Have you ever visited Un valley of Kakuse Island? I hope you have. It's a popular destination for families and young couples. I suppose you wouldn't know where Kakuse Island is. I'll tell you, but you should look at the map first before you read on. Don't have a map? Look above you! I've found one for your convenience.
Now, do you see the Yorbian Continent? Yes yes, the one with YorkNew City in the centre. Yes! Now look a little lower and put your finger on the islands below.
No, that's too low! Your finger has landed on NGL, the furthest island away from YorkNew. Kakuse Island is closer to the city.
Yes, I think you've found it now. It's a tiny island isn't it? Your'e covering it with your finger aren't you? Then congratulations! You have found Kakuse Island, home to the majestic Un Valley and its bustling communities! A special little girl lives there in Un Valley.
But before I talk about the girl I want to tell you about Un Valley.
Un Valley is a popular destination for people who want the comforts of the countryside. The valley is coated in lush vegetation and wildflowers, stretching for miles. Quant homes dot the sides of the valley and are surrounded by wooden fence.
Inside these patches are mellow creatures; cows and horses devouring mouthfuls of grass, speckled fowl wandering between their long legs and dogs tearing around the wide space. Fresh air and rolling hills always give the visitors a sense of freedom.
Who wouldn't feel like a new spirit with the lifestyle of Un Valley? The sunsets and sunrises were never blocked by city lights. The long-grass billow in the breeze, enticing people to stay a little longer. The culture is refreshing and simple; markets stocked with whatever the natives had cultivated, charming events in
town-square and tours of the villages were always taking place.
Now, to get back into business. The little girl.
If you've ever been to Town Square you would know of the enchanting atmosphere. The stalls are full of freshly laid eggs, cultivated produce wrapped in newspaper, silks, yarn, tools and baked goods. The children running up and down the street to trade nick-knacks and silver buttons. The Victorian style of the buildings and people are ancient.y beautiful!
But once in a while a little girl would appear on the corner of Sentaku Street. She was an average thing; just as simple and plain as the next village girl. Mottled brown hair tumbled down to her shoulders, wide river moss eyes framed with thin black lashes. Her tiny ears would peek behind her hair and her hands were always occupied by a basket full of randoms.
She seemed to be, to any visitor or traveler, a street peddler. A Hawker.
That was, until she picked a random from her basket and began to sing.
This street peddler was non other than the youngest daughter of The Kagami Family. A rich powerful family living in the arch of Un Valley. For those of you who have visited, you would have seen the magnificent mansion from afar as you were shown around.
The locals adore the Kagami Family; The head of the family is a Music Hunter with his children following lead. His collection of rare and exotic music-pieces and his charitable deeds make the inhabitants of the Island feel pride. Each of his sweet daughters had some skill in the musical arts and are the heart and soul of the people.
But out of his seven daughters, Ayano Kagami was the most adored. The youngest of the lot, she was said to be her Father's 'Prodigy'; no melody was too complex, no range to high and no instrument un-mastered. The people whispered of her in the quietness of their homes. "She has the blessings of Lady Muse." They revelled. "Her mother must have been the deity herself!"
According the locals, musical talent ran like blood through the girls veins. Her heart was cast in gold and lined with sterling silver, overflowing with music. Her eyes were said to be the jewels of the island and that her smile was purer than melted ice water. Her singing was one of a cherub and no voice was more euphoric or sweet. It was said that she could bring the Devil to tears with the melodies she sang.
All was of course superstition. But that didn't stop the rumours, the whispers and the looks of awe.
The little girl Ayano would take little trinkets from the basket in her hands. They were trinkets that her older sisters cast away without thought, or things that her Father chose to burn. She knew deep in her silver-lined heart that there were people who didn't have what she had. This made her feel guilty as she so liked the village children and their families, and she wished to share her things.
So every Friday afternoon just when the big hand was between the two and three, she would stand on the corner of Sentaku Street and sell her families old things.
The payment was simple; she would sing a line or two of a made-up song, and you and to make up the rest. Easy and quite entertaining.
For example. Ayano would hold up a porcelain doll; its clothing rich and hair made of the softest yarn. In her cherub voice she would sing;
Porcelain skin and thick blonde hair,
Can anyone care for a doll so fair?
