Contest Runs: June 8th until June 12th
Winners Announced: June 15th
This contest has ended. Many thanks to Siri and FalenAngel for their votes.
#1
After my third divorce (don't judge me yet), I had decided to go about those matters backwards, if ever again. I would not write the vows at the wedding, but before I even met my fourth, and presumably final wife. After much rustling through forgotten boxes, I find these today, when I rededicate these most sacred vows to she who wishes to share my life:
Whatever we are, in spirit and mind,
hear my commitment in split-meter time,
whoever we are, joining together
let these vows ring always,
until we're dead
and can't get dead'er.
I vow to annoy you in bursts
of song, because we're alive and moving
together on this side I, and you.
I vow to make you hurt,
(but only in the best ways)
for when we hurt, we rise,
and land face-up, you and I.
I vow to live in a spring,
not like the kind with water,
(unless you want to), but the season
stays in our view. I and you.
By: Kensi
#2
Miss Kiyoji.. I would like.. to share this.. then.. One of my.. experience.. ever since... I woke up... in Tangun.. village..
The sacred vow.. A promise.. I made.. not far.. too long ago.. I considered it.. sacred... because... I believe... I made.. it.. with the spirits.. through .. my dream.
Ah.. One day.. I woke up.. in Tangun.. with no me- mory.. but.. now I found out... that at that time.. I was suffering.. a sickness.. known as Sinbyong..
Days and night.. went by... each and every night.. I'd dream.. of this one.. place.. A place.. with a waterfall... and a circle... at the base of... the waterfall. I had.. no idea.. what was this place..
At the end.. of each dream.. I would feel.. pain.. and... would hear.. a strange.. harsh.. commanding whispers... in my head.. I was afraid.. But on the night.. before I left.. Tangun village.. the same dream... came to me.. again.. However.. at the end of the... dream.. instead of the... strange, harsh and.. commanding whispers.. I could.. hear a soft.. voice.. that said.. "Promise that you will come".
At that time.. as I felt.. pain... and was.. at the end of my.. dream.. I agreed... with a solemn whis- per.. "I.. promise.." is what I have.. whispered at .. that time. That very morning.. I woke up.. with- out a pain.. in my body..
After... I left Tangun,.. though... it took me... a while to find... this place inside... my dream... I had.. almost.. given up.. When the dream... started to came back.. and the commanding.. whispers start- ed to.. return as well.. I felt.. pain in my.. body once again.. after I woke.. up.. from that dream..
So... I tried... to find any... leads.. regarding.. this place.. After.. a long search.. I was... with- drawn.. to this.. strange place. I was.. never here .. before; yet, I feel... relaxed... It was this... Valley of the Mudang..
I felt... very relaxed... Tired, after my long... search, I took a... nap near the... waterfall... It was... a dreamless nap.. but.. the soft voice.. re- turned... whispered something... I could not under- stand.. however... it gave me a feeling... of joy.. and accomplishment.. as if.. it was saying.. "Thank you.. for keeping the.. promise"
As I woke up.. I wondered.. who.. was that voice.. then.. I smiled lightly... and.. whispered.. softly .. "Thank you.. for guiding me.. here.. so I can.. keep my.. promise.."
In a sudden, a gentle.. breeze blew.. and I felt.. warmth.. within the.. breeze.
At that time.. Sinbyong still.. affected me.. but.. it was not as bad.. as before.. From that time on.. Whenever I fell... asleep.. I would dream.. of that one.. ritual.. The ritual.. that I have.. shared.. with you.. previously.. Miss Kiyoji.. until.. I can clearly.. recall.. that ritual...
Yours sincerely..
By: Elish
#3
As she sat on her balcony brushing her long auburn hair in the nights light breeze, she remembers back to that night one autumn night a few Hyul's back. Walking through the countryside meadow and coming across a dark figure moving towards the forest bent over and limping to one side. Thinking someone was hurt she followed them deeper and deeper into the forest, no stars out that night and the air brisk she could only see the figure by the light of the moon when it came from behind the clouds.
Soon she could see an old shack in the distance with a tiny light in the small front window as the limping figure opened the front door and crept inside. She watched from afar to see if the figure would come back out but after a little while when it didn't she crept closer the the old shack to see if she could peek into the little window. To her amazement she saw a tiny figure of a sweet young girl in front of a fire with a kettle on it boiling for tea.
She saw another figure move in the corner of the room toward the young girl and it startled her. The figure was old and wrinkled with a light greyish green skin, grey hair long,twisted and tangled every which way. It snarled showing brown old and some cracked teeth, limping closer to the young girl on a cane with a statuesque of a black crow on the top of it.
As she watched closely not being able to move in shock, she could see the young girl shivering, lifting from her chair backing away from the old crone, weeping and begging her not to harm her. The crone lifted the cane toward the young girl, and it was all the young girl outside could do was to drop her bottom jaw in shock of what she saw happen next. The crone slowly waved the cane at the young girl saying a slow chant," Talut asti colete" over and over, until all of a sudden there was a powder of smoke around the young girl and once it lifted the young girl was no more, but an old crone.
This startled the girl outside and she began to run deeper and deeper into the thickened black forest not knowing where she was until all of a sudden from behind a tree in the dim moonlight the old crone appears and causes the girl to fall in her tracks, weeping afraid to look up at the old crone.Tears in her eyes she slowly scuffles back on the dewy mist ground to get away from the old crone as she lifts her cane and rests it on the girl's shoulder to halt her.
