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| Sintinko - A Fairytale |
  | Long ago, in a time almost forgotten and shrouded in mysteries and fables,
Sintinko the Illustrious,
founder of the great family Yakamu and owner of the great hearted dog Kai and the brilliant monkey Muchi, was under sentence of death for he had angered the maned, lion Emperor of Japan, Ikonayua.
Sintinko, first amongst the ministers, general of a thousand armies and keeper of the silver key had made Ikonayua, the maned, lion-Emperor jealous. Ikonayua feared the power of Sintinko, feared the love the people had for him but must of all he feared his bravery. He did not hear the people say:-
'How clever is our Emperor for promoting such a man as Sintinko', he did not hear his ministers say:-
'How wise an Emperor we are blessed to have who gives us the wise counsels of a man such as Sintinko'. He heard only his own jealous thoughts. He saw the wealth of Sintinko, and worst of all he feared his ship.
"You dare not kill him," warned his Treasurer one dark, winter's day as he twirled the bronze key in his hand, "the people would never forgive you."
"But now you have arrested him," said his honoured foot-cleaner brushing the snow from Ikonayua's yellow sandals, "you must make a decision."
"Why do you keep silent," demanded the maned, lion-Emperor looking towards lady Ilyo Hamakuda, the beautiful and strong willed daughter of Shu, the tall.
"I," she said in a cool and soft voice that melted snow and softened hearts but could not soften the heart of the maned, lion-Emperor who raged against the man she loved, "I say you should let Sintinko live for he has done you no harm." And so saying she bowed before the Emperor and her forehead touched the cold, cold floor.
"Do you say so," argued Ikonayua, "and what do you say of the ship he builds in Kamaishi? Will he sail upon the seas knowing I fear them? Will he make me look a coward before my people?"
"A ship follows the winds of the oceans," replied Ilyo, "it does not attack the great Emperor of Japan."
"If he finishes building this ship he will die."
"Surely," she said seeing the Emperor would not be persuaded, "there is another way which will not anger the people."
"Tell me of it."
"I have heard tell of the magicians of China. They make rockets that speed into the sky. Machines that run on water and speak of the motions of the stars. Deep and far up the Yangtze river I am told they make the strong and colourful maple tree so small it can fit into the hand of the maned, lion-Emperor of Japan."
"I too have heard of such magic," said the Treasurer, "I believe it not."
"That need not stop you ending Sintinko to find it?" she subtly suggested. "In such a way it could not be said that Sintinko died at the Emperor's hand but by chance on a dangerous journey he took in his own ship to bring greater glory to Japan."
"He would still be a hero," said the honoured foot-cleaner.
"But a dead one," pointed out the Treasurer.
"Will he agree to go?" Wondered the maned, lion-Emperor.
"If you faced this chance or death which would you choose?" Asked Ilyo.
"She is right," said the honoured foot-cleaner, "an adventure however perilous is better than the foul prison he is thrown in at the moment."
"And we will free him on the condition that he may not return until he has found the magic which will make the maple tree sit in the hand of the maned, lion-Emperor of Japan." Ikonayua spoke with a smile on his face. For once Sintinko was gone nothing would stop him forcing Ilyo marrying him.
And Ilyo saw the smile and shivered.
The Emperor stood and swept out of the room as the guards bowed low and his ministers grovelled in his steps. Only Ilyo looked after him. Only Ilyo noted how his shoulders were not as broad as Sintinko's, his head not held as high, his hair not quite as black. Ilyo looked with the eyes of a woman upon the Emperor and she knew what she had to do.
Sintinko breathed upon his cold fingers and once more picked up the handmade brush to write his Will. As he carefully wrote his name and guards brought Ilyo to his cell. He leapt up, upsetting the precious ink upon the hard, stone floor,
"Do they send you here to see my shame," he cried, "to see me cast into a prison by the enemies of justice to share my fate with the rats and beetles."
"I have come here to tell you, you will live," she said tears in her eyes as she saw how low the man she loved had been brought that he should shout in her presence, "but only if you agree to take your ship and travel into China to search for the secret magic which will make the maple tree small enough to sit in the hand of the Ikonayua."
