Lava

Togashi Kama watched the silhouetted form of his new student shyly slide open the door to the meditation room. Kama sat cross-legged in the middle of the dark room as smoke from burning incense slid lightly across his green robes. He waited in silence for his student, Kudoni, to speak.

Finally, after waiting a few moments fearing to interrupt his teacher’s meditation, Kudoni whispered, “Master, I am ready for my lesson.”

“Break the habit, young one. You are your only Master. I am nothing more then your guide.” Kama replied quickly. Although Kudoni completed his first climb up Togashi Mountain, he has still not symbolically killed his family, thought Kama. His new student still held fast to his Mirumoto upbringing. That is something that Kama must break. “You watered the vegetable garden with rain water from the cisterns?”

“Hai.” Kudoni answered back.

“Tomorrow you will water the garden with water from the stream. You will try not to waste a drop as you carry the buckets.” Kama said as he studied his stoic student, trying to read his body language.

After a few moments of silence, Togashi Kama stood and stretched his body. “Follow me. We will start your lesson soon.” With that he led Kudoni out into the moonlit night. They walked in silence, broken only by the sounds of their footsteps and the chirping of insects. Kudoni tried to understand his teacher’s motives. The stream was a long hike away. What purpose did it serve to carry water from such a great distance? Water was plentiful during the growing season, why must he take extra care not to spill any?

They arrived at a small clearing full of pebbles, volcanic rocks, and heavy boulders all carefully arranged by human hands flowing together to form a sense of oneness and harmony. Small bushes surrounded the stone garden, outlining it in a circle with the entrance facing south. Before they entered, Kama asked his student, “You also raked the pebbles of the stone garden?”

“Hai.”

“Nicely done, Kudoni.” Kama said, bending down to admire the carefully raked field of pebbles. “I can tell you took great care. It looks like you took your time.” Kama stood and took three steps forward on the pebble ground, ruining their sculpted symmetry.

“I did, sama,” Sighed Kudoni as he watched his hard work be ruined. He moved to follow but Kama held up a hand to stop him.

With a smile Kama faced his student and said, “Tell me what happened with little Rini-chan’s doll yesterday.”

Kitsuki Rini was the young daughter of one of the local magistrates. Her family had been staying at Kyuden Togashi since winter. She and Kudoni didn’t get along well, at least in Kudoni’s mind. He had always thought of her as a little brat, the way she always following him around, badgering him as he did his chores. He tried to take it in stride but yesterday; he saw another side of her. She was distraught and in tears because she had lost her doll. When he couldn’t help her, she lashed out at him.

“I think she lost it, sama,” shrugged Kudoni. “She seems to think someone took it from her. She thinks it was me, but I didn’t take her doll. I would never steal!”

“I know, Kudoni. Don’t worry.” Kama said as he removed a small object from his robes. “I found this today, down by the stream.” Kama held in his hand a small tattered rag doll with a round woodenhead.

“You have Rini’s doll?” Kudoni reached out to take the doll from his teacher. “She will be so-“

“Ah-ah-ah!” Kama replied holding up a finger as he took a step back. “Beware, Kudoni! Touch a pebble and you will fail this lesson.”

Kudoni stopped short, up on tiptoes precariously balancing on the edge of the line of pebbles, arms flailing out from his sides. Steadily, he began to regain his composure and said, “What do you mean? I don’t understand, sama.”

“You will.” Kama said with a chuckle. “You see, Kudoni, poor Rini-chan’s doll is in great danger now. These pebbles are, in reality, fiery, scorching lava.” Kama said making grand gestures with his hands. He paused and smiled at his student. From within the depths of his robes, Kama produced a small twig with a broken branch on one end. He hooked the branch to the back of the doll’s frayed clothing. Then stuck the other end of the twig into the pebbled ground. The tattered doll’s feet almost brushed the pebbles as it hung suspended.

“Danger for the doll and danger for the doll’s savior.” Kama stood up taking a step back and spread his arms wide. “The lesson has begun, Kudoni-san. The poor doll is as helpless as a newborn babe. Tell me, where does this dolls salvation lay?”

“If I touch the lava, I will die. So I can not walkover and save it.” Kudoni reasoned aloud.

“Consider every possibility, young one. Think on it and I will return later for your answer. If you are able to figure out this riddle, you may return Rini-chan her doll, triumphant. If you can not, you will still return Rini-chan her doll, but you will tell her that you were unable to save it.” Kama noticed the troubled look his student gave the stranded doll. He walked past Kudoni and patted him on the back. “When I return you will see the answer.”

Before Kama could move past him, Kudoni glanced up. The seriousness of Kudoni’s face caught the teacher off-guard. Kudoni reached out his hand and in a flat voice said, “Give me your hand.”

Startled, Kama grasped his student’s hand. Kudoni leaned forward, one hand clinging to Kama’s hand, the other stretching ever so much closer to the worn rag doll. “Lean forward, Kama, I almost got it!” strained Kudoni as his fingertips brushed the side of the doll. It teetered on the twig, moments from falling. Kama quickly leaned in and Kudoni snatched up the poor doll with a quick swipe of his hand.

“Amazing.” Kama thought, dumbfounded and impressed. As the teacher watched the student brush off his prize, he said, “You solved that quicker then most, Kudoni, but tell me, what is the lesson?”

Smiling, Kudoni looked up at him, the seriousness gone from his eyes. “I could not save her myself, but with help, she was saved. The lesson was that I could not do it alone. I needed a friend.”

“Yes, but you forgot one important part, my young student.”

“What’s that, sama?”

“Always pick someone you trust to hold you out over lava.” Kama said with a smile.