Temple in the Mist is one of the short stories.

Poony

Written from a collection of short stories by

Poony

It's called

"Poony's Short Stories : Track A"

Let's divide this story into this good kid.

The series includes short stories like this. It comes from the author asking for cooperation from readers who follow the page.

Poony - Writer

Let's work together to suggest any theme.

Poony

Write one theme per person, but accept no more than ten themes.

The final story will be a medley of all ten themes written in one short story.

Such as this topic proposed by

So Pear

I want you to

Poony

I tried writing on the theme "Japanese Garden".

As the author himself graduated from the Japanese language department. (But at present it hardly moves...) So this is a good opportunity to gather information that has been learned and new information to present in this work as seen.

The story tells the story of the hero in an unnamed story. He is a Thai student who had the opportunity to study and exchange knowledge in Japan for one year.

And just like any other student, once they arrive in a foreign country, It's normal to want to travel.

But on his bicycle tour, he encountered heavy rain. and dense fog

Before he knew it, he was being led into a mountain temple by a young woman in a white kimono. With an accident that happened

What will the inside of this temple be like? What was waiting for him in there? We must continue to follow...

I really hope that This short story It will be pleasing to the readers who come to read it, more or less.

If there are any errors or comments, you can tell us. in order to be able to improve in the future

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thank you

Poony

Propose a theme by

So Pear

Written by

Poony

What we see It may not be like we think...

A timeless sentence that we have often heard for a long time. It's been so long that no one knows who invented this phrase in the first place. I only knew that it was a sentence that sounded like a very pious philosophy.

However, but This sentence is seen to be the truth of this world, definitely not wrong. Because, as in the morning of that day, the sky was clear and the weather forecast confirmed it. But as the afternoon approached 2 p.m. Instead, I was cycling through the rain in the suburbs of Tokyo.

“Oh my!” I gritted my teeth as a shiver shook my heart. Both hands holding the handlebars were soaked with rainwater. It was so cold that he had no feelings. It was extremely difficult to maintain balance on a metal vehicle in such harsh weather conditions. Not to mention visibility. This downpour is called 大雨 (oame).

It makes me want to shout,

'oh! 'Ame' came out so loud. But at that moment, my teeth were chattering violently as I couldn't control my jaw.

I could hardly open my eyes to fully look at the gray road in front of me. Rainwater splashed onto my face and into my mouth. Until I had to swallow several gulps of rainwater. My condition was no different from that of someone taking a nice shower, except that it was taking a shower with a bicycle.

If I had already spoken I am like a blind person riding a good bicycle, unable to see the road. No need to talk about the sign. It was completely covered up by this crazy rain. I could only see a faint gray path that gave me an unspeakable goosebumps feeling. Apart from the rain that fell and the sky was dark and the ground was dark, There was also a strange white mist that covered the entire route where I was cycling through the rain...

Maybe it was the intense heat of the road colliding with the coldness of the rain. Therefore creating a dense fog like this. And I don't know why either. But I don't know how this smog makes me feel bad. The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became...

If I had known that the rain would not be this good. I probably wouldn't go out on a photography tour and risk damaging my camera like this.

I am a student in an exchange program between a university in Thailand and a university here. I have been living in a small room on the outskirts of Tokyo for about half a month now. Busy with moving in Talk about mobile phones Open a bank account Open internet service

Receive inherited items from the seniors who lived before you, such as rice cookers, microwaves, and refrigerators, especially The main treasure which is this bicycle. That I had to waste time trying to change the owner for a long time. Otherwise, if it is checked that the registered name of the bicycle owner does not match the name of the rider.

I might get invited by the police to eat tonkatsu at the police station. (Even though I've heard a lot of rumors about its deliciousness, But I don't want to waste time on non-issues.)

Once I got this bike, it was completely and legally mine. After studying the route quite a bit I decided that it would be a blessing to drive to Mount Takao, a famous tourist attraction not too far from this area. And I intend to come take beautiful photos to my heart's content.

But, well... I'm an unlucky person. I've lived here for a long time without even a single drop of rain. It must have rained on the day I wanted to come and take photos. Sigh, life...

