 Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 10:22 am
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ♥ ♥ ♥xxxxxxxWinning Prompt from Flatsalexxxxxxx♥ ♥ ♥ ● Username: DownSight
● Pet: # 3
● Name of Pet: Umeko
● Personality:
Independent, Day-dreamer, Thoughtful, Stubborn, Affectionate, Maternal, Honest
As a child, Umeko was efficient and structured, ruling her life and actions by strict discipline in hopes of becoming a successful Shirabyoshi one day. Determined to become one of great beauty, she dedicated her strength and knowledge to her work, and later her art when she was promoted. It was only the past couple years that has gained a soft, feminine touch which has allowed her to become both approachable and friendly in the eyes of her kouhai, senpai, and sensei. Perhaps even a but more aloof, but a sharp and cunning mind never the less. She frequently finds herself drifting off in her own thoughts. A poet and word-weaver, she inherited the love of telling tales from one of her sempai, and began to tell her own to the young maids. Soft hearted, she is easily moved, sensitive, and attentive, while intelligent enough not to be swayed or manipulated by twisted words. Her temper is fierce, and she doesn't put up with laziness, disobedience, or carelessness. Even so, she is patient when she sees effort being made. It's easy to overlook her at first, but her poise and sincerity cause most to take a second look at her and see the gem being shined slowly over the years within. Like a diamond, it must be cut and cleansed before it can shine, and slowly Umeko is working towards becoming a gem of her own kind.
● Prompt:
●Prompt Response:
The growing sound of children’s screams and laughter came from the gardens outside of Umeko's study room as she struggled to form ink into words. Aggravated by the disturbance, she quickly gathered herself from where she was seated and opened the screen, passing outside and into the lush garden.
The children paused in their game as they chased a lone cricket around the gardens, its legs springing it out of the grasp of a child as soon as they had thought they'd caught it. Finally, with quick hands and a lunge, one of the young boys managed to catch the insect in the prison of his small hands "I caught it, I caught!" The children circled around as the boy cheered gleefully, but suddenly became silent as the shadow of a young woman passed over them.
Umeko approached the small group from behind, holding a delicate fingers to her lips as she sternly scolded, "Shhhh. Is there no place else you can play and not disrupt my work? I won't forgive you if you keep me from finishing." Petty, but it was true since she knew that she liked to hold grudges.
"We're sorry Onee-san, we just wanted the cricket," the children explained as the young boy walked forward with it hidden in his grasp.
Pursing her lips thoughtfully as she shook her head, she knelt down while careful to not get the cloth of her attire dirty. As she opened her mouth to scold them more, a thought came to her. Smoothing out the angry lines between her brows and the disappointed from, a smile blossomed from her lips. Nodding her head, she held her hand out to the boy while requesting, "May I see it?" Obediently, the boy dropped it into her hand before carefully backing away, finding it unusual that a woman, let alone a Shirabyoshi, wasn't frightened or disgusted by it.
"Haven't you ever heard the story of The Lone Grasshopper and The Great Bird?" All of the children shook their heads uncertainly.
"No? I'll have to tell it to you then." Keeping her hands closed so the cricked could breath but wouldn't escape, she beckoned them to followed her. Sitting down on the ledge of where she had left the screen open. The children huddled around her, clearly interested by the promise of the story, and enthralled by the beauty of the young woman.
"A long ago, when the water whispered to the wind, a young lone cricket was hopping through the low grass as the dawn broke over the horizon and pastels painted the sky. Singing his goodbye song to the stars, and wishing for them to come again, the lone cricket didn't notice a shadow circling overhead. A great bird flew overhead, circling for a morning meal, and watching the clueless lone cricket. Without any warning, it swept down and plucked the cricket from the dry bed of grass below!" The children gasped as the leaned forward, while Umeko continued.
"Taking the cricket in its strong beak, it flew across the valley to its nest. Swooping downward with it's pray, the great bird settled on the edge of the nest where its babies chirped happily. The cricket was dropped from the beak, and seeing that it was too high up to jump from the nest, the cricket cried out, "Please don't eat me, beautiful bird-sama!" Pleading as it spotted the baby birds, it continued to call out. "I have family, like you, waiting for me at home! If I do not bring them food and take care of them, they will die!"
Calmly, the great bird responded, "I am sorry for your loss cricket-san, but my babies too will not live without food. I have taken all the food for myself, and now there is hardly anything left. I want by children to grow up stronger and bigger than the other birds."
"One lone cricket will not be enough to keep you fed for long though," the cricket continued to speak up to the great bird. "You eat me out of want, not out of need. Selfishly and greedily taking all the food for yourself over the summer, so now there is little food left. The fault is on your shoulders. If my family does not grow, you will not be fed later, as the great fox will not be able to feed on you."
The great bird ignored cricket-san's wise advice as it picked the cricket back up, while the cricket continued to warn the great bird, "I beg you not for my life, but for the life of you, your family, and the families of the animals in the valley. I may be small and insignificant, but without me the valley will not prosper, for my children will die, and with it, you."
Shaking its great head, great bird-sama did not heed the cricket's warning and carelessly dropped him. Feeding the young birds, the great bird was happy and content that its babies were well nourished.
As autumn approached though, the great bird could find no more grasshoppers in the field, and with no grasshoppers, the great bird could not feed its babies enough for the coming winter. Slowly the valley turned grey as the food vanished, and each animal began to disappear. With no birds, the great fox found no food, and the predators left the valley to perish by itself."
The children looked wide eyes, one of the girls sniffling. It was not a story made for smiles and laughter, which was Umeko's intention.
“The great bird was selfish and greedy, only thinking of itself. If it had let the wise cricket go, the valley would have not parished, for the cricket in old age would feed the great bird, the great bird would feed the great fox, the great fox would feed the wild boars, and the wild boars would feed the humans. It’s a great cycle, and must not be harmed by foolish actions. Now, what should we do with the cricket you caught?” Umeko sat with a serene and knowing expression as she waited for the children to come to their own conclusion.
After a moment of silence between the children looking at each other, the sniffling girl finally said, “Let it go. We shouldn’t hurt the cricket for fun, since we all need each other.” The other children joined in, whispering their agreements to each other before they all told Umeko to let it free.
Umeko nodded her head, satisfied as she opened her hands and the cricket jumped free from her palm, vanishing into the garden vegetation within a few hops as all the children watched it excitedly and with a sense of pride for their own wise decision. “Thank you Onee-san for the story!”
As they requested for her to tell them another one, she shook her head and spoke, “I will tell you another one when my work is done and I have time. And the only way for that is if you give me some peace and quiet.”
The children nodded their understanding as they all got up from where they were gathered around her, bowing their gratitude as they departed from the garden to let her work. “Now, make sure to always be kind to the cricket, and the cricket will be kind to you later on,” Umeko called out as she laughed to herself, shutting the screen behind her as the garden was once again left to peace and quiet. Without hesitation as she sat back down at her desk, her ink transformed into a poem telling of the wise children and their grasshopper.
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