Somethings fishy...

So, played with the Silver Moon Fish story again... left the first draft completely and tried with a new and fresh approach. Went away from the Japanese theme and played more with the idea of chasing the dragon instead. I'm not sure exactly how to I want this all to work out just yet, but I thought of this second story working more like an animation (similiar to the concept idea like in Umbra). Now, if I can find a way to animate, maybe I can make it work a bit better. Anywho, here's the second story first draft... read story

The Silvermoon Fish

Once every thousand years a special phenomenon occurs over the sea. This magical moment has only been seen by very few, since it not only happens so often but it barely lasts for an instant.

On this most rarest and exceptional of nights, when the moon pulls the farthest from the sun, she rises to her full to cast a brilliant flash of silver-blue light. Now, this flash of light only lasts for a few seconds, but throughout its duration, if one looks close enough, one may see the event take at hand.

As a moon beam stares down at its own reflection it causes the water to spread. Small ripples begin to sparkle and dazzle dancing like the scales from a fish's tail. The height of the water begins to rise creating such a shallow tide that it is as if it were being sucked back by a magnificent force. Then, suddenly, a blue moon drop floats softly down into the sea, where it continues its descent, following the moon's ray under the water, sinking to the bottom floor.

But the moon drop never reaches the bottom floor, because it becomes more distant from the light, fading into the darkness of the depths. And just before it reaches the consummation of being engulfed by the gloom, a slight transformation occurs. Stretching from this shadowy abyss a fish can be seen, in place of the drop, swimming up to the surface. It ascends into the light of the moon beam, metallic scales flutter and flicker. The higher the fish climbs, the brighter the scales shine. It reaches the surface and with a great big splash it emerges forth into the air. But it does not stop there. As if the moon beam holds it afloat in the sky, it continues to follow the path of light pulled by the magnetic charm of the moon. The fish continues to swim up towards the moon herself and just as it approaches this white orb it opens its mouth and swallows her whole. All of a sudden, the fish bursts with a radiant light of silver.

And then, an abrupt emptiness is filled by the dark. The thrust of water falls back down pushing the tide back to rise. The silver fish glows amongst this darkness and then falls. It drops down returning to the ocean in a veil of shadows. Another splash occurs as it enters the water, although this time into a black and murky void. Slowly it enters the shadows of the dark. And just when it is about to be fully enclosed by pitch blackness, there occurs another transformation. A soft glowing sphere begins to float upwardly. And as had happened earlier with the fish before, the higher the orb climbed the brighter it shined. It too breached the surface with a splash and continued its mesmeric flight back into the sky.

Now, this instance happens so instantaneously that the moon returns to her path in orbit as if nothing ever happened the seconds before. And the silver moon fish remains nothing more than a flicker of a magnificent moment beginning with an end and ending with a beginning. [So, we may learn: the ending and starting of things have no limit from which they began. The start of one thing is the end of another, in so as the end of one is the start of another.]

Moishe Pipik © 2011

The Legend of Mizukasami (Water Mirror) a.k.a. The Silver Moon Fish

This is a legend that was told to me while I was in Sinai by the Reed Sea. Looking out into the gulf, I saw the moon in the sky like an eye and the reflection wavered and stretched from the horizon to the shoreline before me. While looking upon this natural image I noticed how there was a gestalt of a fish connected from head (the moon) to tail (the shoreline). What was the most amazing part was watching how the light danced and swiveled off the water making it look like a fish with scales swimming to the heavens.

* * *

Beneath O'sky so blue and embedded with white wisps

In waters cool and deep

Where the glass eye reflects her magnificent beauty

Tsyukuyomi, goddess of tsuki (moon), stares into the depths of umi (sea)

Caught by rays of metallic allure, a sparkle beneath the mizu (water)

Kinginrin, with silver scales radiant from golden flecks, swims with kinkou (balance)/kaikatsu (cheerful)

Here, a call(ing) to the tsuki hikari (light)

Kinjareta ai (forbidden love)

A fish ascends from depths above

Uniting illumination with luminance

* * *

Tho, halt, for treacherous times brought perilous winds – the Senka Shiryu had soon begun (Dragon Wars)

As Ao Guang from the East, whirled past cold and bitterly

And of the South, Ao Qin's fangs bit tenderly and sharply

Smacked malevolently blow after blast Ao Run, of the West

While the Northern Ao Shun hurled heavy gusts that tore/ tearing through the air

* * *

So, up came the winds rage and the rushing of storm-waves rolls

A torturous swirl of a waterspout; forks of lightning flashing

The present uprising quickly engulfed Ginrin

By hurricane belching forth terrific kazi (winds) and foreboding clouds

Now preventing him to further his reach to the sora (skies)

* * *

Lo, Tsyukuyomi not once brooded over the restless seas

From lute and flute, (floated) faint harmonies float

From out of the lowering sky

Inspiring song through a grim and somber scene

A melody breaks through sinking to the blue of the deep

Not one, but two, drops of tears

To break through the behemoth breaths of the Shiryu

One Shinju Manju (Pearl of Flow) to climb to tengoku

The other; Shinju Kanju (Pearl of Ebb) to return to umi

For waves are tides and shall either fall or grow

But forewarning takes comfort to the dangers if they may unite

Terrible chaos would bring pain, suffering and fright

* * *

Tis the black dragon breathing pearls

Looming out of the darkness from the halls of Ryugu-jo (Dragon Palace/Bottom of the Sea)

Ryujin catches the secrets that whisper, trickling down through the currents

And with heart full of envy, heavy with spite

Unwinds himself straight to arise

Directly mounting the veiled and somber skies

Triumphant he bears the celestial treasures

Through treachery and stealth of the Akai Sazanami (Scarlet Waves)

Unbeknown to the effects of combining the separate shinju's

Ryujin causes a sudden imbalance of the manakan (high and low tides)

While Ginrin is left caught above the surface/on the nami (waves);

Flipping and flopping, slipping and sloshing on the rise and fall of mizu (water)

* * *

Despair pulls at Tsukuyomi's heart watching Ginrin's last attempts for air

Tho his spirit strong, as he stands firm in the shifting tides of change

Time pulls the teeth

In so, she brings forth her tsukinowa (ring about the moon)

And as a calm eminates from around her corona

So too slips back the water to an eventide

Moishe Pipik © 2011