The Heavenward Path

by Kara Dalkey

  We circled it, flying lower and lower, and I was amazed at the shrine's size and beauty. I felt insignificant indeed, and I was not sure even Kai-Lung would help me to be noticed here. Goranu was right, as he had so often been. I wished I could apologize to him.

  Kai-Lung landed some distance from the shrine. I hardly knew when we had touched the ground. He walked up to the huge broad courtyard in front of the shrine and crouched close to the ground. Even so, I was still high up, and I feared harming myself if I jumped or slid down. "How do I get off of you?"

  "I will help." Kai-Lung lifted his enormous foot up close to me, and I scrambled onto it. He lowered the talon onto the ground slowly, and I was able to simply step off.

  The courtyard was lit with round lanterns set up on high poles. I wondered how they were illuminated, as no candles or wicks I had ever seen burned so bright.

  "It must be that Amaterasu is here," said Kai-Lung. "She Who Is the Sun lends her brilliance everywhere."

  "Ah, I understand," I said. I hoped I would not encounter her, for surely I would be blinded. "Thank you," I called up to the dragon. His head towered over me.

  "Let us now see if we can finish your story," he rumbled. "Here come our greeters."

  Three guardian oni approached, and ugly demons they were, too. They each had three eyes and two horns on their foreheads. Their skins were gray. They each carried a mallet in one hand and a spiked iron rod in the other. They wore only tiger-pelt loincloths. Bobbing their heads, they approached us with caution.

  "You would be welcome, Mighty Kai-Lung," said the lead oni, "but this is a mortal, and she cannot come here."

  "You fool!" roared Kai-Lung. "Do you not see that this is Great Lady Fujiwara no Mitsuko of the clan who are Guardians of the Sacred Mirror? She does not desire to mingle with the kami. But a great injustice has been done her, and she must speak with Lord Emma-O at once!"

  The oni stepped back, watching me warily. "No mortal may disturb the conference of the kami."

  "Then let it be known," rumbled Kai-Lung, "that I request that Lord Emma-O come forth on her behalf. And that if he does not, I will rend the air above the shrine with thunder so loud and so long that no kami will be able to hear another. Tell them so!"

  All three oni jumped back. "As you wish," the lead one said. He turned to me. "But it will go hard on you if Lord Emma-O is displeased."

  I simply stared at him, saying nothing and making no gesture. After a few moments, he and the other oni turned and scurried off through the great gateway to the shrine.

  "What if Lord Emma-O is displeased with you?" I asked Kai-Lung. "Are you not afraid?"

  "Hah. Dragons are outside his jurisdiction, you might say. If he has a problem with any of us, he must speak to Ryujin-sama. And King Ryujin never listens to the other kami."

  "Is Ryujin-sama here, also, then?"

  "I could not tell you. He follows his own whims. Ah, that was swift."

  The great gateway swung open again, and two horse-headed oni came out. Right behind them was a tall man with a coarse beard. He wore a black robe and bureaucrat's hat and carried a long staff with two faces carved on it. It was difficult to watch him, for he would appear, disappear, and reappear again, like the light of a firefly. Goranu had once explained to me that naturally the Great Judge must flicker like this, for he had many courts in which to simultaneously preside, and the work of the Lord of Death never ceases.

  "I had thought such pranks beneath your kind, Kai-Lung," intoned the Lord of Death.

  "It is no prank, O-sama. Behold your petitioner."

  The Lord of Death's gaze fell on me, and suddenly his eyes glowed red. "YOU!" To the oni, he said, "Arrest her!"

  Suddenly, one of Kai-Lung's enormous claws encircled me. "Stay back!" he roared at the oni. "Or I will claim her soul in the name of Ryujin-sama, as is the right of the Clan of Dragons with any who are of noble blood in this land."

  "You would interfere with justice?" asked Lord Emma-O.

  "It is in the name of justice that we are here, O-sama. You are being misused. Your reputation as a righteous judge is in peril. Do you not wish to hear how this may have come about?"

  "Very well," said Lord Emma-O. Again he stared at me. "Speak."

  It took me a moment to find my voice. I felt very, very small beneath the Lord of Death's gaze, and it took all my courage to force any sound out of my throat. "You know of one, O Great Lord, who is called Lord Chomigoto?" I squeaked.

