*
８
The weather was calm for several days after the day. The air was
still cool, but the chill was not that of winter any more. There
was wind. But such stormy wind as of the first did not come any
more. Instead, mild wind visited the culprit's dungeon every
day. The mild wind whispered at the treetops above the dungeon
to bless the new spring that has come. Above the treetops was the
blue sky. There were white clouds in the sky and the pieces of the
white clouds were ceaselessly floating from south to north. The
sky, however, never became cloudy. Fine weather continued for
several days.
the wind continued to bring cherry flowers. The wind, then, went
away somewhere after leaving those cherry flower leafs in front
of the culprit. The wind, that continued to bring cherry flower
leafs to the culprit every day, seemed to bring those cherry
flower leafs from somewhere afar. And it seemed to went back to
the far place after leaving the flower leafs in front of the
dungeon. The wind seemed to repeat it. And the flower leafs,
that were brought there by the wind, danced on the black soil,
at intervals, to be mixed with newly brought flower leafs.
Then the flower leafs there increased their number gradually.
Sometimes, there occurred very small whirlwinds. Flower leafs
became part of the whirl winds. They rotated in front of the
culprit and then stopped there. It was as if an invisible
child danced and played with fun in front of the culprit.
And the small whirlwinds occasionally entered the dungeon
of the culprit out of freak to lay flower leafs there.
The culprit became alone every morning after the monk left
the dungeon. He made it a rule to spend his time by reading
or hand-copying Buddhism sutras then, usually. However,
in every spring, when the ground in front of his dungeon is
covered by flower leafs of sakura(cherry blossoms), he did
not spend his time like that. Instesd, while the ground in
front of his dungeon is covered by cherry flower leafs for
several days in this season, he spent much of his time only
by looking the flower leafs on the ground in front of him.
And he spent his time listening the sounds of winds, that
occur occasionally, and gazing the shadows of trees that
move on the ground, in the spring days.
The culprit was happy, when tha ground in front of his dungeon
was covered by flower leafs of sakura.
(To be continued)
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