The Story of Tanabata... [Closed, MPC107D]

MPC Name: Tanabata Star Festival
MPC Number: 107D
Reward Requested: Bits

The yearly Star Festival had begun, and all around Miyashita Park. Many stalls of all sizes, colors and styles had been set up. All the classic games; goldfish scooping and water gun shooting. Not to mention, the hundreds of delectable smelling food stands.

Of course, the little shark had absolutely no idea what any of this was. From her solitary perch, the wall at the an old building which had been left abandoned for a while now. Levi’s large yellow eyes followed very fancily people who were moving in familial packs towards the park. She tilted her head a little to one side, trying to understand but no matter how hard she stared, no epiphany came to her. Although, the drifting smell of deliciousness caused her to sniff the air, longingly.

As night fell over Shibuya, unable to resist her wishes any more, Levi jumped down. Landing ever so softly in the alleyway below. She pulled a D-Terminal out as if from nowhere and swung the lid open. With difficultly due to her lack of opposable thumbs or any fingers really, she pressed at the buttons on the screen. With a loud popping noise, Levi the shark vanished, replaced by Levi the girl, who was admittedly still wearing shark-like attire, had long sharp teeth and a tail that hung behind her.

Now, in human form, or a disguised version of it. Levi moved forward, jumping over the chain fence with a single bound and ran across the road towards the park. The closer she got, the more noise emanated from the surrounding area. Chatter, cheers, excitement… even the occasional pop of a firework going up into the air and then bursting into a shower of colors.

Halfway down the park’s long winding path, one of the tents which had been erected lay open. Within it was an old man crouched behind a small wooden box with an opening and a flat shelf. Above it, he moved a bunch of elegantly carved, oaken puppets on strings. Many children and even some adults were sat, cross-legged, beneath the platform. Levi paused to listen to the tale as it was spoken and acted out by the puppeteer.

“Once upon a time, a woman named Orihime and a Hikoboshi lived across a river of the heavens. Orihime weaved the most beautiful kimonos while Hikoboshi worked hard herding cattle. Orihime’s father, the God of the Sky, was looking for a marriage partner for his daughter. Eventually, he introduced her to Hikoboshi, a hard worker. Hikoboshi and Orihime fell in love at once and became husband and wife.

But they fell so deeply in love that they began to neglect their duties. All of the Kimonos lost their colors and weren’t beautiful anymore. All the cows got sick and caused a famine across the land. God was angry and forced them to live separate from one another across the Heavenly River as punishment. However, God, who pitied the grieving Orihime, permitted that the two meet each other at the shores of the heavenly river only one night of the year, July 7.”

“They worked hard afterward in preparation for the day, and they wait expectantly for the Star Festival every year. However, unfortunately, the date of Tanabata is in the rainy season, so if it rains on that night, the only chance when Hikoboshi and Orihime can meet all year, the Heavenly River will be flooded with rainwater. Both lovers will be unable to meet each other. But it is said that when the river overflows, a Magpie flies to help them.

When you look up in the sky at night, you will be able to find their stars and the Milky Way. The Heavenly River represents the Milky Way, the galaxy containing the solar system and our Earth. Orihime’s star represents Vega which is located to the west of the Milky Way, one of the brightest stars. Hikoboshi’s star represents Altair, which is located to the east of the Milky Way. When you find their stars, think about the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.”

The puppeteer finished the story and stood. Bowing to the audience before pointing to a series of very young-looking bamboo plants that had been placed to one side of the tent.

“There are Tanabata festivals held a day before July 7th, and a day afterward in every region of Japan. People write their wishes on colorful paper strips and hang them on bamboo branches. So everyone, grab yourself a card and write down your wishes.”

The little shark merely, watching the children move forward to take the cards to scribble on.