“Where are we now?” I muttered in my throat, my voice shaking so hard I couldn't hear it. Part of me wanted to squeeze the brake lever and stretch my feet off the pedals to put my feet on the ground and take a break. But another part of me felt that I shouldn't have stopped in the middle of the mountain road like this.

But which mountain am I on? I'm always confused about the route. Now I could only continue cycling down the mountain. My mind was filled with various kinds of terror as I began to feel like I was losing control of my bicycle every moment. My front wheel shook left and right as if it were possessed by a ghost. And that moment My bike fell hard to the right.

My body was thrown and hit the sidewalk on the side of the road. My knee hit so hard I cursed and called out all the wild animals in the zoo.

This is an unlucky day. What are you doing?

While I was lying there moaning in the rain, there was a sound of tok tok... coming from somewhere in a steady rhythm. It sounds like someone wearing clogs or geta shoes. Walking on rocky ground...

Is it a stone floor? I'm a little amazed. before pushing himself up and struggling to get up. Even though my knee still hurts quite a bit. But I still staggered up and stood on one foot. I turned to look to my right. Then I saw that I had fallen in front of the stone steps leading up to the mist-shrouded mountain. And the sound of those geta shoes seemed to echo down the stairs in the mist.

“Are... Daijoubu? (Eh... is something wrong?)” A sweet voice asked in Japanese. At that moment, I saw the feet of white socks and the geta hurriedly walking through the thick mist.

“Da dai choubudes... (Ma, it's okay...)” I replied, my voice shaking from the cold. At that moment, my eyes were fixed on a tall, thin figure in a clean white kimono. Headed with a red obi He was standing holding a white wakasa, or Japanese umbrella, staring at me with coal-black eyes that wanted to be able to read the meaning.

I admit that she is a very beautiful young woman, so beautiful that I find it difficult to take my eyes off her. With white skin like snow The lips are thin and lightly tinted. The face is framed by bangs and two strands of hair cut short at the level of the chin. The back of her hair was loosely tied back, slightly past her waist.

With that clean, clean face I assumed that she was no older than thirty-five. (I guessed her age. Because in general, Japanese people tend to have a much younger face.) And considering the short sleeves of the kimono attached to the arm, I immediately knew that she was a married woman.

“Korobimachitane. (Did you fall down?)” The woman's voice asked very calmly. “Arukiwa Daijoubu? (Can you walk?)”

“Ha... Hi... (Yes, sir)” Without saying anything, I tried to take a step towards the bicycle. But a sharp pain shot up into my heart until I had to cry out in embarrassment.

“Tiehendesne... (This is really difficult.)” She didn't say anything. But move the umbrella towards me Trying to use one arm to support me. Her touch was soft and warm. Moreover, the faint scent of the flowers on her body made my heart flutter even more. I was so nervous that I couldn't speak.

“Hisaga Itazone (Your knee seems to hurt),” she greeted in a sweet voice. Expressing his undisguised concern, “Hayaku Isshoni Otera no Nakani Haitahougaiyo. (It would be better to hurry and go inside the temple together.)” she advised. And then I was forced to let her support me and lead me up the stone stairs, painstakingly...

In fact, I was worried that the stairs at the entrance to a Japanese temple usually lead up to hundreds of steps. Walking up to the temple when it's raining like this Therefore it seemed like a risky matter that would cause both you and I to fall and break our necks and die. Just walking up and down the stone steps in front of the temple wearing a keta alone was quite terrifying.

But you still have to support someone with a leg injury like me like this. So I don't know if this is a good idea. Plus, my now sore knee shouldn't be bent and bent by climbing hundreds of stairs like this.

Evaluated from the eyes The stone stairs of this temple seem to have a lot of steps. The distance must have been a hundred meters before reaching the front of the temple grounds. But I don't know why I felt that in less than half a minute, This strange woman helped carry me until I reached the top of the mountain...

I was taken inside the temple, where the house was made of wood that looked quite old. The sound of creaking wood as we walked into the living room where the walls were lined with white paper that looked yellowish. This temple must have been there for a long time.

