An Unearthing of Goddesses

An Unearthing of Goddesses Part 22

In the morning, Anya, Lhamo, Gaia and Nandi rose early, broke fast with the nuns and walked down the wooded path to the Shinto shrine. Statues of foxes sat outside the humble building.

"The fox is the symbol of Inari," Anya said. "We must leave our offerings to him and ask our desires. If he is pleased, he will share our message with his master."

They took their sushi rolls and laid them on the ground before the large fox statue outside of the shrine's doors. Lhamo knelt before him. "Ine, the rice seedling, so precious to our land. From the poorest farmer working in the field, to the Emperor governing the province – all depend upon its sustenance. We celebrate its sowing, its harvest, its life-giving nourishment. May we honor you with our offering, given freely from our hearts and our souls. We ask of you answers regarding a nun we know as Keiko, who has taken something of great value from us."

They all lowered their heads in prayer. The wall enclosing the shrine had a small opening on its side. A furry head appeared in it and then a white fox slipped through and walked to their feet. He beckoned them with a nod and led them inside the shrine. They followed. Inside, they witnessed an old man, carrying a bag of rice over his shoulder. He heaved it down onto the altar. He was bearded, and wearing a peasant's clothes. He turned to them.

"Why do you visit my shrine? What do you seek?"

They all bowed deeply. Lhamo spoke. "We seek answers. A woman we know – named Keiko, has stolen something precious to us. We need to find her. We have reason to believe you can help us."

The old man sat on the bag of rice wearily. "I will show you what I showed her. It is the best I can do."

Lhamo nodded. They all came forward and knelt at the shrine. The old man waved his hand over them and, collectively, they saw a vision. An archer stood, his long bow almost as tall as he was. He pulled back on his weapon and shot it at his practice target – mochi, sticky rice cakes, affixed to a stand. He drove his arrow directly into a cake, and it turned into a white dove. The dove took flight, and the archer followed it, flying behind with his bow in hand over land and sea, eventually leading to Mount Osore.

The location of the volcanic site was clear to all of them. It was on an outlying island that was thought to have sunk into the sea millennia ago. Meaning literally 'dread,' the mountain was one of the peaks of the Osore-zan Mountain Range, a series of volcanoes. It housed a temple located in the caldera of the active volcano.

The archer stood at the base of the volcano and raised his bow. He loosed an arrow and it went into the crater, where a temple arose from the point where it struck. The vision faded. The group rose.

"Send us there," Anya said.

Inari looked at her curiously. "Why should I?"

"If you do, your rice fields will be blessed with rain, with sun, with rich soil."

"With a cool breeze for your workers," Nandi added.

He considered them, then nodded. "As you wish, Goddess."

He reached down into his sack of rice, grabbed a handful, and tossed it over their heads like a bride and groom leaving a wedding ceremony. While the rice rained down on them, they saw the shrine disappearing before them and another scene appear.

They stood before a barren land. The ground was ashen and scattered with volcanic rocks. Openings in the grey earth steamed and bubbled and blew up small geysers. A temple was built among the rubble and beyond it a lake of strikingly blue waters lay, beautiful yet poisonous. The air smelt strongly of sulfur.

"This looks even more ominous than a visit to the home of Hades himself," Anya noted. They walked to the temple, stepping between the sharp volcanic rocks and stood outside the door, a bell hanging beside it. Lhamo reached up and rang it. It resounded melodically throughout the complex and resulted in the door opening onto a simple interior. The young attendant bowed and stood aside. She was blind.