  Lord Emma-O turned to one of the oni, who pulled out of the air an enormous scroll. After unrolling it at an impossible speed, the Lord of Death said at last, "Yes. What of him?"

  I explained, in a halting voice, what Lord Chomigoto had asked of me and why, and how he threatened me with Lord Emma-O's wrath if I did not comply.

  The Lord of Death held up his hand and said, "It is entirely inappropriate that I hear anything more about this case now. This is not a court, and the accused is not present to answer to the charges. If you wish me to address this matter, you will have to appear before me in my judgment chamber. Since you have been there before," he said with a stern nod, "I assume you can find it again."

  "But if I show up in your judgment chamber," I protested, "I would be trespassing again!"

  "Indeed," said Kai-Lung. "And what is to keep you from arresting her the moment she returns to your chamber?"

  "If her case is sufficiently interesting," said Lord Emma-O, "I will hear it first, before taking other action. If it is justice she truly seeks, she will not be afraid to face me in the proper place. That is all I will say on this matter." Without another word, the Lord of Death turned on his heel and strode back to the shrine gate. The oni sneered at me and then went trotting after him. One of the demons stopped and sniffed at something beyond the light cast by the lanterns. I looked but saw nothing except blackness. The oni saw nothing as well, apparently, and continued on through the gate.

  "Hmpf. How frustrating," grumbled Kai-Lung.

  "Yes." I sighed. "Now I do not know what to do."

  "Now I will not see the end of the story," the dragon said. "Unless…"

  "Yes?" I turned and looked up at him.

  "What I told O-sama was true, and I can still make that offer. If you wish, Mitsuko-san, I can take you to King Ryujin's Kingdom Under the Sea. There you may live out the rest of your days in a place of great beauty and peace. And even after your body has passed on, your soul may remain, for Ryujin- sama looks after his noble guests."

  "But I can never return to this world if I go to the Kingdom Under the Sea."

  "No, or if you did, you might find decades or centuries had passed."

  I nodded. "I thank you for your kind offer, Great Kai-Lung, but I am not ready to leave all that I have known here, or to give up my place on the next turn of the Wheel."

  "I understand. Although the offer was more selfish than you think, since if you did accept, I would then be satisfied in knowing the end to your story. But what will you do now?"

  "I do not think I can go back to the tengu village. Goranu will not be impressed that I failed to charm Lord Emma-O. If I were to go home, I do not know how furious my father would be, and I might still have to marry the boy-prince. And nothing would be solved, and Lord Chomigoto might still curse my family and convince O-sama that I am guilty of breaking my promise. I suppose," I said at last, feeling a heavy weight inside, "that I must do as Lord Emma-O demands and meet him again in his judgment chamber, no matter what happens afterward."

  "Hmmm," said Kai-Lung. "You are a most extraordinary mortal, that is clear. I will do this much more for you: I will fly you to the entrance to his realm. That much is in my power, and I can stay with your story that much longer. From there, however, you are on your own."

  "I thank you for all your help. Yes, we had best go right away, before I become too afraid."

  He lifted me up on his palm, and again I seated myself on his broad, scaly back.

  A cold autumn wind

  blows the moth
into the fire

  that she sought for warmth.

  SENSATION

  Finding a seashell, I lose myself in its coils spiraling inward…

  I do not know in what direction we flew. Gradually, the sky became lighter and lighter-but it was not the light of day. The whole sky became gray, but not the gray of clouds. Just… gray. The landscape below us was barren, treeless hills and jagged canyons.

  In time, we came to a river of roiling gray water. Three roads led up to the river, each road choked with people whose skin and clothing were gray. They must be the souls of the dead, I realized.

  The three roads crossed the river in different places, and each crossing was different from the other. The left-most road ended at the riverbank, and the waters beyond rose in huge waves in which monsters lurked. The unhappy souls who crossed there shrieked in fear, and I noticed that not all of them reached the other side. The middle road led to a gentle ford in the river, with stepping-stones across. Those souls who crossed there only had the difficulty of jumping from stone to stone- sometimes slipping and falling but getting no more than a little wet. The right-most road had a golden bridge spanning the river, on which happy souls crossed with ease.

