there are places in nature that absorb all sound and leaves nothing but light. light rays that look as if they’ve been drawn in by hand against the foliage. gold against green. light that hums when you touch it, if you listen closely.
for: @reventide | 中島美嘉 - 傳說
i. she had read of tenkawa numerous times, even as a young girl. had dreamt of visiting it one day, but never really got around to it. life just happened a little too fast and some dreams simply became forgotten in time. some– for time doesn’t always eat away at everything. not everything is lost within it. at least, that was what she thought upon randomly finding a brochure for the mountain village in her mailbox. whatever it was– a sign or mere coincidence– she decided to finally go. the perfect companion for the trip already in mind.
( and she’s grateful for rosie coming along despite the short notice. haneul would have never gotten on that plane had she been by herself. )
it’s late in the afternoon when they reach the village and mt. ōmine-san immediately catches her eye. it loomed in the background, blanketed in mist like a slumbering titan. for a time, haneul loses count of how long she’d been standing there, gazing at the darkening horizon. only that at some point, a hand moves to hold hers, followed by rosie’s weight leaning against her. “it’s beautiful, unnie.” spoken just above a whisper. she nods to the younger, wrapping both arms around her frame. “pretty magical, huh?”
ii. by nightfall, the the village has taken on a firefly-like glow. rows of golden light lined the many narrow paths, red lanterns marking entrances to machiya houses. they pause from their walk ever so often, mesmerized by the silhouettes moving behind paper thin doors. appearing like stringless marionettes. when it came time to find something to eat, rosie follows her nose and haneul lets herself be pulled along. still trying to take in everything, despite knowing it’s an impossibility. the entire village, it seemed to her, was detailed by an artist’s hand.
“sometimes i can’t tell if you’re real or an actual hayao miyazaki character.” she teases, eyeing rosie’s chopsticks as it snatches one of her side-dishes. “where do you even put all the food you eat?” of course haneul steals it right back, eyes squinted playfully at the younger. rosie takes a sip of her drink before replying in a voice so hushed, one would think she’s revealing one of the universe’s secrets. “i burn it all off, like… like magic.”
iii. sunrise finds them at the foot of the mountain, facing a stone marker that has both frowning. “so we’re not allowed up?” rosie asks, the beginnings of a pout already obvious upon her lips, eyes darting from the marker to the path ahead. haneul stifles a laugh, places both hands on the younger’s shoulders, turning her towards the other direction.“maybe if you dress up like a yamabushi. how fast can you grow a beard, rosie?.” she playfully chides, locking her arm with the other as they walk back to the temple.
“ten-no-kawa” she reads off of another marker before calling rosie over, the other having wandered off. the temple itself is impressive– not as grand as the others– but it is its own entity. ancient. in places where there were no people and the only sound is that of the stream, haneul muses that she can hear the gods whispering; benzaiten sending her blessings. “it translates to milky way.” she tells the other as they sit on some stone steps, sharing a bento box of rosie’s choosing. “quite fitting, right? i feel a bit closer to the heavens just being here.”
“is it because i’m angelic?” the younger asks with a wink.
“no, of course not.” haneul looks out into open courtyard, momentarily distracted by a pair of little girls, each one holding a pink wagasa. she used to have one of those, but hers was white with a sprinkling of cherry blossoms painted on it. beside her, rosie had become unusually quiet, picking at the food instead of eating it. haneul nudges the younger’s arm as she chuckles softly.
“you’re not just angelic, rosie. you’re absolutely divine.”
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