Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 9/6
Sep. 6th, 2010 11:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. old age sets in
Shuhei was laying on his bed. Kinuyo, Fumie, Yoshiko, and Shigeru stood beside it. They shook his shoulder and called to him, but he didn't respond. Shigeru said, "Wait a minute." He ran out of the room and came back moments later, carrying a large strange statue from his collection. Fumie said, "What's that for?" He said, "It's supposed to heal people. We'll try it!" He held it out toward Shuhei and shook it. The three women looked over his shoulder. Shigeru said, "Strong stomach, come back!"
Shuhei opened his eyes and looked at them. "What are you all doing here?"
Later, Fumie was in the kitchen with the three shopkeepers' wives. They were working on a large purple flower, each making their own. Matsui said, "So what was wrong with Shuhei?" Fumie shook her head. "We don't really know. He got a big lump on his neck, but the doctors weren't sure what it was. They thought maybe he fell down and bumped it somehow. Then we couldn't wake him up." Yamada said, "But that strange statue woke him up?" Fumie nodded. "Yes. He said he dreamed he was trapped in a strange tornado, with faces and people coming at him. But then this really strange one appeared, and said it was going to heal him. When we asked him what it looked like, he pointed to the statue that Shigeru had brought up and shook over him." Miura shook her head. "That is so scary!" Fumie said, "And the strangest thing is that the lump on his neck started to shrink. It's gotten much smaller, and he's better." The wives all shook their heads. Then Yamada looked at the large purple petal she was working on and said, "Fumie, I think I ruined this? Can I fix it?"
Meanwhile, out on the patio, Shuhei sat with his small bag in his lap in the sunshine.
Matsui said, "Sickness is really difficult." Fumie said, "I guess he's just getting old." Yamada said, "But... it would be lonely without him. He's the star of the shopping center, you know?"
In the visitors' room, Shigeru was talking with a young man. The young man held up a blank paperback. "This is the size that we are trying to promote. And we'd like to reprint some of your work. I have to admit, I loved your kappa books when I was young. I guess I was a fan of yours." Shigeru picked up the book and flipped open the pages. "This would be a good size. A little bigger, right?" The young man nodded.
Shigeru showed him into the workroom. Sugai was carefully putting tiny dots on a page, while Aikawa drew at another desk. The young man said, "So this is where the monster dictionary came from?" Shigeru said, "Yes. This is where it all begins."
Back in the visitors' room, the young man leafed through a large hardcover book, like a children's book. There were illustrations on one side, and text on the facing page. "I really love this dictionary." Shigeru said, "And we've got more volumes coming." The young man said, "This bigger size really makes it easy to read, doesn't it?" Then he smiled at Shigeru. "So, maybe we can do Devil Boy and Kitaro? And you can do some new stories, too?" Shigeru nodded. Mitsui, sitting in the corner, smiled.
In the kitchen, Matsui said, "And one of the assistants is getting married?" Fumie nodded. "Yes. Although... I'm supposed to arrange the reception, and I don't have any idea. The family sits up front, but what about everybody else?" Yamada laughed. "You've got to let us help." Matsui said, "Sure, I've arranged three weddings." Then they chorused, "Leave it to us."
Shuhei walked in from the other room. Yamada said, "Oh, Shuhei, it's good to see you." He peered at her, and said, "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Yamada said, "You remember, the dry goods store?" He smiled, and said, "Oh, sure. The wife!" Miura said, "Here, we have some sweet cakes, why don't you sit down and eat some." Shuhei grinned, and sat down at the end of the table. They put the box in front of him. He picked one up, and took a small bite. Then he chewed. And took another nibble.
Matsui pulled the other two wives close and whispered, "That doesn't look like him. He used to eat a whole cake in one bite."
Later, a woman's voice called from the entryway. "Excuse me?" Mitsui walked in and said, "Yes?" The woman waved at the two men with her, and said, "We're the stage group? I called before?" Mitsui smiled and said, "Yes, yes. Come on in."
Shuhei was in the hallway and heard the word stage. He smiled, and drifted towards the visitors room.
In the visitors' room, one of the men slid an advertisement across the table to Shigeru. "Our stage group does various shows. And this fall, we'd like to do some based on the Devil Boy theme." Shigeru nodded. "But who writes the plays?" The man looked at the woman, and said, "Oh, she does our plays. All we need is your permission, and maybe someone to talk to here about the plays?"
Shuhei stepped in from the hall, and posed. "I am Shigeru's father." He smiled at the young woman. "And I certainly know about the stage. Let me tell you..." He started talking about the kabuki shows he had seen.
As Fumie brought in tea, Mitsui sneaked into the hallway. Mitsui shook his head. "Shuhei has started talking about kabuki. I'm going to go down to the bank."
Shuhei asked if they had seen an actor. They looked at each other and said, "When was he popular? Wasn't that back..." Shuhei said, "You don't know him? You mean you've never heard..." He started singing. Shigeru pulled on Shuhei's arm and said, "I don't think they are talking about that kind of play. This is the new theater." Shuhei frowned. "Do you mean Broadway?" One of the young men said, "No, no. The new new theater." Shuhei said, "What?" The young man said, "How can I explain?"
