oshima story (1)
This story begins with a little encounter. Kenny rushes to the flat for watching at the favorite program on TV after getting the snacks in the convenience store. Eva also hurries to the same convenience store to post a birthday card to her friend in the dust June. They are approaching the corner of the narrow path alongside the old temple for taking a shortcut at the same time.Then, both nearly hit .
Kenny " Sorry."
Eva " You are Kenny, aren't you ? Yes, you are Kenny. I am Eva. "
Kenny " Yes, Yes, I am Kenny. How have you been so long. "
Eva " What a strange coincidence ! I work at B and B."
Eva " Kenny have you a time ? "
Kenny " Sure ! "
They are busy now in fact , but both feel comfortable to meet again without reason and want to talk together. In a plot of the old temple , there are some stones as if they have been located in a vast ocean. They are going to the end of the corner ,sitting on the some-what big stone,chatting something old days and laughing together. After a while,
Eva " What'S it ?"
She points a stone she is sitting on .
Kenny " Anything wrong ?"
Eva "It's a letter , isn't it ?
Kenny " Yes, It's a letter."
Otherwise it is hard to recognize what is written on it , because they have spent much time for chatting , actually 8 pm , so they take their mobile phones near the surface of a stone in stead of spot lighting and try to decode.
Eva " TATSU AND OSHIMA . the name of a man and woman .
Kenny " I am not quite sure. "
The stone they are sitting on are called OHYAKUDOISHI , tradition has it that a couple will get married happily if they say prayer 100times to this stone. OHYAKUDO means one hundred times and ISHI means A stone.
nearly one hundred years ago
Tatsu were going to the sake-shop to buy after work , suddenly it started drizzling in some summer evening twilight time . As he thought it would stop right away soon , he got out of the rain under the big tree alongside the old temple. Oshima also came to the same tree for sheltering the rain. This was the first meeting for them.
Tatsu "What a naughty rain ! I am wet. "
Oshima " me too , What a shame !"
Tatsu "Well,by the way , what do you have in your hand ?"
Oshima " It is a pupa , pupa of the butterfly , Look at it. "
Tatsu " You like a butterfly , don't you ? "
Oshima " I love it . Very beautyiful . I have got it from my friend."
Tatsu " I am Tatsu, you are....? "
Oshima " Oshima , I will give you one of them if you like ."
She handed over one of them to him , said goodby and run away. At first he was not interested with this a twig , then , intended to throw it out , but ended up bringing with him to his flat in the end . Oshima's face in smile lay heavily on his mind.
In his room he gazed and gazed at something odd , the butterfly was about to emerge . He put it into the pot and kept waiting for a while. Then , a new-emerged butterfly was appeared . When he put his finger close to a new born carefully , she crept up as it were alighting on a flower and just like sleeping in the bed also .He popped out his finger that a beauty was hanging on in order to release , then she took wing but went back soon . Finally she was flying around him 2 or 3 times and flying away in the dark night.
Tatsu " Fantastic. "
With his master's permission. He made a wooden box shaped a butterfly in which there were letters , it said everything had happened in his room , a butterfly'd emerged and had been alighting on his finger ,and invitation going to the fireworks festival in the River Sumida with him.
How should he sent this letter to her ?
Sometimes he did something silly because of his character . Even though he did not have an appointment to meet with her , he went to the old temple they had met. It is impossible ! He spent much idle time there for an inevitable result.
As he returned back to his room , he was having tipple and saying.
Tatsu " I shouldn't have done it . "
After a while , he became aware of a fact that he lost his letter box .Otherwise he will find it the following day.
He went to the old temple , however he was very concerned as if it might be true that he could get the box . He searched , but was not able to find it , then was terribly disappointment with this result and tired in the end , so he sat down on the Ohyakudoishi.
For a while , he remained dejected , with his shoulders dropped . When he stood up from the stone for going back , he became aware of something behind . That was the box he had lost yesterday. He picked it up and opened quickly. What a strange ! There was a yellow paper in it. He wrote a letter in a white paper surely.
That was actually a response from Oshima .It said her answer to his invitation proposal for the fireworks festival is YES. His letter in the box was found by chance when she passed through the Ohyakudoishi fortunately.
Oshima and Tatsu had a rendezvous at the foot of a bridge , rambling along side the river , looked at the skyrockets on the occasion fireworks set off . He wanted to look a little at her profile reflected by a light of the fireworks rather than the beautiful skyrockets . He murmured how beautiful she was. Nearly one hour passed by, that brought them to the end of the festival.
Tatsu " We will meet again ?"
Oshima " Sure . It can't be tomorrow ?"
Tatsu " It can be ."
" I will go to England. "
Oshima explained why she would go to England from the various point of her future life with her ardent wish. Nevertheless her parents saw through she wanted to go abroad because of her just only longing for foreign country and its culture.