"The Red Candles and the Mermaid" Mimei Ogawa

Mermaids don’t only dwell in the southern seas. They once lived in the northern seas as well. The northern sea was a deep blue. One day, a female mermaid rested on a rock, gazing at the landscape around her.

The lonely light of the moon slipped through the clouds, casting a melancholy glow over the waves. No matter where she looked, endless, fearsome waves rolled on and on.

“What a desolate scene,” the mermaid thought. “We mermaids don’t look all that different from humans. Compared to the fish or the fierce beasts that dwell deep in the ocean, we resemble humans far more in both form and heart. And yet, we must live among the fish and beasts in this cold, dark, and oppressive sea. Why is that?”

She reflected on how, for countless years, she had lived without a single companion to talk to, always longing for the bright surface of the sea. It was unbearable. So on clear, moonlit nights, she would often float up and rest on a rock, letting her mind drift into all kinds of fantasies.

“I’ve heard that the towns where humans live are beautiful. Humans are said to be kinder than fish or beasts, more compassionate. Though we live among fish and beasts, we are closer to humans, so perhaps we could live among them,” the mermaid thought.

This mermaid was a woman, and she was pregnant. “We’ve lived in this lonely, conversationless northern sea for so long. I don’t expect to live in a bright and bustling land, but I don’t want my child to endure the same sorrow and uncertainty.

Though parting with my child and living alone in the sea would be unbearably sad, if my child could find happiness somewhere, there would be no greater joy for me.

Humans are said to be the kindest creatures in the world. I’ve heard that they never harm or abandon those who are weak or in need. Once they take something into their care, they never cast it aside. Fortunately, we mermaids not only resemble humans in the face, but from the waist up, we are entirely human. If we can survive in the world of fish and beasts, surely we can survive in the human world. If a human were to take my child and raise it, they would never be so cruel as to abandon it.”

The mermaid thought this over.

Driven by a desire to see her child grow up in a bright, lively, and beautiful town, the female mermaid decided to give birth on land. Though it meant she would never see her child’s face again, she believed her child would be accepted by humans and live a happy life.

In the far distance, she could see the flickering lights of a shrine on a small hill near the shore, reflected on the waves. One night, the mermaid swam through the cold, dark waters toward land, intending to give birth to her child.

There was a small town by the coast. Among the various shops in the town, there was a small store selling candles at the foot of a hill where a shrine stood.

An elderly couple lived in the house connected to the shop. The old man made the candles, and the old woman sold them. The townspeople and nearby fishermen would stop by this shop to buy candles before heading up the hill to the shrine.

On top of the hill, pine trees swayed in the wind, and nestled among them stood the shrine. The wind from the sea would constantly blow through the pine branches, making a howling sound, day and night. Every evening, the flickering flames of the candles offered at the shrine could be seen dancing in the distance from out at sea.

One night, the old woman said to her husband, “We’re able to live like this all thanks to the blessings of the gods. If it weren’t for the shrine on this hill, we wouldn’t sell any candles. We must always be grateful. I think I’ll go up to the shrine to offer my thanks.”

“You’re absolutely right,” the old man replied. “Not a day goes by that I don’t thank the gods in my heart, but I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t visited the shrine in a long time. I’m glad you thought of it. Please offer my thanks as well.”

The old woman set out on her way. It was a bright night, so much so that it almost seemed like daytime. After paying her respects at the shrine, she began to descend the mountain. As she reached the bottom of the stone steps, she heard the sound of a baby crying.

“Poor thing, it’s a foundling. Who would abandon a baby in a place like this?” she thought. “But how strange that I would find it right after visiting the shrine. It must be fate. If I leave this child here, I’ll surely incur the gods’ wrath. Perhaps the gods, knowing we have no children, have bestowed this child upon us. I should take the baby home and discuss it with my husband.”

With that thought, she picked up the baby, murmuring, “Poor little one, poor little one,” as she cradled it in her arms and carried it home.

The old man, waiting for her return, was surprised when she walked in holding a baby. After hearing the whole story, he said, “This must surely be a gift from the gods. We must take care of this child, or we’ll be punished.”