Later, Shuhei was sitting in the family living room, reading a volume of the monster's dictionary. Fumie said, "Oh, are you enjoying that?" Shuhei nodded. "Yes, I hadn't read it before. It's really interesting. And of course, it's good preparation for me. After I'm dead, I guess I'll get to know the monsters." Fumie frowned. "Now, that's a long time away." He turned a page, and said, "Well, those young people from the stage group weren't interested in hearing about plays that I've seen." Fumie said, "They may not have been, but I certainly was interested. That was the first time I've heard you talk about that." He smiled. "Well, I guess it's true. When I was starting to study at the University, they were just opening the theater. So I got to see some really great shows. But I guess that's all forgotten now."
Another time, Yoshiko sat in the kitchen, with a sheet of paper in front of her and a pen in her hand. She looked at the sheet, wobbled the pen in her hand, and then looked at the ceiling. Fumie came in and said, "What are you doing?" Yoshiko said, "I don't know what to put down." Fumie said, "Homework of some kind?" Yoshiko said, "It's a career planning sheet. They want us to say whether we're going to college, a technical school, or just straight to work somewhere. But I don't know what to say." Fumie said, "Well, what do you want to do?" Yoshiko said, "Really? I think I'd like to be a tree surgeon. But I don't know where you go to learn that." Fumie shook her head. "Third year in high school? You've still got time to think about it." Yoshiko said, "But what about Aiko? She's graduating from college this year, isn't she? Where's she going to work?" Fumie smiled. "Yes, she's graduating. But I don't know where she wants to work yet." Yoshiko said, "You're really different from the other mothers." Fumie said, "What do you mean?" Yoshiko said, "The other mothers are all pushing, saying you have to go to a good college, you have to go to a good company." Fumie said, "Well, I think you ought to be happy."
The phone rang, and Fumie picked it up. "Yes, this is Murai." "What? At the police station?" "Yes, I'll be right there!" Fumie hung up the phone. Yoshiko said, "What's wrong? Who's at the police station?" Fumie said, "Your grandmother!"
Later, Kinuyo stomped through the shopping center, hitting the ground with her cane as she went. Her jaw was tight, and her gaze fixed. Fumie and Yoshiko trailed behind her.
Four young men, with hair piled in curled splendor on their heads and school uniforms carefully unbuttoned, walked side-by-side. Their slow stroll blocked anyone from passing. Kinuyo stomped up behind them, then barked, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!" The young men glanced back, then separated. Kinuyo stomped past them.
<to be continued>
Shuhei was laying on his bed. Kinuyo, Fumie, Yoshiko, and Shigeru stood beside it. They shook his shoulder and called to him, but he didn't respond. Shigeru said, "Wait a minute." He ran out of the room and came back moments later, carrying a large strange statue from his collection. Fumie said, "What's that for?" He said, "It's supposed to heal people. We'll try it!" He held it out toward Shuhei and shook it. The three women looked over his shoulder. Shigeru said, "Strong stomach, come back!"
Shuhei opened his eyes and looked at them. "What are you all doing here?"
Later, Fumie was in the kitchen with the three shopkeepers' wives. They were working on a large purple flower, each making their own. Matsui said, "So what was wrong with Shuhei?" Fumie shook her head. "We don't really know. He got a big lump on his neck, but the doctors weren't sure what it was. They thought maybe he fell down and bumped it somehow. Then we couldn't wake him up." Yamada said, "But that strange statue woke him up?" Fumie nodded. "Yes. He said he dreamed he was trapped in a strange tornado, with faces and people coming at him. But then this really strange one appeared, and said it was going to heal him. When we asked him what it looked like, he pointed to the statue that Shigeru had brought up and shook over him." Miura shook her head. "That is so scary!" Fumie said, "And the strangest thing is that the lump on his neck started to shrink. It's gotten much smaller, and he's better." The wives all shook their heads. Then Yamada looked at the large purple petal she was working on and said, "Fumie, I think I ruined this? Can I fix it?"
Meanwhile, out on the patio, Shuhei sat with his small bag in his lap in the sunshine.
Matsui said, "Sickness is really difficult." Fumie said, "I guess he's just getting old." Yamada said, "But... it would be lonely without him. He's the star of the shopping center, you know?"
In the visitors' room, Shigeru was talking with a young man. The young man held up a blank paperback. "This is the size that we are trying to promote. And we'd like to reprint some of your work. I have to admit, I loved your kappa books when I was young. I guess I was a fan of yours." Shigeru picked up the book and flipped open the pages. "This would be a good size. A little bigger, right?" The young man nodded.
Shigeru showed him into the workroom. Sugai was carefully putting tiny dots on a page, while Aikawa drew at another desk. The young man said, "So this is where the monster dictionary came from?" Shigeru said, "Yes. This is where it all begins."