"Does such a magic exist?"
"It may."
"Only you could have persuaded the Emperor not to kill me immediately. For this I thank you. But how can I go to seek what may not exist. How can I leave you here if I may never return? Rather let me die once, rather than a hundred times every day thinking of you alone."
"Does the general of a thousand armies fear the Yangtze river? Does the Chief Minister refuse an order of the maned, lion-Emperor? Will Sintinko die preferring to leave poor Ilyo alone in the world with no hope at all?"
"I shall be no better than a wanderer in strange lands. The Emperor will not allow me to take an army for fear I shall bring it back greater and stronger. He will not allow me to take gold for fear it buy me comfort and long-life. He will not allow me to take you for he wants you for himself."
"You will be alive," wept Ilyo, "and time will bring us together."
So it was that Sintinko set sail in his long, proud ship to travel, to walk, to wander seeking unknown magic in unknown places.
But he did not travel alone.
For the monkey, Muchi and his friend the dog Kai travelled with him and a serving maid, who came aboard the ship bearing his Samurai sword bowed low and said,
"My master needs to defend himself." Sintinko looked at the woman who was painted in white and wore the Kimono of the Geisha and thanked her but she did not move.
"Come, lady," he said, "the wind is fair and I must be gone or forfeit my life."
"And I too for I must go with you," she said.
"You cannot. This journey may take my life and I cannot waste time defending you."
"I shall defend my own life. The Brotherhood of the Samurai sent me to be your companion."
Sintinko breathed in knowing he could not refuse such a gift from the Brotherhood and glad that he would have someone to talk to but his love was for Ilyo and he would never love another. Kai sniffed the hand of the Geisha and Muchi looked into her eyes and they saw what Sintinko did not see. They knew the Geisha with her heavy make-up and silk clothes was Ilyo escaping the clutches of the Emperor.
None of them yet knew that Ikonayua, the maned lion-Emperor had had a bad few nights. He feared Sintinko with all his gifts would manage after all to find the magic. So he sent for his most cunning soldier, a thin man called Lusitu and he gave him money and many promises for his family in return for Lusitu taking Sintinko's head should he ever succeed in finding a way to make the great maple small. Above all things Sintinko must never be allowed to return to Japan.
The voyage to the Chinese mainland was not harsh for the ship was well built and Ilyo kept her disguise and fed Sintinko and his family and the four of them became great friends. And Sintinko did not suspect Kai and Muchi knew the Geisha before she had boarded the ship. Often she brought out the few things she had brought with her to remind her of the life she was leaving behind.
"Here, Muchi, is a comb that I would spend many hours using in my hair and now I will use to groom you. Here Kai is a brush with which I cleaned my teeth and which I will now use to clean yours and here, best of all, is a seed from the maple tree in my garden. I loved to see the seasons play upon her leaves and maybe one day I shall sit beneath her again and laugh at the confused ways of people."
They travelled far. Every morning Kai and Muchi made sure Ilyo was up before Sintinko and helped her don her disguise. How often he spoke to her of his love for Ilyo, of how she walked and how she spoke and how beautiful she was. And never did Sintinko seek to touch the Geisha and Ilyo's love was even stronger than before. And never could Ilyo tell him the truth for it would have disgraced him and he would have had to kill himself for no one would believe he had not kidnapped her.
Always he asked people about the magic hoping to be able to go home.
Everyone he asked shrugged their shoulders.
Such a magic did not exist.
Such a wonder had never been seen in China.
Not even the monkey king could have done such a thing.
From Tangshan to Lahore, in towns and villages, in cities and farms always came the same answer. The same laughter. The same disappointment. Sintinko grew sad. Muchi was thin. Kai always hungry and Ilyo tired but determined to smile. Was she not with the man she loved? Did not Kai keep her company when he was away? Did not Muchi talk to her in his way? Secretly she managed to sell her few possessions not knowing that such was their beauty that Lusitu managed to follow their trail.
First the silk clothes,
then the brushes for her hair and the comb,
then the rings and pins she used to pin her hair.
So he found people eager to show their new possessions fit for a lady and so knew where they went and so he followed.
