Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 5/14
May. 14th, 2010 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkeraka Changing times
Shigeru was arguing with Tomita, the publisher. "Tell me the truth! Did you spend the profits from my books?" "Well, no, not..." Okay, pay me, then?" Tomita looked worried. "Well, no, not just right now. Be patient, just a little."
Just then, Tomita's secretary walked in. She said, "Don't worry, I'm just here to pick up something I forgot." Shigeru said, "What? But aren't you his secretary..." She looked at Shigeru. "He fired me. No problem, he hadn't paid me in two months." She stormed out.
Shigeru looked at Tomita, and said, "You don't have any money, do you?" Tomita said, "You don't understand. You think of one book, and you think that's the whole business. I've got this whole business to keep running." Shigeru said, "Can you pay me?" Then Shigeru shook his head. "That's it. I'm done." (He used a phrase referring to breaking off relations between countries)
This was where the theme ran.
Curry was cooking in the pot. Fumie stirred it, then looked up and out the window. "It's so late. Where did he go?" Sugiura was polishing his box in the kitchen, and Fumie said, "You really take care of that." He said, "Yes, it's like my wife. We've been together almost 30 years." She looked at it, and said, "It doesn't look that old." He laughed, "Oh, no, it's rickety. Look here," and pointed to a corner. She looked, and said, "Yes, I see." Then he said, "We've been everywhere together."
Sugiura's stomach growled. "He apologized, even as Fumie suggested he go ahead and eat. He said, "No, I want to wait. I want to talk with Mizuku." Then he said, "I'm sorry to bother you for so long." Fumie said, "No, I'm glad you're here." He said, "What?" Why?" She said, "Well, if you hadn't come and spent time, I wouldn't have known that Shigeru used to draw kamishibai. I still don't know him very well." Sugiura said, "How long have you been married?" She answered, "Less than a year, actually." Then she looked thoughtful. "I know Tomita, his publisher. And that kind of strange guy, Uraki. But until you came, that was about it. And when I meet his old friends, I learn a little more about him."
Meanwhile, Shigeru was wandering through the shopping area, between the closed stores. He stopped, looked around, and said, "Wait, if I break relations with Tomita, will he pay me?" Then he shook his head. "I don't care. I can't work with him anymore."
Next, Shigeru walked up to the house. He heard Fumie and Sugiura talking and laughing inside. He listened, and remembered Uraki telling him that Sugiura was after money.
Shigeru stepped into the kitchen and said, "I'm back." Then he sniffed and said, "That curry smells great." Fumie said, "We'll eat soon." Sugiura said, "We were talking about kappa. Remember that story I told about them being friends with humans." Shigeru smiled. "That was a great story. And you know I had kappa in my backyard when I was young." Fumie said, "That's right, you told me about that. I wish I could see the kappa kamishibai." Shigeru said, "Wait a minute." He ran into his work room, and came back after a few minutes. He laid a sketch on the table, of two kappa in a boat, laughing. Sugiura looked at it, "Oh, that brings back memories. I'd like to do that again."
Then Sugiura shifted from his casual cross-legged seat on the floor to a more formal stance on his knees, put his hands on the floor in front of his knees, and bowed to Shigeru. "I'd like to ask you for a favor." Shigeru nodded. "Yes?" Sugiura said, "Just a..." Shigeru waited, then said, "Yes? What?" Sugiura said, "Just a... well, a little bit of that tasty curry." (This was another punning escape in Japanese, with him starting one phrase and then twisting it into a request for curry).
Later that night, Sugiura looked up at his bundle on a shelf over his bed. He sighed, and looked into his wallet. It was empty. Then he looked at the bundle again and said, "What do I do tomorrow?"
Shigeru was talking with Fumie in his work room. She said, "He's what?" Shigeru said, "Quietly, he'll hear us." Fumie said, "But he needs money?" Shigeru said, "I know it's hard, but could we..." Fumie said, "Well, we have to pay here and there, but... when Tomita pays us, we could..." Shigeru shook his head. "He won't. I... I broke off relations." Fumie said, "What country are you talking about?" Shigeru said, "I quit. He wasn't going to pay us." Fumie said, "What? You can't. How can we live?" Shigeru said, "Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll look for a new publisher." Fumie stood up and grabbed her notebook out of the kitchen. She pushed it in front of him. "Look, there's our budget. We need money now." Shigeru pushed it aside. "I know, but we'll just have to make do." Fumie pulled a leaf out and handed it to him. "Why don't you ask a kitsune (fox) to turn this into money?" Shigeru said, "Are you crazy?" Then he turned his back on her, and fiddled with a sketch. Fumie turned her back on him.
