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The twenty-five year old woman stood quiet and still at the entrance to the Shinto temple near Kosaka. Her eyes were closed and her hands were clasped together over her simple charcoal grey skirt. A warm breeze blew her chin-length bob against her cheeks. Yukiko was not religious in any way but, she had visited this temple nearly every day of her two weeks renting a cottage in the village.

It as only supposed to be a vacation for her, a recharge from the rigors and responsibilities of city life. It turned into much more.

She was an up and coming real estate lawyer. Smart and driven, she earned the respect of her clients and the senior partners. The respect of the latter was at first grudging but, soon, they began to truly accept a woman among them and gave her more challenging and complex cases. But, the workload began to weigh on her and she felt there was something missing in her life.

On the recommendation of her therapist, she Air BnB’d a cottage far from Tokyo in the village of Kosaka in the Akita Prefecture. For a city girl like Yukiko, it might as well have been another planet. As the train left the station and the city gave way to suburbs, she found herself relaxing in a way she hadn’t felt in years. From the suburbs, a bus to the Kosaka station and from there a four-wheel-drive taxi to her cottage.

It was late afternoon as they pulled up to a cottage that looked straight out of a Miyazaki film. She had never been around so many trees in her life, never so isolated but, from the moment she threw down her bags, she was in heaven.

The first night, she just sat on the veranda looking at the stars, listening to unfamiliar, yet comforting sounds and feeling the warm summer breeze against her face. At peace for the first time in memory.

Her first morning, she met her older neighbor, Shikoku. She was a retired grandmother looking after her thirteen-year-old grandson Hikaru. All three hit it off straight away and soon, Yukiko was learning about gardening by helping Shikoku in the garden. She had never been so dirty or so happy.

Hikaru was adventurous and never seemed to want to be inside. He took it upon himself to try to teach Yukiko about the local flora and fauna. To her surprise, Yukiko found she was an eager student.

One day, Hikaru told her about the Shinto temple down the road. He spoke at length of its beauty and serenity. For a teenage boy to speak so eloquently about such a place, she decided she must see it.

The walk to the temple was over a mile through country lanes and a Hikaru’s shortcut through the woods. At length, she stood outside the temple’s gates . At first she simply admired the beauty and serenity of the place that had enthralled Hikaru. But, as she stood in the dappled gate-yard, she suddenly realized she actually had a real reason to be there. She stood looking at the two Komainu guarding the gates. They were on large pedestals and stood taller than a man. Seated on their stone haunches, they were nearly identical. The one on her left had it’s mouth open in an expression of joyous mirth, as though it was quite happy to see you. The one on the right had a slight smirk, as though it knew a very funny joke but, would only tell it to you if you were worthy.

“The one on the left is the male,” came a gentle voice beside her, “The right is female. Though they’re pretty much identical and lovely.”

Yukiko started a bit and turned to find a priest standing beside her. He was tall and looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was smiling at the Komainu but, turned to her with the same relaxed smile.

“Good morning, I am Kaito, welcome to the temple.” he said with a bow, “Just here as a tourist?”

“No” Yukiko said after a moment’s thought,”I was but, now I think I have a reason to be here. I’m not a believer though, I- Oh! Where are my manners?” Yukiko looked horrified and bowed to Kaito, “I am Yukiko”

“So, Yukiko,” Kaito smiled again, “What is your new reason to be here?”

“I…” Yukiko bit her lip in thought, “I am so… grateful right now but, I’m not a believer and I… I want to express it but, I’m not sure how…”

Kaito touched her arm gently and inclined his head with the same gentle smile.

“To be able to feel gratitude, to recognize it, is a blessing. Tell the universe you are grateful. No need to be specific.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled

“Well, miss Yukiko, I am very sorry but, I do have duties I must attend to. Please come back any time and I’ll show you around!”

"Oh, thank you! I definitely shall."

As smiled, then walked away, Yukiko turned and looked back at the Komainu. She looked right and left to see if anyone was watching. Then she brought her hands together in a clap as her Buddhist mother had done. Then she bowed low and whispered simply, “Thank you”.

Then she went and touched the paw of the female Komainu and went home.

That was her ritual for the next two weeks. A light breakfast, a walk to the temple for tea with Kaito, a clap and a thank-you and then touching the paw.

She made more friends in the village, working with Saciko every day, helping out at the store one day, helping Hikaru with his homework, playing with some students on the weekend. She was relaxed and happy and creative. Her days were spent reading and walking and working with her friends. Every night she would sit on the porch, sip sake and compose haiku. She had a pile of poems that stayed under a rock on the porch.

It was heaven. And then it was over.

Her alarm went off on her last Sunday and she dragged herself out of bed. Breakfast did not taste as good as it had the other days. She felt empty.

The walk to the temple, which usually felt as though it took hours to enjoy, felt as though it was over in an instant. And now she stood before the gate and could not will herself to go in. To say goodbye to Kaito would begin her goodbyes to everyone and everything that made her feel whole.

Here eyes were moist as she trudged forward and then stopped by the female Komainu. She put her hand on it’s paw and looked up at the giant, smiling face.

“This is the last time,” She said, as tears finally pushed down her cheeks, “I don’t want to go, but, I must. I…”

She turned from the pedestal and wondered if she would just run away when she heard a “Ffffp!” sound behind her.

She turned and stood stunned. Before her was an empty pedestal with only a mass of sweet-smelling smoke rising to mingle with the morning mist.

“W-what…” she stammered, her mouth hanging open.

