Post by Fuwa on Jan 8, 2019 17:52:44 GMT -6
| The Rock Demon and the Village Saint |
Once upon a time, in a faraway land where the houses had no tops, and the days were a little too hot, and the nights were a little too cold, a quiet race of aliens went about their business. Their planet was obscure, missing from most galactic maps. They held no strategic position, nor any luxury resources to their name. They simply lived their quaint, quiet existence, with their flabby ears a little to large for their heads, a long nose unsuited to their bodies.
However, the quaint race faced an imminent threat.
It was said that once every fortnight, the horrid rock-demon would descend from her perch atop the peaks to wreak havoc in the civilized world. She would tear up crops, smash windows, and steal food. Her body was solid stone, and all the spear-men in the land could not so much as scratch her. She howled with laughter as she pranced towards the hills, the spoils of her conquest in arms.
Frustrated, the townspeople turned to prayer. They prayed for a savior to come down and rid them of this fiend. They were in luck- for there was one particular Shinjin who was all too keen to descend from the heavens, and mingle with mortals.
They begged Fuwa to do something about the rampaging beast, and after hearing their tales, she decided to see for herself.
The blind Shinjin trekked up the mountain towards the beast’s nest, drawn there by the strong presence that resided there. With no small effort, she arrived at the lair of the dangerous beast, the same beast that greeted her with bemused eyes.
“It’s not often I get visitors, much less blind ones,” The monster stated, her monstrous form shifting on her throne of stone. “For your efforts I will hear your reasons. Why show your face here?”
“I come to propose an offer to you, Stone Beast. In a fortnight from now, I will bring an offering to you, one which you cannot claim using your own two hands.”
The stone demon, bemused and curious by the Shinjin’s claim, accepted her offer.
Fuwa returned to the village. She approached the village maidens and requested that they teach her how to cook. They were confused, but they accepted her request. Years of observation gave her some knowledge on how to cook, but watching people cook and doing it turned out to be two very different things. Nonetheless, she persevered.
One fortnight later, Fuwa returned to the mountain, lugging a bag filled with earthly delights. She opened her pack and laid out twelve dishes for the rock oni, prepared with her own two hands.
The rock monster, bewildered by the offering, sneered at the blind Shinjin. “Food. It is no different from what I can take with my own two hands.”
Fuwa shook her head. “Wrong. You can take food, but you cannot cook.”
In a show of defiance, the rock demon ate the dishes prepared… only to find them superior to the raw ingredients that she had pillaged. With surprise, the Rock Demon slumped back on her chair, satisfied. “Did you create these, blind one?”
“I and the villagers. It is not the only skill I possess. In another fortnight, I will return with another offering for you.”
The rock monster, pleased with the gift she had received this time, permitted Fuwa to attend to her once again.
Fuwa returned to the village. She approached the village maidens and requested they teach her how to cook. They were confused, but they accepted her request. After all, the rock monster had not descended from the mountains since her return. Years of observation gave Fuwa some inkling on how to thread a needle, but watching people sew and doing it turned out to be much more difficult than she had anticipated. Nonetheless, she persevered.
One fortnight later, Fuwa returned to the mountain, trekking her burlap sack of earthly delights. She opened her pack before the rock monster and laid out twelve sets of clothes, each specially tailored to fit the beast’s great body. A new set of twelve meals was also laid out before the beast.
The rock demon scoffed. “Fabrics. I can pillage these from the village myself.”
Fuwa shook her head. “Wrong. You can take clothing, but you can never get any that fits you, or suits your great body and form. “
Begrudgingly, the rock beast donned the clothes, clothes more comfortable and more worthy of her than she had ever seen. Satisfied with the gift and the meal, the rock demon slumped back on her throne, satisfied. “Were these once again created by you?”
“Myself and the villagers. You’ve been patient so far- perhaps if you wait another fortnight, I will give you the greatest gift I have in my possession.”
The rock beast, happy with these new offerings, allowed Fuwa to return to the village. She approached no-one. She cooked, she sewed, and she prepared the greatest gift that she could provide.
One fortnight later, Fuwa returned to the rock demon’s abode, lugging her burlap sack of earthly delights. She withdrew new clothes, new meals, but nothing else.
The rock demon, holding high expectations for the Shinjin, was confused when she saw only two gifts presented to her. “I thought you said you were giving me the greatest gift you could give me?”
Fuwa smiled and sat cross-legged, unphased by the beast’s towering presence. “Indeed I have. All this gift requires is for you to be silent, and listen.”
And so, Fuwa provided the rock beast with the greatest gift she could provide- the tales that only a woman of 34,000 years could spin,
She spoke of history and legends, of Saiyans and Namekians, of great wars and petty squabbles. The rock demon laughed, the rock demon sobbed. The rock demon, secluded to her little corner of the universe, had missed much in her time. But, perhaps most of all, the rock demon understood- she understood the loveliness of living beings, their potential what they could create, given the right tools. She realized that, perhaps, she was a living being, just like they were. What was stopping her from doing great things too?
A fortnight from when Fuwa departed, a bright white light shone from the rock beast’s lair.
The demon that terrorized them and the savior that stopped her were both gone.
What happened to them? Who could say?
The townspeople never saw them again. Years later, the tale was immortalized into a fairy tale, a tale about holding out hope for saviors and for how a monster of rock could be just as much of a living being as all others around her.
