‘A Fortunate Fate’, a Japanese inspired short story.

A FORTUNATE FATE

 

Hana Takate was nineteen years old, a courtesan in old Edo. When she appeared in public, men’s eyes turned like sunflowers to her sun.

Lovely Hana had bones like melted butter and skin shaped from powder. She was a creature so luminous a flower of purest jade could not compare. When she rose from a nap, wearing a simple gauze robe, free of makeup and perfumes, she floated like a spider’s web. A vision of culture and desire, her laugh was a tinkling bell, her hair of bo silk, and her movements like cool water.

One day during cherry blossom time, she was entertaining, her robes folded open like gossamer wings, her rouged nipples suckled by another. A young daimyo was admitted to her rooms by mistake. This new lover was so angered he cut off the head of his rival with his katana in one swift blow.

Hana knelt before him, head down, exposing her swan neck, awaiting death. Seeing her trembling fragility, her obedient meekness, he could not take her life and disappeared to write some bad verse.

She became known as “The Immortal Flower”, a courtesan of first rank. She prospered and became fat.

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2017, “A Fortunate Fate” is from the second edition of “A Seasoning of Lust”, Amazon.com, 2016

‘A Fortunate Fate’, from “A Seasoning of Lust”

 

(Cherry Blossom Viewing in Old Edo with Daimyo’s daughter…first panel)

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This tale originally appeared in “A Seasoning of Lust” published by Lulu.com in 2009.  I reworked it a bit for the blog.

Since it is the New Year I have decided that I will have more fun with this blog.  I will attempt to entertain readers with works that aren’t so solemn or serious.  To that purpose I will present my “Japanese Tales”, a collection of stories based on fictional characters.  I will also post chapters from an earlier novel, “Devil’s Revenge” which will contain a warning where there is sexual content. All of this is mild stuff, but some readers appreciate a warning. It’s a funny piece of work, one between a mortal and a devil, with other devils chiming in eventually.

I thought a lot about the Islamic terrorist attacks in Paris last week, and how writers can support our craft and not be cowed by the violence that is intended to shut down our various freedoms.  I also don’t believe it wise to yank the whiskers of people who have such a different set of values.   However, I am just a writer and not a politician. I will use this blog to further my writing and to entertain my readers. Connecting to people around the world through stories and poetry is one of the purposes I see of this blog and one of the greatest of satisfactions for this writer at least.

In the spring I will publish “The Nightingale’s Song”, which is a collection of poems about a 17th century samurai couple and their marriage.  I have had the best of times writing these pieces and hope they entertain readers of this blog as much as they have entertained me.

Lady Nyo

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A FORTUNATE FATE

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Hana Tanaka was seventeen years old, a courtesan in old Edo. When she appeared in public, men’s eyes turned like sunflowers to her sun.

Lovely Hana had bones of melted butter and skin shaped from rice powder. She was a creature so luminous a flower of purest jade could not compare. When she rose from a nap, wearing a simple gauze robe, free of paint and perfumes, she was a vision of culture and desire. Her laugh was a tinkling bell, her hair of bo silk, her movements like cool water.

One day during cherry blossom time, she was entertaining, her robes folded open like gossamer wings, her rouged nipples admired by another. A young daimyo was admitted to her rooms by mistake. This new lover was so angered he cut off the head of his rival with his long sword in one swift blow.

Hana knelt before him, head down, exposing her swan neck, awaiting death. Seeing her trembling fragility, her obedient meekness, he could not take her life and disappeared to write some bad verse.

She became known as “The Immortal Flower”, a courtesan of first rank. She prospered and grew fat.

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2008, 2015