Tora Xi's Story

Seiji giggled, "Oooh, Junwei found a lady-friend!" he exclaimed, "How exciting! Where is she? Did she go to get something to eat? Is it her?" he pointed across at a random female passer-by, "Was she pretty? What did she look like?"

The flood of questions seemed wont to continue unabated, before a hush fell over the crowd. Seiji picked up on it, and perked up to glance towards the stage next to the village hall. A figure in long white robes was descending the steps of the hall, short but with her head held high. She was an elderly woman, with grey hair that was cut in a messy looking bob. She arrived on the stage, and approached the podium where a microphone had been set up.

She stopped at the microphone, and glanced up at it, frowning when she noticed it was too high. One of the younger festival organisers moved towards the stage to lower it, but the woman simply lifted her hand and bopped the microphone firmly, sending a boom of noise echoing through the square, and knocking it down the stand to come to rest at just the right height. She nodded with satisfaction, as a laugh rippled through the crowd.

"People of Yan'Xin, and tourists from afar come to leech off of our festivities," she began, her voice rough but laced with humour. Again, the crowd laughed, though some of those from farther afield exchanged confused glances. "Welcome to the official beginning of the Spirit Festival. The shops started selling crappy merchandise months ago, and you've all been hanging over-the-top decorations from our wonderful traditional architecture for weeks, but it's today that the actual traditional part begins!"

She cleared her throat. "Those of you who don't know, my name is Xi Tora, and I'm the elder of this village. That means I'm in charge, so when I cut in front of you in line for snacks, you don't complain!

Now, I wasn't born in Yan'Xin, or even this forest. I'm from an Island off the coast of Losenji, but I've been living here for more years than I can remember. And I mean that literally! My memory isn't what it used to be, after all. But no matter where I've lived, the spirit festival has always been important. We don't see it all the time, but the spirits are involved in everything. They're in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the stars in the sky and the stone we stand on. We couldn't live as we do without them."

She took a long breath, reaching into a pouch at her hip and pulling out a pipe, that she proceeded to light and take a few puffs from before continuing. "Ah. Better. Where was I? Right, spirits or something. Yes! We couldn't live without the spirits, not as easily as we do now, anyway! But that pales in comparison to what it'd be like if we pissed 'em off! That's what this festival's about, when it comes down to it. Not the masks, or the food, or the fun. It's about taking precautions to avoid ticking off the powerful beings upon which our way of life depends! Hah! Not so jolly now, are you?"

More outsiders exchanged confused glances, whilst locals and those visitors who'd been to the festival before laughed. Seiji was giggling.

"Pah, fine, stay jolly. Shows what you know." the elder's face was lit up with a lively grin, despite her words. "Now, I know everyone's aching to get to the dancing and drinking part of the night, so I'll skip the rest of the speech and get to the ritual."

Without a word, she stuck her hand out expectantly, as one of the organisers ran forwards with a wooden goblet, wrapped in vines and leaves. She took it, and held it aloft. "In this goblet I carry the lifeblood of the forest, the sap that flows through the trees as blood flows through us!" she called out, before she set it down upon the podium. "Now, I offer the forest my own blood, representing the life of our people!"

She stepped back from the goblet, and spread her arms out in a sweeping gesture, twisting her palms as though coaxing the goblet. Responding to her movements, the vines unwound from the goblet, stretching outwards like tendrils. Some of the crowd gasped, as the vines hung in the air for a moment, before diving towards her. They struck her wrists, sinking into her skin and merging with her. Though she winced in pain, she did not flinch. After a moment, the vines pulled back, glistening red. No obvious wounds had been left on Tora's arms. The vines retracted to the goblet and dipped themselves in the sap contained within, the blood they had drawn from her merging with it as she stepped forwards once more.

"Humanity and nature mix together in this goblet, as we mix with the spirits of the world, the forest and the land. We are not two entities, but one, joined together. We depend on it, and in turn, we protect it. With the blessing of the spirits, the coming summer will grant us prosperity and happiness! For this we thank the spirits, and dedicate this night to them."

Throughout the ceremony, festival volunteers had been clearing people away from the ground immediately before the stage, and now there was a sizable area of clear space directly in front of where Tora was stood. The elderly woman gestured forwards, and a rumbling followed.

"Watch this!" Seiji whispered eagerly, "This is the best part!"

Not a moment after he had spoken, the ground split asunder. Branches and leaves poured forth from the earth in a tide of green and brown, shooting upwards like a blossoming flower. "Spirits!" Tora yelled over the creaking and rustling of the great plant being, "Take this gesture of our reverence, and be appeased!"

She spread her arms, and the goblet sailed from her hands towards the mass of foliage, and was swallowed within. The response was immediate. The thrashing vines ceased to thrash, much to the relief of the panicking visitors who were nearby, only stopped from fleeing by the lack of fear the locals near them displayed. After a moment, the great plant began to retract into the ground as quickly as it had burst forth, and in a few seconds, it was gone, leaving the earth unscarred.

Silence hung over the square for several long moments, before Tora cleared her throat.

"Right then." she said, taking a puff of her pipe. "I hereby declare the festival officially in full swing!" she called, to a chorus of cheers. The elderly woman leaped forwards off the stage, grinning. "Whoever's the first to hand me a bottle of Sake gets a tax rebate!" she exclaimed, cackling.

Around Seiji, Junwei and Kinaro, the crowd began to dissolve away back to the festival happenings, though a greater number moved towards the center of the square as a group of musicians took to the stage where Tora had been and began to play, fast-paced traditional music that was loud enough to make holding a conversation require shouting.

Seiji giggled, "How about that then?!" he exclaimed, "Bet you weren't expecting that!"