom." then he walked away. Ishi's mother waved gently into the thin air, "be careful, Ishi."

ahe walked in search of his friends, his eyes roam for a trail of them, until he became tired, the noise of the people have withered, he was far, too far from the festival itself, only the noise of the cicadas in the trees can be heard from within, then, he sat under a tree, he looked around, only the trees could be seen from his eyes. But then, his attention begins to change, when the light of the fireflies starts to bloom and surround him. The beautiful green flames that ignites their body made Ishi smile. A moment later, he was surprised when someone spoke behind him.

"Good evening, little boy, beautiful, aren't they?" said the female voice, as she calmly approached Ishi from behind.

Ishi turned to look at her, he was shocked upon seeing her appearance, he was just sitting there, mouth-open wide, motionless, like a stone.

What he saw was neither a boy nor a girl, it was a fox, a very beautiful one, covered with nothing but a fur of color white, the fox was looking at the fireflies, the eyes that shows no threat, rather, the eyes of someone very peaceful, calm and loving.

"Do not be afraid," She continued, "I hurt no one."

Ishi was afraid, he tried to talk to the kitsune, but his jaws are freezing, freezing from fear, but a moment later, he told her:

"Kitsune are evil, they are thrifty and malevolent." he said, shaking.

"What makes you say that?" Asked the fox.

"My mother have told me, she told me that you harm people!" He exclaimed.

"People tend to believe things what others have told them more, rather than searching for that truth that lies from within." She replied, "Even the falsest rumors spread like fire." She paused, "Don't make conclusions on others just because of what they look, or what they are, only the heart can see the true righteousness."

Upon hearing this, Ishi became calm again, he knew she will not hurt her, then, there was that little trust he gave to someone he didn't know, Ishi was always calm, calmness is his own nature, by the time that things got alright, Ishi, observed the fireflies from the plants again, he smiles then said:

"Fireflies are very beautiful."

"Indeed, they are pretty, and that is their purpose." replied the fox.

"What is your purpose, then?" Asked Ishi.

"I don't know, maybe my reason for living is to meet you here?"

Ishi blushed, for an unknown reason, this feeling that throbs inside his chest cannot be expressed by words alone.

"Do you have a name? calling you Kitsune is not a good idea."

"Yes, I have my name, every living things have names, but they are just far too silent to tell theirs, mine is Miyou."

"That's a pretty name, my name is Ishi."

"It is very nice to meet you here Ishi," said Miyou, as she looked upon the little boy at the corner of her own eyes, then there was a short moment of silence, then finally Ishi asked:

"Can we be friends?"

"It is not that easy." said Miyou

"But why?"

"It is always like that, it is not easy," She explains, "Searching for someone, to whom you could share your greatest moments with, is very much harder than losing someone easily. It is like that, of a glass, you have to put all of your effort in making one, but it only takes a little force for it to break, and once broken, it could never be put together again."

Again, there was a moment of silence between the two of them, Miyou looked at the stars above, then after a sigh, she told him:

"Nothing comes together, as easily as it comes apart."

Hearing these words, Ishi became sad, again, he asked the fox,"Adon't you want to be friends with me?"

"I want and I will, I shall treasure you as my friend, my one true friend." replied Miyou, "but promise me, that you will always meet me here at this spot where we met each other, and promise me that you will never forget me."

"I promise, with all my heart, I promise this to you, Miyou." Ishi calmly replied.

"Promises are made, Ishi, Promises are made either you break it, or keep it up until the end." said the fox.

from that moment and on, the boy and the fox shared their happiest time together, the boy will come to the woods where his friend is waiting for him every day. They always meet on that spot where they met each other, until the bond between them, the bond that takes time to build, starts to grow harmoniously.

One day, Miyou was waiting for her friend, but the sad truth is, the boy did not appeared, Miyou thought that there was only a slight of delay. So she decides to wait again, she waited for hours, then the hours became days, the days turned into months, then months, to years, but still, the boy did not appeared.

And the days went by like a paper in the wind, yet, the outcome of her waiting is still the same. The thought of being forgotten struck her heart, she was alone, for so many years, she was sad, she was alone.

One summer evening, there was a man that came to the woods, a man, on his late twenties, sat down in the woods where the fox used to wait for so long.

The luminescence of the fireflies starts to bloom around him, he stared at the beautiful lights that they give.

"It feels like I've been here before, but when?" the man muttered to himself.

While seeking for the answer to his own question, a very beautiful lady wearing a white kimono approached the fireflies in front of him.

"They are beautiful, aren't they?" the lady asked the man.

"Yes, those lights remind me of something I have completely forgotten, yet, I still cannot remember what that is."

"Those lights, they glow endlessly, their lights illuminates the memories of yesterday." said the lady

"Indeed, well, what is a young lady like you doing in the heart of the forest?" the man asked her.

"I am waiting for a precious friend of mine, I'm waiting for him for a very long time." she answered.

"You should forget about him, if he makes you wait for that long, he will never show up." the man replied back.

"I think you are right," the lady agreed, "It is hard, very hard to wait for someone, than to forget them so easily." She continued, "Oh, and did I ever tell you, that nothing comes together, as easily as it comes apart?"

The fireflies that glows peacefully binds the friendship of the past, and yet, their never-ending flame illuminates the sadness that glows within her heart.

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