Short Stories

"The Dragon God's Flute

~ A story about Taki that only exists here"

 

Benika (Takinoue)

 

 

This is a story my kind grandmother told me when I was still a little child, unable to sleep one night in May in our old house on a hill overlooking the Tama River to the south .

Even though it was a clear May day, the wind was a little chilly at night. I think it was the time to wait for early summer, with the yellow branches of the Japanese bush clover swaying.

 

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Once upon a time, there was no bridge over the Tama River in Ome, making it difficult to cross between the two banks of the river.On this side of the river, there was a small waterfall that fell into the Tama River, and the area was called Takinoue.In that village, there lived a girl.

In an era when wars were still raging everywhere, people lived in constant anxiety. One day, preparations for battle were taking place on the opposite bank of the Tama River, and many warriors and their attendants crossed the river on horseback. A young girl, watching from the riverbank, spotted a young warrior among them, and was so captivated by his dignified presence that she could never forget him.

I couldn't help but want to comfort the young warrior who was surely feeling pain and difficulty before the battle, but even though I wanted to go to the other side, I couldn't, and I could only cry, unable to contain the emotions welling up inside me.

 

Since ancient times, a dragon god with dark blue scales has lived at the waterfall that falls into the Tama River. He eventually became concerned about a young girl who would gaze at the other side and cry endlessly, and one night, he appeared in the girl's dream and bestowed upon her a small flute with a melody that would convey feelings even without words if heard. He added just one thing: "At night, the Kajika frogs, like you, croak by the riverside, so do not blow your flute towards the river." The girl was overjoyed and grateful, and vowed to keep her promise. When she woke up, she had the flute in her hand.

In order to comfort the young warrior and convey her feelings to him, the daughter would play her flute every day from morning until dusk, searching for the young warrior who was probably on the opposite bank, hoping that the sound would reach him.

 

One day, after the sun had set, the girl noticed something ominous happening on the opposite bank. She could see flickering images of several bonfires burning, warriors gathered with bows and arrows in their hands, and many horses with trembling manes. It was the night before they were to set out for battle. Looking closer, she could also see the figure of a young warrior bathed in the red of the bonfire.

The girl was so overcome with the realization that she would be going off to war tomorrow and might never return that she broke her promise to the dragon god and, under the moonlight, continued to play her flute, carrying her bursting emotions into the choppy May wind.

However, when the dragon god finds out about this, he has no choice but to take the flute away, even though he understands the girl's sad feelings.

He hesitated, but at midnight, the valley wind blowing from the edge of the cauldron snatched the flute from the girl.

 

As dawn approaches, warriors on the opposite bank march out one after another, wailing battle cries. The girl is left alone, gazing at the opposite bank in a state of bewilderment. Among them, she spots a young warrior on horseback, slowly disappearing into the distance without even turning around.

Unable to bear the sadness of never being able to convey her feelings to him and the overwhelming feeling of never being able to see him again, and the sheer force of her fleeting hopes that would never be fulfilled, the girl finally headed in the direction the young warrior had left and threw herself into the waterfall.

 

The Tama River continued to flow with the same May murmur.

 

When the people of Takinoue heard the whole story, they felt great pity for the girl, and so, so that the girl's soul, sleeping beneath the waterfall, could always play the dragon god's flute, they removed one of the three horizontal bars at the bottom right of the character for "waterfall" in Takinoue, and began to write the character for waterfall with just two bars.

However, at night, they would return the flute to the dragon god. At Takinoue, the character for "taki" (waterfall) written on the lantern has three bars at the bottom right. This is because the flute is returned at night.

 

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Compared to before, May seems to pass by early summer quickly.

However, under the moonlight, on the quiet banks of the Tama River in Ome, the Kajika frogs continue to chirp as usual.

 

It seems like it's already late at night.