Beneath an amber-coloured sky, Mr. Lighthouse lived peacefully by the sea.
Mr. Lighthouse was a living lighthouse.
During the day, Mr. Lighthouse played with the children from the nearby village.
At night, Mr. Lighthouse became a great lighthouse, lighting the way so the fishing boats could return safely home.
Mr. Lighthouse loved gazing at the amber sky.
The sea and sky stretched on forever, yet never mixed together, always clearly apart...
Mr. Lighthouse could stare at them forever.
One day, while Mr. Lighthouse was fishing alone on the cape, a giant face appeared in the sky and cried out,
"Oh, what have I done?"
The face twisted and tangled as it grew smaller, then with a tiny pop, it became a man wearing unfamiliar clothes.
Looking up at the sky, the man repeated over and over, "Oh, what have I done? I'm so sorry..."
"Who are you, mister? What's wrong?" asked Mr. Lighthouse.
The man spoke quickly.
"I am the caretaker of the World Tree. There is a great, enormous tree in this world, and above its branches spreads a vast world.
I care for it, making sure its branches do not grow too wild and its leaves do not wither."
Mr. Lighthouse did not really understand.
"Wow... that sounds like a very important job," Mr. Lighthouse said.
The man continued.
"The World Tree has a great hollow... and inside it, sap gathers into droplets before falling away. Since it is a tree that supports entire worlds, its sap is filled with mysterious power. If left alone, worlds can begin to grow inside those droplets.
Before they could fully form, I would pierce the droplets and let them fall away... but while I was asleep for just a little while...
...oh, what a terrible thing I have done," he said.
"So... what does that mean?"
"It means this beautiful world beneath the amber sky was born inside a droplet of the World Tree's sap.
One day, the droplet will grow too heavy to hold itself together, and when it falls, this world will come to an end as well. But now that it has grown into something so beautiful... I cannot bring myself to pierce it and destroy it...!"
After saying this, the man bowed over and over, whispering, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." As he spoke, his form twisted and warped again, until he disappeared.
That night, while carrying out the work of the lighthouse, Mr. Lighthouse thought deeply.
First came anger toward the caretaker of the World Tree.
Not only had he been irresponsible, but he had called the birth of this world "a terrible mistake." That made Mr. Lighthouse feel upset.
Then Mr. Lighthouse thought, "I have to tell the villagers!"
But what would happen if they knew? How would they feel?
Then sadness came.
And after that, anger returned once more, while Mr. Lighthouse's heart spun endlessly in circles.
The fishermen returning safely to shore beneath the lighthouse's light called out greetings, but Mr. Lighthouse did not answer.
The next morning,
when the village children came to visit, Mr. Lighthouse remained in the form of a lighthouse.
No matter how much the children called out, there was no reply. Only the door stood open.
It was the first time anyone had ever seen Mr. Lighthouse's door open, so the children curiously stepped inside.
Inside was a spiral staircase winding along the inner wall. As they climbed upward, tracing the cool wall with their hands, they reached a place where they could see the amber sky and the sea stretching out below.
The sea and sky stretched on forever, yet never mixed together, always clearly apart...
It was beautiful.
The End