by Ellen Oh
“We will take the rice,” the collector said, speaking to Takeo’s father, who still knelt in the dirt, his shoulders trembling with quiet sobs. “But this crime against the daimyo will not go unpunished. Let this be a lesson to you. The next time, this whole disgusting village will be razed and burned to the ground. Be grateful for that mercy, or you will all end up like this.”
Takeo blinked blood from his eyes and looked past the collector to where his mother and Hitomi stood in the doorway of their home. His mother wept loudly, and Hitomi stared out at him with huge, tear-filled eyes. He tried to smile at her. She, at least, was safe, he tried to tell himself. His family and his village were safe. That was all that mattered.
Yuki, he thought, remembering the warm glow of a brazier, the hiss of silk over skin. I’m sorry. I wish I could have returned, to see you one more time.
Then the blade sliced down across his neck, and the keening cry of a fox echoed over the trees.
Hironobu Ichiro, official tax collector for the daimyo of the Hida province, was feeling rather smug as he rode back through the forest. True, the drought that year had been hard, but he had still been able to procure more than half the expected taxes for the daimyo. This was more rice than his lord had estimated he would receive, and he would surely reward Hironobu for his efforts.
A breeze rustled the branches of the trees, and Hironobu’s mount snorted and half reared, almost throwing him from the saddle. The rest of the samurai’s horses, too, began to buck, and the men struggled to calm them. Hironobu cursed and yanked on the reins, bringing the beast to a shuddering halt.
A girl stood in the middle of the trail, long hair rippling in the dying wind. Her eyes flickered in the shadows of the forest, glowing like twin candles. As Hironobu straightened, ready to demand what she was doing, the branches of the trees began to shake. The sunlight disappeared, vanishing behind clouds, and the shadows of the forest began to lengthen, closing around men and horses like the talons of a monstrous beast.
Hironobu’s party never returned to the daimyo. A search party found them weeks later, lying stiff and broken at the base of a cliff, entangled with their mounts as if their horses had fled in blind terror. The rice cart had also been smashed in the fall, and grains were scattered everywhere, mixed with the blood of the samurai.
Hironobu Ichiro’s body was not among them.
One year later, a man stumbled out of the forest near the base of the mountains. He was naked, filthy, and utterly, raving mad. When he spoke, he screamed and cried about demons in the forest, ghosts and spirits and all manner of terrible beasts, and a girl. A girl who haunted his steps, who followed him wherever he went, her eyes the yellow of candlelight. He was put to death, more out of pity than anything else, but the story of the girl in the forest spread throughout the province. Finally, the daimyo himself sent a unit of men to investigate, and only one returned, babbling of ghosts, a cursed forest, and a girl with glowing eyes watching them through the trees. Unwilling to risk more samurai and further insult to whatever vengeful ghosts haunted the woods, the daimyo forbade travel through that part of the forest and posted signs at the entrance, proclaiming the area cursed. The village at the base of the mountain was given up for lost and didn’t see the shadow of a samurai or tax collector for years after the daimyo’s death.
The son of the headman was buried without ceremony in the graveyard at the edge of the village. On clear, full nights, if one happens to look in that direction, one might glimpse a figure standing at the headstone. Some have seen a girl. Others have seen a small orange fox. And, on rare occasions, a small boy has been seen at the gravesite as well, his eyes the yellow gold of candlelight.
Kitsune
A Japanese Myth
Kitsune are perhaps Japan’s most beloved and popular creatures of myth. They appear in countless stories, books, poems, and illustrations, as well as in modern movies, manga, and anime. In all tales, kitsune possess magical powers, but the most common is their ability to shape-shift into human form. They are also known for their illusions, and for creating floating balls of ghostly luminescence, called kitsune-bi or “foxfire.” Their stories are as varied as the kitsune themselves: they can be malevolent tricksters, dutiful protectors, beings of ancient wisdom, even wives and lovers. Kitsune falling in love with and marrying a human is a common tale. Though it usually ends with the man discovering his wife’s true nature, often after she has lived with him for years and borne him several children, and the wife reverting to a fox and fleeing into the woods, never to be seen again. With Takeo and Yuki, I wanted to highlight the kitsune’s world, but also show the emotions and complexities of Japan’s most infamous trickster.
—Julie Kagawa
Author Biographies
Renée Ahdieh is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Wrath & the Dawn; its sequel, The Rose & the Dagger; and Flame in the Mist. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their dog, Mushu. You can visit her online at www.reneeahdieh.com.
Elsie Chapman grew up in Prince George, Canada, and has a degree in English literature from the University of British Columbia. She is the author of YA novels Dualed, Divided, and Along the Indigo, middle grade novel All the Ways Home, and co-editor of Hungry Hearts. A team member of We Need Diverse Books, she lives in Tokyo, Japan, with her husband and two children. You can visit her online at www.elsiechapman.com.
Sona Charaipotra is the co-author of Tiny Pretty Things, Shiny Broken Pieces, and The Rumor Game and the author of Prognosis: Love & Death. She is also the co-founder of Cake Literary, a boutique book packaging company with a diverse bent, and a journalist. She lives in New York City with her husband and their children. You can visit her online at www.sonacharaipotra.com.
Preeti Chhibber has been published on BookRiot, SYFYWire, and The Mary Sue. She is also the co-host of the podcasts Desi Geek Girls and SYFY’s Strong Female Characters. By day, she works for Scholastic Book Clubs. She lives in New York City. You can visit her online at www.preetichhibber.com or find her on Twitter @runwithskizzers.
