Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 9/3
a.k.a. in a child's eye
Fumie greeted someone at the door. "Please, come in." Fumie escorted the woman, in a white blouse and beige skirt, through the hallways. Then she showed her into the workroom. "This is the new workroom."
Haruko, the manga fan and sometime assistant, looked around the room. "It has really changed a lot." Fumie said, "These are Shigeru's assistants. Sugai, and Aikawa." Haruko bowed to them. Then she smiled and walked across the room. "Those color pots. They were here before, weren't they?" Fumie nodded. Aikawa asked Sugai, "Who is she?" Sugai shook his head. "I don't know, either."
Then Haruko closed her eyes, and took a deep breath through her nose. She smiled again as she opened her eyes. "That smell of paper and ink... that's a manga workroom."
Shigeru came in and looked at her. Haruko said, "Sensei! It's been a long time." He smiled at her.
Haruko and Shigeru sat in the visitors room. Shigeru said, "So you're teaching now?" Haruko nodded. "Yes. I tried manga, but finally gave up. And then I started teaching. Young kids, elementary school. It's really like manga." Fumie said, "Teaching is like manga?" Haruko nodded. "Yes. The world around us is so interesting, and we're trying to show that to students. If you can show it to them in drawings, you do manga. If you can show it to them in lessons, you teach."
Shuhei wandered in. He said, "Fumie, have you seen the scissors? I want to cut out some clippings from the newspaper." Haruko looked at him and said, "Shigeru's father, aren't you?" Shuhei stared at her. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" Haruko grinned. "Do you remember me crying on Sensei's chest? And you were sure I was doing something?" Shuhei gaped. "Yes! OH!" He grabbed her hands. "You are looking very well."
In the workroom, Mitsui, Sugai, and Aikawa looked at the door to the visitors' room. They could hear Shuhei talking. Sugai said, "He certainly sounds happy today." Mitsui took off his glasses and polished them with a handkerchief. "There's a pretty girl visiting." Sugai said, "He really is pretty easy to understand."
In the visitors room, Shuhei said, "With a teacher like you, students must like coming to school." Haruko shook her head. "Well... actually, the students don't seem very interested." Shigeru said, "You should take them out to the mountains and rivers. Sitting in school all the time, it's hard to be interested." Haruko smiled. "That's what I thought, too. But I've got a favor to ask..." Shigeru said, "What?" Haruko said, "Could you come to the school and talk to them? I think if you told them about growing up, seeing kappa and monsters, about the world having strange things in it, they'd really enjoy it. It's a side of the world that everyone seems to have forgotten." Shuhei nodded and said, "Shigeru, you should do it."
Shigeru shook his head. "I'm not sure that just talking in the classroom..." Haruko said, "There's a river nearby. We can make it a field trip. Talking to the kids outside should be easy, right?" Shuhei looked at Shigeru and said, "There's a pretty girl asking, you should do it."
Outside, in the street, Haruko looked at Fumie and said, "There's something wrong with Sensei, isn't there?" Fumie sighed. "Well, I think he's a little lost, right now." Haruko nodded. "I thought he was a little cool." Then she looked around the street and up at the house. She said, "We took the picture here, didn't we? With Sensei, you, Aiko, and I?" Fumie remembered the picture of the four of them, in front of the old wooden fence and tumbledown house. Fumie said, "Yes."
Haruko said, "There's one more thing I'd like Sensei to tell the students, if he can." Fumie tilted her head. Haruko said, "What you love, work at it. That spirit of the manga artist. He taught me that, and that's what I've done. Could you tell him that?" Fumie smiled. "I'll do that."
Inside the house, Fumie found Shigeru looking at manga. She said, "Are you going to go to her school?" He shrugged. Fumie said, "They're going to expect you to talk about monsters." Shigeru closed the manga. It had a kappa on the cover. He turned to her. "I used to see kappa everywhere. But now..." He shrugged and sat down.
Fumie said, "You know, I think they're still there, just waiting for you to see them." Shigeru looked up at her. She shook her head. "If there are no kappa, the world is a poorer place. We may not see them, but they are there." She smiled at Shigeru. "You taught me that."
Then she leaned forward. "Oh, Haruko would like you to teach the kids one more thing. The spirit of the manga artist." Shigeru frowned. Then he shook his head. "Maybe that's what's missing. I forgot that?"
Shigeru looked up at Fumie again. He said, "Yoshiko said something the other day. Without monsters, the world would be boring. Maybe..."
One morning, with the sun pouring in, Aiko stood near Yoshiko's bed. Aiko said, "Yoshiko, get up. You're going to miss your school trip." Yoshiko rolled over and said, "Who cares? Maybe I won't go." Aiko said, "Don't say that. You'll upset Mom."
Fumie came into the room and said, "Yoshiko, get up now. Shigeru is up already." Aiko said, "Dad's up this early?" Fumie nodded. "Yes, he's going to Haruko's school. And he expects to leave with you, Yoshiko. So get up." Fumie knelt down, and grabbed the covers. Then she pulled them down. Yoshiko gasped, and clutched a pillow to her chest. Fumie grabbed it, and pulled on it. Yoshiko sat up. Fumie said, "If Shigeru is going to fight, you can too."
