beauties of night

Part 1 Goodbye

People meet up each other but when the time comes, they have to say goodbye.

Goodbye may be for a while. Sometimes it becomes for a lifetime or forever.

Yamada Yoru

..........

When I was young, my mother told me a story of a girl who named Yamada Asa before I went to bed. She is my elder sister and she is far away from home. When I turned five, she returned home. Since she came back, she never came out of her room.

Her room was dark and small. I never saw a light from her room. When I had free time, I climbed the cherry tree which was within sight of her room to sneak a peek at her. But the doors were closed all the time.

When spring came, I saw her standing in the garden at nights. A cold wind comforted her as she standed alone. I was afraid that she would run away if she saw me. So I watched her from afar.

It had been a year and the winter came. I stumbled, tripped and fell in front of her room. I didn't hurt much but cried out loud to make her hear and come out of her room. My plan was succeeded. She actually came out of her room but she didn't give me a hand. Her face was expressionless. Then she went back inside the room and came back with bandages on her hands. She helped me to stand up and dusted off my clothes.

After that day, I visited her room regularly. At first, she didn't let me in. Later she allowed me to play in her room. Her room was darker than I thought but the room was spotlessly clean. All the things in the room were placed neatly. Her emotionless face smiled from time to time. Everything just seemed fine untill grandfather Wěi came to visit.

When grandfather Wěi saw that I was playing with sis Asa, he came into the room immediately and grabbed my arm and took me out of the room. Then he came into the room again and shut the door. After that, all I heard was the sound of hitting and sis Asa's screaming. After a long time, grandfather came out of the room by holding bloody lariat. Then he shut the door and said
"Don't let her go out," and left.
I tried to go into the room but the servants stopped me. But I didn't give up. I tried to see her day after day.

After one month, a man wearing strange clothes came to our home. He had no hair and he looked charming with baldness. When he went to sis Asa's room, she came out of the room and met him. They were speaking in a whisper. Later that night, she left with him. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye.

I waited for her. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Months turned to years. One year. Two years. Three years. Four years. Five years. When I turned eleven, she returned home for her engagement. She looked happy.

At first day of cherry blossoms fall, they married. Or, should I say they planned to marry. That bald-headed man cancelled the wedding on his own will. After he left, she tried to follow him at that night but it was too late. They put drug on her and manacled her hands behind her back. Her ankles were restrained with chains. Then they sent her to the mountain which was well-known for surrounding by demons. This time she didn't leave but they dragged her out of my life. That was not a good parting.

I kept her sword to give her back if she is free. Every day I secretly came up the mountain to see her but she never showed up.

I heard that she tried to escape from the mountain over ten thousand times but got caught up everytime. Afterwards, rumors of her healing blood spread. I heard that she was imprisoned mostly painful with chains, gyves, manacles, and irons, and they took out too much blood that she was moribund. After 50 years, the elders nominated her as a chief but she declined the offer. So, they let her go.

I called her at first day of release. I have a lot of men but I told her to find Master Lin, her ex bridegroom because their decision to set her free could be changed anytime. At first, she refused. Later she accepted to find and bring him back. It's not an easy task. Master Lin vanished without a trace after the wedding day.

At that night, she left. I watched her shade disappearing in the darkness of the midnight and I hadn't said goodbye. She said
"Don't die until I come back," instead of goodbye.

I wonder why I didn't realize it.

To be continued...

Next Part : Part 2 Fallen Sakura

See you on 17 March.