Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 9/4
Sep. 4th, 2010 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. who am I?
Shigeru grinned at Fumie. "I saw it! A mountain spirit, washing beans in the river." Fumie said, "What?" Shigeru said, "Wait a minute, I'll show you." He went and got a book, and opened it to a drawing of a strange old man, washing in a river.
Shigeru pointed to it and said, "This one. I saw it. He asked me who I was." Shigeru shook his head. "I said you're a mountain spirit, washing beans. He looked up at me with big yellow eyes and said do you know me? I told him I had seen pictures of him." Shigeru tapped the book. "This one. He looked down at the beans, stirred them a little, and said too many people, if they don't see something, they don't believe in it. And that was making the monsters disappear. I said wait, why are you telling me this?"
Shigeru looked at Fumie. "That's when he said I was a manga artist, please draw them. He asked me to draw the monsters. When I said yes, he smiled at me, two big teeth sticking out of his old wrinkles, and then turned into a cloud of golden sparkles that vanished."
Shigeru shut the book. He looked at it, and said, "Do you think it was all in my mind?" Fumie said, "Yes." Then as Shigeru turned towards her, she shook her head. "Er... no." Shigeru pointed at his face. "I saw it with my own eyes. He asked me to draw the monsters." Fumie said, "Yes?" Shigeru turned the book in his hands. "There's one problem, though. Doing a job for the monsters... there's no publisher, no money. And I'm not sure who's going to print it. But... I really want to do it."
Fumie nodded. Then she said, "You should draw what you want to draw." Shigeru said, "Well, I want to draw a guide to the monsters. A dictionary of monsters?" Fumie said, "Then you should. Japanese monsters... no, worldwide monsters." Shigeru laughed. "All the monsters of the world? That could take a while." Fumie smiled. Shigeru stood up. "Well, there's lots to do."
In his private office, Shigeru sketched the mountain spirit's face. The big eyes, the tufts of hair above the ears, the bulbous nose, the large buckteeth. He added a small mustache, and then whiskers as if the mountain spirit hadn't shaved in several days.
In the kitchen, Fumie was darning a sock, with Aiko sitting at the table. Aiko looked at Fumie and said, "Mom? Do you believe Dad?" Fumie frowned. "It's strange, but I believe Shigeru. He says he saw something. And he's going to show us in pictures what he saw. I believe your father is the real thing."
The next day, Shigeru covered a table in the workroom with sketches of various monsters. Mitsui, Sugai, and Aikawa stood looking at them. Shigeru said, "I've got a job for us. We're going to do a dictionary of monsters." Mitsui said, "A job? Who gave it to us?" SHigeru grinned. "The monsters." Mitsui said, "What? Is this any time for us to do this?" Shigeru said, "This is the best time for us to do it. So let's get started, there's a lot to do." Sugai and Aikawa started picking up the sheets. Sugai said, "It looks interesting." Mitsui watched, then smiled.
Later, Yoshiko ran up the street, dressed in her school uniform, carrying a large bag in her arms. She was grinning.
In the house, she sat down in the living room with Fumie, Aiko, and Shigeru. Yoshiko said, "There were eyes in the windows at our hotel!" Shigeru said, "What? Slow down and tell us the whole story." Yoshiko said, "Several girls were in the hotel room together, with our futon laid out. They were telling scary stories, with a flashlight. I looked up and noticed something in the windows. We all saw glowing eyes winking at us from one pane of the windows."
Yoshiko took a deep breath. "The girls said someone must be outside. Then I said wait, we're on the third floor. And then more eyes opened in the windows. I said it must be monsters. The girls screamed and hid under their futons. But soon, every part of the windows had eyes staring and winking at us."
Yoshiko looked at Shigeru and said, "Are there monsters like that?" Shigeru nodded. "Yes. That's mokumokuren." Shigeru got a sheet of paper and sketched for a moment. He showed a young girl in a futon, and the paper windows beside her, with eyes winking from each pane. "Here, like this?" Yoshiko looked at it and said, "Exactly. Mokumokuren? I'll tell everyone at school tomorrow." Shigeru said, "And I'll make sure we put mokumokuren in the dictionary, too."
Fumie and Aiko got up and went into the kitchen. Shigeru and Yoshiko continued talking. Aiko looked at Fumie and said, quietly, "Do you think it really happened? Or did Yoshiko make it up for Dad?" Fumie smiled, looking at the two talking over the sketch on the living room table. "I don't know. But they both seem much happier. Maybe monsters give us strength?"
