Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 6/11
Jun. 11th, 2010 07:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. The Ghost Strikes Again!
Fumie was riding home on her bicycle, thinking about the group of people trying to close the manga store. She shook her head. "Murai! I'm so glad I saw you. It's about your electric bill..." A paunchy man in a uniform smiled at her. She grimaced. Drat, it was that day, wasn't it. "You know, if you don't pay today, I'm really going to have to turn off your electricity."
Inside the house, the bill collector sat in the entryway. Fumie got out her purse, and emptied it on the table. She counted the coins, and the single bill. It didn't take long. She looked over at Shigeru, drawing in his workroom. "What about..." He said, without looking up. "Pay it. If they turn off the electricity, I can't see to draw, and then we won't make any money." Fumie said, "But this is the money for Aiko's milk. If I pay the bill, I can't buy her milk." Shigeru looked up. "What? Will the store give us some credit?" Fumie shook her head. "They insist on cash."
In the entryway, Fumie begged the bill collector. "Just three days? I'm sure we can get you some money in three days." He looked at her. "I've got kids of my own at home. If I let you go again, they're going to fire me, and then how will I feed my kids." He stood up. "No, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to turn off your electricity. If you pay the bill, I'll make sure we turn it back on quickly, but that's all I can do."
That evening, Shigeru and Fumie ate dinner by the light of a candle on the table. Fumie looked around the kitchen and said, "It's like the war. Like a blackout during the war." Shigeru nodded. "Yes, it's like a war. But we can't let the ghost of poverty win. We have to keep on fighting."
Upstairs, Fumie talked to Aiko with a candle sitting nearby. "My grandmother used to tell us stories. Like the story of the snake who chased the children. They were scary but fascinating."
Shigeru was drawing with a candle. Fumie looked in the door, and said, "Can I help?" He looked up. "What about Aiko?" Fumie said, "She's sleeping, so I thought maybe I could help." He nodded. "Okay. Here..." He laid a sheet on the other table. Fumie set her candle down and looked at the sheet. "Wow!" Shigeru said, "What?" Fumie chuckled. "Oh, it's just your drawing is very scary by candlelight." He said, "Maybe we can convince the rental stores to sell candles for the children to read the books?"
Later that night, the candles were burning down. Shigeru yawned. Fumie looked up and said, "Should I open a window? Get some air in?" Shigeru nodded. "Good idea. It's a little warm." Fumie slid the window open.
A breeze from the window blew the candles out. Shigeru picked up his candle in the gloom, and said, "Get a match!" Fumie started to fumble the matches out of her pocket, then stopped, and looked out the window. "Oh. Shigeru, look. Look at the stars!" Shigeru looked up. The stars were bright and close. He smiled. Fumie said, "So, even a dark night can be good. It helps us to see the stars." Shigeru said, "Okay, so I shouldn't pay the electric bill? Leave the electricity off so that we can see the stars?" Fumie said, "No, that's not what I meant. Of course when we have money, pay the bill."
It was pouring rain, and Fumie had Aiko, the baby, strapped on her back as she hung the wash in the kitchen. She told Aiko, "Oh, tsuyu is terrible, isn't it? But your father is meeting a new publisher today, to get money to pay the electricity, and he'll probably buy some good things to eat, too. So tonight will be a celebration!" (tsuyu is the rainy season in June, when it rains for several days without letting up.)
Shigeru watched the new publisher look at his draft. The pipes in the room dripped. Shigeru looked at a nearby wall, and grimaced. "Slugs? Ugh." The publisher looked up. "This is good. Very good. I'll take it." He reached into his desk, and got out a few bills. He handed it to Shigeru. "Here's the advance." Shigeru smiled, bowed, and glanced at his hand. Then he looked at the publisher. "Uh, where's the advance?" The publisher said, "I just gave it to you." Shigeru shook the bills in his hand. "3,000 yen? For a book?" The publisher got up and walked to a bookshelf. "Yes." Shigeru said, "Well, what about the rest?" "The rest?" Shigeru said, "Of course. 30,000 yen." The publisher turned and stared at him. "30,000 yen? Are you kidding?" Shigeru shook the bills. "Or if you can't pay it all, 20,000 yen? Or at least half, 15,000 yen?" The publisher said, "Well, I suppose..." He reached into his pocket and got out another bill, and put it in Shigeru's hand. Shigeru looked at it. "Just 500 yen? Is this a joke?" The publisher shook his hand at Shigeru. "Look, I only give myself 200 yen a day. So 500 yen is two and a half days pay. Look, if you don't want the money, we can just forget it." Shigeru held onto the money. "No, no, I'll take it." Shigeru looked down in a corner of the office, and saw the ghost of poverty sitting there, grinning up at him.