Back in the visitors' room, the young man leafed through a large hardcover book, like a children's book. There were illustrations on one side, and text on the facing page. "I really love this dictionary." Shigeru said, "And we've got more volumes coming." The young man said, "This bigger size really makes it easy to read, doesn't it?" Then he smiled at Shigeru. "So, maybe we can do Devil Boy and Kitaro? And you can do some new stories, too?" Shigeru nodded. Mitsui, sitting in the corner, smiled.
In the kitchen, Matsui said, "And one of the assistants is getting married?" Fumie nodded. "Yes. Although... I'm supposed to arrange the reception, and I don't have any idea. The family sits up front, but what about everybody else?" Yamada laughed. "You've got to let us help." Matsui said, "Sure, I've arranged three weddings." Then they chorused, "Leave it to us."
Shuhei walked in from the other room. Yamada said, "Oh, Shuhei, it's good to see you." He peered at her, and said, "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Yamada said, "You remember, the dry goods store?" He smiled, and said, "Oh, sure. The wife!" Miura said, "Here, we have some sweet cakes, why don't you sit down and eat some." Shuhei grinned, and sat down at the end of the table. They put the box in front of him. He picked one up, and took a small bite. Then he chewed. And took another nibble.
Matsui pulled the other two wives close and whispered, "That doesn't look like him. He used to eat a whole cake in one bite."
Later, a woman's voice called from the entryway. "Excuse me?" Mitsui walked in and said, "Yes?" The woman waved at the two men with her, and said, "We're the stage group? I called before?" Mitsui smiled and said, "Yes, yes. Come on in."
Shuhei was in the hallway and heard the word stage. He smiled, and drifted towards the visitors room.
In the visitors' room, one of the men slid an advertisement across the table to Shigeru. "Our stage group does various shows. And this fall, we'd like to do some based on the Devil Boy theme." Shigeru nodded. "But who writes the plays?" The man looked at the woman, and said, "Oh, she does our plays. All we need is your permission, and maybe someone to talk to here about the plays?"
Shuhei stepped in from the hall, and posed. "I am Shigeru's father." He smiled at the young woman. "And I certainly know about the stage. Let me tell you..." He started talking about the kabuki shows he had seen.
As Fumie brought in tea, Mitsui sneaked into the hallway. Mitsui shook his head. "Shuhei has started talking about kabuki. I'm going to go down to the bank."
Shuhei asked if they had seen an actor. They looked at each other and said, "When was he popular? Wasn't that back..." Shuhei said, "You don't know him? You mean you've never heard..." He started singing. Shigeru pulled on Shuhei's arm and said, "I don't think they are talking about that kind of play. This is the new theater." Shuhei frowned. "Do you mean Broadway?" One of the young men said, "No, no. The new new theater." Shuhei said, "What?" The young man said, "How can I explain?"
Later, Shuhei was sitting in the family living room, reading a volume of the monster's dictionary. Fumie said, "Oh, are you enjoying that?" Shuhei nodded. "Yes, I hadn't read it before. It's really interesting. And of course, it's good preparation for me. After I'm dead, I guess I'll get to know the monsters." Fumie frowned. "Now, that's a long time away." He turned a page, and said, "Well, those young people from the stage group weren't interested in hearing about plays that I've seen." Fumie said, "They may not have been, but I certainly was interested. That was the first time I've heard you talk about that." He smiled. "Well, I guess it's true. When I was starting to study at the University, they were just opening the theater. So I got to see some really great shows. But I guess that's all forgotten now."
Another time, Yoshiko sat in the kitchen, with a sheet of paper in front of her and a pen in her hand. She looked at the sheet, wobbled the pen in her hand, and then looked at the ceiling. Fumie came in and said, "What are you doing?" Yoshiko said, "I don't know what to put down." Fumie said, "Homework of some kind?" Yoshiko said, "It's a career planning sheet. They want us to say whether we're going to college, a technical school, or just straight to work somewhere. But I don't know what to say." Fumie said, "Well, what do you want to do?" Yoshiko said, "Really? I think I'd like to be a tree surgeon. But I don't know where you go to learn that." Fumie shook her head. "Third year in high school? You've still got time to think about it." Yoshiko said, "But what about Aiko? She's graduating from college this year, isn't she? Where's she going to work?" Fumie smiled. "Yes, she's graduating. But I don't know where she wants to work yet." Yoshiko said, "You're really different from the other mothers." Fumie said, "What do you mean?" Yoshiko said, "The other mothers are all pushing, saying you have to go to a good college, you have to go to a good company." Fumie said, "Well, I think you ought to be happy."
The phone rang, and Fumie picked it up. "Yes, this is Murai." "What? At the police station?" "Yes, I'll be right there!" Fumie hung up the phone. Yoshiko said, "What's wrong? Who's at the police station?" Fumie said, "Your grandmother!"
Later, Kinuyo stomped through the shopping center, hitting the ground with her cane as she went. Her jaw was tight, and her gaze fixed. Fumie and Yoshiko trailed behind her.
Four young men, with hair piled in curled splendor on their heads and school uniforms carefully unbuttoned, walked side-by-side. Their slow stroll blocked anyone from passing. Kinuyo stomped up behind them, then barked, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!" The young men glanced back, then separated. Kinuyo stomped past them.
<to be continued>
