Silver Peacock

Author: Akahana Naoko
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: The Silver Peacock tells seven strange stories. One day, a weaver, who was summoned by a group of girls to weave a flag, suddenly had a peculiar idea: Maybe they are peafowls? Perhaps they are the incarnations of peafowls secretly living deep in this primitive forest?
Excerpt:
Once upon a time, on a distant southern island, there lived a highly skilled weaver. Though still a young man, the beautiful colors of the fabrics he wove and the feel of them in one's hands were unmatched by anyone. Moreover, men who worked as devotedly as he did were extremely rare. Once he started weaving, he would forget sleep and meals, sitting in front of the loom all day long. When not weaving, he would dye threads. Using tree bark or grass roots as dyes, he would squat in front of his house from morning till evening, until he dyed the threads to the colors he desired. Even when half-asleep, he would be thinking of new patterns. The weaver wanted the large blue swallowtail butterflies common in the forest to flutter on his fabrics; he wanted to weave the stars in the sky. Additionally, he wanted to weave the sea—the very blue sea itself, its sound, its scent, and its radiance—all into a single piece of fabric. And that was not all. He also wanted to weave various things invisible to the eye. For example, "dreams," "sadness," "songs," "happiness," and "past memories."
When thinking of such things, the weaver's cheeks would flush with a rose-colored hue, and his heart would pound. However, the poor people on the island, who came to the weaver to have something woven, all requested simple, practical items. Moreover, his tools and threads were only suitable for weaving such rough, utilitarian things. Only the weaver's dreams were far too grand for the reality of his situation.