Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 5/25
May. 25th, 2010 05:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. when things break
Fumie tied a ribbon on a small box, and glanced out the window. "I hope he comes home soon." Shigeru held Fukuzawa, the publisher, who coughed blood onto the street. Sirens howled.
Fumie huddled in a corner of the kitchen. Shigeru called from the entryway, "I'm back." Fumie pulled the box from the table and tucked it underneath. Then she rushed out, and wiped snow off his sweater as he explained. "Fukuzawa is sick?" "Yes, he's in a hospital. But he's always so healthy, I think he'll be fine soon." Fumie nodded. "They do have good medicines now. But what happened?" Shigeru said, "He works too hard. He works twice as hard as most men, and drinks twice as hard too."
As he sat down in the kitchen, Shigeru said, "I'm sorry. I tried to come home early." Fumie pulled the box from under the table, and kept it behind her. She took a step, and put it in front of him. "Well, here's your present. It's not much, but..." Shigeru looked at the box, then pulled on the ribbon. He lifted the lid, and looked at the jar, decorated with cloth and buttons. He took it out. "You made it yourself?" Fumie nodded. "It's a pen stand. I can always use that!" He fingered the decorations, then looked at Fumie. "I've got a present for you, too. Kind of." Fumie said, "Kind of? Like what?" He smiled. "A kappa manga. Fukuzawa agreed to it, just before he got sick." Fumie said, "Now I really hope he gets well soon."
The theme ran at this point...
Shigeru was drawing at his work table. He took a pen out of his new decorated pen stand, and smiled at the jar. He was drawing kappa.
Fumie was outside, hanging the wash in the cold.
A month later, at the bookstore, one of the women from the other shops was dressed and made up quite fancy. The other women said, "What? Makeup sales? But..." The woman said, "Yes. The other woman is tired of doing all that walking, so I've got a chance. And all I need to do is sell this cream." The women looked at the small box. "How much?" She smiled. "Oh, very cheap. Just 2000 yen a box." Suddenly the other women remembered that they had something to do at home.
Fumie came in as they pushed out. Michiko, the owner, invited her to come in the back. "I've got some steamed bread that just came out." As Michiko took the puffy buns out of the steamer, they talked. "Fukuzawa is still sick?" "Yes." Taichi, sitting in the kitchen, said, "Oh, that's why the next volume of Kitaro is so late?" Fumie nodded. "Yes. But it's really good. Shigeru had just read the galleys when Fukuzawa got sick. And they are going to do a kappa manga, too." Taichi said, "Oh, kappa. That would be so good."
Meanwhile, Shigeru was at Fukuzawa's office. A crew of men were emptying the office, taking out stacks of books and papers. The boss looked at his checksheet, then told another one, "Just take those downstairs for the paper trashmen." The other man grabbed a stack of Kitaro books. Shigeru asked the boss, "What about Fukuzawa?" He shrugged. "Still in the hospital, I heard." Shigeru looked around the office, and remembered the galleys that Fukuzawa had put in his desk just before they went out drinking. He rummaged through the desk drawers, but they were all empty. Shigeru asked the boss, "Did you see some galleys? They would have been about this big, and this thick?" The boss shrugged. "Papers? Probably thrown away. We've got orders to clear this place out. Broken companies, they don't keep much, you know?" Shigeru remembered Fukuzawa advising him not to worry, to just focus on making good manga...