Roshani Chokshi is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Star-Touched Queen, which was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award and a Locus finalist for Best First Novel. She is also the author of A Crown of Wishes. You can visit her online at www.roshanichokshi.com.
Aliette de Bodard has won two Nebula Awards, a Locus Award, and three British Science Fiction Association Awards. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, Sturgeon, and Tiptree Awards. She is the author of several young adult novels, including The House of Shattered Wings. She lives in Paris, France. You can visit her online at www.aliettedebodard.com.
Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times–, #1 Publishers Weekly–, and #1 IndieBound–bestselling author of many acclaimed novels for readers of all ages, including Alex and Eliza, Disney’s Descendants series, the Blue Bloods series, the Witches of East End series, and The Ring and the Crown, which was also a television drama on Lifetime. Her Christmas movie Angel Falls aired on the Hallmark Channel in 2017. You can visit her online at www.melissa-delacruz.com.
Julie Kagawa is the New York Times–bestselling author of the Iron Fey series, the Blood of Eden series, and the Talon series. She was born in Sacramento, California, but spent most of her childhood in Hawaii. She now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, two dogs, and a cat. You can visit her online at www.juliekagawa.com.
Rahul Kanakia is the author of Enter Title Here. His short stories have appeared in Apex, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, the Indiana Review, and Nature. He has a degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins and a degree in economics from Stanford. Originally from Washington, D.C., he now lives in Berkeley, California. You can visit him online at www.thewaronloneliness.com.
Lori M. Lee is the author of the Gates of Thread and Stone series. She was born in Laos and immigrated to the United States when she was three. She has a degree in creative writing (and sarcasm). She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband,
children, and an overly excited shih tzu. You can visit her online at www.lorimlee.com.
E. C. Myers is the author of four young adult novels, including The Silence of Six and its sequel, Against All Silence, and numerous short stories. He grew up in Yonkers, New York, and has a degree in visual arts from Columbia University. He lives with his wife, son, two cats, and an Australian shepherd in Pennsylvania. You can find him online at www.ecmyers.net.
Ellen Oh is the president and founder of We Need Diverse Books. She is the author of the Prophecy trilogy and a former adjunct college instructor and lawyer with an insatiable curiosity about ancient Asian history. Originally from Brooklyn, she now lives with her family in Bethesda, Maryland. You can visit her online at www.ellenoh.com.
Cindy Pon is the acclaimed author of five novels for teens, including Want, Serpentine, and Silver Phoenix. She is the cofounder of Diversity in YA and has been a Chinese brush painting student for more than a decade. You can visit her online at www.cindypon.com.
Aisha Saeed is an author, lawyer, educator, and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. She is the author of Written in the Stars. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and their two sons. You can visit her online at www.aishasaeed.com.
Shveta Thakrar is a writer of South Asian–flavored fantasy, a social justice activist, and a part-time nagini. Her short stories have been published in a variety of magazines, including Flash Fiction Online, Interfictions Online, Uncanny, Faerie, and Strange Horizons. She has also been published in several anthologies, including Clockwork Phoenix, Beyond the Woods: Fairy Tales Retold, and Kaleidoscope. You can visit her online at www.shvetathakrar.com.
Alyssa Wong is a writer whose work has appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, and Tor.com, among others. Her story “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” won the 2015 Nebula Award for Best Short Story and the 2016 World Fantasy Award for Short Fiction, and her story “You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay” won the 2017 Locus Award for Best Novelette. She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and her fiction has been shortlisted for the Pushcart Prize, the Bram Stoker Award, the Hugo Award, and the Shirley Jackson Award. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. You can visit her online at www.crashwong.net.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the authors listed below for permission to print their copyrighted material:
Renée Ahdieh, “Nothing into All”
Elsie Chapman, “Bullet, Butterfly”
Sona Charaipotra, “Still Star-Crossed”
Preeti Chhibber, “Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers”
Roshani Chokshi, “Forbidden Fruit”
Aliette de Bodard, “The Counting of Vermillion Beads”
Melissa de la Cruz, “Code of Honor”
Julie Kagawa, “Eyes like Candlelight”
Rahul Kanakia, “Spear Carrier”
Lori M. Lee, “Steel Skin”
E. C. Myers, “The Land of the Morning Calm”
Cindy Pon, “The Crimson Cloak”
Aisha Saeed, “The Smile”
Shveta Thakrar, “Daughter of the Sun”
Alyssa Wong, “Olivia’s Table”
About the Editors
ELLEN OH is the president and CEO of We Need Diverse Books and the author of the Prophecy trilogy and Spirit Hunters. Originally from Brooklyn, she now lives with her family in Bethesda, Maryland.
www.ellenoh.com
ELSIE CHAPMAN is the author of Dualed, Divided, and Along the Indigo and is a team member of We Need Diverse Books. Originally from Prince George, Canada, she now lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan.
www.elsiechapman.com
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used to advance the fictional narrative. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the authors’ imaginations and are not to be construed as real.
A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS. Copyright © 2018 by Ellen Oh, Elsie Chapman. This page serves as an extension of this copyright page. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art © 2018 by Feifei Ruan
Cover design by Sylvie Le Floc’h
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
Digital Edition JUNE 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-267117-2
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-267115-8 (trade ed.)
1819202122PC/LSCH10987654321
Greenwillow Books
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