Yokichi, who would turn seven that year, was leading the one-year-younger O-tama by her hand as they walked through the trackless dusky forest. They had lost their way in the mountains while out gathering mushrooms. They thought they were returning the way they came, but no matter how much they went on, there was no sign that they were approaching the foot of the mountain. They walked onward for some time, and when they were starting to grow faint with hunger and fatigue, behind some trees spread out a view that seemed somehow familiar.
"Hey! Isn't this the other side of the village?" shouted the surprised Yokichi. They stood on the top of a gentle cliff[1] located exactly on the opposite side of the place where they had first entered the mountains. It seemed that they had traveled round their small village, crossing two or three of the mountains that surrounded it.
"But we can't climb down a cliff like this."
Having whispered so in her frail voice, O-tama crouched down on the spot. Hearing that, Yokichi suddenly grew hopeless and like her, sunk down to the ground.
When O-tama eventually started sobbing quietly, once again following her lead, Yokichi too was on the point of tears. Their crying voices resonated and suddenly they were loud enough to drown out the chirping of the insects in the forest. So loud they cried that it took some time for them to realize that the voices of their parents searching for them were echoing in the forest.
Shortly after that the two were rescued safe and sound. Being scolded by his father for making everyone worry by wandering about so late, the excuse Yokichi came up with was: "Old man Crow Tengu took us away, and when we came to, that's where we found ourselves."
It goes without saying that he had his ear boxed before he could even finish his sentence.
[1] "gentle cliff" sounds like an oxymoron, but I'm pretty sure that that is what Kuroneko says.
陰陽座百物語 第拾陸話「烏天狗」
今年七つになる与吉は幼馴染で一つ下の御玉の手を引き、とっぷりと日が暮れた導も無い森の中をとぼとぼと歩いていた。茸を採りに山に入って迷ってしまったのである。来た道を戻っているつもりで歩き続いているのだが、行けども行けども一向に麓に辿り着く気配すら無かった。その儘いくらか歩き続け、空腹と疲労で意識が朦朧とし始めた頃、ふと抜けた木々の向こうに見慣れた様で見慣れない風景が広がった。
「あっ！これ、村の裏側やねぇか？」
与吉は思わず声を張り上げた。そこは最初に山に入った所と正反対に位置する緩やかな崖の上でどうやら二人は小さな村を囲む山を二つ三つ越えて回って来てしまったらしい。
「でも、こんなとこ降りれんもん」
御玉はしぼむ様にそう呟くと、その場にしゃがみ込んだ。与吉もそう言われると俄然心細くなり、釣られてへたり込んでしまった。
やがて御玉が小さく啜り泣きを始めると、またまた釣られて与吉もべそをかいた。二人の泣き声は互いに共鳴し合い、たちまち森の虫達の歌声を掻き消す程になった。それはやがて自分達を呼ぶ両親達の声が響いてきても、しばらくそれに気が付かずにいた程であった。
その後直ぐ二人は無事保護された。
「こんな時間までほっつき歩いて心配かけやがって」と叱る父親に与吉がした言い訳は「烏天狗のおっちゃんに連れていかれて、気が付いたらあそこに居た」と言うものであったが、言い終わらない内に強かに拳骨を食らった事は言うまでもない。
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