Spiders Thread

Akutagawa Rynosuke

One day, Lord Shakyamuni was strolling around the edge of a lotus lake. Lotus flowers that blossomed in
the lake were immaculately white, spherical. From each flower's golden center, an ineffable fragrance
flowed and permeated the surroundings. It was about morning in heaven.

Soon, Lord Shakyamuni stood at the edge of the lake and peered between the lotus leaves that covered
the lake surface, for a quick glance at the situation below. Below this lotus lake laid the bottom of hell.
Therefore, below the crystal clear water, sceneries of the Sanzu river, and the mountain of needles were
clearly visible as if seen through a water glass.

An outstanding thief called Kandata, seen writhing with the other sinners caught the Lord's eyes. This
man Kandata has done all kinds of crimes such as arson and murder, however Lord Shakyamuni
remembered one good deed that he has done. Which is to say, there was a time when this man was
walking down a forest, and found a small spider crawling his trail. There, Kandata steadfastly rose his
foot in order to stomp it dead. Then he thought "no, even this little one has a life. I shouldn't take that
away so recklessly. That would be too cruel," and ended up sparing the spider without killing it.

While the Lord was observing hell, he remembered when Kandata once spared the life of a spider. Just
for the retribution of this good deed, Shakyamuni thought of a possible way of saving this man. Luckily,
when Lord Shakyamuni looked to his side, a spider of heaven was spinning a beautiful silver thread on a
jade-colored lotus leaf. The Lord carefully raised a thread in his hand and lowered the tip between
spherical white lotuses, straight toward the bottom of hell.

II

At the bottom of hell, Kandata was floating and sinking in a lake of blood with the other sinners. It was
pitch black in all directions, except for the occasional dim light of reflection from the dreadful mountain
of needles that could only bring about inexpressible forlornness. On top of it all, the hushed surrounding
was only interrupted by occasional faint sighs of the sinners whom were too exhausted from
punishment that they lost their strength to even cry. Even the outstanding thief Kandata, choked in
blood, could only twitch like a dying frog.

Something out of the ordinary was happening. By chance, Kandata raised his head and glanced at the
sky of the lake of blood, when from the still darkness, far, far away, a silver thread ever thin and shining,
as if fearful of others' eyes, slithered down towards himself. Seeing this, Kandata almost clapped his
hands in joy. If he held onto this thread and climbed and climbed, he must be able to exit hell. No, if he
is lucky, he could even go to heaven. Then he should never be lifted onto the mountain of needles, or be
shoved into the lake of blood ever again.

Once this was thought, Kandata promptly and firmly grabbed the spider's thread and rigorously climbed
upwards. Since he was an outstanding thief to begin with, he was very accustomed to escape.

However, between heaven and hell there was a distance thousands of leagues apart, so no matter how
eager, the task was not easy. After some time climbing, Kandata was exhausted and could not make
another tug. Left there with no other choice, intending for a break, Kandata hung midway, and glanced
downward.

He noticed that his strenuous work has paid off and the lake of blood was now hidden in the depth of
darkness. After that the dreaded glow of the mountain of needles was now below his foot. If he
continued in this manner, getting out of hell may not be impossible. While grabbing onto the spider's
thread with both hands, he said with a voice he has not utter for years, "Yes! Yes!" and laughed. Next
thing he noticed on the spider's thread below were an uncountable number of sinners following him,
like a procession of ants determined to climb continuously upwards. Upon seeing this, in fear and in
shock, Kandata, for a while like a fool, mouth agape, only moved his eyes, which darting about. How
could the spider's thread, so thin that it almost seemed to break upon his weight alone, carry so much
more? If the string was to break off in the middle, all the effort put in and including himself would fall
back to zero. If that would happen, it would be a serious matter. But even while he contemplated this,
the sinners in the hundreds and thousands were swarming up, in one line, hurriedly climbing up the
thinly shining spider's thread from the pitch dark lake of blood below. If he did not take immediate
action, the string would split in half at the middle, and he was sure to fall down if that happened.

Kandata shouted angrily: "Damn you, sinners! This thread is mine! Who gave you permission to climb up
here? Descend! Descend!"

Just in the middle of him shouting, it happened. The faithful spider's thread suddenly snapped from
where Kandata was hanging, and Kandata no doubt couldn't stand it. Kandata immediately fell without a
chance, like a rolled die, cutting wind.

What remained was the spider's thread from heaven, twinkling, in a sky without stars or a moon, only to
dangle shortly.

III

Standing by the side of the lotus lake, Lord Shakyamuni observed the whole incident. Having seen
Kandata eventually fall like a rock to the bottom of the lake of blood, Shakyamuni was with an
expression of sadness on his face as he continued his stroll once again. Seeing that the merciless soul
that tried to be the only one to escape from hell received a fit punishment by falling to the bottom of
hell, Shakyamuni must have been disappointed.

However, the lotuses of heaven's lotus lake felt no remorse. At the bottom of Shakyamuni's feet, their
white spherical flowers gently swayed their calyx. From the golden center of the flower, an ineffable
fragrance permeated the surroundings. It was just about noon in heaven.