This fairytale is adapted from the traditional tale from
northwest Japan.
There was a young man who lived alone in his house. He had no
family, and he had never married. He had built his house on
the northwest coast of Japan, by the sea. His boast was that
the sea was the only companion he required.
In winter, the area where he lived grew very cold. Icy winds
blew off the water towards his house, carrying fierce snows.
During these storms,, the man would take shelter in his house,
as far as he could get from the water. He was afraid to go
out, lest he be buried in snow drifts or swept out to sea.
One dark night, however, he heard a pounding at the door,
different from the sounds of the wind. He went out to see
what the noise was, opening the door so that it would protect
him from the wind. To his surprise, he saw a young woman,
collapsed on his doorstep in the snow. He quickly gathered
her in his arms and brought her inside, so that she would not
freeze. Then he wrapped her in blankets and put her to bed.
Over the next weeks the man helped the woman back to health.
Soon she was well and strong; and her beauty was revealed in
the bloom of her health. The young man fell in love with her,
and they were married soon after. That winter they lived
together happily, warm despite the snow outside.
But as spring approached, the young bride became ill, wasting
away to a shadow. Soon she was barely strong enough to rise
from her bed. The young man could do nothing for her, so he
called a party to try and improve her spirits.
She sat quietly in the kitchen for most of the night, while
the others drank sake and talked in the warmth of the evening.
Eventually, when the guests left, the man called to his wife.
On hearing no response, he hurried into the kitchen. He saw,
to his dismay, that his bride had gone. In her place was her
kimono, lying in a pool of water.
It was the first day of spring.