"You followed me and saw what I did young one." The old crone slurs her words as she speaks."This is what has to be when you break a vow to one of my kind, and one as sacred as she did." The young girl looked up at the old crone wiping her cheeks."What type of vow could a young and beautiful girl want to make to an old crone such as you?" The young girl says in a low bitter voice.
"Ahh that my dear is the same vow you are about to make to me also." The old crone says with a evilish little chuckle under her breath."You see crones are secretive and stay to themselves away from civilized areas in the deep dark forests by themselves only to come out in the open when a wrong has been done to one of them. Following one of us puts us in danger of being harmed. Hence we make the follower take the vow to never speak of us." She says with a long sigh." As to reward you for keeping this sacred vow you will live a long and prosperous happy life, but to speak of this very night and its events or where your prosperity came from and your first girl child will be mine to deal with. Is this understood?" The old crone pokes the young girls shoulder with the end of the old crow cane.
The young girl so startled to the promise she must make could only shake her head down at the ground agreeing,shivering in the spot she laid on the misty wet dead leaves. The old crone slowly lifts her old crow cane and slowly waves it at the young girl chanting as a powdery grey smoke appears.
The next thing the girl remembers is waking in her bed at home. She puts the incident behind her as time goes on hoping it was a bad dream, but as the old crone had said she prospered not wanting for anything.
As the young girl sat on her balcony brushing her long auburn hair in the nights light breeze, a little girl bounces onto the balcony out of the bedroom with her long auburn curlettes. "Mommy, why do we live in a big house and I have pretty dresses and my dollies not like my friends amy and susie who have none?" The little girl asks with a puzzled look.
She looked at the little girl with a faint fright on her face to the question as she remembered the promise she had to make to the old crone. And a light shiver came up her spine as she thought of the safety of her daughter. Then appeared a light smile as she said" Mommy ate crow dear and we became rich." Then she began to brush her daughters long curls out as the smile became more obviuos knowing she had kept her Sacred vow to the old crone without lieing to her daughter.
By: Gabriana
#4
[A crisp piece of parchment, bound with a small golden ribbon is delivered to you, it is tied into a small bow. You open and read the title to see who the author of the letter is it is quilled in a dark blue ink]
It looked as if the clouds were touching the roofs of the small homes in Usan'guk. They hovered just over head, threatening to consume the community into the seemingly endless body of mist.
The normally calm coastline of the small island was very rough on this day, the oceans were angered with the community, continuously smashing the shoreline, washing away many a boat and fishing net. The majority of local villagers knew that at this time, it was not safe to leave their homes.
They kept huddled inside, sharing the warmth of the crimson flames that reached out towards them offering it's seemingly endless supply of warmth and reassurance that this storm would soon pass, and their normal lives would return to them.
One villager, a young girl by the name Yumai Kiyomasa was not inside. She had found herself caught in the storms clasp after she had not listened to the elders warnings. Yumai had continued her daily chores of herding the islands sheep instead of returning home when she was told to. She had found salvation under an old Ginko tree, it's stem and branches protected her. The tree was staring face to face with the Storm, standing tall and protecting the young girl with all of the power that it had.
With one crisp blast, lightning cracked from the Sky - turning the leaves of the tree into a burning inferno of death and hatred. The tree had lost the battle, Yumai had to seek refuge somewhere else while she still could. She made a break for home, running as fast as her small legs could take her, she swiftly climbed over the small fences and dashed between the large boulders that could be found all over the island.
Yumai awoke in a large bed, the home was unknown to her. It was a small single roomed cottage - paintings adorned the walls filling the room with a sense of happiness and warmth. A freshly cooked meal was sitting next to her, its heatwaves radiated towards her - she began to slowly feast. The door of the cottage opened, a young boy smiled and approached her.
"It is good to see you are awake, when I found you it looked as if you were dead!" The sound of another human was great to hear, she knew that she was now safe.
"What happened.. where am I?" Yumai had many questions, she could not remember anything from the storm.
"My name is Keel, you are on the Western coastline of Usan'guk. I found you last night while I was running home from the storm."
The two of them conversed for many hours, soon becoming friends. She learnt that Keel and his family were a fishing family, his father and mother bothed sailed the western ocean in search of food and riches. It was well known to all inhabitants of Usan'guk that the western ocean was abundant with fish and other exotic foods.
Yumai decided that it was time for her to return home, she thanked Keel and softly kissed his cheek.
"Come visit me someday Keel, my home is not to far from here - you're always welcome." Yumai made her way back towards her home, the island had only one main road East to West. Yumai knew which way to travel and off she went.
Before leaving she handed Keel a small woven bracelet.
"I will see you again Keel, you are my savior!"
Keel placed the small bracelet into a golden lockbox, " I will keep you safe, and one day I will hand it back to Yumai when I marry her." he vowed to himself.
Under a large Ginko tree, many a moon later two individuals exchanged vowels. The tree was long passed, slain in a battle - it sacrificed itself for the life of a small girl, with its sacrifice it blessed the beginning of a great new life, that of Keel & Yumai.
By: Nyurota
Thank you for your time!