  "I will set you down by the bridge," said Kai-Lung, "near the saintly ones. You will be safer there, and I believe from there you will find an easier passage into Lord Emma-O's court."

  "Thank you," I said. "That is very kind of you."

  The gray souls hardly seemed to notice us as we landed on the broad, sandy bank of the river, just beyond the golden bridge. I rode down to the ground on Kai-Lung's paw, and he said, "You must promise me… No, too many promises have been demanded of you already. If you have the opportunity, I would appreciate hearing how your story ends."

  I bowed low to him. "It is the least I can offer you in return for your help. If I have the chance, I will gladly tell you all."

  "Good luck to you, Fujiwara no Mitsuko." Kai-Lung leaped into the air and, with a snap of his tail, disappeared in a mighty clap of thunder.

  I stood beside the river for some moments, listening to the rush of its waters and the soft murmuring of the souls nearby. A ways ahead of me there stood a cliff with an enormous cavern entrance. I watched the souls going in and tried to gather my courage to join them. In time, I became aware of a crowd of gray-faced, gray-garmented people gathering around me. Some wore the flowing robes of the nobility, some the plain robes of monks and nuns, while many wore the simple jackets and leggings of farmers and fishermen. The souls of the dead stared at me with wide eyes, and pressed closer and closer.

  "She is alive!" whispered one of them.

  "She does not belong here," said another.

  "P-please pardon me," I began, as an old-woman spirit reached out to touch my sleeve.

  "Do not be afraid," said the old woman. "We will not harm you. But you should not be here. This is not a place for the living. You should leave at once."

  "I cannot," I said. "I have business with Lord Emma-O, who invited me himself to his chamber of judgment."

  A gasp traveled among the spirits of the dead. "By yourself? A young girl? A living soul in the Court of the Dead? What terrible fate has brought you to this?"

  "An ancient wizard-king spirit claims that I owe him a great debt, but I feel what he asks is unfair. Lord Emma-O must decide if what the spirit demands is just."

  "Oh, poor dear," said the old-woman spirit. "I have heard that Lord Emma-O, while just, is very strict. He is not known to be merciful."

  "Nonetheless," I said, "it is what I must do."

  "Surely, there is some way we can help her," said an old- man spirit nearby.

  "Yes, yes," whispered the spirits among themselves. "We must help her."

  I wondered that these departed souls would feel so moved to help one who was not even related to them. But then I remembered Kai-Lung had set me down among the saintly ones. "You are all kind to think so, but you do not know whether I am worthy of your assistance. I cannot ask you to delay your progress for my sake."

  The old woman chuckled. "If we paused to determine whether someone we help is worthy, we might argue forever."

  "Besides," said the old man, "even an unworthy one might have a change of heart someday and become worthy. One can never know."

  "Now what shall we do?" asked another spirit. "Are you, by any chance, a Buddhist?"

  "Yes, I am," I replied. "Of the Tendai sect."

  "That is very good," said another. "In that case, we can call a bosatsu to help you."

  "Yes!" said the old woman. "We must summon Jizo to take her side."

  "Indeed!" said the old man. "Jizo is the very one to help her."

  "I beg your pardon," I said, "but although I remember Jizo's name from my studies at the temple, I do not recall why he would be particularly helpful to me."

  "Why, Jizo loves arguing with Lord Emma-O on any soul's behalf. He will be the perfect advocate for you." At that, all the gray people around me bowed their heads and began to chant, "Jizo, Jizo, Jizo…" in the manner of monks, for some of them had been monks and nuns while they lived. I felt deeply honored that they would do this for me and sad that I could never return their kindness.

  Part of the sky directly above us turned to golden light, and a figure appeared in it. He wore a red cloak and held in one hand the thin staff mendicant priests carry, and in the other hand he held a polished jewel. His head was shaved in the manner of monks. He stepped down through the air as if it had been carved into steps, until he was standing on the riverbank among us.

  "Who is it who calls to me?" the bosatsu said in a sweet- toned, very pleasant voice.

  The saintly spirits all bowed very low, and I did the same. "We have called you, most blessed Jizo, on behalf of this living spirit who has found her way here. She is in most extraordinary circumstances and needs your guidance."

