"Long, long ago, there was a girl named Orihime. She was the daughter of the ruler of the heavens and wove beautiful cloth by the banks of the Milky Way," the narrator read.
The curtain opened to show a little girl sitting by a silvery river at a loom. The little girl was so cute, even Len found himself admiring her.
"Waah! She's so cute!" Kahoko whispered to Shouko. "I want to give her a hug!"
Shouko giggled and nodded in understanding.
"Orihime's father loved the cloth she made, so she worked very hard to weave it. Day after day she sat by the Milky Way and wove. As she grew older though, Orihime became sad because her work prevented her from falling in love. As she wove her cloth, she looked down at the Earth and saw other couples meeting and falling in love, but it seemed that she herself was doomed to be alone."
The little girl looked so sad that Shouko's heart went out to her. Deep down inside she knew that this was just a story, but it was sad just the same.
"Eventually, her father learned of her plight and searched the sky to find a suitable man for his daughter."
Everyone giggled as the little boy who was the king came onto the stage looking high and low. He was dressed in a robe that was a little too long and had white, long whiskers and a long, flowing beard. He was adorable.
"Finally, the king found Hikoboshi, the cow herder that lived on the opposite side of the Milky Way."
The little boy finally came upon the cow herder. Shouko started for a second as the women in the audience squealed with delight. The boy reminded her of a young Keiichi. Taking a sidelong look at the boy seated next to her, she felt herself blush slightly remembering the strange sensation his touch had caused a few days previous.
"Because Hikoboshi was a hard worker and of upstanding character, the king decided to introduce his daughter to him. It was love at first sight."
Everyone gave a happy sigh as the two children hugged each other.
"Since his daughter was so happy, the two were soon married, but trouble soon arose. The two were so in love, they completely neglected their work!"
The two children played together and laughed together.
"Orihime never wove, and Hikoboshi was so distracted, the cows wandered all over the heavens. The king was so upset, that he separated them on opposite sides of the Milky Way."
Although it was not a funny scene, the comical way the little king kicked the mini Keiichi over to the side of the river caused a few titters among the crowd.
"Orihime was so heartbroken she cried day and night by the banks of the Milky Way, pining for her beloved husband."
The little girl sat by the silver river and lowered her head, pretending to cry.
"Seeing his beloved daughter's distress made the king very sorry for what he had done, but if they were together, they would neglect their duties. Finally, the king came up with a solution."
The little king tottered over to the little girl. "Please don't cry. I had to separate you two because you never did any work. But if you do your work properly, then I will allow you two to meet every year on the 7th day of the 7th month."
"Overjoyed, the couple set to work again. They worked very hard to make sure that they would be able to see each other again. Soon the fateful day came. Orihime was so excited that she hurried to the river."
The little girl half-skipped over to the river eagerly.
"But then she stopped. For there was no way to cross the river! Orihime looked high and low, but could find no way to cross the Milky Way that separated them. In despair she wept bitterly."
The girl looked stunned and then collapsed and pretended to cry again.
"Her crying attracted the attention of some magpies."
Six children dressed up like magpies walked onto the stage. Everyone grinned at their cute costumes.
"What is wrong Princess?" a magpie asked.
"Yes, why are you crying, Princess?" the second echoed.
"M-My beloved is waiting for me on the other side of the Milky Way because this is the only day of the year that we can meet, but…but there is no way to cross the river!" she cried.
"There, there, don't cry," the third magpie cooed.
"We'll help you," the fourth piped up cheerfully.
"R-Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course Princess! We'll form a bridge for you. Follow us!" the fifth magpie responded.
Everyone cheered as Orihime crossed the magpie bridge and ran into the arms of Hikoboshi. The couple gratefully thanked the magpies as they flew away. The last magpie turned to the couple and stated, "From now on, every year we'll come and help you if we can Princess!"
"And since that day, on the 7th day of the 7th month if one looks up high in the clear night sky, you can see the annual miracle meeting of the two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi."
And so ends our detour! It's a sweet story, and it plays into the story quite a bit, especially in later chapters. But now you know what Tanabata is about! (^_^)
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