A Gift of Wisdom is my round 4 entry for the Pub's Fantasy Smackdown Competition of December 2012. The subgenre this round is mythic fantasy and Japanese myths was my assigned type. I have used the Shinto myth of the goddess Amaterasu as a basis for the story. I also had to use Pic 1 (chimera man/beast) and Pic 4 (the white peacock) in the story. In addition, I also used Pics 3 (illuminated cave), 7 (man with wings of light and dragons) and Pic 8 (blonde lady dressed in white) in the story.
Labouring under the heavy burden of two full buckets of water, Toshiro set his feet on the path to his master’s home, careful to stay on the trail in the dark. Since he had been overly long on his errands, he quickened his steps, careful not to spill any of the water. Master Daichi was a fair mentor, but he did not tolerate sloppiness.
Stepping up onto the porch, Toshiro set the buckets down just outside the entrance, carefully covering them with lids to keep out the dirt. Removing his shoes, he reached for the bronze ring to pull open the door. To his surprise, it bumped against his hand as someone opened it from within.
He stepped back as the loveliest lady he had ever seen emerged from his master’s house. In the gloom of the ever-present night, she shone with a soft radiance and he gasped in wonder to realize that he stood in the presence of a goddess. She caught him staring at her and an amused but sultry smile spread slowly across her sensuous lips. She laughed playfully before sauntering off, her voice as sweet as birdsong and her hips swaying to a melody that only she could hear. Toshiro’s blood thundered through his veins and he took a deep breath to centre himself, shaking his head in disbelief at how easily she had unsettled him. It would never do to let master Daichi see him in a state of less than perfect self control! When he felt that he was calm again, he pulled open the door and went inside.
In spite of the fact that the world was dying from the perpetual night, there were still chores to be done and lessons after dinner. Master Daichi believed in an orderly and disciplined household, especially in these dark times. Toshiro’s mind wandered as he retrieved some stored vegetables from the cellar. Why had the mysterious goddess come? What had she been so happy about? There was little happiness left in the world. Plants withered and died, and so did the animals that ate them. People were now beginning to starve and their hearts faltered, weighed down by the unrelieved darkness.
“Your mind strays when you should be concentrating,” master Daichi chided from somewhere behind him.
Toshiro yelped in surprise at the unexpected interruption, narrowly missing slicing into his thumb with a paring knife. A chunk of perfectly good vegetable fell to the floor at his feet and he hurried to retrieve it. Standing, he flushed with shame and turned to face his mentor, his eyes fixed firmly on his toes.
“She was a very noteworthy visitor, did you not think?”
“Yes Sensei,” he replied respectfully. In spite of his burning curiosity, Toshiro knew better to ask after the nature of the goddess’ visit.
“Come and eat,” master Daichi invited, declining to answer any of his apprentice’s unspoken questions. “I have a task for you to perform after dinner.” Surprised that there would apparently be no lessons tonight, Toshiro followed his mentor to a low table in the candle-lit dining room.
Dinner was a meagre affair given the dwindling food supply the storage cellar contained these days. For once, Toshiro did not dwell on the ominous portent. Instead, he was consumed with curiosity for what his task might entail. Striving to portray an image of calm serenity and control, he secretly seethed with impatience as food and tea were parcelled out. Master Daichi spoke little during the meal and the household ate in silence. Just when Toshiro thought he might burst from pent-up frustration, his mentor finally spoke.
