There was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child, but Kikyo could not obtain her wish. At last she went to a fairy, and said, "I should so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where I can find one?"
"Oh, that can be easily managed," said the fairy. "Just find a man and have him impregnate you."
Kikyo just glared at her menacingly.
"Oh you're STERILE?! Haha, sucks to be you! Well, here is a barleycorn of a different kind to those which grow in the farmer's fields, and which the chickens eat; put it into a flower-pot, and see what will happen."
"Thank you," said Kikyo, and she purposely did not pay the fairy because of her insults. Then she went home and planted it, and immediately there grew up a large handsome flower, something like a tulip in appearance, but with its leaves tightly closed as if it were still a bud.
"It is a beautiful flower," said Kikyo, and she kissed the red and golden-colored leaves, and while she did so the flower opened and she could see that it was a real tulip.
Within the flower, sat a very delicate and graceful little girl. She was scarcely half as long as a thumb, and they gave her the name of "Thumbelina," because she was so small. But the girl didn't like that name so they called her Kagura instead.
A walnut-shell, elegantly polished, served her for a cradle; her bed was formed of blue violet-leaves, with a rose-leaf for a counterpane. Here she slept at night, but during the day she amused herself on a table, where Kikyo had placed a plateful of water. Around this plate were wreaths of flowers with their stems in the water, and upon it floated a large tulip-leaf, which served Kagura for a boat. Here the little maiden sat and rowed herself from side to side, with two oars made of white horse-hair.
It really was a very pretty sight. Kagura could, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had ever before been heard. One night, while she lay in her pretty bed, a large, ugly, wet toad crept through a broken pane of glass in the window, and leaped right upon the table where Kagura lay sleeping under her rose-leaf quilt.
"What a pretty little wife this would make for my son," said the toad, and he took up the walnut-shell in which little Kagura lay asleep, and jumped through the window with it into the garden.
In the swampy margin of a broad stream in the garden lived the toad Naraku, with his son Hakudoshi. He was even uglier than his father, and when he saw the pretty little maiden in her elegant bed, he could only cry, "Croak, croak, croak."
"Don't speak so loud, or she will wake," said Naraku. "And then she might run away. We will place her on one of the water-lily leaves out in the stream; it will be like an island to her and since she is so light and small she cannot escape; and, while she is away, we will make haste and prepare the state-room under the marsh, in which you are to live when you are married."
Far out in the stream grew a number of water-lilies, with broad green leaves, which seemed to float on the top of the water. The largest of these leaves appeared farther off than the rest, and the old toad swam out to it with the walnut-shell, in which little Kagura lay still asleep.
The tiny little creature woke very early in the morning, and began to shout curse words bitterly when she found where she was, for she could see nothing but water on every side of the large green leaf, and no way of reaching the land.
Meanwhile Naraku was very busy under the marsh, decking her room with rushes and wild yellow flowers, to make it look pretty for his new daughter-in-law. Then he swam out with his ugly son to the leaf on which she had placed poor little Kagura.
He wanted to fetch the pretty bed that he might put it in the bridal chamber to be ready for her. The old toad bowed low to her in the water, and said, "Here is my son, he will be your husband, and you will live happily in the marsh by the stream."
"Croak, croak, croak," was all Hakudoshi could say for himself; so the toad took up the elegant little bed, and swam away with it, leaving Kagura all alone on the green leaf where she sat and called him all sorts of names. She could not bear to think of living with the old toad, and having her ugly son for a husband.
The little fish who swam about in the water beneath, had seen the toad, and heard what he said, so they lifted their heads above the water to look at the little maiden. As soon as they caught sight of her, they saw she was very pretty, and it made them very sorry to think that she must go and live with the ugly toads.
"No, it must never be!" so they assembled together in the water, round the green stalk which held the leaf on which the little woman stood, and gnawed it away at the root with their teeth. Then the leaf floated down the stream, carrying Kagura far away out of reach of land.
Kagura sailed past many towns, and the little birds in the bushes saw her and sang, "What a lovely little creature;" while the leaf swam away with her farther and farther till it brought her to other lands.
A graceful little white butterfly named Kanna constantly fluttered round her, and at last alighted on the leaf. Kagura was glad of it, for now the toad could not possibly reach her and the country through which she sailed was beautiful.
She took off her girdle and tied one end of it round Kanna, and the other end of the ribbon she fastened to the leaf, which now glided on much faster than ever, taking little Kagura with it as she stood.
Then a large cockchafer named Koga flew by-the moment he caught sight of her, he seized her around her delicate waist with his claws, and flew with her into a tree. The green leaf floated away on the brook, and the butterfly flew with it, for she was fastened to it, and could not get away.
Oh, how frightened little Kagura felt when the cockchafer flew with her to the tree! But especially was she sorry for the beautiful white butterfly which she had fastened to the leaf, for if she could not free herself she would die of hunger.
But Koga did not trouble himself at all about the matter. He seated himself by her side on a large green leaf, gave her some honey from the flowers to eat, and told her she was very pretty, though not in the least like a cockchafer. After a time, all the cockchafers turned up their feelers, and said, "She has only two legs! How ugly that looks."
