The Japanese Garden "Why must I take off my shoes?" Riku asked his father. He noticed that other people kept their shoes on when
they entered the Japanese garden. The stone path looked as though it might hurt the bottoms of his feet. "It is a Japanese tradition," Riku's father said in a gruff voice. "By taking off our shoes, we recognize that the garden is special. Also, it helps us relax once we are inside the garden." Riku's father placed their shoes in a designated cubby near the garden's front gate. Then he took his son's hand. They walked to a large plot of gravel, in the middle of which were several jagged stones. The gravel had been raked around the stones in a circular pattern. "The gravel is supposed to look like water," Riku's father explained. "The lines around the stones represent ripples." Riku looked curiously up at his father. "Why are you whispering?" he asked his father. "A Japanese garden is traditionally a quiet place," Riku's father said and waved dismissively at a man nearby who was talking on his cell phone. "He does not understand." Riku wanted to move on to the next site, but his father forbade it. "We must remain here until our minds grow quiet," he said. Riku stared at the smooth, raked gravel. After several minutes, he realized his father was right: It did look like water. Finally, when the other visitors had moved on, Riku's father pointed to a stone path that curved around a maple tree. "It is tradition to go slowly, and to be aware," Riku's father said. Riku nodded and tried his best to be patient as he followed in his father's footsteps. The rocks were all smooth underfoot except for one that was uneven. When Riku's father reached the uneven rock, he paused. "Do you feel the difference?" he whispered to his son. Riku nodded. "Now, look up." Riku's father pointed at a spot in the trees. There, a small but colorful paper lantern hung from a branch. "This is our reward," he said. 4 What theme recurs throughout this stor