The next morning, Shigeru stood in the entryway, with his shoulderbag and a folded sheet of paper. He told Fumie, "I'm off to find a new publisher. Where's Sugiura?" She said, "He's upstairs doing something." Just then the upstairs guy came down, and said, "Let's go. I'll introduce you to the publishers I know." Shigeru handed Fumie the folded sheet and said, "Look at this." They walked out, and Fumie unfolded the sheet. Then she laughed. It was a sketch of a fox, with leaves changing into money as he prayed over them.
As Fumie sat in the kitchen darning a sock, Sugiura came down, carrying his bundle. He looked around the kitchen and asked, "Where's Mizuki?" Fumie said, "Oh, he left already." Sugiura shook his head. "I wanted to talk to him. Well, let me ask, do you know if there's a pawnshop in the area?"
Meanwhile, Shigeru and the upstairs guy looked at a doorway with a sign for a publisher. "Let's try in here." They walked in. A moment later, they came out, laughing. "Well, that didn't take long." "Just a minute."
Next, they talked with a coughing man in his home. His wife tried to quiet the baby as he told them that things were difficult right now, and he didn't really think he could help...
Finally, Shigeru pushed a torn curtain away from a window. The upstairs guy said, "They were here just last month." Shigeru and he looked around the empty office, with discarded furniture overturned. Shigeru remembered his comments about kamishibai being over, and saw Sugiura doing a show with a crowd of children, who slowly vanished as the voice over repeated his comments about 10, then 8, then two. Shigeru asked himself, "Is manga like that? Is the era over?"
The upstairs guy said, "What did you say?" Shigeru said, "Oh, nothing. Let's try the next one."
Back at home, Fumie was frantically looking around outside. She opened the door and glanced inside. "Where is he?" Just then, Shigeru and the upstairs guy came down the road, and she said, "Oh, good, you're back. Sugiura is gone." Shigeru said, "What?" Fumie said, "He left, and he hasn't come back." Shigeru said, "Do you know where he went?" Fumie said, "He asked about a pawnshop. And he was carrying his kamishibai box."
Somewhere, Sugiura caressed his kamishibai box. He said, "I'm sorry..."
To be continued...
Shigeru was arguing with Tomita, the publisher. "Tell me the truth! Did you spend the profits from my books?" "Well, no, not..." Okay, pay me, then?" Tomita looked worried. "Well, no, not just right now. Be patient, just a little."
Just then, Tomita's secretary walked in. She said, "Don't worry, I'm just here to pick up something I forgot." Shigeru said, "What? But aren't you his secretary..." She looked at Shigeru. "He fired me. No problem, he hadn't paid me in two months." She stormed out.
Shigeru looked at Tomita, and said, "You don't have any money, do you?" Tomita said, "You don't understand. You think of one book, and you think that's the whole business. I've got this whole business to keep running." Shigeru said, "Can you pay me?" Then Shigeru shook his head. "That's it. I'm done." (He used a phrase referring to breaking off relations between countries)
This was where the theme ran.
Curry was cooking in the pot. Fumie stirred it, then looked up and out the window. "It's so late. Where did he go?" Sugiura was polishing his box in the kitchen, and Fumie said, "You really take care of that." He said, "Yes, it's like my wife. We've been together almost 30 years." She looked at it, and said, "It doesn't look that old." He laughed, "Oh, no, it's rickety. Look here," and pointed to a corner. She looked, and said, "Yes, I see." Then he said, "We've been everywhere together."
Sugiura's stomach growled. "He apologized, even as Fumie suggested he go ahead and eat. He said, "No, I want to wait. I want to talk with Mizuku." Then he said, "I'm sorry to bother you for so long." Fumie said, "No, I'm glad you're here." He said, "What?" Why?" She said, "Well, if you hadn't come and spent time, I wouldn't have known that Shigeru used to draw kamishibai. I still don't know him very well." Sugiura said, "How long have you been married?" She answered, "Less than a year, actually." Then she looked thoughtful. "I know Tomita, his publisher. And that kind of strange guy, Uraki. But until you came, that was about it. And when I meet his old friends, I learn a little more about him."
Meanwhile, Shigeru was wandering through the shopping area, between the closed stores. He stopped, looked around, and said, "Wait, if I break relations with Tomita, will he pay me?" Then he shook his head. "I don't care. I can't work with him anymore."