Later, at the house with the lights on, Shigeru asked Fumie, "Is Aiko okay? She has a fever?" Fumie said, "Oh, I think she's okay. A little fever, but..." "Does she need to go to the doctor?" Fumie felt Aiko's forehead, and said, "No, not now. We'll see tomorrow, but I think she's getting better." Shigeru shook his head, "I shouldn't have paid the electric bill." Fumie said, "What? Why?" He shrugged. "Well, we could have used the money to take Aiko to the doctor." Fumie said, "Sometimes it seems as if it doesn't matter what we do, something needs more money." Shigeru said, "Well, sometime the god of luck will come to visit."
Just then, there was a call from the entryway. "Excuse me." Fumie looked at Shigeru. "Maybe that's him!" Shigeru went to answer the door. When he swung it open, a man in a black suit, with a black hat and black umbrella, stood in the dark, driving rain. "I am from the Ministry of Finance."
Fumie, sitting in the kitchen, heard this and told Aiko, "Maybe it really is the god of luck."
Shigeru asked the man what he wanted. The man said, "Your house is on ground that belongs to the Ministry of Finance." Shigeru said, "What?" The man set a black briefcase down in the entryway, unsnapped it, and pulled out a large paper map. He unfolded it, and pointed to a red square penciled across two lots. "See? That is your house. And half of it is clearly on our property." He looked up at Shigeru past the black brim of his hat, spotted with rain. Shigeru shook his head. "What are you talking about? Look, if you have a problem, go talk to the realtor." As he talked, the man began switching from his damp black persona to the grinning ghost of poverty and back again. The man said, "This house is in the name of Shigeru Murai." "So what do you want us to do?" The man said, "Get out." Shigeru said, "What? No way." The man tilted his head. "Well, perhaps you could pay rent for using our property." Shigeru yelled, "Pay? There's no money. Now get out of here."
Shigeru went back into the kitchen. Fumie held Aiko and looked at him. Shigeru said, "He wanted us to get out of the house? We're poor, but...we don't have to put up with that." He took a step, then turned, "If they take the house, we won't have anything left." He went into the workroom and slid the doors shut.
<to be continued>
Fumie was riding home on her bicycle, thinking about the group of people trying to close the manga store. She shook her head. "Murai! I'm so glad I saw you. It's about your electric bill..." A paunchy man in a uniform smiled at her. She grimaced. Drat, it was that day, wasn't it. "You know, if you don't pay today, I'm really going to have to turn off your electricity."
Inside the house, the bill collector sat in the entryway. Fumie got out her purse, and emptied it on the table. She counted the coins, and the single bill. It didn't take long. She looked over at Shigeru, drawing in his workroom. "What about..." He said, without looking up. "Pay it. If they turn off the electricity, I can't see to draw, and then we won't make any money." Fumie said, "But this is the money for Aiko's milk. If I pay the bill, I can't buy her milk." Shigeru looked up. "What? Will the store give us some credit?" Fumie shook her head. "They insist on cash."
In the entryway, Fumie begged the bill collector. "Just three days? I'm sure we can get you some money in three days." He looked at her. "I've got kids of my own at home. If I let you go again, they're going to fire me, and then how will I feed my kids." He stood up. "No, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to turn off your electricity. If you pay the bill, I'll make sure we turn it back on quickly, but that's all I can do."
That evening, Shigeru and Fumie ate dinner by the light of a candle on the table. Fumie looked around the kitchen and said, "It's like the war. Like a blackout during the war." Shigeru nodded. "Yes, it's like a war. But we can't let the ghost of poverty win. We have to keep on fighting."
Upstairs, Fumie talked to Aiko with a candle sitting nearby. "My grandmother used to tell us stories. Like the story of the snake who chased the children. They were scary but fascinating."
Shigeru was drawing with a candle. Fumie looked in the door, and said, "Can I help?" He looked up. "What about Aiko?" Fumie said, "She's sleeping, so I thought maybe I could help." He nodded. "Okay. Here..." He laid a sheet on the other table. Fumie set her candle down and looked at the sheet. "Wow!" Shigeru said, "What?" Fumie chuckled. "Oh, it's just your drawing is very scary by candlelight." He said, "Maybe we can convince the rental stores to sell candles for the children to read the books?"
Later that night, the candles were burning down. Shigeru yawned. Fumie looked up and said, "Should I open a window? Get some air in?" Shigeru nodded. "Good idea. It's a little warm." Fumie slid the window open.
