Issun

Fairy Tale: The Inch-High Samurai or One-Inch Boy from Japan
For the contest: Fairy Tales Re-told: [link]
" ... Her parents knew she was old enough to go on her own, so her father fashioned for her a sword (it was a needle) and her mother gave her a boat (it was a rice bowl) and an oar (it was a chopstick) and they waved farewell to their brave daughter. "Be safe!"

The voyage took many days, and was fraught with peril. Large fish tried to eat her, and often the rice bowl crashed into rocks and nearly tipped over. Whirlpools spun it around and around and hungry herons peered in at Issun with bright beady eyes. But undaunted Issun paddled and steered with her chopstick ... "

-

Revisited: Japan is a strange country. For all of its future lore and 25th century anime ... gender equality is firmly rooted in the freaking 1950s ... possibly 1750s ... possibly stone age. I'm not sure. So I decided to change One-Inch Boy from this classic Fairy Tale into One-Inch Girl. Maybe she can save the prince ... ... if that fish doesn't eat her first.