In the workroom, Sugai was busy making dots, finishing a page of the monster dictionary. Shigeru looked over his shoulder and said, "Those are so fine. It really makes the picture look good." Sugai finished, and gave the page to Shigeru. "Here, is this what you wanted?" Shigeru laughed. "Yes, that face is just right. I guess maybe your monster friends look like that?" Aikawa laughed.
Sugai stood up, as Shigeru walked over and sat down. Sugai said, "Sensei? I wanted to ask you." Shigeru glanced at him. Sugai said, "Do you think you can keep me? Even if we don't get more magazine work, even if there's only one assistant, I'd like to keep working here." Sugai walked over and bowed to Shigeru. "Please tell me whether you are going to let me stay or not?" Shigeru looked at the page, then said, "Sugai, if I don't keep you here, then I can't do the monster dictionary, right?" Sugai said, "So that means I can stay? Really?" Shigeru said, "Yes." Sugai said, "Well, then I have some news. I'm going to get married."
Fumie walked in, carrying a platter with glasses of tea and a plate of Kyoto sweets. She said, "What? Did I hear you right?" Sugai said, "I'm getting married." Fumie said, "Oh, congratulations! And, uh, here, these are sweets from Kyoto for everyone." The men picked up the little triangles of cinnamon-flavored soft rice with a bit of sweet beans inside, and stuffed them into their mouths.
Later, Shigeru was sitting with his collection of masks. Fumie looked in the door and said, "Shigeru? Are you starting to do something this late?" Shigeru shook his head. "I just thought I'd clean up a little." Fumie said, "Can I help?" Shigeru said, "Sure, how about... hang this over there?" He picked up a long mask and handed it to her.
He looked around at the masks and said, "I think maybe I'm going to get rid of some of this. I'll draw it, then sell them somewhere." He picked up a statue and looked at it. "You know, the monsters aren't going to pay for their monster dictionary. We may be poor for a while." Fumie nodded. "I know. But you need to do it."
Shigeru turned the statue in his hand, and said, "It's interesting. I've got the spirit back, but now I can see these aren't treasures. Being interested, that's the real treasure." Fumie chuckled, and Shigeru said, "What are you laughing at?" She said, "Oh, nothing." She picked up a mask and turned it. "This is a funny looking one, that's all."
This episode ended with a bunch of bits from next week. Shuhei sitting alone in a theater. Shuhei in bed. Shuhei walking in the street, twirling his hand. Shuhei lecturing. Interspersed with pictures of Kinuyo. And some other bits that I didn't catch.
<to be continued>
Shigeru grinned at Fumie. "I saw it! A mountain spirit, washing beans in the river." Fumie said, "What?" Shigeru said, "Wait a minute, I'll show you." He went and got a book, and opened it to a drawing of a strange old man, washing in a river.
Shigeru pointed to it and said, "This one. I saw it. He asked me who I was." Shigeru shook his head. "I said you're a mountain spirit, washing beans. He looked up at me with big yellow eyes and said do you know me? I told him I had seen pictures of him." Shigeru tapped the book. "This one. He looked down at the beans, stirred them a little, and said too many people, if they don't see something, they don't believe in it. And that was making the monsters disappear. I said wait, why are you telling me this?"
Shigeru looked at Fumie. "That's when he said I was a manga artist, please draw them. He asked me to draw the monsters. When I said yes, he smiled at me, two big teeth sticking out of his old wrinkles, and then turned into a cloud of golden sparkles that vanished."
Shigeru shut the book. He looked at it, and said, "Do you think it was all in my mind?" Fumie said, "Yes." Then as Shigeru turned towards her, she shook her head. "Er... no." Shigeru pointed at his face. "I saw it with my own eyes. He asked me to draw the monsters." Fumie said, "Yes?" Shigeru turned the book in his hands. "There's one problem, though. Doing a job for the monsters... there's no publisher, no money. And I'm not sure who's going to print it. But... I really want to do it."
Fumie nodded. Then she said, "You should draw what you want to draw." Shigeru said, "Well, I want to draw a guide to the monsters. A dictionary of monsters?" Fumie said, "Then you should. Japanese monsters... no, worldwide monsters." Shigeru laughed. "All the monsters of the world? That could take a while." Fumie smiled. Shigeru stood up. "Well, there's lots to do."
In his private office, Shigeru sketched the mountain spirit's face. The big eyes, the tufts of hair above the ears, the bulbous nose, the large buckteeth. He added a small mustache, and then whiskers as if the mountain spirit hadn't shaved in several days.
In the kitchen, Fumie was darning a sock, with Aiko sitting at the table. Aiko looked at Fumie and said, "Mom? Do you believe Dad?" Fumie frowned. "It's strange, but I believe Shigeru. He says he saw something. And he's going to show us in pictures what he saw. I believe your father is the real thing."