And so, the couple decided to raise the baby. The child was a girl, but from the waist down, she did not have the form of a human; instead, she resembled a fish. The old man and woman realized that she must be a mermaid, just as they had heard in tales.

“She’s not a human child, is she?” the old man said, scratching his head as he looked at the baby.

“I think so too,” the old woman replied. “But despite not being human, what a gentle and lovely face this girl has.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said the old man. “She’s a gift from the gods, and we will raise her with care. She’s sure to grow into a wise and kind child.”

From that day on, the couple lovingly raised the girl. As she grew, she became a quiet and intelligent child, with large dark eyes and glossy black hair, beautiful and serene.

The daughter grew up, but she was too shy to show herself due to her unusual appearance. However, anyone who caught even a glimpse of her was stunned by her extraordinary beauty, so much so that some people came to the candle shop just to try to catch a glimpse of her.

The old man and woman would tell them, “Our daughter is very shy and won’t appear in front of others.”

In the back room, the old man diligently made candles. One day, the daughter thought that if she painted pictures on the candles, people would be even more eager to buy them. When she mentioned this idea to her father, he encouraged her, saying, “Go ahead and paint whatever you like.”

The daughter, using red paint, skillfully drew fish, shells, and seaweed on the white candles. She had never been taught how to paint, yet her artwork was remarkable. When the old man saw the candles, he was astonished. The pictures were so beautiful and captivating that anyone who saw them felt compelled to buy the candles.

“No wonder she paints so well—after all, she’s a mermaid, not a human,” the old man said, marveling as he discussed it with his wife.

From morning till night, people—both children and adults—came to the shop, asking for the painted candles. The candles were a great success.

Soon, a strange story began to circulate. People said that if you offered one of these painted candles at the shrine on the hill and carried the burnt remains with you out to sea, your ship would never capsize or be struck by disaster, no matter how violent the storm. This rumor spread quickly throughout the town.

“It’s a shrine dedicated to the god of the sea. Of course, the god would be pleased with such beautiful candles,” the townspeople said.

With the candles selling so well, the old man worked tirelessly from morning till night, making more and more candles. Meanwhile, the daughter endured the pain in her hands, continuing to paint each candle with red designs.

“I must never forget the kindness of the old couple, who raised me with such love despite my being different,” the daughter thought, her large dark eyes welling with tears of gratitude.

The story of the painted candles spread to distant villages. Sailors and fishermen from faraway lands made long journeys just to obtain the remnants of the candles offered at the shrine. They would buy a candle, climb the hill, pray at the shrine, light the candle, and wait for it to burn down. Then, they would take the remaining piece home with them. As a result, the shrine was never without the light of candles, day or night. Especially at night, the flickering lights of the candles could be seen from the sea, creating a beautiful sight.

“Truly, the god of the shrine is a blessing,” people said, and the shrine became famous.

Though the god’s reputation grew, no one spared a thought for the girl who painted the candles with such devotion. No one saw her plight or pitied her.

The daughter, exhausted from her work, would sometimes, on bright moonlit nights, rest her head by the window. She would gaze out longingly at the distant, deep blue sea of the north, her eyes filling with tears of homesickness.

One day, a peddler from the southern regions arrived in the town. His plan was to travel north, find something rare and valuable, and take it back south to make a fortune.

Somehow, the peddler heard about the mermaid, or perhaps he saw the girl himself and recognized that she was no ordinary human but a rare mermaid. One day, he secretly approached the elderly couple and, making sure the daughter didn’t hear, offered them a large sum of money to buy the mermaid.

At first, the old couple refused, saying that the girl was a gift from the gods and they couldn’t possibly sell her. They feared divine punishment if they did such a thing. But the peddler was persistent, returning again and again. Each time, he whispered to the couple, “Mermaids have always been considered unlucky. If you don’t get rid of her now, something bad is sure to happen.”

Eventually, the old couple came to believe the peddler’s words. The large sum of money further tempted them, and in the end, they agreed to sell the girl to the peddler.

