SC1 1.3 – Rain Dragon Warrior
After dinner, I took Yunno and Yui to brush our teeth. Basically, we used a stiff small husk to clean our teeth and it was very uncomfortable. I should make proper toothbrush, toothpaste, and other kits to maintain our personal hygiene. Fortunately, modern civilization on earth had taught me a lot of thing closely related to this field.
After that, it was time to sleep. My room was in the side yard almost next to the chicken cage. Actually, my brother-in-law and my oldest sister had the biggest room after the main room previously. However, after my older sister passed away, Tanno immediately took it over while Kazuyori sold the furniture.
As for Yunno and Yui, they move to my small and simple room. Other than a long bed, my room had only one small cupboard. But at least, with all limitation he had the Unfortunate Sanno still tried his best to make his room was clean and as comfortable as he could.
As soon as we went up to the long bed, Yunno and Yui immediately sat next to me. It was time for bedtime story. Without the existence of movie, music, book, or good dinner, bedtime story was the only entertainment they could get after working very hard for the whole day, so I couldn’t skip it.
Honestly, this was my first time giving kids bedtime story and I was rather nervous. Fortunately, the Unfortunate Sanno’s memory, feeling, and wish helped me a lot in this kind of situation. After taking a deep breath I smiled to Yunno and Yui.
“Are you ready for tonight stories?”
“We are.”
Yunno enthusiastically looked at me, while at the same time Yui nodded her head vigorously. And somehow, after I said the exact opening sentence that the Unfortunate Sanno had usually used, everything just flowed out of my lips. With ease, I recited The Spider’s Thread, a short story from one of Akutagawa Ryonosuke’s wonderful collection.
The story was begun by Buddha who took morning strolling along the edge of lotus pond in nirvana. The blooming white lotuses in the pond were pure and shiny like jewel, and the air was filled with an indescribably wondrous fragrance from the lotuses golden center. It was just the usual calm and peaceful morning in paradise.
After a time, Buddha stopped his step and from the gap between the lotus leaves he saw a glimpse of the state below. The beautiful celestial pond just happened to lie directly over the hell, and peering through its crystal-clear water was like looking through a magnifying glass at the River of Death, the Lake of Blood, the Mountain of Needles, and such.
The Buddha saw, there in the depths of hell, a single man writhing along with other sinners. This man was Kandata, and he had been a notorious thief who had performed murder and arson and other acts of evil. In his past, however, he had performed just one good deed. One day, when walking through a deep forest, he saw a spider crawling along the road.
He had raised his foot to crush the spider, but suddenly he changed his mind and stopped. “No, no matter how small, a spider also has a life. It would be a pity to meaninglessly end it,” and so he did not kill it.
While looking down upon the hell, Buddha recalled this act of kindness and decided to use it as a way to save him from his fate. Coincidently, Buddha also saw that on a jade-colored lotus leaf there was a single spider, spinning out a web of silver thread. Buddha immediately and carefully took the spider’s thread into his hand, and lowered it straight down between the jewel-like white lotuses into the depths of hell.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Before going for the second part of the story, I took a chance to look at Yunno and Yui. They were so adorable when listening to my story, and I got an urge to tease them.
“Okay, it’s bed time. Let’s continue the rest of the story tomorrow.”
Yunno immediately looked at me with widened eyes and pleaded, “Nooo… Big Bro Sanno please continued the story.”
“Yeah,” The quiet Yui also looked at me with her pleading eyes.
“Okay,” I nodded and continued, “But tomorrow you have to help me.”
“We will help you as best as we can,” Yunno firmly gave her words.
“Yeah, we will help Big Bro Sanno as best as we can,” Yui added.
I never imagined that teasing two kids who treated me as theirs everything was so fun. After a big smile I immediately said, “Okay, let’s continued the story then.”
The second part of the story went into Kandata’s point of view. Like any other day after he arrived in the bottom of the hell some years ago, Kandata was floating and sinking along with other sinners in the Lake of Blood.
