chapt 3: easily forgotten maiden of the willow tree

veridian fields,country of Nechi

oct 24th 2002

in the veridian fields close to the village sen there was a girl who always passed her time watching clouds pass by one by one in the last 12 years of her life

she eventually got tired of it and went to explore

there she saw a lumberjack cutting down some trees, therefore out of curiosity she asked

"why do you cut the trees?"

the lumberjack answered "for firewood and money for food for the upcoming winter"

then she asked "why the oak not the birch trees?"

the lumberjack answered "they pay less for birch and more for oak"

then the girl questioned &/"what's the highest paying type of tree?"

the lumberjack answered "willow trees but they're exceptionally rare around these parts so there's pretty much never any"

the girl had an idea to search for this rare tree and so she asked the lumberjack what it would look like...

after gaining information she went out to the veridale forest to search for the rare tree...

she searched and searched for a willow tree for hours till...

she eventually found a grove full of them,overjoyed she returned home so she would be able to help the lumberjack (because it was getting dark)

tommorowards...

she layed In the fields as she waited for the lumberjack to arrive..

and so when he did she went to the lumberjack and told him about the willow trees and so they both went to the discovered Grove...

the lumberjack happily chopped some of the trees,and when it was done they both headed out of the forest...

as a thank you gift the lumberjack carved a small willow pendant for the girl which she promised to take care of forever...

they said their goodbyes and both headed seperate ways back home...

the next day~

the girl once again waited for the lumberjack but he never came...

she went back home a bit sad

but when she came back her parents asked "who are you?"

at first she thought of it as a joke and simply answered "I'm your daughter!"

but the parents were confused and said "but we never had a daughter"

the girl scared asked if they were joking or not but...they weren't...

she was forgotten...

from fear and despair she ran towards the forest in the night...

she ran and ran till she got tired...

her stomach grumbled and her mouth dried of water..though she still cried and cried in the middle of the forest...in the middle of the night...

she eventually found herself asleep...

she woke up hungry and dehydrated...she walked and walked through the forest in order to go back home...

will she still be remembered?...

was it all just a dream?...

she thought walking through the forest...when eventually her body gave in and collapse...

she tried her best to crawl...

then she heared a voice

"oh,what do we have here?"

and then she fainted...

she woke up sitting in a chair with a food and water in the table...

she drank and ate them steadfast like there was no tommorow...

she soon noticed a lime haired girl in front of her who asked...

"what would a young girl like you be doing in such a dangerous place...under bad circumstances?"

...the young girl explained about her situation...she was forgotten...

and what she did before the incident...

"ah,that willow tree grove...

it's said to curse anyone who cuts it down will be dead, the ones who thinks about cutting it will be forgotten...it has an old tale but it's a long story..." the lime hair girl explained

"so soon you'll also forget me..."

the young girl cried

but the lime haired one giggled and said "those who are already cursed can't forget the others"

the young girl quickly asked "you're cursed too?"

the lime haired answered "yes...but it's a different kind"

"what kind" the youngin curiously asked

then the lime haired shrugged off the question by offering the young girl food and shelter...

the young girl accepted for she had no choice...

the end...

-written by Nekona shirofumi

(story of Kana)