Tsuki no Sango - Oneshot - Part 4

You could measure the lifespan of this year, too. 

The twelfth full moon shone in the sky. In less than ten days, this year would also be spent, and a new, aimless year would once again begin. I gazed over the crescent shoreline from the elevated ground. Tonight, the sea was a degree brighter. The blowing wind was neither warm nor cold. This island was indifferent to the winter season. 

Water in the sky, sky in the water. In the sky of the moon is a shattered sea. 

According to some stories, the reason why the greenery on this island revived was because of a meteor that fell nearby. 

After that, a new oceanic world called the Coral of the Moon was born. 

Incidentally, my very first grandmother never returned after she stepped into the ocean in the last hours of her life. 

They say that after that, the coral glowed on the nights when you could see the moon the best. 

The stars twinkle, the sea ripples. The eoral sings for man’s love. 

Like jellyfish, we live day by day, floating, ephemeral. 

“Well now, you seem to be rather lively today.” 

The tin man arrived in his little boat. 

The trail of light he left behind with his descent reminded me of a shooting star. 

I was probably happy because of the full moon. I’d been eating properly lately, and with the opportunity to mull over my thoughts, I felt particularly good tonight. He, on the other hand, seemed slightly off-kilter. When I asked him about it, he explained that his food stores were about to run out. 

“Here’s my book. Please take it. In exchange, I’ll accept the shell.” 

“Excellent. I’m glad we were able to make the exchange in the end.” 

The hull of his boat opened like the lid of a pot. He lifted the book that was bigger than him and slowly got in. I took the opportunity to peer inside. It was connected to a different world, and in the space inside which seemed bigger than my own room, I could see a heap of gold and silver treasure. He placed the book right in the middle of it. I felt a bit embarrassed, but also a bit proud. 

“End? Are you not coming back to this island?” 

“It’s not the island, but rather this entire side that’s difficult for me to visit. Despite appearances. I’m actually straining myself quite a bit. Earth’s gravity is very heavy for me. This body was even created to be lighter.” 

I swallowed my breath. 

Like the current year that was about to welcome death, he too would disappear without leaving behind any reminiscences. 

It wasn’t anything to lament over in particular. For the current state of humanity, to meet and never meet again was normal. Besides, I have a reputation for being a princess with precious few feelings for others. For me to desperately hold him back would be very unlike—wait, no. Why would I try to follow my ancestor’s footsteps so closely like that? Our conversations may be a little unwieldy, but unlike her, we’re able to talk normally. 

“I’ve been pondering something. Do you think you could give me your opinion?” 

I spoke up in a challenging tone, and he turned to face me earnestly. 

Of course, there wasn’t really anything I was pondering. A number of things popped to mind, and I ended up talking about the marriage proposals I got. About how men would come from the mainland and as per tradition, ask for my hand from behind a bamboo blind. And what he thought about the outlandish quests I would demand of them. 

He folded his tiny arms and nodded his head in understanding. 

“You are very honest. I know someone just like you. Without compelling proof, you feel that people’s sympathy is just a cover for their deceit. This comes from you prioritizing others’ lives over your own. Your love is very much like a human’s.” 

The moon was bright. 

I spent many minutes moving my hands around to stop him, as if I were trying to catch a bird or snatch a winged insect out of the air. 

“My time’s up. If I let this cycle slip away, I won’t be able to return. Reading and writing are the basis of culture, so please try to remember how to for as long as you can.” 

“Yes, I’ll do a much better job next time.” 

“Next time?” 

“Yes. I’ve decided to write another one. It’ll include some extra interpretations that are missing from the one I just gave you though.” 

I meant it. After listening to the voice in that shell, I felt the need to leave behind a new story. 

“That’s quite enticing. You’re rather good at bargaining. May I ask what it would cost?” 

“Can you bring me a fish from the Moon?” 

An impossible task that anyone would turn down. And the man, who surely knew the difficulty of that task not just in theory but in reality, replied, 

“By ‘fish’, you mean the life form that used to exist in ancient oceans? Hmm. It would be quite difficult to create an ocean on the Moon. But difficult as it may be, if that is what you wish for in exchange, then I deem it worth the effort.” 

The helm appeared from the deck. 

He took hold of it and pointed the nose of his ship towards the western sky. 

“By the way, did you find out the truth about the coral reef?” 

“No. But it looks like my grandmother’s wish came true.” 

That story however, I’ll save for the new book. 

“That’s great. I’ll be looking forward to it then, as you unravel the mystery.” 

He bid me farewell, and the small boat flew off into the emptiness. 

Tomorrow night, he would cut across the moon which was just beginning to wane, and descend into the far sky. 

Just then, I heard a beautiful voice. 

The song within the shell resumed, along with my memory. 

It’s been several centuries since then. The two of them had continued their eternal separation. 

The flower that blossomed on the Moon had fallen to the Earth and become ordinary, but also left behind many other seeds, in order to carry out what he had taught her. He said that love is a hobby, but sometimes hobbies can grow stronger than primal instincts. That’s how people are able to struggle and live on. 

“Ahh...“ 

So that’s all there was to the mystery of the glowing coral reef. 

They were unable to communicate or convey their thoughts to each other until the very end. 

A one-directional romance. 

Self-satisfied determination. 

But both prayed for each other’s happiness. 

Though, it’s likely that neither he nor she believed that there would be anything remaining. 

“What happy people.” 

I hummed in her voice. 

A nostalgic song came to mind. 

Even if it can’t be touched, there is life at the end of the faraway sky. 

A shining sea, a singing coral. 

Even now, I still love you.