Almost Complete Short Fiction by Kara Dalkey

Author:Kara Dalkey [Dalkey, Kara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-28T00:00:00+00:00

At once the young Emperor shouted for his servants. When they shuffled in, sleepy eyed and bewildered, he said, “Go to the home of the tailor Bakasai and bring him to the palace immediately!”

“That is not necessary, Majesty,” said one of the servants. “Bakasai has been sleeping just outside the palace by the Western Gate every night since . . . since . . .”

“Yes. Good. Bring him here.”

When the miserable tailor was brought before the young Emperor, he flung himself flat against the polished cypress floor as if wanting to melt into the woodgrain. “Please, Almighty Son of Heaven, forgive this lowly one! I did not know!”

The Chamberlain Fujiwara Yabuimu swept into the room. “What is the matter, Majesty? What is all the disturbance?” Then he looked at the tailor prostrate on the floor and the Fujiwara sank warily to his knees before the young Emperor.

“I did not know!” wailed the tailor.

“Did not know what?” growled the Fujiwara.

“My Lord, I thought the weaver woman was only boasting and telling tales when she said what the robe could do. I did not think it could truly only be seen by the wise and not the foolish.”

The Fujiwara rubbed his chin. “Children are sometimes foolish. That is why adults must teach them. But our Majesty’s lesson seems harsher than most.”

“No,” said the young Emperor, though it took all his courage to get the words past his lips. “I am the fool.”

The Fujiwara raised his brows slightly. The tailor looked up from the floor.

“I could not see the robe, Bakasai-san. I saw only a golden framework. I thought my Chamberlain was . . . having a holiday jest with me. I did not see the beautiful cloth with the blue cranes and silver clouds until this very hour.”

For a moment there was only stunned silence. Then the tailor covered his face with his hands. “Forgive me, Great Majesty. I . . . it was never my intention—

“No, Bakasai-san. It is I who need to be forgiven. For your skill, I will see that you are given seven bars of gold and seven bags of rice from the Imperial Treasury.”

When the tailer left them, the young Emperor went over to the Fujiwara, took his hand and sighed heavily. “Yabuimu-san, from now let us work together in harmony, not in contention.”

“Great Majesty,” said the Fujiwara, “that is my hope also.”

“I shall send investigators to some of the provinces that claim to have been so hard-pressed this year.”

The Fujiwara looked at him and lifted a brow.

The young Emperor smiled tightly. “To use too much caution is foolish. But to use no caution at all is distinctly unwise.”

The Chamberlain nodded. “I shall remember that, Majesty.”

“One more thing, Yabuimu-san. Please send to my second wife appropriate gifts in recognition of her grief, and tell her I shall come to visit her soon, if she is willing to see me. And now I have other matters I must attend to.”

The young Emperor crossed the room and put on the golden robe.

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