After an hour of chatting by the village men with the driver and after an hour of having a scowling Violet, they all reached the top of the mountain where good, old Grandfather Seto lives.
They were all greeted by Grandfather Seto who was waiting for them in front of his porch, smiling as he drinks his tea.
"How wonderful," Grandpa Seto said in his usual soft and kind voice. "You all finally arrived. You can all join me for tea."
"They can join you, Grandpa," Violet said as she traipsed towards the house and went in. "I need a bath."
"If that is what you wish, my dear grandchild," Grandpa Seto said as he filled four more cups with tea as if he somehow already knows that there will be four people joining him for tea.
Grandpa Seto's house is unlike the other houses in the village.
Other than his house is ridiculously found on top of a mountain found north of the village, his house is bigger and (at least) fancier than the other houses. The house is built like an ancient Japanese house. Violet never minded since she loves Japan as much as her grandfather does, at least when she was younger. She used to spend hours browsing through books about Japan and the country's culture once when she was with her grandfather. She continued it when she went back to the city, but the fancies of the city soon drew her into its sparkling glow and she lost interest in studying Japanese culture.
After a long bath, Violet went out of the simple bathroom in a white, cotton shirt and black shorts, her hair all dried up with a hairdryer that was packed on one of her bags and tied up in a high ponytail.
Violet didn't know what has gotten into her. Maybe she is bored or maybe she is just curious, but either way, she decided to go to the room where she remembers her grandfather keeping the old books she used to look at when she was younger.
Violet slid the door open when she knew she got to the right room. It was just the way she expected: looks the same. She left and came back years later and nothing has changed in his grandfather's little library.
The floor and walls are made of wood, just like the rest of the cozy house. Two bookshelves are in the room and full of books. In the center of the room, a small, wooden table is placed in the middle of the room.
Violet walked around and let her fingers brush on the spines of the books on the bookshelves. She also made sure to take a quick read of the title of each book until her fingers stopped on one particular book. She took it out and wiped the thin dust on the book and smiled without her even knowing. She wouldn't know why she is smiling about it even if she knew about it either way.
The book has a leather cover with its title written in regal, bold letters in silver. For some unknown reason, the author's name is not written in the book. When Violet opened the centuries-old book, yellowed papers greeted her with the letters of the story written in black, regal calligraphy.
"Ah, that book," Grandfather Seto said with a smile on the doorway. His tone of voice is smooth and calm as a river in Spring.
"Grandfather, what are you doing here?" Violet asked. She expected his father to still be drinking tea with the others.
"Your driver already left and the village men went down the mountain with him," his grandfather said gently. Then, his eyes shifted back to the book his granddaughter is holding. "You used to love listening to me read that to you."
"I remember," Violet said. "I was young back then, Grandpa. I am different now."
"Because you are older?"
"That. And that I got matured. I don't do baby stories now," Violet reasoned.
Grandfather Seto shrugged. "I don't think The Myth of the Uwabami is a story to be told to babies, my dearest grandchild."
Violet looked at the book again, the title shining under the sunset's glow emitting from the open window.
"You can bring that back to your room if you would like," Grandfather Seto said as he walked out of the room. "After all, kids your age these days are holding on those small, weird boxes that lit up."
"Cellphones. Those are called cellphones, Grandfather," Violet mentioned.
"Indeed," Grandfather Seto said with a smile. "Weird, little, lit-up boxes."
Violet rolled her eyes with a smile. His grandfather really holds on to ancient stuff. If only his grandfather used cellphones, he would have been able to see what fun he is missing in the digital world.
Violet went up to the second floor of the wooden house and slid open the door to her old room. It is just exactly like how she left it.
A painting of a bunch of pink sakura flowers is on the wall next to a wooden cabinet. Her bed is on the side next to an open window where fresh air can be let in. In the middle of the room is a wooden table where she used to read the very same book she is holding right now when she was little. She used to read the book alone when his grandfather is away to pass time.
Like going back in time, Violet slid the door closed, sat on the floor, placed the book on the table, and as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she reread the Myth of the Uwabami.
"During the ancient days," Violet read aloud. "Spirits and humans used to live together in one harmonious realm. There are peace and harmony and everyone cares and respects the other kind as much as they respect and care for their own kind. But where there's light, there's darkness. And the darkness to this light goes by a group of spirits called uwabami."
"The uwabami is a mysterious creature for the other kinds, even to the spirits," Violet continued. "Uwabamis are huge snakes that tend to keep their time for themselves and don't meddle in other creatures' business. For who knows why nobody knew back then. Everyone, both humans and spirits, do know is that uwabamis love to drinks sakes, especially under trees for shade. Since uwabamis don't mingle with the others, humans and creatures alike tend to bring sakes and fruits to them."
Violet flipped the page and a picture of an uwabami on a tree is looking down on a male human who served sake in front of him.
"A man named Eichi came under a tree housed by an uwabami named Akuhebi. The man noticed that Akuhebi had started living on the tree near his farm, so he decided to take a visit and offer him sake," Violet read on. "While the two are drinking sake, Akuhebi asked Eichi."
"Do you wish to know anything about the uwabamis?" Akuhebi asked.
This came off as something suspicious to Eichi, but being the good-hearted farmer he is, he brushed it off. "If it is possible, I would like to know why uwabamis are so distant. Everyone is kind and helpful. The uwabamis would experience much more happiness if they let us humans and the other spirits interact with them."
Akuhebi's eyes glowed green and smiled at Eichi. "It is a secret of the uwabamis, you see. But I will tell."
Violet read on eagerly and with every word, she found the story exciting, "The uwabami looked at Eichi's eyes and said straight."
"Uwabamis are always hungry," Akuhebi said.
"Well, the uwabamis could just help work on the fields or hunt as everyone does. It is more fun with others," Eichi said innocently.
Akuhebi shook his head with a sneer. "How innocent," he said. "You just don't get it. All you see is pure and happy. All you see is the light. You don't want to look at the dark side of the light."
"Then, will you enlighten me?" Eichi asked.
Akuhebi gave Eichi a look from head to toe and said, "The secret of the uwabamis is that our hunger is different from humans and the other spirits. Uwabamis have the hunger of human and spirit flesh. Those spirits who don't have flesh, we eat them as well. We eat the essence of life in their body."
Eichi trembled at his feet as he looked at Akuhebi's glowing green eyes. He stifled a scream as Akuhebi choked him to death and soon died. Akuhebi swallowed Eichi whole.
"Little did Akuhebi know is that Eichi's daughter is nearby and saw everything," Violet read. "She wanted to visit the uwabami with Eichi, but Eichi forbids him because Eichi himself actually doesn't trust uwabamis. Crying and scared, the girl reported this to Fox King, the one who rules over the spirits, and his wise, human friend. The happening caused conflicts that turned into wars between the spirits and humans. While the uwabamis were all killed because pieces of evidence were found that they are the cause of the later disappearances of numerous humans and spirits from the past years. The humans started losing their trust in the spirits as they thought that the other spirits might be like the uwabamis. The spirits tried proving themselves that they are not like the evil snake spirits, but the humans were too stubborn. Soon, the spirits disappeared and all that is left visible to humans are humans as well."