The young woman disappeared from the living room for a long time. So I just sat and waited impatiently on the tatami mat. The room was dimly lit by the oil lamps in the corners. I could smell the faint smell of incense smoke floating on the wind. Perhaps the prayer room was not too far away.

Many things about this place Makes me all suspicious Perhaps it was because of her generosity towards a stranger like me. Or because I was suddenly brought to sit in a Japanese temple like this for one thing. And another strange thing is... It seems that besides you This temple doesn't seem to have anyone else.

The temple here is not very large. Actually, what is the name of this temple? What sect is it? I'm not really sure. But after seeing the drawing of a simple landscape on a fusuma screen (a screen that can act as a room divider, a wall, and a door), I also think that Wabisabi art is like this. He probably wouldn't escape the Zen sect.

The girl reappeared behind the Fusuma screen in front of me. When she moved the partition away So I found the room in front of me. It was a room full of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas behind the partitions. It seemed like incense smoke was floating from the incense burner in that room.

She carried a tray full of first aid supplies. and a large, plain gray teacup, the type used in tea ceremonies. Faint white smoke rose up from the teacup. It immediately made me feel at ease even before I sipped it.

“Arigatogozaimasu,” I thanked him. When she handed me a cup of tea

I happily accepted the cup of green tea and drank it. Beautiful dark green tea slowly flowed into my mouth as warmth tingled throughout my body. I shivered a little, but felt better in the blink of an eye. Symptoms similar to catching a fever It seemed as if it would disappear in an instant.

“Hisao Misetemoi? (Can I take a look at your knees?)” she asked me. At first I was confused and didn't act properly. But he soon gave in and slowly stretched out his injured leg, his mouth muttering pain-inducing moans in Thai.

“Gaikokujin? (Foreigners?)” She raised her eyebrows at me slightly in surprise, a small smile playing on her red lips, “Nihonkoga jousudesne (I speak Japanese well.) ”

“Ie, ie... maada madades (No, no, no... Not that much)” I answered humbly according to the textbooks I had studied. In fact, if you live with Thai people I would have quickly said thank you. But for the people here Please hurry and thank us. It will seem ugly that we rush to admit that we are talented...

In fact, it is a culture that I find difficult as well. But I practiced until I got used to it.

While helping put medicine on my scraped knee, The Japanese woman introduced herself as Shigure but did not give her last name. which I consider very strange Normally according to Japanese tradition For people who have never known each other before You should introduce yourself primarily by your last name. But here she just told me her name and not my last name.

I myself introduced my nickname. Along with adding that he is a Thai student. And I apologize in advance if I speak Japanese incorrectly sometimes. Of course, she doesn't mind. He also complimented me that I spoke fluently.

Shigure is very light-handed. I'm not even sure when she finished dressing my wound while we were talking about the weather. The next thing I knew, I saw that my leg she had carefully unrolled up the pant leg for me. The wound was wrapped with a bandage until it was snug enough. The smell of disinfectant still hung slightly at the tip of my nose.

But it wasn't so irritating as to be frustrating. Strangely, the entire time she used disinfectant to clean my wound. I didn't feel any pain at all.

The events after that were quite strange... Everything looked faint like a haze. I can only remember some details. So I don't remember exactly what the two of us actually talked about. I can't remember how many times I've made grammatical errors, used the wrong words, or used random vocabulary.

Still, I can remember the general outlines of what we should have talked about.

“Where have all the other monks gone?” I asked Shigure in Japanese. I asked her that because I've been sitting here for a long time. I never saw that there were any monks or anyone else besides the two of us.

“There is only one monk here. It's my husband." Shigure said, "Right now he's away on business... I haven't come back yet.”

“Oh... right?” I remember I was a little puzzled at the time when she said she had a monk as her husband. But then it occurred to me that Japanese monks could get married. That doubt quickly dissipated.

We sat quietly listening to the rain for a while. Shigure, who was still kneeling on the ground, slowly smiled at me, staring at me with eyes as black as coal. Eyes that I will never forget...

“Have you ever seen Karesansui before?” she asked me in a soft voice. Not in a hurry, not in a hurry I listened to that voice with a light head. Drifting like you can't tell. It took me a long time to process what Karesansui she was talking about. It is a Japanese garden.