Then, her left hand began to tingle and she brought it before her face. She was mesmerized as she watched it grow huge and clawed. Her chest began to expand and burst the buttons of her blouse one by one. Then, it seemed as though the ground fell away as she grew taller…

Description
www.patreon.com/Anymouse

The twenty-five year old woman stood quiet and still at the entrance to the Shinto temple near Kosaka. Her eyes were closed and her hands were clasped together over her simple charcoal grey skirt. A warm breeze blew her chin-length bob against her cheeks. Yukiko was not religious in any way but, she had visited this temple nearly every day of her two weeks renting a cottage in the village.

It as only supposed to be a vacation for her, a recharge from the rigors and responsibilities of city life. It turned into much more.

She was an up and coming real estate lawyer. Smart and driven, she earned the respect of her clients and the senior partners. The respect of the latter was at first grudging but, soon, they began to truly accept a woman among them and gave her more challenging and complex cases. But, the workload began to weigh on her and she felt there was something missing in her life.

On the recommendation of her therapist, she Air BnB’d a cottage far from Tokyo in the village of Kosaka in the Akita Prefecture. For a city girl like Yukiko, it might as well have been another planet. As the train left the station and the city gave way to suburbs, she found herself relaxing in a way she hadn’t felt in years. From the suburbs, a bus to the Kosaka station and from there a four-wheel-drive taxi to her cottage.

It was late afternoon as they pulled up to a cottage that looked straight out of a Miyazaki film. She had never been around so many trees in her life, never so isolated but, from the moment she threw down her bags, she was in heaven.

The first night, she just sat on the veranda looking at the stars, listening to unfamiliar, yet comforting sounds and feeling the warm summer breeze against her face. At peace for the first time in memory.

Her first morning, she met her older neighbor, Shikoku. She was a retired grandmother looking after her thirteen-year-old grandson Hikaru. All three hit it off straight away and soon, Yukiko was learning about gardening by helping Shikoku in the garden. She had never been so dirty or so happy.

Hikaru was adventurous and never seemed to want to be inside. He took it upon himself to try to teach Yukiko about the local flora and fauna. To her surprise, Yukiko found she was an eager student.

One day, Hikaru told her about the Shinto temple down the road. He spoke at length of its beauty and serenity. For a teenage boy to speak so eloquently about such a place, she decided she must see it.

The walk to the temple was over a mile through country lanes and a Hikaru’s shortcut through the woods. At length, she stood outside the temple’s gates . At first she simply admired the beauty and serenity of the place that had enthralled Hikaru. But, as she stood in the dappled gate-yard, she suddenly realized she actually had a real reason to be there. She stood looking at the two Komainu guarding the gates. They were on large pedestals and stood taller than a man. Seated on their stone haunches, they were nearly identical. The one on her left had it’s mouth open in an expression of joyous mirth, as though it was quite happy to see you. The one on the right had a slight smirk, as though it knew a very funny joke but, would only tell it to you if you were worthy.

“The one on the left is the male,” came a gentle voice beside her, “The right is female. Though they’re pretty much identical and lovely.”

Yukiko started a bit and turned to find a priest standing beside her. He was tall and looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was smiling at the Komainu but, turned to her with the same relaxed smile.

“Good morning, I am Kaito, welcome to the temple.” he said with a bow, “Just here as a tourist?”

“No” Yukiko said after a moment’s thought,”I was but, now I think I have a reason to be here. I’m not a believer though, I- Oh! Where are my manners?” Yukiko looked horrified and bowed to Kaito, “I am Yukiko”

“So, Yukiko,” Kaito smiled again, “What is your new reason to be here?”

“I…” Yukiko bit her lip in thought, “I am so… grateful right now but, I’m not a believer and I… I want to express it but, I’m not sure how…”

Kaito touched her arm gently and inclined his head with the same gentle smile.

“To be able to feel gratitude, to recognize it, is a blessing. Tell the universe you are grateful. No need to be specific.”

“Thank you,” Yukiko smiled

“Well, miss Yukiko, I am very sorry but, I do have duties I must attend to. Please come back any time and I’ll show you around!”

"Oh, thank you! I definitely shall."

As smiled, then walked away, Yukiko turned and looked back at the Komainu. She looked right and left to see if anyone was watching. Then she brought her hands together in a clap as her Buddhist mother had done. Then she bowed low and whispered simply, “Thank you”.

Then she went and touched the paw of the female Komainu and went home.

That was her ritual for the next two weeks. A light breakfast, a walk to the temple for tea with Kaito, a clap and a thank-you and then touching the paw.

She made more friends in the village, working with Saciko every day, helping out at the store one day, helping Hikaru with his homework, playing with some students on the weekend. She was relaxed and happy and creative. Her days were spent reading and walking and working with her friends. Every night she would sit on the porch, sip sake and compose haiku. She had a pile of poems that stayed under a rock on the porch.

It was heaven. And then it was over.

Her alarm went off on her last Sunday and she dragged herself out of bed. Breakfast did not taste as good as it had the other days. She felt empty.

The walk to the temple, which usually felt as though it took hours to enjoy, felt as though it was over in an instant. And now she stood before the gate and could not will herself to go in. To say goodbye to Kaito would begin her goodbyes to everyone and everything that made her feel whole.

Here eyes were moist as she trudged forward and then stopped by the female Komainu. She put her hand on it’s paw and looked up at the giant, smiling face.

“This is the last time,” She said, as tears finally pushed down her cheeks, “I don’t want to go, but, I must. I…”

She turned from the pedestal and wondered if she would just run away when she heard a “Ffffp!” sound behind her.

She turned and stood stunned. Before her was an empty pedestal with only a mass of sweet-smelling smoke rising to mingle with the morning mist.

“W-what…” she stammered, her mouth hanging open.

Then, her left hand began to tingle and she brought it before her face. She was mesmerized as she watched it grow huge and clawed. Her chest began to expand and burst the buttons of her blouse one by one. Then, it seemed as though the ground fell away as she grew taller…