In Japan there is a legend that says that two people destined to love each other are linked by a red thread tied to their little fingers. This thread is invisible, but there will come a day when we will all meet that person who is on the other side of the thread and we will love them deeply.
A beautiful story tells that many centuries ago, a powerful emperor learned that in his domain lived a witch who had powers and was able to see the red thread of destiny.
The emperor, who was eager to marry, ordered that the witch be found and brought before his presence. He wanted to know at all costs who was at the other end of his thread, who would be his future wife. The witch came to the palace and thanks to one of her strange concoctions, the emperor could see the red thread tied to her finger.
He began to follow the thread and came to a rural town where very humble people lived. Through alleys, the thread led him to the market, where the women sold fruit and vegetables while their children scampered around in an uproar. At one of the stalls he saw a poor peasant woman nursing a baby while offering the previous day’s harvest in baskets. Astonished, he found that his thread ended on the finger of that simple woman.
– Sir – said the witch looking into his eyes – as you can see, the red thread ends here. That means your destiny is in the woman in front of you.
The emperor got very angry thinking that the witch was making fun of him.
– Are you implying that I have or will have something to do with this ragged peasant? – He asked angrily, glaring at her.
– That’s right, Your Majesty. You can see for yourself that the son has brought you to her.
At the insistence of the witch, the emperor felt so offended and full of rage that he paid her with the girl. He walked over to her and gave her such a shove that the baby fell from his arms, fell flat on the ground and made a moon-shaped wound on his forehead. Later, he ordered his soldiers to seize the witch and expel her from his kingdom.
– Damn lying witch! I hope you don’t come back here!
The emperor stormed off. He did not even have compassion for the little boy who was crying inconsolably on his grieving mother’s lap.
Twenty years passed and the emperor grew old. He knew that his obligation was to marry and found a family, for the kingdom needed an heir to the throne. Despite his efforts, he still hadn’t found a suitable woman to have children with.
One day, the royal councilors told him that a beautiful and cultured girl lived nearby who had all the qualities of a future queen. The emperor, who was fed up with looking for a wife, was fine with it and agreed to make her his wife.
– I don’t know her but I’m bored of waiting! I will marry her!
The day of the wedding has arrived. He still did not know the young woman he was going to marry and was nervous and very impatient. As tradition dictated, I wait for the bride inside the temple where the pompous royal ceremony was to be held. There was so much expectation that there was no room for a pin. The future empress entered slowly, wearing a beautiful gold embroidered dress and her face covered with a natural silk veil. When he reached the emperor, he lifted the veil and discovered a young woman with a beautiful and sweet face, with a small moon-shaped scar near her temple.
The emperor was excited. That woman was that baby who years ago he had attacked because of his pride. With tears in his eyes, he touched the girl’s old scar and kissed it. Among the crowd that packed the temple, he distinguished his mother, the peasant woman who sold fruit in the market. He approached her and taking her hands, he apologized for her shameful behavior in the past.
They married and were very happy, because the thread of destiny never broke between them.
