SOMETIMES IT COULD BECOME LONELY, when she's out here, tending to the boat by herself. Often times, she'd play the radio and maybe even sing along. But nothing compares to having someone to talk to. Botan's always been the social type. A little overwhelming, sure, but she likes meeting new people.
Actually, that's the best part of her job. They get plenty of tourists, some even coming from other countries. Botan's language skills are decent enough to hold brief conversations and she likes hearing about all the far off places the visitors come from just to wind up at the same river she's grown up at.
And now Yurie has come along, another visitor. It's a nice bright spot on an otherwise dreary day.
"Okay, I don't have much left so it shouldn't take me long," she said, hoping that Yurie won't be too put out waiting. She had finished scrubbing the deck and was left with wiping down the benches and rails.
As she started, Botan thought about her question. "History is interesting but I think it's more that I like hearing stories. Myths and legends and fairy tales, there are so many different tales. I suppose the idea of gods and mythical creatures and ghosts existing in the same place as me is kind of exciting. Maybe it's a little childish, but it's interesting," she sounds a little sheepish at the end, knowing that a woman her age should have outgrown fairy tales by now.
"Hm, I like the stories of the Dragon Palace or of Izanami. But, the one we tell is about the river god. Ours is a minor god, but he watches over our river. In the past, the water was used to irrigate the fields but if the god was angry, he might flood the banks and thus the village. In the distant past, the villagers might have offered living sacrifices to appease him. But soon, people offered woven dolls instead. The shrine has them still so we can thank the god for gently carrying our boat across it's waters," she explains while she works.
She turns her attention back to Yurie, smiling brightly. "Kind of funny, to think a mighty god would be satisfied with straw dolls. But there are all types, I guess."