The next day, Shigeru covered a table in the workroom with sketches of various monsters. Mitsui, Sugai, and Aikawa stood looking at them. Shigeru said, "I've got a job for us. We're going to do a dictionary of monsters." Mitsui said, "A job? Who gave it to us?" SHigeru grinned. "The monsters." Mitsui said, "What? Is this any time for us to do this?" Shigeru said, "This is the best time for us to do it. So let's get started, there's a lot to do." Sugai and Aikawa started picking up the sheets. Sugai said, "It looks interesting." Mitsui watched, then smiled.
Later, Yoshiko ran up the street, dressed in her school uniform, carrying a large bag in her arms. She was grinning.
In the house, she sat down in the living room with Fumie, Aiko, and Shigeru. Yoshiko said, "There were eyes in the windows at our hotel!" Shigeru said, "What? Slow down and tell us the whole story." Yoshiko said, "Several girls were in the hotel room together, with our futon laid out. They were telling scary stories, with a flashlight. I looked up and noticed something in the windows. We all saw glowing eyes winking at us from one pane of the windows."
Yoshiko took a deep breath. "The girls said someone must be outside. Then I said wait, we're on the third floor. And then more eyes opened in the windows. I said it must be monsters. The girls screamed and hid under their futons. But soon, every part of the windows had eyes staring and winking at us."
Yoshiko looked at Shigeru and said, "Are there monsters like that?" Shigeru nodded. "Yes. That's mokumokuren." Shigeru got a sheet of paper and sketched for a moment. He showed a young girl in a futon, and the paper windows beside her, with eyes winking from each pane. "Here, like this?" Yoshiko looked at it and said, "Exactly. Mokumokuren? I'll tell everyone at school tomorrow." Shigeru said, "And I'll make sure we put mokumokuren in the dictionary, too."
Fumie and Aiko got up and went into the kitchen. Shigeru and Yoshiko continued talking. Aiko looked at Fumie and said, quietly, "Do you think it really happened? Or did Yoshiko make it up for Dad?" Fumie smiled, looking at the two talking over the sketch on the living room table. "I don't know. But they both seem much happier. Maybe monsters give us strength?"
In the workroom, Sugai was busy making dots, finishing a page of the monster dictionary. Shigeru looked over his shoulder and said, "Those are so fine. It really makes the picture look good." Sugai finished, and gave the page to Shigeru. "Here, is this what you wanted?" Shigeru laughed. "Yes, that face is just right. I guess maybe your monster friends look like that?" Aikawa laughed.
Sugai stood up, as Shigeru walked over and sat down. Sugai said, "Sensei? I wanted to ask you." Shigeru glanced at him. Sugai said, "Do you think you can keep me? Even if we don't get more magazine work, even if there's only one assistant, I'd like to keep working here." Sugai walked over and bowed to Shigeru. "Please tell me whether you are going to let me stay or not?" Shigeru looked at the page, then said, "Sugai, if I don't keep you here, then I can't do the monster dictionary, right?" Sugai said, "So that means I can stay? Really?" Shigeru said, "Yes." Sugai said, "Well, then I have some news. I'm going to get married."
Fumie walked in, carrying a platter with glasses of tea and a plate of Kyoto sweets. She said, "What? Did I hear you right?" Sugai said, "I'm getting married." Fumie said, "Oh, congratulations! And, uh, here, these are sweets from Kyoto for everyone." The men picked up the little triangles of cinnamon-flavored soft rice with a bit of sweet beans inside, and stuffed them into their mouths.
Later, Shigeru was sitting with his collection of masks. Fumie looked in the door and said, "Shigeru? Are you starting to do something this late?" Shigeru shook his head. "I just thought I'd clean up a little." Fumie said, "Can I help?" Shigeru said, "Sure, how about... hang this over there?" He picked up a long mask and handed it to her.
He looked around at the masks and said, "I think maybe I'm going to get rid of some of this. I'll draw it, then sell them somewhere." He picked up a statue and looked at it. "You know, the monsters aren't going to pay for their monster dictionary. We may be poor for a while." Fumie nodded. "I know. But you need to do it."
Shigeru turned the statue in his hand, and said, "It's interesting. I've got the spirit back, but now I can see these aren't treasures. Being interested, that's the real treasure." Fumie chuckled, and Shigeru said, "What are you laughing at?" She said, "Oh, nothing." She picked up a mask and turned it. "This is a funny looking one, that's all."
This episode ended with a bunch of bits from next week. Shuhei sitting alone in a theater. Shuhei in bed. Shuhei walking in the street, twirling his hand. Shuhei lecturing. Interspersed with pictures of Kinuyo. And some other bits that I didn't catch.
<to be continued>
