Isshi's Nursery Rhyme Romance
Isshi arranges nursery rhymes and folktales into modern stories.
Part 3: "Sea"
"The sea is vast, great
The moon rises, the sun sinks"
The moon rises, the sun sinks"
"The sea." There may be nothing else in nature that possesses this much destructive power and tolerance... Surely, as in this song, the moon rises and the sun sinks. Yes, the annihilation and formation of life is surely because of the sea. So far I've not been told any ghost stories or legends related to the sea, so how about this?
Once, a lone man was walking along the beach late at night, and encountered something unexpected. That was the exact night of the full moon, shining brilliantly, and he took a good look at the scenery around him. The man walked near the wide open sea, beneath the quiet and mystical light of the moon. Although the man wandered alone, he had a reason for it. He was troubled by something that caused him high distress. His own father had passed away, and he was tormented by a sense of despair and a sense of duty. When he was young, he had often gazed upon "that sea" his family had come to. He was being immersed in beautiful memories... Despite the uncertain smile that came to the man's face, despite the beloved star corals hidden by the sand, he trudged upon the sandy beach with an elliptical shape. No, it wasn't that he was hesitating. Because the thoughts that were running through his mind were about what he'd do after tomorrow... People who are in mental conflict don't think about the future.
That man, following the light of the lighthouse, came up to the sign of a seaside house giving off a dull glow. While pulling seaweed from the front of it, he heard a sound that was like someone walking. The man instinctively stood still. He was thinking things like: "Could it be a fisherman this late at night? No such thing. Surely it's just a local couple coming out to play a prank."
Considering how tired the man was, when he stepped over the weather-beaten threshold of the seaside house, he promptly laid down on mat in the tatami room. Looking up at the iron roof, he waited for the couple to pass. However, even though he heard the sound of pulling off seaweed, he somehow couldn't hear the voices of people talking to each other. Dubious, the man stood up in that moment. Before his eyes, feet that seemed like a woman's were pointing toward a man.
"What, whether it's a fisherman or a local couple, that's a young woman."
The relieved man, heaving a sigh, lifted his gaze and there he was looking intently at a man whose lower half was human, but from the hips up covered in scales. The sound of something being pulled was the sound of that woman's hair running over the sand.
When the man woke up to the dazzling light of the sun, there was nobody around at all.
There are many parts of the mystery of the evolution of humanity, but there might be things like that, right? The sea governs the formation and annihilation of life...
That man, following the light of the lighthouse, came up to the sign of a seaside house giving off a dull glow. While pulling seaweed from the front of it, he heard a sound that was like someone walking. The man instinctively stood still. He was thinking things like: "Could it be a fisherman this late at night? No such thing. Surely it's just a local couple coming out to play a prank."
Considering how tired the man was, when he stepped over the weather-beaten threshold of the seaside house, he promptly laid down on mat in the tatami room. Looking up at the iron roof, he waited for the couple to pass. However, even though he heard the sound of pulling off seaweed, he somehow couldn't hear the voices of people talking to each other. Dubious, the man stood up in that moment. Before his eyes, feet that seemed like a woman's were pointing toward a man.
"What, whether it's a fisherman or a local couple, that's a young woman."
The relieved man, heaving a sigh, lifted his gaze and there he was looking intently at a man whose lower half was human, but from the hips up covered in scales. The sound of something being pulled was the sound of that woman's hair running over the sand.
When the man woke up to the dazzling light of the sun, there was nobody around at all.
There are many parts of the mystery of the evolution of humanity, but there might be things like that, right? The sea governs the formation and annihilation of life...
Notes:
The 'Romance' in the title doesn't refer to love stories necessarily, but in the more traditional sense of an epic tale.
The verse at the top is the first verse in the nursery rhyme 'Umi' or Sea.
The 'Romance' in the title doesn't refer to love stories necessarily, but in the more traditional sense of an epic tale.
The verse at the top is the first verse in the nursery rhyme 'Umi' or Sea.