Kaneshiro’s Gift
By Leila Khansa
Kuniko woke up with great excitement as she embraced the cold morning wind that drifted into the room from the open window. She ran to grab the kite that her poor family had spent so much money on, and ran down the hill that separated her little house from the rest of the village. The kite flew up without trouble, it was the most wonderful thing Kuniko had ever seen. But almost instantly, a harsh wind cut the string Kuniko held sending her kite down to the village in the most reckless of fashions. She ran after her only possession like she was being chased by a tiger and followed it deep into the village. She watched with relief as the kite fluttered down on to a lake like a leaf that has fallen from a tree. The lake was surrounded by the most magnificent cherry blossoms. The sight of their flowers falling and covering the lake like a thick blanket could take anyone’s breath away. There was a red bridge that separated one half of the village from the other giving the whole area an enchanted feel. On the other side of the lake, Kuniko saw a young man, the sunlight struck him in such a way that made him the only thing Kuniko could see. By his side was a long majestic spear, the boy was without doubt important.
“It’s too windy a day to be flying a kite. It’s no wonder you lost it.”
Kuniko was too fascinated by him to realize he had even spoken. And before she knew it he had used the end of his spear to pull the kite toward him and walked across the bridge to hand it to her.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Yamahashi Kuniko,” she kindly replied.
“I don’t think this kite can be of any more use to you.”
“Kaneshiro-kun.”
Kaneshiro turned to find his brother behind him at the end of the bridge.
“It was a pleasure meeting you Kuniko.”
And with that he turned to pick up his spear and left, leaving Kuniko with her broken kite.
“Isn’t it time you head back for training?” Kaneshiro’s brother asked.
“In a minute, there is something that I need to do first.”
Kaneshiro searched every store until he found what he had been looking for. “I would like to buy a kite,” he told the store owner who gave him the finest selections. “And another thing,” he added. “Do you know where I could find the Yamahashi family?”
He made his way up the hill and found Kuniko staring at the sky. Kuniko was taken aback by the gift, because to her, it was more than the kite itself. When he got her kite out of the lake, and bought her one after she had lost the first, he taught her of a kindness in the world she had never really understood, and for that, she was truly grateful to have met him.
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