"Life is like a ship in the storm," the old woman spoke pensively, as if to herself, for a moment completely forgetting the two young children sitting at her feet. She looked out of the window, gazing at the stormy sea and a distant ship struggling against the waves.
"You can rarely control it, or even predict where it will take you." She fell silent for a long time and the children thought she had fallen asleep. But she was not sleeping; only recalling times long gone, when her life was still an unwritten book; before the storm took over and shaped her destiny.
"All you can do," she picked up after a while, "is hold on, try to make good decisions and from time to time ask yourself: How will I think about it in fifty years' time? Or: Will my actions have any impact on other people's lives?... After all, that's the most important thing: to live your life as best you can, staying true to yourself and respecting others."
The children were too young to understand what she was trying to say. They would prefer to go out into the garden and play hide and seek, but the raging storm trapped them indoors. Yet, they didn't really mind staying in; they loved the old lady and were more than happy to spend their time listening to one of her fantastical tales.
"Grandmamma," the girl was clearly the more adventurous of the two. "Tell us a story. The one when you were attacked by the mountain lion..."
"Or when you wore the demon's mask into a battle!" the boy chimed in, interrupting his sister.
They didn't really believe in any of her stories. Their great-grandmother seemed ancient and the children could never imagine her charging into any battles. But she always spoke with such passion and included so many colourful details that they allowed themselves to be hoodwinked.
The old woman smiled and slipped from her chair to kneel on the floor with the children. "You have heard those stories many times before," she shook her head. "But they are only a small part of something much larger. Let me tell you the full story of a young strong woman who travelled to a far-away country and became samurai..."
It is important for me to know that you like my story, so please vote and leave your comments after each chapter.
Thank you for reading.
YOU ARE READING
Lady Samurai
Historical Fiction'The Last Samurai' meets 'Shōgun', meets 'The King and I'... For years she believed herself to be cursed. Every time she grew close to someone they were taken away from her, paying the ultimate price. And now the curse struck again... Lottie has be...
