Insignia: Japanese Fantasy Stories: The Insignia Series, #1

By Kelly Matsuura, Heather Jensen, Joyce Chng and 4 more

INSIGNIA Vol.1 includes 9 Japanese fantasy stories with a mix of urban, literary, contemporary, myth-based, and historical fantasy pieces.

PART I: Young Adult / Adventure Tales

'Kitsune' by Heather Jensen

'Megumi's Quest' by Joyce Chng

'The Bakeneko' by Holly Kench

'Moon Shadow' by Kelly Matsuura

PART II: Adult / Literary Tales

'Towards the Light' by Aislinn Batstone

'Restoration' by Chris Ward

'Sanctuary' by Chris White

'Becoming Hashihime' by Holly Kench

'The Waiting World' by Kelly Matsuura

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWWP Publishing
• Release date: Oct 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781386875345

Kelly Matsuura

Kelly Matsuura grew up in Victoria, Australia, but always dreamed she would live abroad.  She has lived in northern China, Michigan in the US, and over ten years in Nagoya, Japan, where she now lives permanently. Kelly has published numerous short stories online; in group anthologies; and in several self-published anthologies. Her stories have been published by Visibility Fiction, Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly Publishing, A Murder of Storytellers, and Ink and Locket Press. She majored in Asian Studies at university, and (sometimes) studies Japanese, Chinese and German. Her other hobbies include cooking, knitting, sewing, and traveling. As the creator and editor for The Insignia Series, Kelly uses her knowledge of Asian cultures to help other indie authors produce great diverse stories and to share the group's work with a new audience.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

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Welcome to The Insignia Series! This first anthology is a collection of Japanese fantasy stories written by writers with a passion for Japanese culture and folklore, and who support diversity in fantasy fiction.

I love the writing of all the authors in this volume, and I can’t thank them enough for taking the time to write a piece (or two) for this project.

Each author was invited to contribute, but was given free rein to write in whatever sub-genre of fantasy he/she chose. The result is a collection of stories that are distinctive and honest to each author’s unique voice.

Kitsune (Heather Jensen), The Bakeneko and Becoming Hashihime (Holly Kench), and Sanctuary (Chris White) are all based on Japanese folk tales, yet they vary in setting and style.

Megumi’s Quest (Joyce Chng) is a rich urban fantasy adventure, while Towards the Light (Aislinn Batstone), is a lovely narrative-style story set in a futuristic world.

Chris Ward is best known for his dystopian series, but he surprised me with a beautiful literary piece, Restoration.

My own two stories, Moon Shadow and The Waiting World were chosen to balance with the other stories contributed to each part of the anthology.

Happy reading,

Kelly Matsuura

(Editor)

Part I

Young Adult/Adventure Tales

Kitsune by Heather Jensen

Megumi’s Quest by Joyce Chng

The Bakeneko by Holly Kench

Moon Shadow by Kelly Matsuura

KITSUNE

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Heather Jensen

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Akio carried the tiny mouse in his hands as he hurried home. It seemed to be dehydrated; listless and weak, it had barely moved when he approached to pick it up. A movement caught Akio’s eye and he glanced up in time to see a shadow disappear between two trees.

He called after it. Help, please, do you have a little water?

The shadow hesitated, and Akio took a step closer. Please, this little creature has been injured. She needs water. My flask is empty, and it is a distance to my home. Please.

The shadow emerged from the trees, revealing a tall thin figure, dark hair and pale skin barely showing beneath the scarf wrapped around her face. She pulled out her flask and allowed a few drops to fall into Akio’s outstretched palm.

Thank you, Akio said. I am Akio.

Chiaki. The young woman pulled the scarf away from her face and peered down at the little mouse. It shivered as it drank from Akio’s hand, and she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, folded it in two and placed it over the poor little creature.

Do you often save the lives of small things? Chiaki asked.

Akio laughed. Only when the opportunity comes my way, he said. After all, if the larger creatures of the world cannot take care of the smaller, what use are we? His thoughts turned to Sachiko, a lump forming in his throat as sorrow threatened to overwhelm him.

Are you alright? Chiaki noticed.

Akio began to nod his head then stopped.

No, he said. I lost a dear friend yesterday.

I’m sorry to hear it, Chiaki said. Do you want to talk about it?

Akio looked at Chiaki. He did want to talk about it. He wanted to talk of Sachiko’s laugh, of the smile that lit up her eyes, and the gentle kiss she’d placed on his cheek the day before she’d died. But how did you tell someone you’d fallen in love with a creature from a folktale?

He shook his head, not trusting his voice.

I understand, Chiaki said.

Akio had to stop himself from shaking his head again. Chiaki couldn’t possibly understand! There was so much that was wrong. The guilt he felt, that he’d been meeting Sachiko in the woods when he was supposed to be helping his father on the farm. And then yesterday he’d stayed behind to help his father when he should have been meeting Sachiko. There’d been a fox amongst his father’s chickens again. It hadn’t harmed the chickens, but it had stolen most of the eggs, and Father needed Akio’s help to prevent it happening in the future.

Sachiko must have come to the farm to look for him. She’d never done that before, it had been an unspoken agreement that they did not seek out the truth of each other’s lives. It made their meeting in the forest something special, sacred. He didn’t know why she’d come this time.

Akio hadn’t seen her, but his father must have. He pushed the thought away. When Akio had finally found Sachiko, curled up under the great tree, he thought she was napping. And then he’d got closer and seen the bushy red tail and the soft pointed ears. When he’d pulled on her shoulder she’d rolled back onto his lap and he’d gasped in horror as he saw her face, Sachiko’s beautiful face, with a pointed snout and a wet black nose in the centre of it. She was kitsune, a fox spirit, messenger of the Great Spirit Inari.

And she was dead.

Akio closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe deeply until the ill feeling that threatened to bring up his lunch had passed.

You might want to loosen your grip there a little, Chiaki’s voice broke through the pain and Akio looked down to see he was squeezing the little mouse.

Oh my goodness, I am sorry little one. The mouse squeaked up at him, and Akio gently patted its back with a finger.

Oh, I have something else she might like. Chiaki reached into her pocket and pulled out a biscuit, which she crumbled into Akio’s hand. The mouse nibbled at the crumbs, eating them all up, before sitting up and squeaking a thank you. Akio and Chiaki laughed.

I don’t think she was injured at all, I think she just knew you had a soft heart! Chiaki said.

I think you’re right. Akio knelt, and opened his hand flat on the grass. The little mouse squeaked some more, jumped off Akio’s hand and darted towards the trees.

Are you a traveller? Akio asked, now the distraction of the mouse was gone.

Chiaki glanced back at him.

No. Well, sort of, she said. "I live not too far from here, a farm on the other side of the forest. But my younger sister went missing last night. She loves to play in the forest, and mother is worried that she’s got herself lost. But I cannot find her