It was pitch black no matter which way he looked at. Sometime he would see a glimpse of light in the darkness, but it was just the glint of the terrible Mountain of Needles. In short, Kandata felt so lonely. He was surrounded by the silence of the grave. The occasional sound he heard was only a faint sigh from one of the damned like him.
Moreover, Kandata was also over exhausted. The River of Death and the Mountain of Needles would ensure its dwellers were dead tired by various torment, and being left without a drop of strength to cry out their misery. Even the great thief Kandata could only squirm like a dying frog as he choked in the Lake of Blood.
But one day, when he raising up his head and glancing at the sky above the lake, out of the empty darkness Kandata saw a silver spider’s thread being lowered from so far, far, far away.
The thread seemed almost afraid to be seen. It was emitting a frail and constant light as it came down to just above Kandata’s head. Seeing this, Kandata couldn’t help but clap his hands in joy. If he were to cling to this thread and climbed it up, he may be able to climb his way out of the hell. Perhaps, he could even climb all the way to nirvana. Then, he would never be chased by Mountain of Needles, or being drowned in the Lake of Blood anymore.
While thinking so, Kandata firmly grasped the spider’s thread and began to climb it higher and higher. As a former of great thief, he was used to such a task. But the distance between hell and nirvana was tens of thousands of miles. So, it would seem that no amount of effort would make it as an easy journey.
After climbing for some time Kandata became tired. Having no other recourse, he then hung there on the thread, resting, and while doing so he looked down below. Kandata smiled as he saw that he had made a good deal of progress. The Lake of Blood that had trapped him for many years was now hidden in the dark below. He had even climbed higher than the dimly glowing Mountain of Needles. If he could keep up this pace, perhaps he could escape from hell.
Kandata instantly laughing and spoke in a voice that he hadn’t used in many years. “I’ve done it! I’ve done it!”
However, a moment later Kandata realized that an endless queue of sinners had following him climbed up the thread liked a line of ants. Seeing this, surprise and fear started to fill Kandata’s heart.
How could this slender spider’s web, which should break even under just his weight, support the weight of all those people?
If the thread snapped, all of his effort would be wasted and he would fall back straight into hell. That just would not do. And as Kandata’s fear grow larger and larger, thousands more of the damned came crawling up from the Lake of Blood, forming a line and scurrying up the thread. If he didn’t do something fast, surely the thread would snap as he had feared.
Kandata immediately shouted out, “Hey! You sinners! This thread is mine! Who said you could climb it up? Get off! Get off!”
Though the thread had been fine until just then, as soon as Kandata uttered his words, it suddenly snapped right at where Kandata held it. He then fell through the air.
“NOOOOOOOO!!!”
Kandata shouted as he desperately looked at the end of the silver thread. It silently hung and suspended from nirvana, shining its pale light under the moonless and starless sky.
The story then went to the third part and return to Buddha’s perspective. At the edge of the lotus pond, he was silently watching Kandata fell and sank to the bottom of the Lake of Blood like a rock. Then, he continued his morning stroll with a shocked face. He had been surprised to the core that even after such severe punishment, Kandata never learnt his mistake. In the end, his lack of compassion lead him straight back to the hell.
“That’s the end of the story,” I calmly said.
“Big Bro Sanno,” Yui looked at me as she worriedly asked, “Will Buddha help Kandata again in the future?”
“No, second chance never comes twice.” As Yui fell into silence, I immediately took her into my embrace. “Now, it’s time to sleep.”
We then laid our tired body in the long bed and used a wide rag as blanket. Almost in no time, Yunno and Yui fell asleep. Wasting no time I checked their soul mark and I smiled as I found baby Rain Dragon was peacefully slept in the bottom of their essence sea.
No wonder the two had a very gentle heart. Among the celestial beast, Rain Dragon was one of the most kind and wise folks. It was also the celestial being who taught human how to farm, hunt, building house, and cook.
If Elder from Blackwing had found them, they would treat these two as a heavenly treasure. Unfortunately, they were born into a family who couldn’t recognize their innate talent and value.
However, as now I was here, I would help them polished their innate talent and reached a height where they belong. I also had to prevent them from taking demonic path, as when Rain Dragon Warrior went into the dark side, they would become the cruelest calamity.
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