Ayano sang this repeatedly, attracting the stares of many that passed by. Several things would happen; people gathered around to listen to her voice, children would come running down to see what she had to sell and costumers would push forwards to claim what she was offering. A young child (most likely a girl around Ayano's age) would prance forward to ask for the doll. After much contemplation and a few moments the little girl would finish the rhyme:
I have no toys, only loads of charm!
That pretty doll should be held in my arms!
Not the best ending to the rhyme, but the brown-haired girl would give her the doll anyways. Then Ayano would pull out another random (maybe a necklace or a scarf) and start again;
A line of pearls on a pale string,
Does anyone want this delicate thing?
A house wife would bustle through the crowd. licking her lips, she thought of a rhyme.
I have no money. I am in debt,
But I would love to have that around my neck!
A selfish ending to a little rhyme. Ayano would hold the necklace out, spiralling the pearls into the woman's calloused hands. Another random would be brought out. Another rhyme would be sung. This would go on for a good while until the wicker basket was empty. It was good entertainment for those who didn't want anything and some of the rhymes were a bit silly!
A little bit of this and a little bit of that,
Have come together to make this straw hat!
Ayano would chime. A young boy (with a busted lip from fighting or tousled hair) would and belt;
I have a wart on my foot and a pig in my bed,
But I could cure both with that hat on my head!
Laughter would ripple through the on-lookers as Ayano bestowed the straw hat on the boy's head. Then the boy would troupe off with a goofy smile, the hat sliding over his eyes.
Yes, the locals admired The Kagami Family. But Ayano Kagami had a special place in their hearts, and they looked forward to her visits in the Town Square. They knew the day, the time and the place. It was almost a Street Show when she appeared for it drew the crowds together in fellowship.
Until one Friday afternoon (two days after her sixth birthday) something peculiar happened.
When the big hand was in between the two and the three, a small crowd had gathered on Setaku Street. News about the girl turning spread throughout the Valley like wildfire. Many desired to wish Ayano the best of tidings.
The crowd waited with suppressed excitement as the clock began to tick away. But the small figure of Ayano Kagami never showed up.
Confused, the people waited for the next Friday. When the day rolled around they gathered again, hopeful for the face they adored. Not one song was sung on Sentaku Street that day.
The people continued to wait for the brown-haired Kagami, bringing the wrapped gifts and the fellowship her little voice created. But it was all in vain. Ayano had disappeared.
Concerned, the people turned to The Kagami Household. "Where is your youngest daughter?" They asked The Music Hunter. The Music Hunter brought out his second-youngest, Mei, to the people. "Here she is. What do you want from her?" He asked.
"Not her!" Cried the people of Un Valley. "She isn't the one we adore! Where is the brown-haired Jewel of Kakuse Island? Where is the Muses Offspring? We want Ayano Kagami!" The Music Hunter shook his head in puzzlement. He seemed to be utterly baffled by whom the people were asking for.
"Mei is my youngest!" He assured. "She has always been the baby of the Kagami Family. Who is this Ayano Kagami that you speak of?" The people of Un Valley became worried. It seemed that the girl -who had claimed to be a member of The Kagami Family- had vanished off the face of the island.
"She must have been the Lady Muse sent in disguise!" Some whispered reverently.
"She could have been A Siren Witch from the oceans beyond." Other's scolded.
"Maybe she was a wandering Spirit, wishing to dwell amongst us!" More people debated.
The theories turned into gossip. Gossip turned into Fairytale. Fairytale turned to Legend. Legend turned to Myth. But nobody was quite sure about what happened to the girl with the wicker basket. Some believed that she hadn't even existed. That she was simply make-believe. But that didn't stop people from avoiding Setaku Street like the plague.
Some of the Town's outcasts- rickety storytellers and strange elderly men- always said that if you walked down Setaku Street on Friday with the big hand between two and three, you could hear a little girl's voice calling out to you from the corner.
Others said if you whispered one of her rhymes while staring at the spot she stood her spirit would appear and finish your rhyme.
Still more said that if you call out her name while walking down the street, the wind would carry her voice towards you.
Now a days, hardly anyone walks down Setaku Street. Nobody will glance at the corner where Ayano Kagami stood. And nobody dares to whistle a melody or sing a song when traveling down that road.
The tales drifted away into the back of everyone's minds; The Lady Muse, The Witch Siren, the Lonesome Spirit and The Cherub Girl.
All of it evaporated like mist in hot sun and hasn't been spoken of since.