Week 2 Story: The Tavern by the Sea

The house swayed and creaked softly from the violence of the storm growing outside. The waves crashed the outside, softly rocking the supports of the inn. The inn was quiet aside from the soft talking of a few small groups of men, either playing a game of cards or telling stories over a few pints, keeping to themselves. A small grey-bearded man stood behind the bar, cleaning some glassware. The man, alongside his wife, owned of the small inn by the sea.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open by the strong wind of the storm causing a loud CRASH, but no one in the room flinched, almost as if nothing had even happened. A shadowy figure, drenched in rain, stepped through the doorway. It was a traveler, seeking refuge from the storm brewing outside.

“Here, the first ones free”, the old man slide a small glass of liquid to the young traveler. He could tell he wasn’t from around here.

The man hesitantly took the small glass and examined it, shrugged and downed glass in one drink; coughing a little, to the burn of the strong drink.

“Thanks” the traveler said, feeling warmth-slowing start returning to his body, “I’ll take another”.  

As the old man, reached to pour him another, the traveler surveyed the serenity of the room, almost forgetting about the now raging storm outside. He looked back at the old man; “Y’all get weather like this often? No one even seems to care about how bad it’s getting out there.” And then took another drink, only wincing a little less this time.  

The old man chuckled behind his greybeard and toothy smile.

“We have No reason to be afraid here! Do you see that man over there?”

The traveler turned to look, but could only to see a drunk, snoring on the floor under a table in the corner. The traveler turned back to the old man puzzled.

“Where?”

The old man continued to sneer as he poured another drink for the two of them.

“I know he doesn’t look like much but that Drunk is a god. The God of sea and storm, and although quite tempted by the lesser “spirits” of the world is an honorable and heroic warrior that saved us from a terrible monster.” 

The traveler could not believe what he was hearing; now starting to feel a little light headed, figured he must have been mistaken, and simply misheard the old man.

“psshhh….a monster? Like the kraken or something?”

“Something like that”, the old man sighed and reached for his glass. He took a long drink and then continued his story.

“Many years ago… on a night much like tonight, a terrible storm blew in from the west and with it came a great and powerful sea serpent. The beast towered over our homes with its eight fearsome heads, black as night. The Serpent reeked havoc on the local fisherman and their families, destroying our homes and eating our children. Once it had eaten it’s full, the foul beast would to the black depths for one year. Only to return again, to eat it’s full. For years we suffered, many tried to leave but didn’t have the means or the money to escape.

One day a traveler, the man you see before you, came into this tavern seeking refreshment. Everyday he would sit and drink until he fell unconscious, only to awake drink more, and then return to his room; only to repeat the cycle again the following day. The day came when the storms winds began to blow in from the west once again. 

Everyone panicked in the streets, boarding up their homes and holding their loved ones; everyone except for the drunken man, who today sat quietly at his table not ordering anything to drink. Instead he sat with a large cask on the floors next to him, a dark liquid inside.

The clouds grew dark and the winds fierce. The serpent’s eight heads emerged from the dark waters, thrashing back and forth with anger. The drunken man met the beast on the beach, calm and unafraid. He offered the cask to Serpent, claiming it to be the finniest drink in the world, eight times the strength of anything that could be found!

The eight heads quickly drowned the dark liquid and continued on its warpath but soon grew very weary. The serpent collapsed in the streets, overcome with sleep. The drunken man then proceeded to slay the beast cutting off eat of the monsters heads one by one.

Since that day the man has traveled far away from time to time, sometimes for many months, but he always seems to find his way back here soon enough.”

The traveler’s trance was broken by a loud crash of thunder. He was so consumed by the story he had hardly noticed how tired he had become, he could barley hold his eyes open. The Traveler thanked the old man for the story and paid him for the drinks, laughing as he made his way to his room at how foolish he was for getting so engulfed in such a silly story. He soon nestled in to a deep sleep.

            The next morning he awoke to the sound of birds singing in the morning sun.

He sat up with a jerk.

He was on the ground…outside.

He stood up and looked around him. There was nothing in sight for miles except for some trees and the ocean. Next to him laid a bottle with a note, it read: “to help fight the monsters in us all”. The travel laughed and put the bottle in his bag, making his way up and over the hill to find the next near by city.

Authors Note: I got my inspiration was the story Susanoo and Orochi from this weeks reading assignment. The battle between the samurai warrior and the serpent was really good story and I wanted to try and put my own spin on it. This being my first one I started really slow and started with way to much, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.    

Bibliography: “Susanoo and Orochi” from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney