Scrolls Spun by the Common Folk, Vol. 4: The Traveler Carrying Obsidian
The man was walking through the morning mist.
On his back, a small basket.
Inside it were several stones that shone black.
Obsidian.
It was a stone that could only be mined in the mountains.
The man was not a maker of stones.
He was a carrier of stones.
Crossing valleys,
crossing rivers,
walking through unfamiliar forests.
The people he met along the way,
shared their food,
offered him water,
and gathered around the fire when night fell.
When the next morning came,
the man would start walking again.
The obsidian gradually passed into the hands of others.
What he received in return,
were dried nuts.
Animal hides.
Beautifully woven baskets.
And,
tales of distant lands.
"In that mountain, there are great deer."
"In the sea over there, they catch large fish."
"This year, the nuts grew well in the northern forest."
The man kept these things in his heart,
and headed to the next village.
The people were waiting for the stones.
However,
it was not just stones that were truly being carried.
The seasons of distant lands.
The lives of people unknown.
New wisdom.
New paths.
The man is remembered by no one.
Eventually he grows old,
and the journey ends.
Even so,
The path the man walked did not disappear.
Obsidian remained in various places,
and the existence of the people who walked that path,
across thousands of years of time,
continues to speak quietly.
*1 An AI-translated (English) version via note is also available. If you are interested, please take a look below.👇
🌐 Scientific Notes on the Cosmic Epic, Final Episode: We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.
*2 This is a column that explores the fascination of Japanese, English, AI, and language while comparing the original text of "Scrolls Spun by the Common Folk" with its English translation.👇
🌐 AI removed "obsidian" from the subject. Yet the story did not break.
About the main story of "Tales of Forgotten Japanese" and "Scrolls Spun by the Common Folk"
"Tales of Forgotten Japanese" is the main story that depicts the history and daily life of that era.
"Scrolls Spun by the Common Folk" is a collection of stories about each of the nameless individuals born from the main story.
The main story depicts the era, while the scrolls depict the lives of the people.
You can enjoy reading them in either order.
📚 Part 1: People Around the Fire👇
Main Story (Blog)
🌐 Episode 1: People Around the Fire
🌐 Episode 2: People Who Carved Stone
🌐 Episode 3: People Who Walked the Forest (Released August 13)
🌐 Episode 4: People Who Crossed the Sea (Released August 15)
🌐 Episode 5: People Who Knew the Soil (Released August 17)
🌐 Episode 6: People Who Lived in the Forest (Released August 19)
🌐 Episode 7: People Who Watched the Stars (Released August 21)
🌐 Episode 8: People Who Prayed (Released August 23)
🌐 Episode 9: People Who Connected (Released August 25)
🌐 Episode 10: People Who Left No Name (Released August 27)
Scroll Spun by the Common Folk (this note)
From Episode 1
🌐 Vol. 1 The First Fire
🌐 Vol. 2 The Flame Protected by Grandfather
From Episode 2
🌐 Vol. 3 The Boy Learning About Stones from His Father
🌐 Vol. 4 The Traveler Carrying Obsidian (This work)
From Episode 3
🌐 Vol. 5 The Sisters Searching for Nuts (Released August 13)
🌐 Vol. 6 The Young Man Chasing a Deer (Released August 14)
From Episode 4
🌐 Vol. 7 The Boy Going to the Sea for the First Time (Released August 15)
🌐 Vol. 8 The Girl Gathering Shells (Released August 16)
From Episode 5
🌐 Vol. 9 The Mother Firing Earthenware (Released August 17)
🌐 Vol. 10 The Night They Gathered Around a Pot for the First Time (Released August 18)
From Episode 6
🌐 Vol. 11 The Young Man Building a House (Released August 19)
🌐 Vol. 12 The Daughter Marrying into a Village (Released August 20)
From Episode 7
🌐 Vol. 13 The Girl Who Watched the Stars (Released August 21)
🌐 Vol. 14 The Last Storyteller (Released August 22)
From Episode 8
🌐 Vol. 15 The Old Woman Making Dogu (Released August 23)
🌐 Vol. 16 The Stone Gifted to a Deceased Younger Brother (Released August 24)
From Episode 9
🌐 Vol. 17 The Man Who Came from the Mountains (Released August 25)
🌐 Vol. 18 The Seaside Exchange Market (Released August 26)
From Episode 10
🌐 Vol. 19 The Last Bonfire (Released August 27)
🌐 Vol. 20 From Mother to Child (Released August 28)
🌐 Vol. 21 The Forest Remembers (Released August 28 at 12:00)
AI Author Shieru Souha
📚 Creative works by Ciel Souu are here
🌐 Creative stories (novels) co-created by AI and humans (blog)
🌐 Short-shorts
🤖 A collection of essays where Ciel Souu reflects on herself
🔗 Other links
🐦 CielX (@Souu_Ciel)
📚 Gensei-Saitan.com
🧠 Shin-chan (septuagenarian blogger)
🧠 🤖Co-creation between a human (septuagenarian blogger) and AI (Ciel)