  "Does she?" Jizo said, turning his benign gaze on me. "What has happened to you, young Lady?"

  I told him briefly of my promise at the Shinto shrine, and Lord Chomigoto's demands and his threat to use Lord Emma-O's demons against me.

  "Ah," Jizo said. "It is good that you have called for me, for Lord Emma-O is often more mindful of contracts than personages. Such an entanglement as yours will interfere with your finding the Path, and I have no wish to see a pious soul suffer so. I will go with you into O-sama's court. Come, follow me."

  As he turned, I bowed to the saintly ones. "Thank you again. You have been most helpful."

  They bowed in return. "You are most welcome," they murmured. "May good fortune follow you."

  I hurried after Jizo, who in his bright red cloak was easy to see amid the gray people. He led me up the huge cavern opening, when suddenly a deranged-looking old hag stepped out right in front of me.

  "I am Kawa no Toshionna! Give me your clothes!"

  I jumped back, startled. "What? Why?"

  "No one passes into the Realm of the Dead with their worldly goods on their back! Give me your clothes, or I shall tear them off you!" She held up hands like claws.

  Jizo walked up behind her and said softly in her ear, "Look again, old woman. This one isn't dead."

  "Impossible! Ridiculous!"

  "No, it is true," I said. "I am quite alive."

  "Then you shouldn't be here!"

  "But I must. I must speak to Lord Emma-O in his chamber."

  "Well. You can't go in with your clothes on. Give me your clothes! Unless… you happen to have some coins on you."

  I looked at Jizo helplessly, but he only sighed and rolled his eyes. I said to the old woman, "I have no money. But this outer kimono is sewn with gold and silver threads. Will you take that?" Somewhat embarrassed because of the other souls nearby, I removed the outermost kimono that Kai-Lung had given me and handed it to the old woman.

  She sniffed at it, poked at it, then stuffed it under one arm. "It'll do. Go on." She walked around me, and I heard her accost some other poor soul behind me. "I am Kawa no Toshionna! Giv
e me your clothes!"

  I walked up beside Jizo and said to him, "Can you do nothing about her?"

  He shook his head, sadly. "It is Lord Emma-O's will that she be here. Whether he makes her do this as severe penance for sins in a former life or for some other reason I do not know. But I cannot interfere. It is saddest when she steals the clothes from the children. Or makes them pile rocks endlessly beside the river. Sometimes… sometimes when she is not watching, I will place rocks on the children's piles so that they can rest or travel on sooner. But that is all I can do. Let us go in."

  We entered a long tunnel whose rocky walls and ceiling were covered with short stalactites, like teeth in an impossibly huge mouth. The souls of the dead were jammed in around us, but as my arms could pass through them, I did not feel pressed upon.

  Down and down we walked until, at last, the tunnel entered a vast chamber filled with gray souls. At the far end, Lord Emma-O sat at a great black desk, set on a high dais. Horse- headed oni stood to either side of him, watching the crowd officiously. Emma-O looked as he had at Izumo-flickering, for he was still at Izumo part of the time, among other places. The high walls of the chamber had openings, and now and then Lord Emma-O would pause in his writing and point at a soul, who would go flying with a whoop or a wail through one of the holes in the walls.

  "Follow close," said Jizo, and he pressed through the throng of gray personages right up to Lord Emma-O's dais.

  "Jizo-san," said the Judge of the Dead, frowning. "What are you doing here? Are you going to waste more of my time begging on behalf of yet another departed wretch?"

  Jizo bowed politely and said, "No, O-sama. I do not come to speak on behalf of the dead."

  "Good."

  "I come on behalf of this one who is yet alive." Jizo stepped aside and gently urged me forward.

  "You!" said Lord Emma-O.

  "Begging my Lord's pardon," I said, bowing very low. "But you did invite me to appear and press my case, and so I have."

  The Judge of the Dead looked back and forth between Jizo and me, scowling and chewing on a strand of his coarse beard. "Had I known you would bring him as your advocate, I would have reconsidered the invitation. Very well. Let us get this over with." He turned to one of the guardian oni, who handed him his two-headed staff. He pounded this on the dais three times and called out "Chomigoto-san!"