More translations - Sugar Shop
He could see her feet up above. She obviously hadn’t heard him, so Tokki called again, louder:
“Savee-eeeh!!”
Then he fell into silence, hearing her sob and mutter up there.
“You alright?” he asked, feeling unexpectedly cold. And scared.
He climbed up onto the lower branch, slipping his muddy sole against the trunk; then gathered his legs under him and stood on it. Savi was there, hugging the tree, her back turned to him; her chin rested on a thick broken bough and sobbing again and again.
“Savi! You crying?.. You alright? Did you fall?”
She gave no answer.
“Savi!.. Did someone hurt you?”
She never cried, he knew. No matter the cause.
“Savi!”, he begged. “Tell me, please!”
She squished and said: “Get lost”.
“No!” he pressed on with that last-resort, devil-may-care face. The last card on the greencloth: nothing to lose. “No”, he said once more, letting the idea of actually opposing Savi sink into his stomach. Probably the last thing he was to do in this life. “Not until you tell me”.
She swung around on her perch, all tense and springy. Her eyes and cheeks were bright pink, her chin scratched.
“Get off”, she said, “Just get. Off. My. Tree!”
Tokki squeezed his knees tight, securing his hold on the branch - tighter and tighter till his shins burned - bracing himself against her blow. Then he said:
“Never”.
She winced.
“Want me to bloody your nose, huh?”
“No”, he admitted.
“Then whadya want?”
“Help you”.
A new thought slithered into him, like something icy inside his collar and down his back - what if she lost someone? Or been kicked out of school?.. Or… or maybe there’s something else, worse and scarier I can’t do anything about? She’s gonna tell me now, and trust me to help her - what if the only thing I can do is say, Sorry, I can’t help that?!
“Stupid”, she snuffled as if he’d said this aloud. “What is it you’re gonna do?”
“I don’t know”, he replied. “Maybe… something”.
“Liar”, she spat, “Weeny stinky liar”.
“W-wha…?”
“Whatcha do, give me back my Marshmallow?! Will you?! Can you?!”
Tokki stammered:
“Who - ?”
“Noone”, Savi uttered hoarsely. “Just cut it out”.
He sighed, inching closer to her. She swayed and shifted away. Urged to follow her and embrace her and make her feel better he was still hesitant to go on with it: she could still shove him off the tree.
The sea breeze got stronger, and she sniffled again. Tokki climbed down to get her jacket and handed it to her:
“Here. It’s cold”.
“Stupid”, she said, but took it nevertheless and wrapped it around her shoulders. Under the tree and all around them, the hum of voices rose and fell again as school-kids hurried inside. All stilled in anticipation of a new rain.
“She escaped three days ago”, Savi said. “I looked… and everyone did… I asked the guys from my class. But she wasn’t - anywhere. And Ela said today - she lives next door, Ela - she said they saw a kitten - just like her - saw it an’ it was - “
“No!” - Tokki said. “Savi, stop right there”.
But she had already broken into tears, curled up into a tight ball of despair. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. Then licked his lips again.
“Look. She said it was just a kitten the same color! It wasn’t her. Well, there are kittens that look just like one another! Savi, please - “
She was oblivious.
“Alright”, he said, his own throat tightening. The breeze suddenly turned foul and rotten. “I’ll help you find her. Today. Will you come with me - ?”
“Stupid”, she snapped.
“Savi!.. I’ll find her!.. I will - !”
Something cracked inside him and tore loose while he screamed and called and gasped for the chilly breeze and gulped it down mixed with the thick sweetness of his tears, and called out again, desperate:
“Just tell me - Savi - just tell me wat she’s like! - what she likes - and then I’ll go right after school - no, I’ll go right now!”
She sniffled once more, then stopped; while he went on and on, making more shrill and generous and impossible promises:
“Where I lived - there were woods, that’s true! - and some animals - all kinds of animals! - cats, too - and my Grampa, he taught me - ‘bout the tracks, and habits, and where to find - to find them - “
He had lost track of what he was saying - gone were all thoughts of composure, and consideration, gone was all the secrecy - he just got out what he felt, what he wanted, even if he had no right to say it.