A breeze from the window blew the candles out. Shigeru picked up his candle in the gloom, and said, "Get a match!" Fumie started to fumble the matches out of her pocket, then stopped, and looked out the window. "Oh. Shigeru, look. Look at the stars!" Shigeru looked up. The stars were bright and close. He smiled. Fumie said, "So, even a dark night can be good. It helps us to see the stars." Shigeru said, "Okay, so I shouldn't pay the electric bill? Leave the electricity off so that we can see the stars?" Fumie said, "No, that's not what I meant. Of course when we have money, pay the bill."
It was pouring rain, and Fumie had Aiko, the baby, strapped on her back as she hung the wash in the kitchen. She told Aiko, "Oh, tsuyu is terrible, isn't it? But your father is meeting a new publisher today, to get money to pay the electricity, and he'll probably buy some good things to eat, too. So tonight will be a celebration!" (tsuyu is the rainy season in June, when it rains for several days without letting up.)
Shigeru watched the new publisher look at his draft. The pipes in the room dripped. Shigeru looked at a nearby wall, and grimaced. "Slugs? Ugh." The publisher looked up. "This is good. Very good. I'll take it." He reached into his desk, and got out a few bills. He handed it to Shigeru. "Here's the advance." Shigeru smiled, bowed, and glanced at his hand. Then he looked at the publisher. "Uh, where's the advance?" The publisher said, "I just gave it to you." Shigeru shook the bills in his hand. "3,000 yen? For a book?" The publisher got up and walked to a bookshelf. "Yes." Shigeru said, "Well, what about the rest?" "The rest?" Shigeru said, "Of course. 30,000 yen." The publisher turned and stared at him. "30,000 yen? Are you kidding?" Shigeru shook the bills. "Or if you can't pay it all, 20,000 yen? Or at least half, 15,000 yen?" The publisher said, "Well, I suppose..." He reached into his pocket and got out another bill, and put it in Shigeru's hand. Shigeru looked at it. "Just 500 yen? Is this a joke?" The publisher shook his hand at Shigeru. "Look, I only give myself 200 yen a day. So 500 yen is two and a half days pay. Look, if you don't want the money, we can just forget it." Shigeru held onto the money. "No, no, I'll take it." Shigeru looked down in a corner of the office, and saw the ghost of poverty sitting there, grinning up at him.
Later, at the house with the lights on, Shigeru asked Fumie, "Is Aiko okay? She has a fever?" Fumie said, "Oh, I think she's okay. A little fever, but..." "Does she need to go to the doctor?" Fumie felt Aiko's forehead, and said, "No, not now. We'll see tomorrow, but I think she's getting better." Shigeru shook his head, "I shouldn't have paid the electric bill." Fumie said, "What? Why?" He shrugged. "Well, we could have used the money to take Aiko to the doctor." Fumie said, "Sometimes it seems as if it doesn't matter what we do, something needs more money." Shigeru said, "Well, sometime the god of luck will come to visit."
Just then, there was a call from the entryway. "Excuse me." Fumie looked at Shigeru. "Maybe that's him!" Shigeru went to answer the door. When he swung it open, a man in a black suit, with a black hat and black umbrella, stood in the dark, driving rain. "I am from the Ministry of Finance."
Fumie, sitting in the kitchen, heard this and told Aiko, "Maybe it really is the god of luck."
Shigeru asked the man what he wanted. The man said, "Your house is on ground that belongs to the Ministry of Finance." Shigeru said, "What?" The man set a black briefcase down in the entryway, unsnapped it, and pulled out a large paper map. He unfolded it, and pointed to a red square penciled across two lots. "See? That is your house. And half of it is clearly on our property." He looked up at Shigeru past the black brim of his hat, spotted with rain. Shigeru shook his head. "What are you talking about? Look, if you have a problem, go talk to the realtor." As he talked, the man began switching from his damp black persona to the grinning ghost of poverty and back again. The man said, "This house is in the name of Shigeru Murai." "So what do you want us to do?" The man said, "Get out." Shigeru said, "What? No way." The man tilted his head. "Well, perhaps you could pay rent for using our property." Shigeru yelled, "Pay? There's no money. Now get out of here."
Shigeru went back into the kitchen. Fumie held Aiko and looked at him. Shigeru said, "He wanted us to get out of the house? We're poor, but...we don't have to put up with that." He took a step, then turned, "If they take the house, we won't have anything left." He went into the workroom and slid the doors shut.
<to be continued>