Shigeru walked up the stairs to another publisher's office. The other publisher looked at his sketches for the kappa book. He dripped tea on them, and Shigeru jumped. Then the other publisher pushed them back "Nice drawings, but I can't use this." Shigeru said, "What?" The other publisher said, "Just think. Friendly kappa, living in their own valley? Seriously, who's going to read that? Who'd be interested in that?" Shigeru said, "It's an old kamishibai story." The publisher shook his head. "No sports, no war, no excitement? No." Shigeru started to put the drawings away, saying, "I understand." The publisher put his hand on the sketches. "Let me be clear. I want your work, but... I can't use this." Shigeru said, "What about more Kitaro?" The publisher shook his head, and looked at his bookshelf. "No. In fact, your name... Shigeru Mizuki? You didn't sell, right? So we can't use that. I mean, Kitaro didn't sell, did it? That's why that other publisher went broke, right? So... I can't use that. Now, if you brought me a thriller, I could buy that in a minute. But this stuff? I can't." Shigeru put his sketches away. He looked at the man and said, "A thriller? I can do that." The publisher smiled. "You bring me a thriller, I'll buy it in a minute." Shigeru said, "I understand."
Fumie was just riding up to the house on her bicycle when Shigeru called from behind her on the street. She turned, and Shigeru came up, holding up a small wrapped package. "I bought some manjuu." (steamed yeast bun usually filled with sweet bean paste)
As they sat down in the kitchen, Fumie asked, "Is Fukuzawa that sick?" Shigeru nodded. "I guess. He's still in the hospital, and his office is being closed." Fumie said, "Wait, what about your galleys?" Shigeru said, "They're gone. Probably thrown away." Fumie gasped, then said, "But what about the money he owed you?" Shigeru took a deep breath. "It's gone, too. When a company goes broke, they don't pay people." Fumie gaped. Shigeru bit into a manjuu, and said, "Go ahead, eat one. They're good. At least while you're eating one, don't worry."
As Fumie started to bite into a manjuu, Shigeru said, "I already talked to another publisher about more work." Fumie said, "Oh, they're interested in the kappa story?" Shigeru said, "No, I can't give them that. I promised that to Fukuzawa." "So more Kitaro?" "Well, no. They're not interested in that." Fumie said, "You're not going back to war stories? Or horror stories? You hate those." Shigeru stood up. "I can do anything. Now, I'm going to do some work." He went into his work room and shut the doors.
Fumie looked at the doors and said, "But where is Fukuzawa? I could... I could visit, at least."
<to be continued>
Fumie tied a ribbon on a small box, and glanced out the window. "I hope he comes home soon." Shigeru held Fukuzawa, the publisher, who coughed blood onto the street. Sirens howled.
Fumie huddled in a corner of the kitchen. Shigeru called from the entryway, "I'm back." Fumie pulled the box from the table and tucked it underneath. Then she rushed out, and wiped snow off his sweater as he explained. "Fukuzawa is sick?" "Yes, he's in a hospital. But he's always so healthy, I think he'll be fine soon." Fumie nodded. "They do have good medicines now. But what happened?" Shigeru said, "He works too hard. He works twice as hard as most men, and drinks twice as hard too."
As he sat down in the kitchen, Shigeru said, "I'm sorry. I tried to come home early." Fumie pulled the box from under the table, and kept it behind her. She took a step, and put it in front of him. "Well, here's your present. It's not much, but..." Shigeru looked at the box, then pulled on the ribbon. He lifted the lid, and looked at the jar, decorated with cloth and buttons. He took it out. "You made it yourself?" Fumie nodded. "It's a pen stand. I can always use that!" He fingered the decorations, then looked at Fumie. "I've got a present for you, too. Kind of." Fumie said, "Kind of? Like what?" He smiled. "A kappa manga. Fukuzawa agreed to it, just before he got sick." Fumie said, "Now I really hope he gets well soon."
The theme ran at this point...
Shigeru was drawing at his work table. He took a pen out of his new decorated pen stand, and smiled at the jar. He was drawing kappa.
Fumie was outside, hanging the wash in the cold.
A month later, at the bookstore, one of the women from the other shops was dressed and made up quite fancy. The other women said, "What? Makeup sales? But..." The woman said, "Yes. The other woman is tired of doing all that walking, so I've got a chance. And all I need to do is sell this cream." The women looked at the small box. "How much?" She smiled. "Oh, very cheap. Just 2000 yen a box." Suddenly the other women remembered that they had something to do at home.