Later, Fumie was outside hanging up towels. She looked up at sunshine and said, "I hope Shigeru and Yoshiko are doing well."
At the river, they had built cooking fires and made curry rice. Shigeru stood in edge of the river, with several kids behind him. He hefted a rock, and sent it skipping across the river. It bounced several times, sending circles of water dancing each time. One of the kids said, "Wow. You're really good at that." Shigeru laughed. "When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time doing it. Here, let me show you. Find a good flat rock..." He reached into the water, and picked out a flat, round stone. "Then hold it like this, and throw it flat." The stone skipped across the water. Shigeru looked at them. "Now you do it." They picked up stones, and tossed them. Some plopped, but others skipped. And the kids smiled.
Shigeru said, "We're probably upsetting the kappa, though." One of the kids said, "Kappa? Aren't those just stories?" Shigeru said, "They probably think we're just stories, too." One of the kids said, "My grandmother always told us about the kappa." Shigeru smiled at him. "Yes. Good stories, I'll bet." The boy said, "Well, kind of scary, but fun." Then Shigeru said, "What about the rest of you?" A girl said, "Well, it wasn't kappa, but my grandfather had a great story about a snake." Shigeru laughed. "Those are good, too!"
Shigeru looked around the river. Some of the children were busily putting stones in the water, building a small dam. Others tried fishing. And as he looked around, something caught his eye. He frowned, and walked away from the children.
Shigeru ducked through the grass and weeds, following a faint path in the mist. He climbed over a large stone, and put his hand on another stone, peering at the bend of the river ahead of him. As the mist cleared, he saw a grey-purple figure squatting in the water, mumbling. Then the mist cleared a little more and the figure glanced up at him with its big eyes, before it turned back to the basket in the water. The head had white tufts of hair, almost like flames flying up from above its ears. It wore rags. One hand held the basket in the water, while the other stirred the contents.
The figure said, "Who are you?"
That evening, Fumie was in the kitchen when she heard Shigeru call out, "I'm home!" She looked up, startled, as he came into the kitchen, with a big smile. Fumie said, "What are you doing back already? I thought you were staying overnight." Shigeru grinned. "I couldn't. It was there! I saw it!" Fumie said, "What was there?" Shigeru said, "A mountain spirit, sitting in the river, washing red beans."
Fumie greeted someone at the door. "Please, come in." Fumie escorted the woman, in a white blouse and beige skirt, through the hallways. Then she showed her into the workroom. "This is the new workroom."
Haruko, the manga fan and sometime assistant, looked around the room. "It has really changed a lot." Fumie said, "These are Shigeru's assistants. Sugai, and Aikawa." Haruko bowed to them. Then she smiled and walked across the room. "Those color pots. They were here before, weren't they?" Fumie nodded. Aikawa asked Sugai, "Who is she?" Sugai shook his head. "I don't know, either."
Then Haruko closed her eyes, and took a deep breath through her nose. She smiled again as she opened her eyes. "That smell of paper and ink... that's a manga workroom."
Shigeru came in and looked at her. Haruko said, "Sensei! It's been a long time." He smiled at her.
Haruko and Shigeru sat in the visitors room. Shigeru said, "So you're teaching now?" Haruko nodded. "Yes. I tried manga, but finally gave up. And then I started teaching. Young kids, elementary school. It's really like manga." Fumie said, "Teaching is like manga?" Haruko nodded. "Yes. The world around us is so interesting, and we're trying to show that to students. If you can show it to them in drawings, you do manga. If you can show it to them in lessons, you teach."
Shuhei wandered in. He said, "Fumie, have you seen the scissors? I want to cut out some clippings from the newspaper." Haruko looked at him and said, "Shigeru's father, aren't you?" Shuhei stared at her. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" Haruko grinned. "Do you remember me crying on Sensei's chest? And you were sure I was doing something?" Shuhei gaped. "Yes! OH!" He grabbed her hands. "You are looking very well."
In the workroom, Mitsui, Sugai, and Aikawa looked at the door to the visitors' room. They could hear Shuhei talking. Sugai said, "He certainly sounds happy today." Mitsui took off his glasses and polished them with a handkerchief. "There's a pretty girl visiting." Sugai said, "He really is pretty easy to understand."
In the visitors room, Shuhei said, "With a teacher like you, students must like coming to school." Haruko shook her head. "Well... actually, the students don't seem very interested." Shigeru said, "You should take them out to the mountains and rivers. Sitting in school all the time, it's hard to be interested." Haruko smiled. "That's what I thought, too. But I've got a favor to ask..." Shigeru said, "What?" Haruko said, "Could you come to the school and talk to them? I think if you told them about growing up, seeing kappa and monsters, about the world having strange things in it, they'd really enjoy it. It's a side of the world that everyone seems to have forgotten." Shuhei nodded and said, "Shigeru, you should do it."
