The woman that fell in love with a God

“Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one”

(惚れて通えば千里も一里)

It was another chilly day of the wet autumn that had visited this little town situated far from the big city. It was late and the crescent moon was high in the sky hiding shyly behind the gray fluffy clouds that decorated the night. The stars were shining brightly as they have never done it before and the essence of the wet earth filled the whole mountains and town. A young woman was returning from her last day of job. She had quitted four days before, but she just had finished all her last tasks she was given that day. She was really excited that a big smile was written on her face. She had been waiting for this day after the week He had left, so she could not contain her enthusiasm. She turned left where the path divided in two without stopping like she had been doing since his departure.  She was carrying a rather heavy looking bag full of groceries, but it did not seem to bother, because she took it all the way to her home without making any pauses on her way to it. She passed by the rice fields and saluted the old man that was passing by. It was her landlord. He was stupefied by her behavior, because the last months she had been gloomy and with her head in the clouds that he had to reminded her about six times about her rent. She crossed the bridge and passed through the little town humming a song she had been listening non-stop. She passed by the plum tree and looked at it for a moment. She put her right hand on her heart and closed her eyes.

“I’m almost there, so just wait for me a little more” She said to the tree and opened her eyes having a pumped looked.

 She was so happy that she even helped her neighbor, with whom she had had a quarrel the last week and had not talked since then with him, with moving a new computer inside his house.  When she asked if he wanted help, he was suspicious, but since she seemed to be asking honestly he accepted her offer. Moreover he was mesmerized by her radiance she emitted that night that his face turned red for just having her at home for a while.

She left his house and directly ran to hers. She took off her coat and shoes and left them on the entry. She put some relaxing music and headed straight to her small kitchen, where she started boiling the rice and cutting some vegetables she wanted to add to it and had bought before. She prepared a full dinner for two persons and even the table had two sets of cutlery and glasses. She put some jasmines  on the vase that was in the middle of the table. When the pot with the dinner gave off a delicious aroma, she turned down the fire and went to take a shower. She came out and wore a beautiful kimono made of red silk boarded with jasmines, her favorite flower. She added some light make up, because she did not like it, and painted her lips with a scarlet red. Her hair was picked up with an adornment made of jasmines, because since the last time she had seen him, her hair had grown to her shoulders. She admired her reflection on the mirror and after deciding that she looked beautiful she went to the dinner room. She brought with her a bottle of sake and sat on the cushion. She served herself and the guest’s cup some sake. She held her cup of sake on her left hand and on the right a napkin with a white powder. She added this to her sake and before drinking it she raised her cup and said:

“Cheers!” and drank it  giving the beginning of the dinner.                   

She was happily enjoying her meal, when her hands started shaking and she was not able to move them. She was feeling dizzy and then she threw up some blood.  Somehow she managed to stand up by helping herself with the wall. She clumsily head to the window that faced the plum tree and opened it. A strong cold wind came through it and threw her on the floor. Her head bounced and when she tried to stand up she realized she was too weak to do that much. She turned her head to the window where the plum tree seemed to glow stronger than ever and gave a faint smile before closing her eyes forever.

By the time that her neighbor broke up her door to get inside, after hearing some dishes falling down, and tried to wake her up for her eternal sleep, the last leaf on the plum tree felt on the river. 

The leaf was pushed by the wind and by the watercourses of the river far away from the little town. It past a little waterfall, some bays and mountains until it finally met with the others leaves of the plum tree that were at the side of a lake, which was covered in a thick cloud of fog. There the leaves were surrounding the body of the young lady that had just died. She woke up when the last leaf touch her finger and wiping her eyes she took a look at her location. She did not seem to know what had happened to her and stood there for a while feeling lost until a little white fox caressed her left leg. She was perplexed at the beginning, but immediately her eyes sparkled and started following the little fox that had entered the dark forest that was in front of her. The little fox had led her to a maze made of violet, pink and white azalea bushes. She went inside and searched for a way out, but after a long while she started feeling frustrated. Suddenly a wind blew bringing a sweet scent she recognized very well and followed it. She managed to pass through it thanks to it and when she came out from it she saw him. He was wearing a white kimono and a deep blue and white hakama shita. He was waiting for her with his hand extended. He smiled at her warmly as He had always done.

“Come here” He said to her and She ran to where He was and jumped at him. He held her and after they stared at each other for a brief moment they kissed.

“I really missed your kisses. They really taste like honey” She said with a smile and they kissed once again on that forest full of beautiful azaleas and many more wonders.