“Only in the photograph,” I replied.

“Do you like taking pictures?” Shigure's words made my sleepy eyes widen. I remember I was quite startled.

“Did you know…” he asked before he could finish his sentence. Shigure held out my camera case. then handed it to me

When did you bring it with you? When walking up to the temple, I didn't see her take anything in her hand. Even when carrying the tray with both the teacup and the first aid kit... I swear I didn't even see the shadow of my camera at that time... Or will I be blurred?

My memories from that time How confusing

“Thank you.” I thanked her again. along with taking the camera in hand I remember being more surprised than delighted to see that my camera was in better condition than expected. Because when I opened it and looked, I found that The camera is completely dry. There isn't even a drop of water on it. Moreover, its condition did not have any scratches at all.

When I pressed the open button to check, I was sure that everything was in perfect condition. Nothing is worn out.

“It's a good thing your camera is fine,” Shigure said, her face as white as snow. A ghostly smile emerges. A mysterious smile that was difficult to tell whether it was a smile of joy or a smile of derision. Even if I sit and think back on how we met at that time I still couldn't tell what kind of emotion she was smiling with.

“That's it,” I nodded nervously. “If it's going to break down before I've even taken a good photo, I'll be really upset.”

"If you don't mind..." Shigure said. Smiling a little wider than before. With her eyes narrowing so much that her eyes looked like they were smiling as well. “There are many beautiful areas at this temple. Especially in the Karesansui area here.”

“Wow! Very good.” I was very happy to hear that. and almost pushed himself up. If it weren't for Shigure pressing her shoulder to stop him.

“You'd better take a break first,” Shigure said, a smile still plastered on his red lips. But her eyes were more solemn than ever. “If your legs start to heal, you can then get up and take pictures... Besides, with rain like this, if I went out to see Karesansui right now it would probably be a mess... The rain has stopped.

Wait for me to finish sweeping the garden area, then you can take pictures.”

“Oh... Do I have to sweep the floor again? I am so considerate.”

When you come to think about it. The Karesansui Garden that I once knew It is a garden decorated with stones as mysteries along with a gravel or sand floor that must be swept to form a beautiful shape. Most often, it is popular to sweep it in a long path that curves back and forth until it looks like ripples of water. Or maybe it's a mysterious pattern that allows the imagination to go wild.

Having said that, I never thought of it before. It's like if it rained. How messy is the condition of a garden that is primarily sand-based or decorative? Thinking that Mr. Shigure had to come sweep the garden so I could take pictures. I don't know how to feel guilty.

“Don't worry,” Shigure told me. “Even if no one comes to this temple... I still have to take care of the good condition of Karesansui here at all times.”

“This is really difficult,” I said. “Can I help you?”

"You'd better not," Shigure refused, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “You need to rest for a while. Wait until I have finished sweeping the garden. Until then, you feel free to walk anywhere and take photos.”

“Yes... Thank you.”

Shigure excused herself to continue her business. Leaving me to sit and rest in the same place alone.

I'm not sure how long I sat there listening to the sound of the rain that was still falling heavily. Everything that was going on was so slow that time was like a snail crawling. And with the coolness from the rain fatigue from cycling And those painful wounds I fell asleep while sitting and leaning against the Fusuma wall...

I regained consciousness when I heard the sound of someone's broom. Sweeping the floor outside the sliding door. The rhythm of the loud sweeping sound made me feel so relaxed. It looks like the rain has stopped. And that made me let out a sigh of relief. But I didn't feel comfortable for long.

Because I just then realized that sweeping sound. It must have been the sound of Mr. Shigure sweeping the garden courtyard.

Thinking so, I slowly lifted myself up to stand, still wary of the pain in my knee. But it turned out that my knee wasn't as excruciating as I thought. You could say that it was almost completely gone. When I felt better like that. So I hurriedly walked towards the sliding door on my left, opposite the sliding door Mr. Shigure had brought me in from in the first place.

