THE TANABATA FESTIVAL

[goldless]

[ It's a breezy summer day on Isle Bermuda. There are gulls crying, a few lazy clouds, and plenty of sunshine with a cooling wind.

Today also happens to be a special event! It's time for Tanabata, and seemingly out of nowhere, a thicket of bamboo has sprung up in the trees near the shoreline. Speaking of the beach, a festival seems to be underway; there are lanterns strung up, fresh food, and plenty of goat-people selling fresh food and games.

The festival goes long into the evening, so don't miss it!

The tradition of Tanabata, as you will notice, is to write a wish on a tag and hang it from a bamboo tree. So make a wish and hope for the best! ♥ And what's this? A mysterious, female voice is drifting along, carried by the wind; ]

The bamboo leaves rustle,
shaking away in the eaves.
The stars twinkle
on the gold and silver grains of sand.
The five-colour paper strips
I have already written.
The stars twinkle,
they watch us from heaven.

Comments

[not_so_paper_thin]

Yeah, I'm pretty new myself.

It's a weird place, but I've been trying to to map it out around the edges... but it's not working.

[pishirogane]

It's not working?

[not_so_paper_thin]

Well, um... I lost my... measuring tape.

[She's not being entirely truthful. In actuality, she started locking sheets of paper to each other to make a band that could be wrapped around the island and then mapped in size. Then the tide came in.]

[pishirogane]

Ah... after hearing about this witch, I was beginning to assume that perhaps she was hindering your progress.

[Still, that's a good point. No map, no way of knowing what was around. Probability on that being on purpose high.]

[not_so_paper_thin]

No, I don't think that's it. The island itself is pretty easy to navigate. There's a very strange positioning system in the phones they give out that isn't quite a map, but it does help direct you toward other people.

Sometimes.

[pishirogane]

So a rather basic prototype of a GPS system...

... What do you mean by 'sometimes'?

[not_so_paper_thin]

It's only if they turn it on, I think.

[pishirogane]

Ah, I see.

Perhaps I could assist you with creating this map.

[not_so_paper_thin]

You'd do that?

I'd love some help.

[pishirogane]

Sure, I don't mind. It will help us see what else the island may have in store for us.

[not_so_paper_thin]

Do you have something we could measure with?

[pishirogane]

Not on hand unfortunately.

[not_so_paper_thin]

[Yomiko opens up her suitcase and pulls up some pieces of paper.]

... do you have a pen?

[pishirogane]

Yes.

[She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a simple black-ink pen.]

[not_so_paper_thin]

[Yomiko takes it.]

Thanks.

[She sits down and starts doing a bit of math on one of her sheets.]

[pishirogane]

You're welcome.

[Naoto falls silent to observe.]

[not_so_paper_thin]

Each of these sheets of paper are 297mm on the long side. Close enough to 30cm for measurement purposes, I think, but...

[She keeps writing and scratches her head a few times.]

Ohh, I'll just work it out later!

[Yomiko holds up two sheets of paper and touches them end-to-end lengthwise. They snap together like magnets. There's a clear seam, but they hold together firmly.]

If we keep them off the ground, we can keep them from getting to wet and get a rough outline and size... provided I have enough paper, that is.

[pishirogane]

Ah... yes.

[Sorry. Distracted by how the paper is sticking together.]

[not_so_paper_thin]

Alright! Let's get started.

[Yomiko heads over to a tree and tosses the double-sheet at the tree. It hits the tree like a bullet and anchors itself in the bark.]

[pishirogane]

[Naoto raises an eyebrow. How is it doing that?]

[not_so_paper_thin]

[Yomiko keeps adding to the chain and trying to get it around trees to make an outline. She's got a bit of a slow start, hauling her paper and adding to the links.]

[pishirogane]

[This... is this how she's making the map? Never mind that...]

How are they staying together?

[not_so_paper_thin]

Paper listens to what I say. I'm just asking it to hold together.

[pishirogane]

Telekinesis of some kind then.

[And with paper. Curious...]

[not_so_paper_thin]

Ahh, it's something like that. It's nothing all that special though.

... I think I'm gonna run out of paper.