So, I started watching The Walking Dead. I don't understand why people watch it and then beat the thing up. Why watch it if it's that bad? And it isn't really that horrible. I mean, when it comes down to it, it's a zombie show. If anything, it's lazy, clumsy, and predictable, but will sometimes surprise you. Just like zombies. So, hey, maybe the writers are onto something.
I wrote this in the hour I am forced to wait until I can re-prime some wood. So, if it's weird, I blame the non-existant fumes. Also, Kilz does not come off my skin. My hands are splotched with white stickyness. And not in a good way. Wait, what?
And since Intoxicated Gnu got all bossy with their review, fine. Have a chapter filled with rainbows, unicorns, kittens, and puppies dressed up as faeries.
Twenty Five
For the next several days Goemon practiced with the sword he had been given. It was plain and just like all other samurai swords he had seen. And even though this sword had no history or name, he cherished it.
Every morning he would leave the cabin with his grandfather, the two of them hiking far into the woods to the small clearing where they would then meditate.
Their minds cleared and their focus heightened, Goemon and his grandfather would have sword battles. And even though his grandfather used an old sword with a dull blade, the strikes that got through his defenses still stung as they slammed into his body.
After the battle it was on to chores. Goemon would slice up some wood and lug it back to the cabin, taking the trails his grandfather told him to take, ones more rugged and harder to traverse than the ones taken to the spot. Once the wood was at the cabin he would chop it into smaller pieces with his grandfathers large heavy ax.
This was all done while his grandfather cooked their meal, which was usually done when Goemon was finished.
After eating it was back to training, although this time Goemon left alone, his task to reach a certain peak of the mountain range, getting a different peak every day.
It was always night when Goemon returned to the cabin. His grandfather asleep, he would meditate an hour and then go to bed, only to wake up early and repeat the routine.
It was a grueling task for a boy his age, but he enjoyed it. If it was necessary to do in order for him to become as great a warrior as his ancestors, Goemon was more than happy to do it, no matter how tough it was.
...
"When do we get there," Lupin whined, the flight back to Japan taking longer than he wanted it to. A sudden emergency had forced them to fly to Paris for a few days, further heightening Lupin's impatience.
His parents only glanced at him and grinned as he fidgeted in his seat.
Unlike Goemon, Lupin wanted everything a second ago. He didn't care about planning or scoping places out. He just wanted to go in and steal stuff.
All the other stuff was boring.
Lupin stared out the window and sighed. "So, this time when we land, are we going to the mountains to get the thing?"
"We're getting a room and resting for the night," his father answered. "And then we need to continue planning."
Lupin groaned in disappointment as he threw his head back into the chair. "Come on. I thought we already did that. Can't we do all of that on the way there?"
"One day you'll understand the importance of planning," his father said.
"I doubt it," Lupin muttered as he stared in annoyance out the window.
...
"Tomorrow we'll change things up a bit," Goemon's grandfather said as the two made their way back to the cabin.
"Okay," Goemon said, the wood on his back not as heavy as it was the first day he started the wood carrying chore.
They reached the cabin and Goemon set the wood down.
"That ax is a little dull, so you might want to sharpen it," his grandfather said. "I'm cooking up those fish you caught this morning, so hurry up or your food will get cold."
Goemon smiled at his grandfather and nodded.
His grandfather watched the boy sharpen the ax for a few seconds before making his way inside the cabin to start cooking.
Ax sharpened, Goemon set up the wood and began to chop it. As he worked he wondered what new things his grandfather would teach him the next day. He couldn't wait to find out, wishing it were morning the next day and he was just getting up.
But, he knew he needed to be patient. It was one thing his grandfather said was important. So, as he chopped he cleared his mind of his thoughts, only concentrating on the task in front of him and doing it as best he could.
Almost done with the pile of wood, he heard a loud crash coming from the cabin.
"Grandfather?" he wondered, setting the ax down and heading inside. "Grandfather!"
Goemon's grandfather was laying face down on the floor, the dishes he had been carrying broken around him.
"Grandfather," Goemon cried as he ran over and knelt by the man. "Grandfather, wake up," he said as he shook the man.
His grandfather didn't move or make a sound.
"Grandfather," Goemon cried. "Please wake up." He laid himself over the man, holding him and crying into his back.
He was smart enough to know his grandfather was never going to wake up. He also knew his grandfather would have wanted him to be strong, but he couldn't be that. Not at that moment.
Jumping to his feet and with tears streaming down his face, Goemon ran out of the cabin and into the woods.
He ran until it was night and continued on. Close to morning he finally collapsed, his legs unable to take him any further. Clenching the ground with his hands, he glared off in front of him. His tears had long run out, the only thing he felt being disappointment in himself.
"I'm sorry, grandfather," he said, bowing his head in shame. "I've failed you."
The first real test in his life and he let his emotions rule over him. It didn't matter that the test was the person closest to him dying. He knew he should have handled it differently.
"I'm too weak," he said, staring down at the dirt clenched in his right hand. Screaming, he threw his hand out, the dirt spraying out in front of him. "I don't want to be weak anymore..."
He took a deep breath and stood, turning and walking back to the cabin.
It would be late afternoon by the time he arrived. Once there he covered his grandfathers body, kneeling and saying a prayer, taking a moment before standing and walking outside.
He found a place and began to dig, his grandfather buried before the sun set.
"I'll be stronger for you, grandfather," he said before he turned and walked off, leaving the cabin and that part of his life behind him.
Huh? You mean you didn't see the rainbows, unicorns, kittens, and puppies dressed up as faeries? They were totally there, man! In between paragraphs six and seven and also waltzing past paragraph eleven. Man, I can't believe you missed it. They really put on a show, too. Oh well, maybe they'll perform again.