When it was opened, that was it. I almost had to close my eyes. Unexpectedly, there was light outside the sliding door. will be as bright as this

Behind that sliding door A large, beautiful garden appeared, framed by rectangular corridors made of dark, almost black wood. Water drips from the surrounding colored tile roofs. Still dripping down from time to time. The beauty of this Karesansui Garden It's very difficult for me to express it all in words.

With a clean, white, fine pebble floor that occupies a large area. It might have been so large that around one hundred people could comfortably lie there, but now there are traces of the lines that were once drawn on it. See blurry images as unclear images

Each of the four corners of the garden has a bonsai tree. Each tree was as big as two meters. It also spreads out its branches to a width of more than a meter. Each tree has its branches pruned until it becomes a beautiful and neat bush. In addition to the trees that decorate this garden, There were also dozens of large rocks with green moss on them.

were spread out on this white pebble floor. Each rock ranged in size from a watermelon to half the size of an average adult human. And even though it's scattered If those rocks don't make you feel cluttered in any way.

In addition to the rocks having a natural appearance that is reminiscent of a miniature mountain, The garden also has a half meter stone pagoda placed almost in the middle of the garden, which also has a small pond. Along with a reddish-brown wooden bridge across a small pond. And near the bridge I saw Shigure sweeping up leaves that might have blown in from outside. To prepare to sweep the gravel floor into shape again.

White garden, white mist, and a girl in a white kimono It made me feel as if what I saw was a painting by a master painter. I couldn't resist. Hurry and grab your camera to capture the beautiful scenery in front of you.

Shigure turned and smiled at me from the middle of the garden. Before changing gardening equipment from a broom to a wooden rake for drawing patterns on those white pebbles. Then she immediately started drawing various patterns on the white gravel floor without saying a single word to me.

Start by drawing a radial circle around the bridge and pond. She stirred counterclockwise like that about three times. before moving the wooden rake out of the radius of the first circle that was drawn Then started drawing overlapping circles. She then shook the wooden rake and dragged a tail that extended out of the large circle into a curve that looked like a wave.

And she drew many more wavy lines. Draw circles around every stone. Redraw the wave again. and draw circles around the four corners of the bonsai tree.

I listened to the sound of the rake dragging across the fine white gravel with a strange sense of calm. I looked at Shigure and her garden without getting bored in the slightest. All the patterns are meticulously crafted. And it took quite a bit of time, probably close to thirty minutes, for the girl to finish drawing everything with that wooden rake.

I took probably a dozen photos and I don't know since when I was wandering around the corridors. Take a photo from that angle. In this corner, I feel full and satisfied. And although the atmosphere inside the park still has some white smog floating in it, If it weren't so dense that you couldn't see anything, in fact.

The fact that there is fog falling like this. Made me get a lot of beautiful pictures.

Shigure walked towards me holding a broom and a rake. With her mysterious smile that is hard to read As well as the various symbols that appear in this garden.

“How is this garden?” she asked me, her eyes narrowing until they were only half full.

“Very beautiful,” I said excitedly. “This is so beautiful that it could be a tourist spot.”

“Not to that extent,” Shigure said, raising his left hand to cup his mouth and chuckling lightly. “This is just a small temple that once in a while… someone gets lost in it. ”

“I'm glad I stumbled in,” I smiled widely. “Even today, I've lost some of my plans. But coming to a temple with such a beautiful garden, It is considered very worthwhile.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” Shigure said. “If my husband were there... You must definitely have a smile on your face hearing such a compliment.”

“So, Shigure-san, do you have to sweep the courtyard every day?” I asked, still pressing the shutter button and taking pictures before turning to look at Shigure, waiting to hear the answer.

“Every day,” Shigure smiled, her eyes narrowing until they were nearly closed. “It is one of my meditations. Because of the time that I have swept this garden I would not have to think about the past that has ended. or a future that has not yet come There is only the present where I am sweeping up those pebbles…”

It took me some time to compose many difficult sentences. But it can be further understood that this is the principle of Zen meditation. As for the various stones that were used to set It has some mystical meaning hidden in it. It seems that in reality nothing is clear at all. Because when I asked if those rocks were mountains

The young woman just answered me, Maybe yes. Or it could be something else. Or even when I asked what the pictures she was dragging on the gravel floor were. Is this a water ripple? The young woman replied to me, Maybe it is, or maybe it isn't. It depends on the person looking at it.

