Once
upon a time, in a mountain village of Japan, there was a little girl named
Ayaka. Ayaka was a good and sweet little girl and was the joy of her parent’s
life. But her life was not a happy one. The villagers accused her of being a
witch and she was bullied every day by the children. The only friend she had was
her cousin Mamoru. Mamoru lived with Ayaka and her parents. His parents died
when he was young and his aunt and uncle had raised him ever since. Mamoru
didn’t believe that Ayaka was a witch and protected her from the bullies.
One day Ayaka and Mamoru were sitting
by a stream, while Ayaka was playing her pipe. Ayaka’s father made that pipe
for her on the day of her birth and she had kept it with her ever since.
“You get better playing that pipe
every single day” said Mamoru.
“Thank you Mamoru” Ayaka sighed “but
playing this pipe is why I get bullied”. It was true; the villagers thought
that when Ayaka played her pipe something would happen. There was one time when
they thought that she made a flower grow very quickly by just playing her pipe.
But of course just by playing the pipe didn’t do that.
“Ayaka” said Mamoru “don’t believe
anything that the villagers think about you. You are not a witch, you are you”.
“Thank you Mamoru” said Ayaka, with a
smile. Ayaka always felt safe and happy with Mamoru; even though her life was
filled with misfortune.
Unfortunately things went from bad to
worse for Ayaka that winter. The mountain village had a tradition of
sacrificing a seven year old child to the mountain god, every seven years. They
believed that doing that would bring full harvest to the village. Sadly Ayaka
was chosen to be the sacrifice; she was seven years old. Ayaka’s parents were
devastated by this; Ayaka was their only child and they didn’t want her to be a
sacrificed. Mamoru was also upset and believed that Ayaka was chosen because
they all thought she was a witch. But the village elders had spoken and that
was all there was to it. So Ayaka was dressed in priestess clothing, said a
prayer to the mountain god for a good harvest, and then was locked in a shrine,
on a hill, where she was to die from hunger.
That night Ayaka was playing her pipe
in the shrine, she decided that playing music, until she died, would help her
die in peace. Suddenly the shrine door unlocked and opened by itself and behind
the door was the spirit of the mountain god. Ayaka ran over to him and kneeled
in front of him. “Mountain god” she cried “if you have come to take my life
away. Please do it quickly”.
“Don’t be afraid Ayaka” replied the
mountain god “I have not come here to take your life. I have come here to present
you with a gift”. The mountain god gave Ayaka a pipe that looked the same as
hers. “This is a magic pipe” he said “play the tune you always play every night
and the village harvests will flourish. But whatever you do, do not ever break
this if you do you will die”.
“But what happens if someone else breaks
this” asked Ayaka.
“You will be spared but the person
who does break it will die instead” answered the mountain god.
“I understand” said Ayaka. Then the
mountain god disappeared.
After the mountain god disappeared,
Mamoru appeared. He had come to get Ayaka out of the shrine, but was surprised
that she was already out. Ayaka explained about her meeting with the mountain
god and his gift to her. Then she warned him about what happens if the magic
pipe got broken. “Then we better be very careful with that pipe” said Mamoru.
Mamoru explained to Ayaka that her parents sent him to get her out of the
shrine and provide food and clothing for her every night. “Thank you Mamoru”
said Ayaka “but I’m worried that this will get you and my parents in trouble”.
“Don’t
worry Ayaka” said Mamoru “I’ll protect you always”.
For the next six years Mamoru
secretly visited Ayaka every night in the wood to give her food and clothing.
Mamoru built a shelter in the wood for her to live in, instead of living in the
shrine. Ayaka played her tune every night to make the harvests flourish.
“Mamoru how is the village doing?”
asked Ayaka.
“They are doing well actually” Mamoru
answered “because of your magic pipe the fields have flourished”.
“The mountain god did say that the
fields would flourish if I played it”.
“Ayaka I have been thinking” said
Mamoru “let’s leave this village. You don’t deserve this kind of life and to be
honest I hate living in a village where children have to be sacrificed. So
let’s leave this place and live a happier life together and forever”.
“Okay” agreed Ayaka.
The next day Mamoru was secretly
talking to Ayaka’s parents. He told them about his plan for him and Ayaka
leaving the village together. They understood and asked Mamoru to take good
care of Ayaka. While they were still talking, Mamoru heard three boys talking
to each other. They were called Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji. Mamoru was no friend
of them because these three boys were the ones who always bullied Ayaka.
“Can you believe that the fields have
flourished so much?” asked Shinji “I’ve never seen anything like it”
“I think it’s because we got rid of
that girl Ayaka” said Daisuke.
“I agree heartily” said Rouen “that
girl was like a witch when she made flowers bloom very quickly with that pipe
of hers. I’m glad that she’s gone”.
Mamoru was furious with them and
wanted to give them a piece of his mind but instead he just concentrated of his
plan to escape from the village with Ayaka.
That night Mamoru ran to the wood to
pick up Ayaka. “Ayaka it is time to leave the village” he said “and we must
leave now before someone sees us”.
“Aren’t my parents coming?” asked
Ayaka.
“No they fear that the villagers will
get suspicious if they left too, so they will be staying in the village” answered
Mamoru.
“What will they say when the
villagers discover that you are gone?” asked Ayaka worriedly.
“They will be covering for me and
pretend that they didn’t know about my disappearance. So you and I will now
live a free life” said Mamoru.
Suddenly Ayaka heard a squirrel run
around. “Mamoru I think someone is coming” she said.
“I do too” Mamoru said “quick hide
behind a big tree and give me your original pipe. That way they will only
notice me and not you”. Ayaka gave him a pipe, but she gave him the magic pipe
by mistake.
Mamoru played the same tune Ayaka
played on the magic pipe, while Ayaka hid behind a tree. “So the rumours were
true” said a voice. It was Rouen and his friends Daisuke and Shinji.
“There were rumours in the village
that you disappear into the wood at night and music was being played” said
Daisuke.
“What is wrong with that?” asked
Mamoru “I did this all the time when Ayaka was around”.
“You still think of her even though
she is dead?” said Shinji.
“So I take it you wouldn’t care if a
relative of yours was sacrificed?” asked Mamoru.
“Enough of this!” shouted Rouen. He
grabbed the magic pipe. “Since this pipe is Ayaka’s we should dispose of this
too”. He tossed it to the ground and stepped on it. Daisuke and Shinji stepped
on it too until it broke into a little pieces.
Then three big vines shot out from
under the ground and wrapped themselves around Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji very
tightly. “What is happening?!” shouted Rouen. Since they were the ones who
broke the pipe, they had to pay the price with their lives. Ayaka and Mamoru gasped
as they watched Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji being strangled to death by the
vines.
“The mountain god didn’t lie when he
said death would happen to the one who broke the magic pipe” said Ayaka, coming
out of hiding.
“You’re right he didn’t” said Mamoru
“I’m just glad that it’s not you who broke it. Come we better leave quickly before
the villagers realise what has happened”. Hand in hand Ayaka and Mamoru ran
away from the village. They were finally free from their miseries.
The villagers never saw Mamoru again.
Some believed that he ran away because of what they did to Ayaka. And others
believed that he had been killed like Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji when they found
their dead bodies the next day. Ayaka’s parents never revealed the real truth
and also pretended that they never knew he would run away. What the villagers
didn’t know was this; Mamoru lived in a happier village, with Ayaka by his side
forever.
