Chapter Eight The Legend of Urashima Tarō, Part I
Long ago, in a village by the sea, there lived a fisherman, and a child, and a turtle.
The fisherman, who was named Urashima Tarō, had lived a quiet life caring for his elderly mother, up until the day when adventure
came for him.
One morning, he was heading home with the day’s catch of salmon when he saw a giant turtle lying on the shore. Its shell was
black like the sea, its eyes glittering like great diamonds. A group of children had gathered around it and were trying to
bash its skull with rocks and poke its eyes with sticks.
Urashima Tarō yelled at the children and chased them away. He looked into the watery eyes of the turtle and saw gratitude.
The turtle crawled slowly back out to shore, and Urashima Tarō watched it descend beneath the waves.
The next morning, as the sun broke across the darkness, Urashima Tarō went out to fish once more. But this time, a turtle
was already waiting for him.
This one was smaller than the other, its shell a muddy brown. It opened its mouth and spoke with more majesty than any human
the fisherman had ever encountered.
“Urashima Tarō,” it said, “the turtle you saved yesterday was the daughter of Ryūjin, the Emperor of the Sea, who is forever grateful to you. He invites you to his palace at the bottom of the ocean.”
Urashima Tarō looked out across the small, crumbling village where his mother lay sleeping. He had never thought himself the
kind of person destined for adventure. He had not done anything great, or brave, or worth this kind of honor. He was meant
to live and die on these shores.
But the call of the sea was loud, and part of him wondered what lay beyond.
“I accept,” Urashima Tarō said.
The turtle turned and allowed Urashima Tarō to climb onto its back. He held tight to its shell as it walked slowly into the
cold waters, then plunged into the sea.