You can see what makes up this Karesansui Garden. What exactly do you want to convey?

Even though it makes you feel secretly annoyed because you hardly know the meaning behind anything, this might just be the charm of Karesansui. The fact that we can use our imagination to see things as this or that, when actually they are just the arrangement of rocks and trees...

Shigure found cloth slippers for me to wear around the house. So that I could walk into the Karesansui area without damaging the drawings on the white gravel floor. She walked slowly back to the low wooden bridge again, and I saw that she was scattering fish food into the pond.

I just saw that there were big, colorful koi fish. swimming around in it

I picked up my camera and took another photo of Shigure on that bridge. and had to film like that for two or three rounds Because he didn't know why the white mist was thicker than before. Make the photography Starting to get a little difficult But even so I finally got some nice pictures of Shigure. I took pictures walking closer and closer to the pond.

He took his eyes off Shigure for a moment. To take photos of the pond with colorful koi swimming in the black pond. which highlights their colors even more clearly than before

While taking pictures of the colorful koi fish fighting over the food pellets that Shigure had scattered for them, My eyes suddenly caught sight of a small green frog at the edge of the pond. I don't know where it came from, but then it suddenly jumped into the water, causing a loud splashing sound. before it disappears under the lotus leaf

I don't know if it is safe in this pond or not from these koi fish. However That picture It made me accidentally say a haiku poem.

(Furuikeya Kawazutobikomu Mizunooto)”

The meaning in Thai is An old well. Frogs jump into it. The sound of the water is loud.

I feel that the translation of 'Jom' is a bit strange. Because the original version could only be translated as having the sound of water, the addition of a Thai-style jom made me secretly feel quite funny. I remember when I was studying in 4th grade. When I heard the word Jomni I laughed out loud and got scolded by Sensei.

“Do you know Basho's poetry?” Shigure asked me from the bridge.

I thought about it for a while. It felt familiar, like I had heard this name while studying Japanese literature. It's probably the name of the poet, but I'm already blurry...

“I also don't know if it's Basho's poem... It's just that I saw that frog and thought of this poem,” I replied, raising my hand to scratch my head to relieve my embarrassment.

“It's a simple poem that seems like there's nothing... But there is something hidden in it,” the woman said.

“Like this garden,” I said. “Simple, yet beautiful, and full of mysteries to ponder.”

“Or maybe it doesn't mean anything at all,” Shigure said with a sweet smile. If that look in your eyes Even though it's so small it looks like a smile. But I don't know why those eyes were so devoid of any sparkle that it looked as if she was wearing a Noh mask. Even though it's beautiful... But it also makes you feel a chill in your spine.

“I can't believe it,” Shigure suddenly said in a soft voice. Yet there is a reverberation within. "That this poem It has been known for hundreds of years... Moreover, it has also been known far abroad as well. He is considered to be quite successful... If he was still alive and knew about this, it would be good...

Unfortunately, he fell ill and passed away..."

I remember her saying something like that, but I'm not sure if it was because I was thinking about it or because I knew something and didn't understand it. So I felt as if Shigure was talking about the poet Basho as if he had known him before. Combined with the softer voice, you could feel the sadness.

It makes me feel that way even more than before...

But I might just be distracted by myself, that's all.

I kept taking photos amidst the stillness of this temple. Everything is quiet. There were no birds singing, no insects, or even the slightest sound of the wind blowing. There is only the sound of water ripples from the koi pond. and the sound of water dripping from the roof, gently dripping onto the gravel floor only.

It must have been about three or four hours that I was in this garden. When he intended to pick up his phone and look at the time I found that the phone screen was completely black.

The battery is dead...

I could only moan loudly in my throat. Then he asked about the time with Shigure. She just smiled and replied.

“It's time to go back now. It might rain again soon. Then you will be stuck here.”

Even though I feel sorry But I can't help it. The girl was right. It's time for me to return.

“Then if there is a chance I will come back here again,” I told her, and hoped that once school started, I would actually have time to come here again.

