After the Noise
Before Spring Begins ⑤
If you missed the previous entry, you can read it here: Who Takes Part.
The voices rise.
Beans strike the floor.
Laughter fills the room.
The oni retreats.
Then the sound fades.
Silence does not arrive all at once.
It settles.
Dust falls.
Beans rest where they land.
Breathing slows.
The room feels different.
Not empty.
Cleared.
After the noise fades, care begins.
Someone picks up the scattered beans.
Someone straightens the cushion.
Someone closes the door.
No one announces this part.
It happens naturally.
The ritual does not end with expulsion.
It continues with restoration.
Hands gather what was thrown.
The floor returns to order.
The space regains balance.
Disruption lasts a moment.
Care lasts longer.
Then comes another quiet act.
People sit.
They count.
One bean for each year.
No shouting now.
No resistance.
Only small movements.
The crunch sounds louder than before.
Eating the beans does not defeat anything.
It marks passage.
Another year lived.
Another year entering.
The body acknowledges time.
If ④ showed a connection,
⑤ reveals responsibility.
Energy moves outward.
Then it returns inward.
The house settles.
So do the people.
Before Spring arrives, the noise ends.
What remains is intention.