Ume's village was terraced on the side of a great grey mountain dotted in green - defiant bursts of trees, rice paddies, and little gardens spaced above and below the little bamboo houses. Merchants and minstrels and armies ignored Oka as a rule, out of the way, up a mountain, and without a thing but her simple ways to offer; the arrival of a stranger through the red-painted wooden arch adorned with paper charms had been unthinkable for two generations.
Almost eighteen years ago, when a stranger passed through the gate, wind made a brush stroke down the face of the mountain and ruffled the little paper charms. He was a short man where he had come from, but still looked down on the tallest man in Oka, who stood up straight from the garden with soil-covered hands to stare.
Freckles, and red hair. He blinked, but the stranger only smiled and strolled along away from him. The tall man of Oka called out a question to him in his own tongue, and the lanky outsider replied in his own with a shrug and went on his merry way.
Red stranger, red stranger, Your head is a rose bush!
The laughter of children soon followed in his footsteps, and two of them sang their taunt at him. He grinned over his shoulder every several steps, and every time, they giggled.
Two terraces away, working in the garden fertilized with the ashes of Oka's ancestors, Ume frowned at the noise. This time of the morning was always so quiet. She leaned from her graceful kneel to the sound of a mother berating the children....and found herself looking at feet clad in boots the likes of which she had never seen before.
"Good mornin' to ye."
She scrambled backwards and to her feet, hands clenched into fists in her clothing, head turned down and to the side as she tried not to look at him. Submissive, but not to give in - hoping he would react as other boys did to that kind of behavior, and just....go away.
But he didn't. He let out a short little laugh at her, leaned forward to peer at her, and slunk off through the garden. He never trod on a single flower, though his demeanor suggested that if he did, he would either not notice or not care. He leaned to touch one flower, sniff at another, and every now and again catch her staring at him.
Ume was baffled. Didn't he know this behavior was forbidden?! The whole village was in an uproar the rare time an unruly child strayed into the garden and behaved so. But his nonchalance, his care-free nature, did pique her curiosity....and she fancied maybe he was a noble from a far-off kingdom, and had only the rules he made to follow.
The Red Stranger then found himself staring past flowers at a pair of feet clad in wooden sandals. He was looking down at a grumpy-looking man a head shorter than her, balding, clutching a hoe in one hand, and clearly furious. The man spoke in a sharp, biting voice, pointed at his garden, then at his daughter, and then to the arch.
The stranger cocked his head. Ume's father pointed again....and the stranger folded his arms, shut his eyes, breathed a long sigh out through his nostrils....and walked out of the garden. As he strolled along the path out of the village, he looked over his shoulder at Ume twice, and the second time, he smiled at her.
Ume felt heat on her cheeks. She supposed, maybe, it was just embarassment in front of her father. She returned to her work and thought of the stranger.
Almost eighteen years ago, when a stranger passed through the gate, wind made a brush stroke down the face of the mountain and ruffled the little paper charms. He was a short man where he had come from, but still looked down on the tallest man in Oka, who stood up straight from the garden with soil-covered hands to stare.
Freckles, and red hair. He blinked, but the stranger only smiled and strolled along away from him. The tall man of Oka called out a question to him in his own tongue, and the lanky outsider replied in his own with a shrug and went on his merry way.
Red stranger, red stranger, Your head is a rose bush!
The laughter of children soon followed in his footsteps, and two of them sang their taunt at him. He grinned over his shoulder every several steps, and every time, they giggled.
Two terraces away, working in the garden fertilized with the ashes of Oka's ancestors, Ume frowned at the noise. This time of the morning was always so quiet. She leaned from her graceful kneel to the sound of a mother berating the children....and found herself looking at feet clad in boots the likes of which she had never seen before.
"Good mornin' to ye."
She scrambled backwards and to her feet, hands clenched into fists in her clothing, head turned down and to the side as she tried not to look at him. Submissive, but not to give in - hoping he would react as other boys did to that kind of behavior, and just....go away.
But he didn't. He let out a short little laugh at her, leaned forward to peer at her, and slunk off through the garden. He never trod on a single flower, though his demeanor suggested that if he did, he would either not notice or not care. He leaned to touch one flower, sniff at another, and every now and again catch her staring at him.
Ume was baffled. Didn't he know this behavior was forbidden?! The whole village was in an uproar the rare time an unruly child strayed into the garden and behaved so. But his nonchalance, his care-free nature, did pique her curiosity....and she fancied maybe he was a noble from a far-off kingdom, and had only the rules he made to follow.
The Red Stranger then found himself staring past flowers at a pair of feet clad in wooden sandals. He was looking down at a grumpy-looking man a head shorter than her, balding, clutching a hoe in one hand, and clearly furious. The man spoke in a sharp, biting voice, pointed at his garden, then at his daughter, and then to the arch.
The stranger cocked his head. Ume's father pointed again....and the stranger folded his arms, shut his eyes, breathed a long sigh out through his nostrils....and walked out of the garden. As he strolled along the path out of the village, he looked over his shoulder at Ume twice, and the second time, he smiled at her.
Ume felt heat on her cheeks. She supposed, maybe, it was just embarassment in front of her father. She returned to her work and thought of the stranger.