"I hope you'll wander in here again," Shigure joked. Makes me chuckle, it's a formality.

“I hope next time it doesn't rain so hard that I fall like this again,” I said.

Shigure carried me up to the stairs leading down into the mist that was beginning to thin. At first, she volunteered to take me downstairs. But with consideration And then I felt that my leg didn't hurt as much. So I refused her, intending to walk down by myself.

I bowed and thanked her again. I bow and apologize for disturbing you. and apologized and prepared to say goodbye to her But then it dawned on me that I don't even know the name of this temple. When trying to look for the temple name sign It doesn't appear that it exists anywhere. So I asked Shigure. and got the answer that

“Kiridera” which literally translates to “Mist Temple”… but a better translation would probably be “Temple in the Mist” because from the time I came here until now, the white mist is still floating. The surroundings aren't going anywhere. And that made me secretly and jokingly think that maybe these fogs were the spirits of their dead that were roaming around in this temple.

"Then I'll have to excuse myself first, Mr. Shigure," he said. And then we curved again. Before I turned my back on her and headed down the stone steps in front of me. But after taking only three steps, I heard Shigure's voice behind me saying,

"See you on a foggy day."

I stopped in my tracks, not sure if I understood. But when he turned his back, he would go back and ask again. Instead, I found myself standing in front of a cliff that was densely covered with trees!

I was so shocked that I almost fell on my back. But my feet touched the road instead.

My eyes widened and I felt goosebumps like I couldn't quite put my finger on the end. Just now, I was still talking to Shigure... already...

Wait, what about the entrance to the temple?

I tried to walk along the cliff next to the road filled with dense trees. No matter how much I walked, I couldn't see any sign of a stone staircase, not even a shadow. And while walking around, he looked like a chicken with his eyes open. I walked over and stumbled upon my bicycle that was still falling in the same place. The conditions were wet. But there was no damage.

I looked left and right and was still confused. When he looked up and looked at the sky I even gasped.

The sky is still a clear sky. The sun is not low yet. I was completely confused until I accidentally picked up my mobile phone that had already run out of battery to look at it. But just when I was about to realize that the battery was dead, that's it. It turned out that the mobile phone screen displayed the number 2:00 p.m.

I shook my head wildly. How is that possible? In the time before I entered the temple It was around 2:00 p.m.... And I just shouted back and forth at that time,

“What the hell is this?”

After the events of that day About a week had passed. I tried to find a way back to Kiridera Temple many times. But no matter how many times I tried to ride my bicycle around to look for it, Not even any stone steps were found.

I tried to find information on the name of the temple on the internet. But it turned out that the name of this temple did not even appear in the search. Even if you go and try using GPS to find it. I looked at the map and couldn't find it. I even asked my friends in class, asked seniors, asked teachers, but no one seemed to know the name of this temple. Or a temple that has a large and beautiful rock garden like I described at least...

The even more strange thing is that It turned out that the photograph I had taken to show off to friends turned out to be a picture of white mist with only dark gray shadows all over it. Even when taking photos I checked the pictures carefully to see if each picture was beautiful enough...

What is this?

“Did you secretly go get drunk at an izakaya and not invite your friends?” Jao To, a university friend who is as big as his name suggests. He teased me and laughed as he walked back to the room with me. Along the way that we walked together I kept clicking and looking at the pictures that I had taken. Hoping that there would be one photo that wasn't as bad as it looked.

“Or have you secretly visited some onsen?” He hasn't stopped growing up, which makes me quite irritated.

“Where is it?” I shouted angrily. Meanwhile, he was reaching out to open the door to enter the building. Just in time, Grandma, the dormitory manager, walked out.

She is a small old woman. He had gray hair that was tied back in a low bun. She often wears dark dresses and carries a cane and walks around with her back slightly hunched over. Her face has wrinkles due to age. But still looks bright and strong It's hard to guess how old she really is.

I still can't remember her name. Normally it's called Most of them are 'Kangrinin-san' or 'Oba-san' which means Grandma. When I first moved in, I had to bother her often to help with things here and there. The dormitory manager is also kind and familiar with foreign students like us.

