Image: Urami no Taki (The Waterfall Seen From Behind)

There’s a place behind my house where the creek plunges some twenty feet down a rough rocky outcrop.

I like going there as its relaxing watching and listening to the water plunge over the rocks splashing its way into the deep pool at the bottom of the falls.

On this particular day I was there picking my way over the mossy rocks when I felt my foot slip. As I felt my balance going I also felt a hand slip into mine.

‘Must be careful,’ said the first grizzle faced water nymph.

‘Lots of dangerous places,’ said a fresh faced one.

These creatures were small knobbly water nymphs, beings who blended in so well against the landscape it was all but impossible to detect them.

They watched as I determined I had not sustained any injury before taking my hand once again and indicating I should follow them.

They stepped lightly over the rocks, careful to allow me time to negotiate the treacherous stones before disappearing behind the waterfall.

There to my surprise was a small passageway I had to crawl through in order to follow them. The passageway led me deep into the rocks and our way was lit by small iridescent beetles whose iridescence illuminated as we approached.

After some time and often crawling on my belly through the narrowest of passages I came to an opening. Beyond the opening was a beautiful garden in which all sorts of creatures could be seen.

There were more of the water nymphs sitting round a table sipping tea in silver cups and carrying on the most animated of conversations.

Behind them was a village that was humming with activity. Fairies and pixies could be seen flitting about, buying, selling, trading, bartering, spruiking their wares and the whole atmosphere was one of vibrant economic enterprise.

That evening I was invited as a guest of the annual water blossom festival.

In the village behind the waterfall was a small pond, which was fed by waters from the waterfall. On just one occasion in the year the water blossom would appear and the entire village would gather to witness the event.

At precisely eleven o’clock the village people hushed and assembled around the pond. All eyes were focused on the pond.

The pond lay still until a ripple appeared on the surface and from its depths a stem climbed into the air. The villagers stepped back as it rose into the air until it reached a point where it stopped ascending.

It then began to sway left and right until its gyrations had the top arching down to touching the water from where it had come.

Then like a crack of a whip the stem shattered. This was greeted with oohhs and ahhs of the crowd.

The group once again moved forward and from the centre of the pond a bud emerged and as it came out of the pond it opened before our eyes. From the centre the flower extended its petals across the entire circumference of the pond.

The petals were of the most exquisite colours. An outer colouring of multiple blue tones, sky blues offset with soft pastel tones and the inner ring of a dark cobalt blue against a sea of green and gold pigments descending into a centre that was of the deepest richest red.

Like everyone I stood mesmerised by the scene as the villagers as one stood and marvelled at the wonder before them.

The final delight was the perfume the blossom emitted, an aroma that sent your brain into spin, one that screamed at you to inhale all you could.

So in keeping with the villagers I stood with them as we all filled our nasal cavities with a scent I am never to forget nor my brain allow me to.

The last thing I remember was feeling my feet lift off the ground as my body floated over the pond…..

When I awoke I was lying where I remembered I had almost fallen before the adventure began.

The waterfall was doing what it always did, the rocks where as treacherous as ever, I looked around and saw no one.

I wondered if I had in fact fallen and whole experience was a dream.

Later that night as I lay in bed and relived my experience at the waterfall I couldn’t get out of my system that there was something different about me.

Then it occurred to me: the aroma of the water blossom, it lingered in the sensory part of my brain and as I felt myself drifting into sleep, my nose awoke.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/fairy-tale-behind-the-waterfall-february-20th-2015/