"Mom, can you tell me the story again?" Sakura, age four years old, said softly. The room was covered in a sheet of darkness. She sat up in her bed, next to her mother, and turned to face her. "Please?"
"Okay, fine. But then you have to go to sleep." Sakura's mother was a very pretty woman, with black hair and brown eyes, and a sort of soft and warm aura about her. She sighed, as she had told this story many times before. 143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsx3GMI0kt
"Once upon a time, there was a girl who was born of noble blood. Sakura was her name." Sakura giggled and wrapped herself in her blanket. "Shhhh, Sakura, lay down. Anyway, Sakura was the most beautiful girl in the village. The townsfolk all loved her. But her mother, who was in charge of the village, hated her for this. She was jealous of her daughter's youth. So, she planned to poison Sakura."
"Sakura's friend, who overheard her mother's plan, warned her beforehand. When it came time for the mother to poison Sakura, she switched their drinks. Her mother died instead. Her mother's angry spirit chased her, trying to get revenge. Sakura managed to escape by turning herself into a great tree. The first Sakura tree. Her flowers spread around the land, and create the beauty all around us. However, you must beware. Sakura's mother, Kobishino, searches the Sakura for her daughter."143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Gr0068LL2
"So if I see a tall woman in a kimono standing under one of the trees, I have to run away." Sakura said. "Right?"
"That's right, darling. Now, sleep."
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