"She has no feelers," said another. "Her waist is quite slim. Pooh! She is like a human being."
"Oh! She is ugly," said all the lady cockchafers, although Kagura was very pretty. Then Koga believed all the others when they said she was ugly, and would have nothing more to say to her, and told her she might go where she liked. Then he flew down with her from the tree, and placed her on a daisy, and she shouted death threats at all of them for calling her ugly.
During the whole summer poor little Kagura lived quite alone in the wide forest. She wove herself a bed with blades of grass, and hung it up under a broad leaf, to protect herself from the rain. She sucked the honey from the flowers for food, and drank the dew from their leaves every morning. So passed away the summer and the autumn, and then came the winter— the long, cold winter.
All the birds who had sung to her so sweetly were flown away, and the trees and the flowers had withered. The large clover leaf under the shelter of which she had lived, was now rolled together and shrivelled up, nothing remained but a yellow withered stalk. She felt dreadfully cold, for her clothes were torn, and she was herself so small that poor little Kagura was nearly frozen to death.
She came at last to the door of a field-mouse, who had a little den under the corn-stubble.
There dwelt the field-mouse in warmth and comfort, with a whole roomful of corn, a kitchen, and a beautiful dining room. Poor little Kagura stood before the door just like a little beggar, and begged for a small piece of barley-corn, for she had been without a morsel to eat for two days.
"You poor little creature," said the field-mouse Kaede who was really a good old field-mouse, "Come into my warm room and dine with me." She was very pleased with Kagura, so she said, "You are quite welcome to stay with me all the winter, if you like; but you must keep my rooms clean and neat, and tell me stories, for I shall like to hear them very much." And Kagura did all the field-mouse asked her, and found herself very comfortable.
"We shall have a visitor soon," said Kaede one day. "My neighbor Bankotsu pays me a visit once a week. He is better off than I am; he has large rooms, and wears a beautiful black velvet coat. If you could only have him for a husband, you would be well provided for indeed. But he is blind, so you must tell him some of your prettiest stories."
But Kagura did not feel at all interested about this neighbor, for he was a mole. However, he came and paid his visit dressed in his black velvet coat.
"He is very rich and learned, and his house is twenty times larger than mine," said Kaede.
He was rich and learned, no doubt, but he always spoke slightingly of the sun and the pretty flowers, because he had never seen them.
Kagura was obliged to sing to him, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MEEEEE!" and many other pretty songs. Bankotsu fell in love with her because she had such a sweet voice; but he said nothing yet, for he was very cautious. A short time before, the mole had dug a long passage under the earth, which led from the dwelling of Kaede to his own, and here she had permission to walk with Kagura whenever she liked. But he warned them not to be alarmed at the sight of a dead bird which lay in the passage.
It was a perfect bird, with a beak and feathers, and could not have been dead long, and was lying just where the mole had made his passage. Bankotsu took a piece of phosphorescent wood in his mouth, and it glittered like fire in the dark; then he went before them to light them through the long, dark passage. When they came to the spot where lay the dead bird, Bankotsu pushed his broad nose through the ceiling, the earth gave way, so that there was a large hole, and the daylight shone into the passage.
In the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, his beautiful wings pulled close to his sides, his feet and his head drawn up under his feathers; the poor bird had evidently died of the cold. It made little Kagura very sad to see it, she did so love the little birds; all the summer they had sung and twittered for her so beautifully. But Bankotsu pushed it aside with his crooked legs, and said, "He will sing no more now. How miserable it must be to be born a little bird! I am thankful that none of my children will ever be birds, for they can do nothing but cry, 'Tweet, tweet,' and always die of hunger in the winter."
"Yes, you may well say that, as a clever man!" exclaimed Kaede. "What is the use of his twittering, for when winter comes he must either starve or be frozen to death. Still birds are very high bred."
Kagura said nothing; but when the two others had turned their backs on the bird, she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers which covered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids. She reognized this one-his name was Sesshomaru.
"This was the one who sang to me so sweetly in the summer," she said. "And how much pleasure it gave me, you dear, pretty bird."
Bankotsu now stopped up the hole through which the daylight shone, and then accompanied the lady home. But during the night Kagura could not sleep; so she got out of bed and wove a large, beautiful carpet of fluff; then she carried it to the dead bird, and spread it over him.
It was as soft as wool, and she spread some fluff on each side of Sesshomaru, so that he might lie warm in the cold earth. "Farewell, you pretty little bird," said she, "Farewell; thank you for your delightful singing during the summer, when all the trees were green, and the warm sun shone upon us. HOLY FUCK I SOUND CHEESY!"
Then she laid her head on the Sesshomaru's chest, but she was alarmed immediately, for it seemed as if something inside the bird went "thump, thump." It was the his heart; he was not really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life. In autumn, all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if one happens to linger, the cold seizes it, it becomes frozen, and falls down as if dead; it remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it.
Kagura trembled very much; she was quite frightened, for Sesshomaru was large, a great deal larger than herself,—she was only an inch high. But she took courage, laid the fluffy boa more thickly over the poor swallow, and then took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid it over the head of the poor bird.