Fumie came in as they pushed out. Michiko, the owner, invited her to come in the back. "I've got some steamed bread that just came out." As Michiko took the puffy buns out of the steamer, they talked. "Fukuzawa is still sick?" "Yes." Taichi, sitting in the kitchen, said, "Oh, that's why the next volume of Kitaro is so late?" Fumie nodded. "Yes. But it's really good. Shigeru had just read the galleys when Fukuzawa got sick. And they are going to do a kappa manga, too." Taichi said, "Oh, kappa. That would be so good."
Meanwhile, Shigeru was at Fukuzawa's office. A crew of men were emptying the office, taking out stacks of books and papers. The boss looked at his checksheet, then told another one, "Just take those downstairs for the paper trashmen." The other man grabbed a stack of Kitaro books. Shigeru asked the boss, "What about Fukuzawa?" He shrugged. "Still in the hospital, I heard." Shigeru looked around the office, and remembered the galleys that Fukuzawa had put in his desk just before they went out drinking. He rummaged through the desk drawers, but they were all empty. Shigeru asked the boss, "Did you see some galleys? They would have been about this big, and this thick?" The boss shrugged. "Papers? Probably thrown away. We've got orders to clear this place out. Broken companies, they don't keep much, you know?" Shigeru remembered Fukuzawa advising him not to worry, to just focus on making good manga...
Shigeru walked up the stairs to another publisher's office. The other publisher looked at his sketches for the kappa book. He dripped tea on them, and Shigeru jumped. Then the other publisher pushed them back "Nice drawings, but I can't use this." Shigeru said, "What?" The other publisher said, "Just think. Friendly kappa, living in their own valley? Seriously, who's going to read that? Who'd be interested in that?" Shigeru said, "It's an old kamishibai story." The publisher shook his head. "No sports, no war, no excitement? No." Shigeru started to put the drawings away, saying, "I understand." The publisher put his hand on the sketches. "Let me be clear. I want your work, but... I can't use this." Shigeru said, "What about more Kitaro?" The publisher shook his head, and looked at his bookshelf. "No. In fact, your name... Shigeru Mizuki? You didn't sell, right? So we can't use that. I mean, Kitaro didn't sell, did it? That's why that other publisher went broke, right? So... I can't use that. Now, if you brought me a thriller, I could buy that in a minute. But this stuff? I can't." Shigeru put his sketches away. He looked at the man and said, "A thriller? I can do that." The publisher smiled. "You bring me a thriller, I'll buy it in a minute." Shigeru said, "I understand."
Fumie was just riding up to the house on her bicycle when Shigeru called from behind her on the street. She turned, and Shigeru came up, holding up a small wrapped package. "I bought some manjuu." (steamed yeast bun usually filled with sweet bean paste)
As they sat down in the kitchen, Fumie asked, "Is Fukuzawa that sick?" Shigeru nodded. "I guess. He's still in the hospital, and his office is being closed." Fumie said, "Wait, what about your galleys?" Shigeru said, "They're gone. Probably thrown away." Fumie gasped, then said, "But what about the money he owed you?" Shigeru took a deep breath. "It's gone, too. When a company goes broke, they don't pay people." Fumie gaped. Shigeru bit into a manjuu, and said, "Go ahead, eat one. They're good. At least while you're eating one, don't worry."
As Fumie started to bite into a manjuu, Shigeru said, "I already talked to another publisher about more work." Fumie said, "Oh, they're interested in the kappa story?" Shigeru said, "No, I can't give them that. I promised that to Fukuzawa." "So more Kitaro?" "Well, no. They're not interested in that." Fumie said, "You're not going back to war stories? Or horror stories? You hate those." Shigeru stood up. "I can do anything. Now, I'm going to do some work." He went into his work room and shut the doors.
Fumie looked at the doors and said, "But where is Fukuzawa? I could... I could visit, at least."
<to be continued>