The peddler left, delighted, and said he would return soon to collect the girl.

Imagine the shock the girl felt when she learned of this arrangement. The shy, gentle mermaid was terrified at the thought of being taken far away to the hot, unfamiliar southern lands. She wept and pleaded with the elderly couple, saying, “I will work as hard as I can. Please don’t sell me off to a faraway land I’ve never known.”

But the couple, whose hearts had already turned cold and cruel, would not listen to her pleas.

The girl locked herself in her room, painting candles with all her heart. Yet even as they watched her, the couple felt no pity or tenderness for the girl.

One bright moonlit night, the girl sat alone, listening to the sound of the waves and sorrowfully pondering her fate. As she listened to the waves, she had the feeling that something far away was calling out to her. She looked out the window, but all she could see was the endless blue sea bathed in moonlight.

She returned to her seat and continued painting the candles. Just then, a commotion could be heard outside—the peddler had come to take her away. He arrived with a large, square cage with iron bars, loaded onto a cart. It was the same kind of cage once used to transport tigers, lions, and leopards.

He intended to treat this gentle mermaid as nothing more than a wild beast of the sea, just like those predators. If the girl had seen the cage, she would have been horrified.

Unaware of this, the girl continued painting, her head down. Then, the old man and woman came in and said, “It’s time for you to go,” as they tried to lead her away.

Unable to paint the candles properly in her haste, the girl ended up covering all of them in red. She left two or three of these red candles behind as a sad memento of her sorrow.

It was a calm night. The old man and woman closed the doors and went to bed.

Around midnight, there was a knock at the door. The old couple, being light sleepers, heard the sound and wondered who it could be.

“Who is it?” the old woman called out.

There was no answer, only the continued knocking at the door. She got up, opened the door slightly, and peered outside. Standing there was a woman, her pale face illuminated by the moonlight.

The woman had come to buy candles. The old woman, always eager to make a little money, didn’t show the slightest sign of displeasure. She brought out the box of candles and showed them to the woman. But as she did, she was startled—the woman’s long black hair was soaking wet and glistened in the moonlight.

The woman picked up one of the bright red candles and stared at it for a long moment. Then, she quietly paid for the candle and left.

Curious, the old woman inspected the coins in the light. But when she looked closely, she realized they weren’t coins at all—they were seashells. Furious at being tricked, she rushed outside, but the woman had vanished without a trace.

That same night, the weather suddenly changed. What had been a calm night quickly turned into a violent storm, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in years. At that moment, the peddler was at sea, transporting the mermaid in her cage to the southern lands.

“With a storm like this, there’s no way that ship will survive,” the old man and woman said to each other, trembling in fear.

By dawn, the sea was a terrifying sight, dark and chaotic. That night, countless ships were lost to the storm.

Strangely, whenever one of the red candles was lit at the shrine on the hill, no matter how clear the weather had been, a violent storm would soon follow. From that night onward, the red candles became known as a curse. The old couple believed it was divine punishment and decided to shut down their candle shop for good.

However, someone—or something—continued to offer red candles at the shrine every night. No one knew who was responsible, but the red candles were lit without fail.

In the past, carrying a piece of the burned remnants of a painted candle from the shrine would guarantee protection from disasters at sea. But now, even catching sight of a red candle meant certain disaster. Sailors who saw one would surely perish, drowning in the sea.

The rumor of the cursed red candles spread quickly, and soon no one dared visit the shrine atop the hill. The once-revered god became a source of fear, and people in the town came to despise the shrine. They wished it had never existed.

Sailors passing by from the sea would gaze up at the shrine in fear. At night, the northern sea became a place of dread, with waves rising high as far as the eye could see. White foam surged as waves crashed against the rocks. When the moon broke through the clouds and illuminated the sea’s surface, the scene was eerily ominous.

On dark, rainy nights with no stars in the sky, some claimed to see the faint glow of a candlelight drifting up from the waves, rising higher and higher, heading toward the shrine atop the hill, flickering in the night.

Within a few years, the town below the shrine was abandoned and disappeared entirely.