Her Beauty

Long ago, in a small village in Japan, there lived a girl together with her family. Her name was Aki. Aki means 'autumn' in Japanese. Aki was born in this season, where the leaves of the trees turn brown, orange, and yellow, and eventually fall off the branches. It was a beautiful season according to the villagers-all the more reason to give a friendly lady like Aki this name.

She lived together with her parents in an average-sized house. She was about thirteen years old, which meant that Aki was still easily influenced by everything around her. She kept hearing the Japanese female beauty standards-skin as pure as snow, hair as black as the nightsky, and the body as thin as a pencil. Aki's skin had a slight tan, her hair was not as black as the people desired, and her body was far from what they could call 'thin.' Aki wanted to be seen as beautiful as well.

In the forest near the village, there lived a wizard. With this in mind, Aki thought she could ask the wizard to help her with her desire.
That evening, at the dining table, Aki sat down and had a conversation with her parents. "Mother, Father," she began. The married couple looked at their daughter, curious about what their child had to say. "May I please go to the wizard to make a potion for me?" In an instant, Aki's father slammed his fists on the table. "Not a chance!" he protested. "You will not step foot anywhere near that-or any!-wizard in this land." Aki was shocked because of her dad's reaction, but she understood why he reacted this way.
But this did not stop Aki from chasing her dream. She still wanted to become a more beautiful person than she was now. Because of this, Aki decided that she would sneak out to find the wizard that night. "Your father means well, honey," Aki's mother said. "I hope you understand." Aki nodded slowly. She felt a little guilty, because she was going against her parent's will. Though, she had to do this, for her future's sake.

At midnight, when her parents and the rest of the village were all asleep, Aki slipped out of her house and ran in the direction of the forest. After a very long while of walking, she realized she was lost, and could not find the way back to the village. At some point, Aki gave up hope and crouched down at a river to look at her own reflection. All she could see was a huge disappointment-someone who did not listen to her parents for her own good. When her tears rolled down her cheeks into the river, she could see a woman wearing a robe standing behind her. "Do not be afraid, young one," the woman. "It seems you wish to see the wizard of the forest, are you not?" the woman continued. "Yes, I am," she replied. "Your wish is granted-I am the wizard, or witch, you are looking for." She revealed her face-her skin was pure white, her hair was straight, long, and black, and she was tall and skinny. "My name is Kumori," the witch stated. Aki nodded and bowed down to show her respect for the witch. "My name is Aki. I'm glad to meet you." Kumori nodded and then reached out her hand to Aki. "I can sense that you have something to ask of me. Tell me, young one," Aki gulped and could feel the shivers up her spine. "That is indeed true," Aki whispered. "Then, what do you want me to help you with?" Aki hesitated to tell Kumori about her wishes, as it was rather selfish of her. "I'd like to become a more beautiful person." Kumori stared at Aki. From her robe, Kumori took out a potion. "Drink this before you go to bed and you will become a beautiful young lady." Aki nodded and smiled friendly at the witch. "Thank you, ma'am!" she cheered and accepted the potion. She bowed deeply and ran back to the village to drink the potion before she went to sleep. To her surprise, she could find her way quite easily.

The next day, Aki woke up and was excited to see her new face and body. She instantly ran to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Only, to her disappointment, her appearance had not changed in any way-she still had the same tan, the same hair, and the same body. She felt betrayed by the Kumori, even after she idolized the woman. Aki stomped on the floor and ran out of the house to meet up with her friends.
Once she was at the plaza of the village, she saw Mr. Furukawa having trouble with his groceries. Aki noticed this and quickly went up to the old man to give him a hand. "Thank you, Aki," Mr. Furukawa mumbled. She carried the groceries all the way to Mr. Furukawa's house, which was a very long way from the plaza. "I am deeply grateful for your deeds, Aki," Mr. Furukawa thanked her. Mr. Furukawa then entered his house and waved Aki goodbye. Aki felt happy that she could help Mr. Furukawa today, even though it was a lot of effort. She then walked back to the plaza, only to find her childhood friend, Tamiko, feeding the doves on the square. "Ah, Aki!" Tamiko waved when she noticed Aki's presence. She gave half of the bread to Aki so she could help her with giving the bread pieces to the birds. Tamiko and Aki were feeding the birds together. The doves followed their hands and quickly pecked the pieces of food that the girls threw on the ground. Tamiko sighed and threw the last pieces of bread. "I still have some chores to do, I'll see you later." Aki nodded and so the two friends seperated their ways. Aki was strolling around the village, showing affection to everyone who she met on the streets. She helped everyone, greeted everyone. She was kind to everyone.

At the end of the day, Aki decided to visit Kumori's house. She was angry because her appearance hadn't changed a bit. When she arrived at the small river, Kumori appeared behind her again. "Young one," she began, "you're here to complain about the potion I gave you, did you not?" Aki nodded heavily and pointed at the witch before her, blaming her for it. "You promised me to make me more beautiful! It did not work. You're a fraud!" To Aki's surprise, Kumori reacted in a calm way and gently shoved Aki's arm out of her way. "Listen to me, young one," the witch spoke. The surroundings were quiet, the birds stopped singing, and the only thing that was heard was the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees. "Your wish has been granted with the potion I have given you." Aki opened her mouth to protest, but Kumori didn't let her. "I've held my eye on you. You've helped Mr. Furukawa with his groceries, yes? And your friend, Tamiko, feeding the birds on the square?" She was silent for a second, but soon continued her words. "You have become more beautiful-you've helped the townspeople out with their work." Aki stared at the witch and realized that she indeed helped a lot of people today. "Beauty does not always mean perfect skin, hair, and body. No-beauty can also be affection, graditude, and kindness. Do not forget this." With these words, the witch disappeared from the forest. Aki stood there in awe. With Kumori's words in mind, she went back to the village.

Years later, Aki stood at the altar with the man of her dreams. "Do you, Haru Yamada, take Aki Kohara as your lawfully wedded wife?" The man looked at Aki. "I do," he said. Then, the priest turned to Aki. "Do you, Aki Kohara, take Haru Yamada as your lawfully wedded husband?" In the corner of her eye, Aki could see a faint black figure sitting between the crowd who came to her marriage that day. She could hear her voice, asking, "Do you remember what I've said to you years ago?" With a smile, Aki faced her husband again.

"I do."