Shigeru shook his head. "I'm not sure that just talking in the classroom..." Haruko said, "There's a river nearby. We can make it a field trip. Talking to the kids outside should be easy, right?" Shuhei looked at Shigeru and said, "There's a pretty girl asking, you should do it."
Outside, in the street, Haruko looked at Fumie and said, "There's something wrong with Sensei, isn't there?" Fumie sighed. "Well, I think he's a little lost, right now." Haruko nodded. "I thought he was a little cool." Then she looked around the street and up at the house. She said, "We took the picture here, didn't we? With Sensei, you, Aiko, and I?" Fumie remembered the picture of the four of them, in front of the old wooden fence and tumbledown house. Fumie said, "Yes."
Haruko said, "There's one more thing I'd like Sensei to tell the students, if he can." Fumie tilted her head. Haruko said, "What you love, work at it. That spirit of the manga artist. He taught me that, and that's what I've done. Could you tell him that?" Fumie smiled. "I'll do that."
Inside the house, Fumie found Shigeru looking at manga. She said, "Are you going to go to her school?" He shrugged. Fumie said, "They're going to expect you to talk about monsters." Shigeru closed the manga. It had a kappa on the cover. He turned to her. "I used to see kappa everywhere. But now..." He shrugged and sat down.
Fumie said, "You know, I think they're still there, just waiting for you to see them." Shigeru looked up at her. She shook her head. "If there are no kappa, the world is a poorer place. We may not see them, but they are there." She smiled at Shigeru. "You taught me that."
Then she leaned forward. "Oh, Haruko would like you to teach the kids one more thing. The spirit of the manga artist." Shigeru frowned. Then he shook his head. "Maybe that's what's missing. I forgot that?"
Shigeru looked up at Fumie again. He said, "Yoshiko said something the other day. Without monsters, the world would be boring. Maybe..."
One morning, with the sun pouring in, Aiko stood near Yoshiko's bed. Aiko said, "Yoshiko, get up. You're going to miss your school trip." Yoshiko rolled over and said, "Who cares? Maybe I won't go." Aiko said, "Don't say that. You'll upset Mom."
Fumie came into the room and said, "Yoshiko, get up now. Shigeru is up already." Aiko said, "Dad's up this early?" Fumie nodded. "Yes, he's going to Haruko's school. And he expects to leave with you, Yoshiko. So get up." Fumie knelt down, and grabbed the covers. Then she pulled them down. Yoshiko gasped, and clutched a pillow to her chest. Fumie grabbed it, and pulled on it. Yoshiko sat up. Fumie said, "If Shigeru is going to fight, you can too."
Later, Fumie was outside hanging up towels. She looked up at sunshine and said, "I hope Shigeru and Yoshiko are doing well."
At the river, they had built cooking fires and made curry rice. Shigeru stood in edge of the river, with several kids behind him. He hefted a rock, and sent it skipping across the river. It bounced several times, sending circles of water dancing each time. One of the kids said, "Wow. You're really good at that." Shigeru laughed. "When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time doing it. Here, let me show you. Find a good flat rock..." He reached into the water, and picked out a flat, round stone. "Then hold it like this, and throw it flat." The stone skipped across the water. Shigeru looked at them. "Now you do it." They picked up stones, and tossed them. Some plopped, but others skipped. And the kids smiled.
Shigeru said, "We're probably upsetting the kappa, though." One of the kids said, "Kappa? Aren't those just stories?" Shigeru said, "They probably think we're just stories, too." One of the kids said, "My grandmother always told us about the kappa." Shigeru smiled at him. "Yes. Good stories, I'll bet." The boy said, "Well, kind of scary, but fun." Then Shigeru said, "What about the rest of you?" A girl said, "Well, it wasn't kappa, but my grandfather had a great story about a snake." Shigeru laughed. "Those are good, too!"
Shigeru looked around the river. Some of the children were busily putting stones in the water, building a small dam. Others tried fishing. And as he looked around, something caught his eye. He frowned, and walked away from the children.
Shigeru ducked through the grass and weeds, following a faint path in the mist. He climbed over a large stone, and put his hand on another stone, peering at the bend of the river ahead of him. As the mist cleared, he saw a grey-purple figure squatting in the water, mumbling. Then the mist cleared a little more and the figure glanced up at him with its big eyes, before it turned back to the basket in the water. The head had white tufts of hair, almost like flames flying up from above its ears. It wore rags. One hand held the basket in the water, while the other stirred the contents.
The figure said, "Who are you?"
That evening, Fumie was in the kitchen when she heard Shigeru call out, "I'm home!" She looked up, startled, as he came into the kitchen, with a big smile. Fumie said, "What are you doing back already? I thought you were staying overnight." Shigeru grinned. "I couldn't. It was there! I saw it!" Fumie said, "What was there?" Shigeru said, "A mountain spirit, sitting in the river, washing red beans."