Please enjoy this new fairy tale infused with elements of the Cthulhu Mythos by a Japanese author, Osamu Sugimura
Glowing Wild Chrysanthemum
Again and again, we sowed seeds.
And again and again, they bloomed.
Once more, I dreamed of the beautiful scene
— Yoshitsune Randolph–
“Uh…?”
When I woke up in the morning, I, a field mouse, was lying down on my bed in a dimly round room.
The soft scent of woods and a wall clock told me – this was undoubtedly my room.
I got up and headed to the window, opened the curtains and saw outside.
“It’s raining…”
In those days, the weather was not good. The rain was beating on the windows, which could not be helped.
Then I was walking to a kitchen.
Chop chop… Bubble bubble… I prepared some bread and hot soup and started to have breakfast.
“Oh…, my eyes feel blurry.” thought during breakfast.
After finishing the breakfast, I put some dishes into wash tub with water to wash.
It had rained a lot today-thank goodness. Water was precious.
Next, laundry. But I had to skip it with this weather.
Once the chores were done, I put my glasses on and opened a book. This was my routine.
The rain was drumming steadily. Was the rain heavier than usual…? Looking at outside through the window.
I was worried about the rain…
I opened the door, went out, and was immediately met with a downpour.
This town was called “Shizuku Town”.
Let me introduce myself again. My name was Chii, a field mouse who lived in Shizuku Town.
Here was a bit mysterious town where many beings lived – beings unseen by human beings.
I was one of them. Did you think beings were invisible as they were small?
Well, that might be true, but was not true. Only beings who had pure eyes could see us.
And we didn’t fight among ourselves.
We lived in a warm-hearted Shizuku Town and had a peaceful life.
By the way, Did you know a glowing wild chrysanthemum?
Right, we got it from a God of Mt. Iwate as well as it was a gift to God and Buddha.
I was a caretaker who had raised glowing wild chrysanthemums.
Outside, it wasn’t just rain.. It felt like a warning.
“Chii-san, are you there?”
Someone was coming and asking. Guest?
I headed to the voice.
The guest was Heigorou who had a reddish brown cat with a forked tail. He also lived in this town.
We took care of glowing wild chrysanthemums together. He was an easygoing cat and usually had more relaxed time than me.
“Heigorou-san, what happened?” asked Chii.
“Chii-san, Come with me right now!” said Heigorou.
“Why?” said Chii.
“Most of glowing wild chrysanthemums were washed away by a lot of water from a mountain!” shoutedHeigorou.
“Really?” said Chii.
We ran to a field of glowing wild chrysanthemums. Anxious, sorrow, fear… I wonder how many thoughts had passed through my mind before I reached the field.
And when we finally arrived at the field, what we found was a devastated field which brought to mind just one emotion-despair.
“Chii-san…” I cried. Heigorou-san also cried together. Crying and crying… Worn out from crying, we slept under a nearby tree at night.
“Uh…Oh!”
On the next morning, the sky was clear when we woke up. Heigorou-san and I climbed a nearby hill and saw an unbelievable sight – I found myself in tears.
The sunlight reflected off the morning dew on the flowers. Thousands of lights sparkled before my eyes – as if the entire field were letting out its first cry.
It was a mysterious sight, like fairies of light dancing in joy.
I wiped my tears from my eyes and looked up the at the endless blue sky.
Looking at the sky, I remembered
“Oh, one of my friends, Randolph, will come over to see me from a parallel world, called ” Wasabi Island”.”
“What…? That Yoshitsune Randolph? A big deal!” said Heigorou.
“Yes, he is popular as an adventurer.” said Chii.
“I would love to see him! It is quite precious for us to see such a famous person as we live in a tiny town!” said Heigorou.
We faced each other and laughed together.
“Heigorou-san?” said Chii
“What? Chii-san” said Heigorou.
—I feel calm down—Chii whispered inside.
Again and again, we sowed seeds.
And again and again, they bloomed.
Once more, I dreamed of the beautiful scene – glowing wild chrysanthemums of Shizuku Town.
Indescribable – and yet, its shape stayed with me: those glowing wild chrysanthemums.
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Osamu Sugimura (born December 13, 1988) is a Japanese author and artist from Iwate Prefecture, known for his science fiction and fantasy novels as well as his work in the Cthulhu Mythos.
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