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A thousand pails of water

Yukio lived in a village where people fished and hunted whales to make their living. Yukio’s father was a whale hunter too.
“why do you kill the whales, Father?” Yukio asked.”Suki’s father works in the market and his hands are never red from blood.”
“hunting the whale is all I know,” his father answered. But yukio did not understand. Yukio went to his grandfather and asked again,” why does my father kill the whales?”
“your father does what he must do,”his grandfather said.”let him be, little one. And ask your questions of the sea.”
So yukio went to the sea.
Small creatures scurried from under his feet in the tide pools. Large scavenger birds screamed at him from the sky.
Then Yukio saw a whale that had become lodged between some rocks and was left behind when the tide went out.
The large tail flukes beat the sand helplessly. The eye, as big as yukio’s hand, rolled in fright.

Yukio knew the whale would not live long out of the sea.
“ I will help you,sir,” he said.
But how? The whale was huge, like a temple. Yukio raced to the water’s edge. Was the tide coming in or going out? In , he decided, by the way the little fingers of foam climbed higher with each new wave.
The sun was hot on Yukio’s back as he looked at the whale.
Yukio filled his pail with water and threw it over the great head.
“You are so big and my pail is so small” he cried.” But I will throw a thousand pails of water over you before I stop.”
The second pail when on the head as well, and the third and the fourth. But Yukio knew he must wet very part of the whale or it would die in the sun.
Yukio made many trips to the sea for water, counting as he went. He threw four pails on the body, and then four on the tail, and then three on the head. How many had he filled so far?

He had lost count. But he knew he must not stop. There was a little shade on one side of the big grey prisoner. Yukio sat there out of breath, his heart pounding. Then he looked in the whale’s eye and remembered his promise.
Yukio filled his pail over and over. His back hurt and his arms- but he threw and threw. He fell down and he did not get up. Yukio felt himself being lifted.
“ you have worked hard, little one. Now let us help.”
Yukio’s grandfather laid him in the shade of one of the rocks. Yukio watched his grandfather throw his first pail of water and go for another.
“ Hurry!” Yukio wanted to scream, for his grandfather was old and walked slowly.
Then yukio heard voices. His father and the village people were running towards the sea. They carried pails and buckets and anything that would hold water.
Some of the villages removed their jackets and soaked them in the sea. These they placed on the whale’s burning skin. Soon the whale was wet all over.
Slowly the sea came closer and closer. At last it covered the huge tail. The village people ran back and forth carrying water, shouting to each other. Yukio knew the whale would be safe.

Yukio’s father came and stood by him.
“Thank you, Father,” Yukio said,” for bringing the village people to help.”
“ You are strong and good,” his father said. “ But to save a whale, many hands must carry the water,”

Now the whale was moving with each new wave. Suddenly a great one lifted him free of the rocks. He was still for a moment, then, with a flip of his tail, swam out to sea.
The villagers watched silently, as the whale swam further and further from their shore.
Then they turned and walked towards the village. Except for Yukio, who was asleep in the arms of his father.

He had carried a thousand pails of water and he was tired.

Meaning: A scavenger eats dead or decaying materials. Flukes are the two halves of a whale’s tail.

A thousand pails of water (A Japanese story by Ronald Roy)

source: " once upon a time "