The Mourning Star

They call her The Mourning Star. Each passage guide throughout the millennia has been given different names, each name assigned to them by the previous guide when they achieve their intent and finally cross over into the spirit realm. The passage guide's role is to assist the long-deceased in their transition to the spirit realm, helping them find their truth and purpose. Veilwalker, Lantern Barer, Graveway Keeper, and finally, The Anima Shepherd, the last passage guide before herself. Anoyo, a name shrouded in mystery, didn’t know her fate until her father spoke of it when illness stole his soul, not allowing him to travel the spirit passage fully, as he was taken quickly, with no time to discover his true purpose. Her father spoke to her that day, the day his soul was stolen. His breath hitched in his chest while he muttered to Anoyo. “My daughter,” he whispered. “When the time has come, please find me, my life is not finished yet, my purpose is not complete. Wakamono, come find me.” His hand dropped from Anoyo’s cheek, drooping off the bedside next to her. His lips turned a delicate shade of purple, and he was gone.

It’s been many laps around the sun since her father passed. Each of the last words on his lips was imprinted in her brain, a heavy burden she carried with her every day. In those following years, when she woke, the only thing she could hear before opening her eyes to the blinding sunlight was the testament of her father. And what it all meant.

Anoyo often found herself lost in memories of her father, the warmth of his embrace and the sound of his laughter echoing in her mind like a distant melody. With each passing day since his illness claimed him, a deep ache settled in her chest, reminding her of the unfulfilled promises and unspoken words that lingered between them. She longed to feel his reassuring presence, to see the pride in his eyes as he spoke her name. The weight of his last words, a bittersweet reminder of their connection, stirred a profound yearning in her heart, compelling her to seek out the truth he had entrusted to her, even as the grief threatened to consume her. The loss of her father was a wound that never seemed to heal, a constant reminder of the fragility of life and the uncertainty of purpose.

That morning, the sky grew dark, the clouds dense with rain that poured across the village. The crops initially welcomed the rain, but when it persisted for several days, they were drowned out; their roots begged for clean soil and a hint of oxygen. The villagers hadn’t seen rain like this since before Anoyo was born. They all spoke about the day when the clouds hung over for days, then, miraculously disappeared as soon as they arrived, in the blink of an eye, a phenomenon that defied the norms of nature. While the rest of the downtown trudged heavy buckets of water off the streets and worked tirelessly with aching backs to unclog all storm drains, shops closed their doors, placing large towels or articles of clothing at the base of the door to stop the water from destroying their merchandise and electrical mechanisms. Anoyo should be doing the same. Boarding up the windows on her father's old liquor store, taking supplies off the bottom three shelves to ensure their labels and paper markings don't get destroyed by the water that was beginning to form rivers into the shop. She should've been helping the old man in the shop next to hers board up his windows and place his hand-woven Japanese jackets on higher ground so he can continue selling them when this is all over.

Instead, Anoyo felt her chest tug towards the Sugi forest. While the cedar trees typically provide a welcoming overhanging arch of lush greenery, they were forced to transform with the weather. Their once-beautiful arches sagged under the weight of the rain, their vibrant green leaves turning a sickly yellow. Thick mist obscured the entrance as the breeze howled through the needles. It was every young child's nightmare to be forced into a dark forest. It would be the same for her, except Anoyo was no child, and Anoyo was being called to the forest. She wanted to go in.

As she strode purposefully into the forest, Anoyo was resolute in her mission to unravel the mystery that tugged at her chest, compelling her limbs to move against her will. And there, amidst the towering cedar trees, stood a figure shrouded in an obsidian robe of pure black silk, a figure that Anoyo did not recognize but would soon realize was her own.

“My dear Anoyo,” The Anima Shepherd bellowed. “It is now your time. You have been called before me to take on my role as passage guide to the long-deceased, those who did not get to find their truth, their purpose. It is your righteous duty to take my place and assist those long departed into their new world, for this is your purpose now”. Anoyo tried to ask questions and ask what to do, but the former guide did not answer. They rose into the sky, arms spread to the east and the west, then looked down upon Anoyo. “Now is your time, Mourning Star. Save their souls, help them cross into the land their spirits deserve. Help them live their truth, their purpose, and when your time is over, you will know.” The fallen cedar needles on the forest floor twisted and swirled, rising up beneath the passage guide. The mist collected around the figure in the sky, enveloping it completely. Lightning struck once, then twice, directly striking the figure. The leaves, pine needles, and mist fell to the floor along with the being's silk, black robe.

As swiftly as they had arrived, the clouds dispersed, revealing a radiant sun. The breeze ceased, the last raindrops fell in an instant, and the sky came alive. Standing amidst the tranquil forest, Anoyo witnessed the birds and wildlife emerging from the trees. The birds sang sweet songs of gratitude to the land spirits for dispelling the storm, unaware that it was the passage guide who had restored the peace. Anoyo's father's voice echoed in her ears.

“When the time has come, please find me, my life is not finished yet, my purpose is not complete. Wakamono, come find me.”

Her father. The man who raised her tirelessly taught her to pray and serve the spirits of the land. Her father, who fought to keep her well fed and clothed, including bargaining with the old man next door with liquor inexchange for clothing. Her father, who she longed to see again. Who was stripped from her life, taken in the name of illness, something he didn't deserve. Her father, whom she missed and longed for dearly when days were hard, who she wished she had beside her right now. Anoyos' father knew her fate; he knew he would see her again.

Anoyo slipped her arms into the black lace robe, education, experience, and wisdom

infiltrating every pore, every nerve in her body. She stepped deeper into the forest, following an internal map she didn't know she had.

She was going to fine her father. She was going to help him find his truth.

Anoyo was finally going to release her father into the spirit world he deserved.