Next, Shigeru walked up to the house. He heard Fumie and Sugiura talking and laughing inside. He listened, and remembered Uraki telling him that Sugiura was after money.
Shigeru stepped into the kitchen and said, "I'm back." Then he sniffed and said, "That curry smells great." Fumie said, "We'll eat soon." Sugiura said, "We were talking about kappa. Remember that story I told about them being friends with humans." Shigeru smiled. "That was a great story. And you know I had kappa in my backyard when I was young." Fumie said, "That's right, you told me about that. I wish I could see the kappa kamishibai." Shigeru said, "Wait a minute." He ran into his work room, and came back after a few minutes. He laid a sketch on the table, of two kappa in a boat, laughing. Sugiura looked at it, "Oh, that brings back memories. I'd like to do that again."
Then Sugiura shifted from his casual cross-legged seat on the floor to a more formal stance on his knees, put his hands on the floor in front of his knees, and bowed to Shigeru. "I'd like to ask you for a favor." Shigeru nodded. "Yes?" Sugiura said, "Just a..." Shigeru waited, then said, "Yes? What?" Sugiura said, "Just a... well, a little bit of that tasty curry." (This was another punning escape in Japanese, with him starting one phrase and then twisting it into a request for curry).
Later that night, Sugiura looked up at his bundle on a shelf over his bed. He sighed, and looked into his wallet. It was empty. Then he looked at the bundle again and said, "What do I do tomorrow?"
Shigeru was talking with Fumie in his work room. She said, "He's what?" Shigeru said, "Quietly, he'll hear us." Fumie said, "But he needs money?" Shigeru said, "I know it's hard, but could we..." Fumie said, "Well, we have to pay here and there, but... when Tomita pays us, we could..." Shigeru shook his head. "He won't. I... I broke off relations." Fumie said, "What country are you talking about?" Shigeru said, "I quit. He wasn't going to pay us." Fumie said, "What? You can't. How can we live?" Shigeru said, "Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll look for a new publisher." Fumie stood up and grabbed her notebook out of the kitchen. She pushed it in front of him. "Look, there's our budget. We need money now." Shigeru pushed it aside. "I know, but we'll just have to make do." Fumie pulled a leaf out and handed it to him. "Why don't you ask a kitsune (fox) to turn this into money?" Shigeru said, "Are you crazy?" Then he turned his back on her, and fiddled with a sketch. Fumie turned her back on him.
The next morning, Shigeru stood in the entryway, with his shoulderbag and a folded sheet of paper. He told Fumie, "I'm off to find a new publisher. Where's Sugiura?" She said, "He's upstairs doing something." Just then the upstairs guy came down, and said, "Let's go. I'll introduce you to the publishers I know." Shigeru handed Fumie the folded sheet and said, "Look at this." They walked out, and Fumie unfolded the sheet. Then she laughed. It was a sketch of a fox, with leaves changing into money as he prayed over them.
As Fumie sat in the kitchen darning a sock, Sugiura came down, carrying his bundle. He looked around the kitchen and asked, "Where's Mizuki?" Fumie said, "Oh, he left already." Sugiura shook his head. "I wanted to talk to him. Well, let me ask, do you know if there's a pawnshop in the area?"
Meanwhile, Shigeru and the upstairs guy looked at a doorway with a sign for a publisher. "Let's try in here." They walked in. A moment later, they came out, laughing. "Well, that didn't take long." "Just a minute."
Next, they talked with a coughing man in his home. His wife tried to quiet the baby as he told them that things were difficult right now, and he didn't really think he could help...
Finally, Shigeru pushed a torn curtain away from a window. The upstairs guy said, "They were here just last month." Shigeru and he looked around the empty office, with discarded furniture overturned. Shigeru remembered his comments about kamishibai being over, and saw Sugiura doing a show with a crowd of children, who slowly vanished as the voice over repeated his comments about 10, then 8, then two. Shigeru asked himself, "Is manga like that? Is the era over?"
The upstairs guy said, "What did you say?" Shigeru said, "Oh, nothing. Let's try the next one."
Back at home, Fumie was frantically looking around outside. She opened the door and glanced inside. "Where is he?" Just then, Shigeru and the upstairs guy came down the road, and she said, "Oh, good, you're back. Sugiura is gone." Shigeru said, "What?" Fumie said, "He left, and he hasn't come back." Shigeru said, "Do you know where he went?" Fumie said, "He asked about a pawnshop. And he was carrying his kamishibai box."
Somewhere, Sugiura caressed his kamishibai box. He said, "I'm sorry..."
To be continued...
