Shunrai 春雷
"Resorting to words, forging gestures,
reluctance floods my senses no matter what.
Gazing into your eyes, a gentle smile lights up your face instantly.
Deafening thoughts, blaring secrets,
are all shattered under such feelings.
Agonising...
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Gentle waves drenched the smooth white sand, squawking seagulls soared into the boundless twilight, the fading sunlight shimmered like a thousand stars on the ocean.
Under the blazing, yolk-like sun, three shadows were dragged along the evening beach.
"Nii-san!" Kaisa held on to her brother's calloused and bumpy hands, her silver eyes gleamed, "Nii-san! Tell us the story of the shisa* again please!"
"Eh? Again?" Kaito quirked an eyebrow, looking between his younger sisters, "I thought you guys are bored of it already?"
Kairi shook her head, "We aren't bored of it! Please tell us again!"
"Ahhhh alright alright," Kaito couldn't resist his sisters' puppy eyes, "Okay, here it goes then~"
He cleared his throat, "A long long time ago, villagers of the Madanbashi village led a peaceful life. Everyone did their best to contribute to the village, some grew crops, some dyed the fabrics and cloths, some fished for seafood. They lived happily and were contented with what they had."
"But then, one day, sunlight was blocked by huge grey clouds. An enormous dragon with blue and green scales emerged from the choppy sea, screeching along with the booming thunder and lightning. Merciless winds and pouring rain howled across the land, destroying everything in its path. The villagers could do nothing but flee, watching as all their hard work were blown away in a blink of an eye."
"Just when the villagers were absolutely out of ideas, the priestess had a strange dream at night. In her dream, she was told that the king of Ryukyu should bring with him the shisa necklace gifted by a Chinese envoy and head over to the beach. The next day, she quickly sent a boy to ask for help from the almighty king, in hopes of saving both the village and the villagers."
"After hearing from the boy, the king was deeply moved, he followed the boy to where the ruthless storms raged. As if guided by an unknown force, the king lifted the shisa necklace overhead. The ocean and ground shook as an ear splitting roar came from the tiny shisa. A gigantic rock fell from the sky, nailing the crazed dragon at its spot, rendering its ultimate death. At the end, the little shisa had protected our island and our people."
"Nii-san, is that why there are shisa statues on the rooftop? To protect us from the evil dragon?" Kaisa tilted her head, looking up at Kaito.
Kaito thought for a while, "I don't know if dragons are real or not, I've never seen one. But... I think... Maybe they aren't evil."
"Why? The dragon destroyed the village!" Kairi's brows furrowed, "Only bad people do so!"
"I remember a story that grandpa told me," Kaito smiled at the memory of their grandparents, "When he was young, he met some Chinese fishermen and they shared their stories of the great dragon with him. It was said that the dragons were the emperors of the ocean and they owned a grand palace deep under the sea, the ocean was their home. Perhaps the dragon mistook the fishermen for disturbing its home, it wanted to protect what was important to it. And... protecting one's treasure... isn't wrong, right?"