“You are so strong, young man. What are you talking about? It's loud,” said the petite grandmother in an elderly expression. which has an ending that is quite different from the common language that we have studied. But I could understand what Grandma was asking.

“My friend is crazy,” To quickly said. And he especially emphasized the word 'baka' (crazy). “I got drunk and came and said I didn't know what temple I was going to. Can't tell the location. Ask anyone, no one knows. Plus, when I took pictures, there were only pictures of fog and smoke.”

You can sue this house owner... I thought to myself angrily. Another part of me was secretly envious that this guy was so much more talkative than he looked.

“A temple?” The elderly man tilted his head slightly in confusion. “What is the name of the temple?”

“Kiridera,” I answered. “Does Grandma know?”

The old woman stood still for a moment. The kind smile from the beginning disappeared in the blink of an eye. The eyes that were small at first suddenly widened. She pursed her lips and remained silent for a while before slowly opening her mouth and replying in a soft voice,

"Let's go see Mr. Shigure..."

“Yes, yes, yes,” I quickly nodded and cheered with excitement. “Grandma, you know Mr. Shigure, too.”

But Grandma didn't answer. She just looked at the camera I was still holding. Then he held out his hand in a gesture of asking to see. So I handed it over with both hands.

The old woman deftly pressed the scroll button. Even though he looks very old But she is very tech savvy. She scrolled through the photos filled with white and blurry images until she stopped at a picture. before handing the camera back to me

“Hey!” To shouted in shock. “Is this really Karesansui?”

I looked at the picture without saying anything. Then he accidentally smiled, happy that he wasn't crazy.

A large garden with clean white pebbles painted in various shapes, decorated with rocks and bonsai trees around and in the center. A young woman in a kimono appeared on a wooden bridge. He is facing the camera while holding a broom in his hand.

“This is what I told you about,” I hurriedly called out to the eldest. “Have you convinced me yet that I am not crazy?”

“Oh, I believe it.” Tou immediately nodded. “But hey... there's such a beautiful garden. But I don't know if it's a famous tourist attraction.”

“This temple is a very old temple,” Grandma said slowly. We almost forgot that she was still standing there. So we accidentally spoke Thai to each other and lost many sentences.

“And it's not an easy temple to enter,” Grandma said. Then she looked up and looked at me for a long moment.

“But in a good way... On days when there is heavy fog... You'd better not go to the mountains, young man.”

Finished speaking, Grandma excused herself to go about her business. It made me and you just stand there looking at each other like that for another moment. But then at that time The older one grabbed my camera and carried it. Then he just stared and stared without blinking.

“What are you staring at, big guy?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “Amazed at the beauty of the Japanese garden?”

"Beauty is beautiful..." To said with a wry smile, then turned the camera back to me to look at the picture in it again. “But please take a good look at this picture.”

I looked down at the picture again, a picture of a beautiful garden, a young woman, and a stream of mist. I didn't see anything unusual. And when I grew up, I saw that I still didn't understand. So he took my camera and pressed zoom. and then return it to me again while pointing at the girl in the picture

“Take a good look at this kimono.”

I frowned at those words. Then try to look again.

“So what? White kimono, red obi..."

“Look at how you fold that shirt!”

Wearing a kimono In general, whether a woman or a man must always fold clothes from left to right. You will fold the cloth from right over left only when... It will only be for people who have died.

Right over left...

“Fuck!” I shouted and cursed as I got goosebumps all over my body. The camera in his hand nearly fell to the ground. “Fuck…”

“Fuck…” Tou himself cursed like I did. “Is this really real...?”

in that photo Ms. Shigure is wearing a white kimono with a red obi, and most importantly, her collar is right over left. It's a dress that shouldn't have happened by mistake. And I swear I didn't set the photo to mirror mode either...

In conclusion... Who is Mr. Shigure? Where is that temple located? I couldn't find the answer. There is only this photograph. That is evidence that I have been there. On a day of heavy rain and dense fog...

And that was one of the mysteries when I was studying in the Land of the Rising Sun. which I can't find an explanation for

Until today...

finish...