The Great Lotus Vally - Chapter I

CHAPTER I
THE GREAT LOTUS VALLEY

Somewhere from within the ancient earth there came a mystic isle amongst a great vast of glimmering seas that pleased the great sun-goddess Amaterasu. Some have said she comes to the earth amidst what has been called the Tochigi where nestled amongst great mountains of aromatic Red Cedars and Pines there are what have been described as healing ponds from springs that are fed by snow-capped mountains called the Futarasan. These sacred heated springs are covered by an illuminated mist and has a divine essence of healing body and soul, and, if any human were to travel along the lush greenness of grassy shoals that lead back, far back into the heavily dense foliage and fauna of the forest, there were the falls sparkling off the peaks like pearl dew drops that are rained down from the heavens themselves. It is here, within this dense forest of beauty, our story begins.
Di-Li-Su was a delightful child of seven seasons, simple by nature, asking nothing from others but the kindness from within her own tender little heart to be brought back to her from on the selfless offering wings of the delicate nightingale as she gave of herself in a sweet, reverent sort of way. She was truly one of the great Innocents of little girls from the tiny little village of few families, surrounded by heaven’s hem of fire-orange skies coalescing with a deep beautiful blue, and crowned by the grandeur of this rural valley by the tall, smoky scented, island of densely populated Red Cedars.
Some had said that ages upon ages past, the beautiful Amaterasu had a lovely daughter and sent her to the earth in order to beautify the valley forest with songs from heaven for she possessed and embraced the art of voice and the ancient language of the Ainu peoples who were created to inhabit this beautiful lotus filled island as fisherman and gatherers of fruits, and delicious sparkling waters provided to the people for refreshment by the forest gods, and, Amaterasu herself.
Di-Li-Su embraced time with herself and the nature kingdom that surrounded her. She often would speak to the valley forest creatures expressing a sort of loving unity amongst all of her friends of the earth and sky. She would sing songs that echoed from the forest valley floor humbly off the peaks of the surrounding mountain-tops, creating a perfect balance and blissful harmony amongst the creatures, flora and fauna, and the few families who were said to be descendents of the tribal peoples of Ainu.
Di-Li-Su had several neighboring friends but trusted only one little boy who had aged her by two seasons past. His name was Guregorii, but Di-Li-Su would tease him and call him Re-Go for short. One early mist filled morning down by the sacred pond, Di-Li-Su came across Re-Go for the first time. When she first saw him standing strong staring trance like off in to the eastern sky, he appeared to be in deep meditation and contemplation over something that intrigued Di-Li-Su to her soul. Her heart was touched by the way Re-Go would affectionately embrace the delicate Lotus flower. She sensed a tenderness of which only she thought she had for this beautiful flower. She could sense also the great love Re-Go possessed for her magnificent kingdom of the forest valley and her kami filled friends of this inherent little paradise. After all, in Di-Li-Su’s affectionate little heart, the Lotus held deep within, its visionary gem, the jewel of which only Amaterasu placed a single aqua-marine colored pearl, that of which was the divine knowledge of Wisdom held by Amaterasu herself. The solitary recipient of this magnanimous reward, if ever could be found amongst the multitudes of flora, would retain the divinely inspired Wisdom and knowledge to a heaven full of great spirited love known and cherished only by the gods themselves.
Di-Li-Su, mystified by Re-Go’s passion for life, love, and nature, stood there amongst the mist of sunshine, over-lapping with narrow than wide streaks of softly blended light from heaven, and was so enthralled by this great passionate little boy of whom from inside little Di-Li-Su sensed a spark of heart-felt love and admiration for such a kind and gentle little boy. She felt compelled to reach out to him and touch him though held back momentarily, but, alas, could not fight the tears beginning to well up from inside her beautiful young heart for Re-Go. So she moved forward and positioned herself only inches away from Re-Go’s almost divine little nature, and when she could stand no further to keep her feelings of compassion from him, leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek.
Re-Go turned, also mystified from the moment, his handsome little face toward her, and as he did, Di-Li-Su expressed herself, laying claim to hiding her feelings no longer, as she says to Re-Go, “I like you!” Re-Go, feeling somewhat shy though yearning to face this tender moment of ageless beauty, expressed from within the tenderness indwelling from inside his heart, upon witnessing Di-Li-Su’s expression of amazement upon her angelic little face, declared as well, “I like you, too!”
The two of them stood there looking into each other’s eyes for just a simple moment, and then, Di-Li-Su turned, and in a flash had vanished in a haze of early morning light from the rays of the sun sparkling off the crispness of icy dew upon the verdant grasses beneath her bare feet. Time had frozen for little Re-Go for just a moment, and then he turned, and he as well, vanished from the partially frozen grasses of the lush forest valley floor, and, into the light.