After three years Sintinko saw how hard it was for all of them and he built a small, bamboo house beneath a mountain. Here he would leave them for months at a time and go in search of the magic. Wherever he was told it might be found he went. Never did he rest. Always before him was the face of Ilyo his beloved. And so it came to be that all Ilyo had left was the seed to the maple tree from her garden and a few coins to buy a few days supplies. And she knew that soon perhaps this hard life would end and she feared losing her beloved Sintinko.
"But what can I do with this" she asked Muchi of the seed. "For no one will buy it and the small garden I have here must grow our food. I do wish to part with it but of what use will an old, dried seed be?" Then Muchi took the seed from her and stroked her hair. And Kai, full of the joy of life and playfulness took the seed from Muchi's hand and danced around the bamboo house and Muchi leapt upon his back and pulled his ears trying to get it back and Ilyo laughed. Stormy days followed sunny days.
Summer followed spring.
She sang songs to them and when Kai barked furiously she knew Sintinko was near and put on her costume and sure enough within a day he arrived, tired and hungry and no nearer his goal. And quietly Muchi took Kai to a secluded corner of the mountain and Kai eagerly dug a hole for the seed in a hollow which surrounded by stone.
"Will it grow do you think?" asked Kai who adored any excuse to dig.
"Only with our best attention," said Muchi.
"It will make Ilyo happy. I know where to find the richest soil. My nose finds everything that is the best."
"Take me. I shall bring it here and we shall tend the maple tree."
So they tended their plant. And sometimes they would hear Sintinko shout, "A monk has found mention of the magic in a old text. I must go ten days from here. I shall be back."
And he ran off with his sword and little else to seek the answer. But it would be the same story. "In Tzu-Kin they have grown such a tree. It will take six months to get there and back but it will be worth it." Off he went and came back with nothing. And Lusitu watched this from the nearby village. And he saw Ilyo without her make-up tending her garden and he saw Sintinko go off on his jaunts and he shook his head.
"How could any man leave such a beauty behind," he said to himself. And Muchi and Kai tended the maple tree whose roots became squashed in the hollow so that it could not grow very tall and Muchi watched, "For generations my people have lived in trees," he told Kai, "but never have I seen a tree we could not sit in."
"Or I under," pointed out Kai.
"It looks like a real tree," said Muchi.
"But it cannot be what Ilyo and Sintinko seek," said Kai, "for that is to be had with magic."
"All things can be made with magic," said Muchi, "but many things can also be made without magic. Do you think we have made a tree small enough to sit in Ilyo's hands?"
"It looks as if we have," said Kai with a sniff and a wag of his tail.
Then it was they heard Ilyo scream. And their hearts froze before Kai bearing his strong teeth leapt down the mountain and smashed into the bamboo house followed by Muchi as they saw Lusitu attacking Ilyo and Muchi leapt upon his back.
Lusitu shouted as Kai bit his arm but Lusitu's sword came down on Kai's shoulder and the wound bit deep as they fought.
But Kai would not give up. He clung to the man and Muchi blinded him with his hands and Ilyo tried to find a stick to use as a weapon.
Then Sintinko, walking home in the evening tired and hungry heard the noise and ran into the bamboo home and with one, sudden thrust of his sword beheaded Lusitu whom he recognised and there on the floor, unable to put on her disguise was Ilyo and beside her the dead Kai and wounded Muchi.
And the feeling of pain and joy tore into Sintinko and he fell to his knees and wept with them. For he had found his love but lost his friend. Slowly as the sun rose they moved and Muchi took them to the maple and they knew that Muchi and Kai had managed without magic to create the smallest tree and in honour to the memory of the bravest of dogs they called it Bonsai.
For how else could something of beauty be made but by the struggle of love, the playfulness of a dog and the cleverness of a monkey. And so deep was their affection that they decided not to go back to Japan but rather they let the word spread that they had found the secret and lived together letting people come to see the wonder of the maple tree.
And whether or not the maned, lion-Emperor ever heard they did not know and did not care.
| | Posted: 23.12.2007 at 02:13 | Read 137 times | 2 comments | Leave Comment |
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| Daniel | | 
"The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel:Horace Walpole" |
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