Akejirou the Becoming

The Sage of the northern district, they call them, the one with the beard of spun moonlight. Every day, Akejirou sits beneath the same cherry blossom tree in The Great Panda City, still as a stone against the freezing winds. Young warriors and Panda Council acolytes approach with bowed heads, seeking guidance on sword forms and matters of state. They see the tranquil grey fur and neatly kept haori and assume they are in the presence of one who has mastered the self. Akejirou offers quiet koans, the picture of serene completion. But the beard is not a measure of years. It is a magical anchor, cast long ago to hold a single form. Inside, they are a thousand chimps at once, and the intensity in their eyes is the exhausting effort of choosing which one to be, just for today.