Flight Through Silence

The night was veiled in silence. A perfect silence without light or sound to break it. Through the silence, they flew. Bright colors filled the sky, and their song of beauty rang out. I know this to be true. On this night, I shall recount the tale of a flight through silence for you. Welcome to Gensokyo at night.

Night is the dominion of magic and the unknown. The world becomes opposite to how it appears during the day. During the day, the world fills with life as the sun rises higher. The buzz of the crowd shakes the earth, and rays of sun sail on the breeze. All is bright and fun. But as the sun goes down and darkness sets in, silence grows. Humans make their way home, and even the wind seems to fall hushed and still. As I said, night is the dominion of magic and the unknown. It's a terrifying time when youkai roam freely. But the youkai give rise to a strange sight. It's like a flight through silence that begins when the night is at its darkest.

Moonlight shone down on the depths of night. But in the shadows it cast, another light shone. 'Twas the light of fireflies, illuminating the silence. As the fireflies danced their ephemeral dance, a sound―no, a song echoed out, and the darkness burst into color. Only at night can you see light and sound swirl in pristine silence. It's nothing like the buzz of the day. It's a mysterious and fleeting sight, but vibrant and bright nonetheless. In the center of it all, flew two youkai, painting the dark skies with colored light. I know because I saw them. On that night too, I watched on, swaying gently in the wind.

Bathed in moonlight, the firefly youkai and her firefly kin flew, carried by the gentle breeze and the night sparrow's song. They danced through the darkness with glee, illuminating the world around them. 'Twas a parade of light and sound. I've heard some parades in the outside world take a similar form... but you'd have to ask a human or a sage, for perhaps they've seen them with their own eyes. I can't move from this spot so I cannot know what goes on elsewhere, but perhaps you could call this a Parade of Silence. The mesmerizing lights and sounds marched on gently, and I swayed in their wake.

The night could not continue on forever like it did during a certain incident. This time, it was the moon's turn to fall, and as it did, the sun rose to hail in the morning. As night receded, so too did the fireflies' light and the night sparrow's song. The start of a new day is brought about by the successful shift between silent darkness and vibrant light. This, in turn, gives rise to the cycle of the seasons and of life. When winter comes, roadside flowers like me bid farewell to this world. But until then, we gaze upon that stunning parade each night. And how happy we are to do so! And with that, my tale is done. Until we meet again at tonight's parade. May we enjoy the colorful silence together.