Once upon a time, in a faraway land where the houses had no tops, and the days were a little too hot, and the nights were a little too cold, a quiet race of aliens went about their business. Their planet was obscure, missing from most galactic maps. They held no strategic position, nor any luxury resources to their name. They simply lived their quaint, quiet existence, with their flabby ears a little to large for their heads, a long nose unsuited to their bodies.
However, the quaint race faced an imminent threat.
It was said that once every fortnight, the horrid rock-demon would descend from her perch atop the peaks to wreak havoc in the civilized world. She would tear up crops, smash windows, and steal food. Her body was solid stone, and all the spear-men in the land could not so much as scratch her. She howled with laughter as she pranced towards the hills, the spoils of her conquest in arms.
Frustrated, the townspeople turned to prayer. They prayed for a savior to come down and rid them of this fiend. They were in luck- for there was one particular Shinjin who was all too keen to descend from the heavens, and mingle with mortals.
They begged Fuwa to do something about the rampaging beast, and after hearing their tales, she decided to see for herself.
The blind Shinjin trekked up the mountain towards the beast’s nest, drawn there by the strong presence that resided there. With no small effort, she arrived at the lair of the dangerous beast, the same beast that greeted her with bemused eyes.
“It’s not often I get visitors, much less blind ones,” The monster stated, her monstrous form shifting on her throne of stone. “For your efforts I will hear your reasons. Why show your face here?”
“I come to propose an offer to you, Stone Beast. In a fortnight from now, I will bring an offering to you, one which you cannot claim using your own two hands.”
The stone demon, bemused and curious by the Shinjin’s claim, accepted her offer.
Fuwa returned to the village. She approached the village maidens and requested that they teach her how to cook. They were confused, but they accepted her request. Years of observation gave her some knowledge on how to cook, but watching people cook and doing it turned out to be two very different things. Nonetheless, she persevered.
One fortnight later, Fuwa returned to the mountain, lugging a bag filled with earthly delights. She opened her pack and laid out twelve dishes for the rock oni, prepared with her own two hands.
The rock monster, bewildered by the offering, sneered at the blind Shinjin. “Food. It is no different from what I can take with my own two hands.”
Fuwa shook her head. “Wrong. You can take food, but you cannot cook.”
In a show of defiance, the rock demon ate the dishes prepared… only to find them superior to the raw ingredients that she had pillaged. With surprise, the Rock Demon slumped back on her chair, satisfied. “Did you create these, blind one?”
“I and the villagers. It is not the only skill I possess. In another fortnight, I will return with another offering for you.”
The rock monster, pleased with the gift she had received this time, permitted Fuwa to attend to her once again.
Fuwa returned to the village. She approached the village maidens and requested they teach her how to cook. They were confused, but they accepted her request. After all, the rock monster had not descended from the mountains since her return. Years of observation gave Fuwa some inkling on how to thread a needle, but watching people sew and doing it turned out to be much more difficult than she had anticipated. Nonetheless, she persevered.
One fortnight later, Fuwa returned to the mountain, trekking her burlap sack of earthly delights. She opened her pack before the rock monster and laid out twelve sets of clothes, each specially tailored to fit the beast’s great body. A new set of twelve meals was also laid out before the beast.
The rock demon scoffed. “Fabrics. I can pillage these from the village myself.”
Fuwa shook her head. “Wrong. You can take clothing, but you can never get any that fits you, or suits your great body and form. “
Begrudgingly, the rock beast donned the clothes, clothes more comfortable and more worthy of her than she had ever seen. Satisfied with the gift and the meal, the rock demon slumped back on her throne, satisfied. “Were these once again created by you?”
“Myself and the villagers. You’ve been patient so far- perhaps if you wait another fortnight, I will give you the greatest gift I have in my possession.”
The rock beast, happy with these new offerings, allowed Fuwa to return to the village. She approached no-one. She cooked, she sewed, and she prepared the greatest gift that she could provide.
One fortnight later, Fuwa returned to the rock demon’s abode, lugging her burlap sack of earthly delights. She withdrew new clothes, new meals, but nothing else.
The rock demon, holding high expectations for the Shinjin, was confused when she saw only two gifts presented to her. “I thought you said you were giving me the greatest gift you could give me?”
Fuwa smiled and sat cross-legged, unphased by the beast’s towering presence. “Indeed I have. All this gift requires is for you to be silent, and listen.”
And so, Fuwa provided the rock beast with the greatest gift she could provide- the tales that only a woman of 34,000 years could spin,
She spoke of history and legends, of Saiyans and Namekians, of great wars and petty squabbles. The rock demon laughed, the rock demon sobbed. The rock demon, secluded to her little corner of the universe, had missed much in her time. But, perhaps most of all, the rock demon understood- she understood the loveliness of living beings, their potential what they could create, given the right tools. She realized that, perhaps, she was a living being, just like they were. What was stopping her from doing great things too?
A fortnight from when Fuwa departed, a bright white light shone from the rock beast’s lair.
The demon that terrorized them and the savior that stopped her were both gone.
What happened to them? Who could say?
The townspeople never saw them again. Years later, the tale was immortalized into a fairy tale, a tale about holding out hope for saviors and for how a monster of rock could be just as much of a living being as all others around her.
RAMEN