A Journey Among the Waves
By Hanna Gustafson, Age 11, South Burlington
On the Oshika Peninsula a young boy, Aito, decided to take a swim in the ocean before school started for the day. When the ocean came into view, Aito spotted a very small shape swimming among the waves. As he got closer, the shape of a cat started to form. Aito jumped into the ocean, swimming as fast as he could to investigate the cat. As it swam away, Aito followed until the mainland was out of view, and the ocean stretched in all four directions. His only choice was to follow the cat and hope they would come to an island. Suddenly, land came into view. Aito and the cat found a place to rest.
Doubts entered Aito’s head. Where would he sleep? How would he find food? Most important, how would he get home? Aito felt a creature rub against his leg. It was the cat. The cat got up and started walking away, moving his tail as if to say, “Follow me.” How interesting, Aito thought. He got up and walked over to the spot where the cat had entered the bushes. There it was! Aito followed the cat to a strange building, a shrine. Whatever god or goddess the shrine was dedicated to seemed to be helping him, for there was even a persimmon tree. Aito bent down and laid himself on the stone floor. Maybe when he woke up, he would be in his own bed. Soon darkness engulfed Aito and he fell asleep very quickly, despite not having a bed underneath him. When the sun was but a mere glow on the horizon, Aito drifted back into the mortal world. At the sight of a strange man standing over him, he almost fled. The man uttered a request that touched him deeply. A request to share the island with the world.
The words pierced Aito, but it was an arrow of love for the island, not of hurt. The young boy decided that the best way to honor the request was to learn about the island rather than flee to his village where he would eventually forget his journey on the waves. Aito took in his surroundings. A leopard cat eyed a beautiful red bird with a black speckled breast; a tuniki nibbled on a stunning red berry; and in the distance a wild macaque monkey groomed her baby in the treetops. The colors were so clear and bright, and the ocean shined a brilliant turquoise. Suddenly Aito’s mind developed a dark thought — how would he return home?
Aito looked down. A striking calico, the same cat who led him to the island, was weaving among his legs and rubbing away his despair. He could think clearly. Aito realized that the only way to get home was to build a boat out of reeds and wood for he certainly could swim the long distance. Curiosity was the only thing that had kept him going on the journey here. Many weeks passed as Aito viewed the island’s wonders and worked on a boat that would be stable enough for the treacherous waves. On the fifth day of the fifth month, his project was complete. It was time to share the island with his family. As the rowboat touched shore, Aito rushed into his home. The waiting arms of his heartbroken parents engulfed him, and the memories of his travels were nearly forgotten.
The next day when his family went fishing, Aito directed the boat on a very important course. Soon an island came into view. Aito left the boat and walked upon the island’s rich brown soil that he had missed so much. His parents marveled at the wonders in front of them. They had never seen such beauty. As the sky turned black, they were forced to leave for fear that their boat would crash without any light to guide them. When the tiny fishing boat touched their homeland, the memories were still thick in their heads, but weeks passed and the island was forgotten. On the beach a lone man looked out over the ocean with a knowing smile on his face. The island had been recognized.
