Mentioned Characters: Parsee

"No matter how long I wait, they never come. Only passersby, crossing the bridge." Parsee Mizuhashi is a hashihime. She may be filled with jealousy, but you have to admit, she's kind of cute. The act of crossing. That's what beings like us oversee. There's something oddly familiar about you.

Bridges The truth is, I'm a bridge. You don't need to think too hard about what bridge I am, or whether I am a bridge in the literal sense. People used to wade across shallow rivers or swim across deep ones. But getting wet was a pain, and not everyone could make the crossing. Ferries were good, but they weren't a perfect solution. So people built bridges. More architectural knowledge and effort than you might think are required to build bridges. After all, it's not acceptable for them to simply wash away. Bridge construction is deeply tied to river management, so building one is often a major political and economic decision. Crossing or passing through from one land to another... Was something so simple really that important? In the past, hitobashira rituals were performed, where a person was buried alive under bridges to bestow divine protection upon the structure. So yes, it seems it was that important.

Water God The legends about hitobashira rituals aren't necessarily true. Still, shrine maidens who served water gods spoke of human sacrifices as a way to strengthen faith, especially when those sacrificed were supposedly their own ancestors. That said, it's likely that some people were sacrificed. Stories about them likely spread fast, spawning fresh rumors across the land. Water is essential for life. Yet in great quantities, it can be deadly. The flow of water mirrors the flow of spiritual energy. And oni appear above rivers. Over time, the gods to whom sacrifices were made began to fade from memory. Eventually, it was the sacrificed humans themselves who came to be worshipped as gods. After all, the "bashira" in hitobashira can be used as a counter for divine beings. Perhaps each bridge had two hashihime―one with divine origins, the other with human origins.

The Far Side of the Sun Every journey leaves footsteps. The farther someone travels, the more footsteps are left in their wake. Their genes may even bear the record of the path they've walked. Journeys are never without hardship. All the more so for the ones who sought the place where the Sun is reborn. Many things blocked their path. Dense forests, vast marshes, dangerous beasts, treacherous mountains, great rivers. Each step forward likely came at the cost of someone's life. Their bones were buried, and the remaining travellers moved on. Perhaps their heavy emotions were also woven into the bridges they built. They longed for the Sun. So many died in search of it. And that's why it must have a hidden side. What lies on the far side of the Sun? The Moon? An eclipse? The travellers' nemesis?

Jealousy The water god and the water god's shrine maiden. The hashihime and the ox-hour curse. The Uji hashihime and Seoritsu-hime. Amaterasu and Seoritsu. Those who wait, and those who leave. Those who wait, and those who return... A jealous heart splits in two, each half envying the other, as if to envy their own reflection in the river's surface. They might get bored and look away. But before long, they start to stare again.