Meyuu

When the great fish statue in the plaza was still new stone, its features sharp and unweathered, Meyuu was just a child. They and Mitsusaburou were inseparable, their games taking them from the fishing boats at the bottom of the falls to the spray-slicked stairs of the upper city. One day, on a dare, they climbed to the very lip of the roaring cascade. Mitsusaburou slipped. But Meyuu did not cry out. They simply vanished into the mist. Those watching from below saw only a flicker of an azure blue cap, a shadow moving against the torrent. They reappeared a moment later, holding their friend, their expression unchanged. The city folk say Meyuu left their voice in the river that day and became a part of its silent, unstoppable force.