Gakkou no Kaiden:
The Lantern of Forbidden Love

Not too long ago there was a couple that lived in the village. Their names were Akari Takahashi and Asahi Maeda. Both attended the Satoyama High School, both had known each other since childhood, and despite their youth they both shared a love that was deeper than the ocean and higher than a mountain. Akari Takashi being the romantic type had promised Asahi Maeda her virginity and Asashi Maeda being the stout gentleman of samurai descent that he was, likewise promised to keep himself pure for her. This promise was made in the spring of the year when all the mountain side seemed to be coming back alive after a horrible winter.

Now a few days before the Obon celebration, Akari Takashi left Satoyama village to visit the nearby city that lays at the foot of the mountains. She wanted to do a bit of shopping and to buy a new kimono to replace her old one.  And so early in the morning she collected some money from her mom, along with a shopping list, and packed a Bento Box. Once her lunch was packed she mounted her bike and took off. Thinking only a fun filled day of shopping and sightseeing was ahead of her. 

I'm not sure what kind of day Akari Takashi had in the city, but I'm going to assume it was a fun one, and that time must have slipped through her fingers as she visited with her family members and spent time with her many cousins, and of course she shopped in all fancy boutiques that lined the main street of the city and of course I'm sure she dined at all the fancy cafes and restaurants. Because it was well past sunset when she finally started for home. The wire basket on her bike was filled with treasures and souvenirs to remind her of a fun-filled day in the city.

Now Akari Takashi had expected the bike ride back to Satoyama would take her at least three hours, maybe four depending on how fast she peddled. So she called her mom and  told her she'll be very late coming home and not to expect her home till the hour of the Ox. That is between one or three o' clock in the morning. Her mother, alarmed, begged her to stay in town and to spend the night with one of her cousins that lived in town or to at the very least find a cheap room at the local. Because it was a moonless night and no stars could be seen in the heaven's above.

Now as the story goes, Akari Takashi did not heed her mothers warning and instead started for home once the evening sun had vanished behind the tall snow covered mountain peaks that loom above the fertile floor of the valley. It was a hot, humid, moonless night. The road that smacked around the mountain was narrow and perilous with plenty of blind curves and hairpin turns. There were no street lamps to illuminate the road and so Akari Takashi had to strain her eyes to see what was in front of her.

Through heaven's own luck she made it through the dangerous part of the route without any trouble. And it seemed just as the morning sun was about to rise over the snow covered mountain peaks that should have defied all odds and made it safely back home. Then something happened, from around the corner came the headlamps of an oncoming truck, the horn of the truck was blaring a warning. Blinded by the bright lights, Akari Takashi could not swerve to avoid an oncoming conclusion. 

It was over in a blink of an eye. The truck smashed into Akira Takashi, mercifully breaking her neck first before every other bone in her body. Akari Takashi was killed on impact. And her death sent shockwaves through the school and the small community of  Satoyama who came together to mourn her death. Her class, small as it might have been, was shattered too. 

But, life must go on. And while the community grieved, the pattern of the seasons continued without interruption. Akari Takashi's classmates graduated from high school, rice was planted and harvested, the late summer rains sweetened the earth and before one could blink a eye. It was Obon time again.

Now Asashi Maeda had not forgotten about Akari Takashi, and still treasured her memory. He had graduated from High School, though he was ranked at the bottom of his class. His grades were not good enough to secure a scholarship for further education, instead he took to his family's trade of being a woodcutter and spent his days toiling in the mountain forest that grew on either side of Satoyama. 

Then one night, a few nights before the Obon Festival was to take place, Asashi Maeda was greeted with a strange vision. In his vision, the mournful ghost of Akari Takashi appeared before him, dressed in a beautiful floral kimono. The ghost cried out, and accused Asashi Maeda of forgetting about her! The Phantom Akrai Takashi pointed a quivering finger at Asashi Madeda and suddenly his mind conjured up an image of a neglected grave. One that was covered in vines, choked by weeds, one that was blanket by all manner of litter, discarded drink bottles, empty soda cans, and wads of bundled up newspaper that bounced around.

“How could you let my grave become such a trash heap!” Cried the phantom Akrai Takashi as she drifted away! “I thought you loved me! I thought you loved me! I thought you loved me!” The phantom repeated as her voice died away and the vision started to fade away, like grains of sand being carried away by a stiff breeze.

The next morning Asashi Maeda awoke in a cold sweat, his nightshirt clung to him, his breathing was deep, hard, and nasally. As he tried to calm his beating heart, he tossed his sheets and blankets to the side as he lifted himself from the cotton futon. As the early morning sun streamed through his window, he decided that he should visit for the first time in almost a year the grave of Akai Takashi.

So under a burning July sun. Asashi Maeda hiked toward the village's cemetery. Once he reached the graveyard he sauntered through the gates and slowly made his way toward the lonely grave of Akai Takashi that was located in the newer section of the cemetery. Once he reached the grave, he did indeed find it in a near ruined state, for it was indeed covered in vines, choked by weeds, and littered with empty soda cans, and wads of bundle up newspaper. It seemed the Takashi's, consumed by the grief of losing their daughter, decided to move away from Satoyama following the funeral of their daughter. Where they had moved too, nobody in the village knew.

But, as a result, nobody had been around to tend to the grave of Akai Takashi and it had fallen into decay and ruin. The sight of the abounded grave drove Asashi Maeda to tears, and soon he was picking up the trash. The work was hard, but he pushed steadily through the mid-day heat till the setting of the sun. One the sun had set and night had fallen. Asashi Maeda allowed himself to rest. 

But then something happened. From around the corner there came a glow, an unearthly glow, the glow seemed to bounce and soon the sound of footsteps on the flagstone path could be heard, then after a few moments had passed the phantom form of Akai Takashi appeared, holding in front of a lantern.

But something had changed about her, instead of a vengeful wraith, Akai Takashi appeared as a radiant woman who was dressed in a beautiful floral kimono. She smiled toward Asashi Maeda and with womanly charm invited him closer with a crooked finger. Enchanted, Asashi Maeda left the stone bench he was resting upon and followed Akai Takashi into a nearby abandoned temple.

What happened next, nobody knows, but the next day they found Asashi Maeda dead with a doornail, his face pale as flour and his body cold as an ice cube. The old monk that found him, refused to touch him, he only shook his head and in a mournful tone of voice said the young man had been bewitched by some spell and had met with a tragic end. But I believe Akai Takashi had just come to collect her boyfriend so they could cross over the Sanzu River together.

The End.