“The Kimono”, Chapter 31

 

I have been working on this novel for ten years and am finding my way to the end.  Wordpress has been naughty today and hasn’t posted this correctly. It keeps repeating deleted paragraphs.  I will try again.  This chapter contains a Japanese oni….a monster, called a Kappa.  It’s like a child sized frog but is a carnivore.  It eats human flesh when it can’t find cucumbers, it’s favorite food.  It also drowns children, horses and cows  in rivers.

Lady Nyo

 

They tried to escape the quake-ruined area by the bay, but soon realized the earthquake had devastated the countryside.  Lord Nyo brought back three horses from town and the inn and two more were stolen by Lord Mori’s men. Lady Nyo rode behind her husband, roped to him.

As they picked their way across rubble on the main road to Gassan, they began to see the ruins of the villages further into the countryside.  Fires had broken out and they could hear the screams of people and animals. Many times they had to dismount and push trees out of the way of their horses. Huge holes were left in the landscape by these fallen trees. Birds were strangely quiet or perhaps they had fled the area.  It was ghostly, with the smell of smoke.  Even the wind had deserted the landscape.

When they got higher they pulled up under conifers and into a forest that led into the mountains.  There they carried Lady Nyo to the ground and Lord Ekei attended her wounds.  He was Yamabushi, trained in the healing arts.  Pulling from a pouch tucked under his short kimono he mixed dried and crushed mosses and other herbs. Making a small fire, he boiled water to make an infusion for Lady Nyo to drink.  Cleaning the blood from her face and breast, Lord Ekei cut and split bamboo for splints and with strips of cloth torn from her under- kimono, set her broken arm.  It was merciful the drugs had dulled the pain as he manipulated her limb.

Since they had only five horses, Lord Mori decided to send his other samurai back to the town.  He chose two of his men to accompany him, knowing their skill and worthiness.  Still it was dangerous having so few men surrounding them.  They could move faster and with less noise, but there was great danger, especially if they met any of Kiyama’s patrol.

“My Lady Nyo is in a bad way, my lord”, said Lord Ekei to Lord Nyo. “She would be best served if she was allowed to rest and sleep over night.  Then we can see if she fares better the morrow.”

Lord Nyo nodded his head. He knew his wife put them in danger but there was little they could do. Lord Ekei conferred with Lord Mori, who was standing apart and it was agreed that the night would be spent on this forest floor. They would not light a fire so better to be hidden and just eat what provisions they had. Dried bonita paste, nori and some rice were enough to stave off hunger.

Lord Mori was silent.  He had left the decisions to Lord Ekei and though he had been consulted, he played little part in them. Lord Ekei knew his friend was suffering his own shock.  Dispatching the Lady Mari in such a way gave no surety that she would return to her place of origin alive.  These tricks, this magic of Lord Mori was troubling, but his consideration was what she would further suffer if she had been allowed to stay, weighted heavily on him. It was a split second decision made when danger was greatest, and Lord Ekei knew what his friend was despairing. Though his friend did not talk about his affection for Mari, he was involved.  Not since the death of his wife and children had Higato drawn so close to another woman.  The beautiful geishas and Maikos were just distractions.  The Lady Mari had proved different.

It would be at least another day and probably more before they arrived at the foot of the forest of Gassan.  What they would face upon getting there was of concern. That night the five men sat with their backs to a tree, their hands on their swords and listened for any sound from the forest.  It proved a long and sleepless night, but the only sounds were of a gentle wind and the natural sounds of any forest.

That morning they covered their tracks on the forest floor, and remounting their horses, they set off single file.  A little bird song and the chatter of forest monkeys were the only sounds around them.  They kept silent, not knowing if there were patrols or others on the same road towards Mt. Gassan.

 

As the road climbed towards the mountains, they saw beautiful scenery below and through the trees. Narrow streams and small waterfalls, valleys with wildflowers gave over to huge boulders and crevasses.  They knew this area famous for hot springs.  They planned to stop and bathe at dusk.  Having to wash the dirt from their bodies in hot water would be a restorative both to body and mind.  Lady Nyo’s injuries, of which she had sustained more than a broken arm, needed the warmth of the waters to soothe and heal.  They could do with little food, but it was still cold at night.  Any heat would be welcome.

The trail  narrowed and widened as they worked their way through the landscape and forests towards Gassan. At dusk that night they decided to make camp near a hot spring.  The conifers covered the area, and moss grew on the sides of the trees and boulders.  Little sun pierced the canopy of pines, oaks and paulownia trees.  After making a very small fire, and putting rice and bonita flakes to boil, they stripped down, laying their swords on the rocks beside them. They slipped into the hot water, sighing with relief.  Each picked up sand and small pebbles and scrubbed their skin.  Lady Nyo did nothing such, but just floated in the water, attended by her husband who rubbed the hot water through her long hair.

“We will be there soon, at Gassan, Higato.  Have you thought about how to approach En no Gyoja?”

“I have thought of little else, my friend.”

Lord Mori sighed and let his body float in the water. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk.

After about twenty minutes, Lord Ekei spied something near the spring. Focusing his eyes, he sat up straight.

“Cover yourself, Higato, there is a kappa who is looking to steal your cucumber.”

Lord Mori quickly sat up, looking to where Ekei pointed and saw a large creature, rather green/grey in color, sitting on a flat stone above the spring’s waters. The fellow had black eyes staring down into the water and a wide mouth with long fangs.

Suddenly something was thrown at the Kappa.  At first it was thought a rock and then the Kappa caught it.  It was a wild cucumber Lord Ekei collected from the woods.  The creature grabbed the vegetable, bit it in half and hopped off.

And uneasy laugh came from the men in the pool.  The Kappa were known to love cucumbers, but a male member would do as well.  To them, they looked the same, especially in the hot water.

Lord Mori decided that he had enough of a bath and moved out of the spring, first grabbing his kimono and covering his body. He grabbed his long sword and looked into the gathering gloom for the creature.  He didn’t see him but he donned two kimonos and two pair of trousers to sleep, belting his kimono tightly around his loins.

 

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2017

 

 

 

 

Tags: "The Kimono", a novel of 16th century Japan, Kappa, river monsters, Yamabushi