The next morning she again stole out to see him. He was alive but very weak; he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at Kagura, who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern. "Thank you, pretty little girl," said the sick swallow. "I have been so nicely warmed, that I shall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine showing off my sexy hair."
"Oh, I'm Kagura." said she. "It is cold out of doors now; it snows and freezes. Stay in your warm bed; I will take care of you."
The whole winter the swallow remained underground, and Kagura nursed him with care and love.
Neither Bankotsu nor the Kaede knew anything about it, for they did not like swallows. Very soon the spring time came, and the sun warmed the earth. Then the swallow bade farewell to Kagura, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made. The sun shone in upon them so beautifully, that Sesshomaru asked her if she would go with him; she could sit on his back, he said, and he would fly away with her into the green woods.
But Kagura knew it would make the field-mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said, "No, I cannot."
"Farewell, then." said the swallow; and he flew out into the sunshine.
Kagura looked after him, and the tears rose in her eyes. She was very fond of the poor swallow.
"Tweet, tweet," sang Sesshomaru as he flew out into the green woods, and Kagura felt very sad. She was not allowed to go out into the warm sunshine. The corn which had been sown in the field over the house of the Kaede had grown up high into the air, and formed a thick wood to Kagura, who was only an inch in height.
"You are going to be married, Kagura," said the Kaede. "My neighbor has asked for you. What good fortune for a poor child like you. Now we will prepare your wedding clothes. They must be both woollen and linen. Nothing must be wanting when you are the mole's wife."
Kagura had to turn the spindle, and the field-mouse hired four spiders, who were to weave day and night. Every evening Bankotsu visited her, and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over. Then he would keep his wedding-day with Kagura; but now the heat of the sun was so great that it burned the earth, and made it quite hard, like a stone. HAHA! HE MADE IT HARD, GET IT?!
As soon, as the summer was over, the wedding should take place. But Kagura was not at all pleased; for she did not like the tiresome mole. Every morning when the sun rose, and every evening when it went down, she would creep out at the door, and as the wind blew aside the ears of corn, so that she could see the blue sky, she thought how beautiful and bright it seemed out there, and wished so much to see her dear swallow again. But he never returned; for by this time he had flown far away into the lovely green forest.
When autumn arrived, Kagura had her outfit quite ready; and the Kaede said to her, "In four weeks the wedding must take place."
Then Kagura threw a fit, and said she would not marry Bankotsu.
"Nonsense," replied the Kaede. "Now don't be obstinate, or I shall bite you with my white teeth. He is a very handsome mole; the queen herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. His kitchen and cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for such good fortune."
So the wedding-day was fixed, on which the mole Bankotsu was to fetch Kagura away to live with him, deep under the earth, and never again to see the warm sun, because he did not like it. The poor child was very unhappy at the thought of saying farewell to the beautiful sun, and as Kaede had given her permission to stand at the door, she went to look at it once more.
"Farewell bright sun," she cried, stretching out her arm towards it; and then she walked a short distance from the house; for the corn had been cut, and only the dry stubble remained in the fields. "Farewell, farewell," she repeated, twining her arm round a little red flower that grew just by her side. "Greet the little swallow for me, if you should see him again."
"Tweet, tweet," sounded over her head suddenly. She looked up, and there was the swallow Sesshomaru himself flying close by. As soon as he spied Kagura, he was delighted; and then she told him how unwilling she felt to marry the ugly mole, and to live always beneath the earth, and never to see the bright sun any more.
"Cold winter is coming," said Sesshomaru. "And I am going to fly away into warmer countries. Will you go with me? You can sit on my back, and fasten yourself on with your sash. Then we can fly away from the ugly mole and his gloomy rooms—far away, over the mountains, into warmer countries, where the sun shines more brightly than here; where it is always summer, and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with me, dear little Kagura; you saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark passage."
"Yes, I will go with you," said Kagura; and she seated herself on the bird's back, with her feet on his outstretched wings, and tied her girdle to one of his strongest feathers.
Then the swallow rose in the air, and flew over forest and over sea, high above the highest mountains, covered with eternal snow. Kagura would have been frozen in the cold air, but she crept under Sesshomaru's warm feathers, keeping her little head uncovered, so that she might admire the beautiful lands over which they passed..
At last they came to a blue lake, and by the side of it, shaded by trees of the deepest green, stood a palace of dazzling white marble, built in the olden times. Vines clustered round its lofty pillars, and at the top were many swallows' nests, and one of these was the home of the swallow who carried Kagura.
"This is my house," said the Sesshomaru. "But it would not do for you to live there—you would not be comfortable. You must choose for yourself one of those lovely flowers, and I will put you down upon it, and then you shall have everything that you can wish to make you happy."
"That will be delightful," she said, and clapped her little hands for joy.
A large marble pillar lay on the ground, which, in falling, had been broken into three pieces. Between these pieces grew the most beautiful large white flowers; so Sesshomaru flew down with Kagura, and placed her on one of the broad leaves. Then they got married and lived happily ever after like in every fairy tale, YAYZ!