Savi turned.
“Okay”, she said. “We’re starting now”.
“Savee-eeeh!!”
Then he fell into silence, hearing her sob and mutter up there.
“You alright?” he asked, feeling unexpectedly cold. And scared.
He climbed up onto the lower branch, slipping his muddy sole against the trunk; then gathered his legs under him and stood on it. Savi was there, hugging the tree, her back turned to him; her chin rested on a thick broken bough and sobbing again and again.
“Savi! You crying?.. You alright? Did you fall?”
She gave no answer.
“Savi!.. Did someone hurt you?”
She never cried, he knew. No matter the cause.
“Savi!”, he begged. “Tell me, please!”
She squished and said: “Get lost”.
“No!” he pressed on with that last-resort, devil-may-care face. The last card on the greencloth: nothing to lose. “No”, he said once more, letting the idea of actually opposing Savi sink into his stomach. Probably the last thing he was to do in this life. “Not until you tell me”.
She swung around on her perch, all tense and springy. Her eyes and cheeks were bright pink, her chin scratched.
“Get off”, she said, “Just get. Off. My. Tree!”
Tokki squeezed his knees tight, securing his hold on the branch - tighter and tighter till his shins burned - bracing himself against her blow. Then he said:
“Never”.
She winced.
“Want me to bloody your nose, huh?”
“No”, he admitted.
“Then whadya want?”
“Help you”.
A new thought slithered into him, like something icy inside his collar and down his back - what if she lost someone? Or been kicked out of school?.. Or… or maybe there’s something else, worse and scarier I can’t do anything about? She’s gonna tell me now, and trust me to help her - what if the only thing I can do is say, Sorry, I can’t help that?!
“Stupid”, she snuffled as if he’d said this aloud. “What is it you’re gonna do?”
“I don’t know”, he replied. “Maybe… something”.
“Liar”, she spat, “Weeny stinky liar”.
“W-wha…?”
“Whatcha do, give me back my Marshmallow?! Will you?! Can you?!”
Tokki stammered:
“Who - ?”
“Noone”, Savi uttered hoarsely. “Just cut it out”.
He sighed, inching closer to her. She swayed and shifted away. Urged to follow her and embrace her and make her feel better he was still hesitant to go on with it: she could still shove him off the tree.
The sea breeze got stronger, and she sniffled again. Tokki climbed down to get her jacket and handed it to her:
“Here. It’s cold”.
“Stupid”, she said, but took it nevertheless and wrapped it around her shoulders. Under the tree and all around them, the hum of voices rose and fell again as school-kids hurried inside. All stilled in anticipation of a new rain.
“She escaped three days ago”, Savi said. “I looked… and everyone did… I asked the guys from my class. But she wasn’t - anywhere. And Ela said today - she lives next door, Ela - she said they saw a kitten - just like her - saw it an’ it was - “
“No!” - Tokki said. “Savi, stop right there”.
But she had already broken into tears, curled up into a tight ball of despair. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. Then licked his lips again.
“Look. She said it was just a kitten the same color! It wasn’t her. Well, there are kittens that look just like one another! Savi, please - “
She was oblivious.
“Alright”, he said, his own throat tightening. The breeze suddenly turned foul and rotten. “I’ll help you find her. Today. Will you come with me - ?”
“Stupid”, she snapped.
“Savi!.. I’ll find her!.. I will - !”
Something cracked inside him and tore loose while he screamed and called and gasped for the chilly breeze and gulped it down mixed with the thick sweetness of his tears, and called out again, desperate:
“Just tell me - Savi - just tell me wat she’s like! - what she likes - and then I’ll go right after school - no, I’ll go right now!”
She sniffled once more, then stopped; while he went on and on, making more shrill and generous and impossible promises:
“Where I lived - there were woods, that’s true! - and some animals - all kinds of animals! - cats, too - and my Grampa, he taught me - ‘bout the tracks, and habits, and where to find - to find them - “
He had lost track of what he was saying - gone were all thoughts of composure, and consideration, gone was all the secrecy - he just got out what he felt, what he wanted, even if he had no right to say it.
Savi turned.
“Okay”, she said. “We’re starting now”.