Yume ga oshieru …Ano michi o tayori…..
Tooku kaeru wa
Kono you no hate made
Yume ni uchuu o
Asoba se utae ba
Yoru ni inochi no
Namida dette koto eru
++Jyo-ha . A Flower of Spring++
The two peasant girls looked at the man before them with frightened eyes. Their mother stood by the side, a greedy glint in her eyes.
'How much?' The woman asked curtly, her hand slapping a fly away. The man looked at the two girls appraisingly again. He took out a tattered notebook and flipped to a page, his snake-slit eyes running down the smudged scribbles. The woman tapped her foot impatiently. It was summer, and a hot summer. Her crops were not doing too well, and her eldest son, that prodigal boy, was in the city, doing 'business', as so called. The woman needed money for her youngest son. And her two girls, useless girls they were, will be sold to a well-known courtesan parlor in the city. She knew that they were jinxes. The day the eldest girl was born, it was so hot that all her maize dried. The day, the second girl was born, it rained madly, until all her wheat was drowned in the flood.
The agent rubbed his unshaved chin slowly, and stared at each girl. He pocketed his book and walked to the eldest, pinching her arm and her face. The elder girl glared at him defiantly.
'What's your name?'
The elder girl spat at him. The woman frowned. She slapped the girl tight across her face, leaving a red mark.
'She's called Kaa (Summer), the younger one's Jyo (Spring).'
'That will not do. Change their names. She.' He pointed at the elder girl. 'Will be called Kaa-ha (Summer Flower), and this one will be Jyo-ha (Spring Flower)
He nodded at the woman. The woman's eyes glinted, promises of money and a new plot of land arising in her mind. He looked at the second, and did the same. The younger girl winced, and tried to hide behind her sister. The agent laughed roughly.
'They like them bold and shy as well.' He said, looking at the girls again. 'I will give you three gold taels.' As he spoke, he took out a bag and dumped it unceremoniously into the woman's quavering cupped hands.
The woman could hardly believe her luck. Three gold taels for two jinxes!
'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' She prostrated herself before the agent, bowing her head into the rough sand. The agent chewed on his tobacco and ordered :
'I will collect them tomorrow. Make sure you clean them properly, and have them in their best clothes.'
Night fell. Kaa was sleeping soundly. Jyo sat up beside her sister, her violet-blue eyes troubled. She glanced out of the window, at the crescent moon. Tears rolled down Jyo's pale cheeks.
'How can mother be so evil…..' Jyo buried her face in her knees and wept softly. She glanced at the blue and white dress laid out on the long table in their room. She will be wearing that tomorrow to the city, to that wicked courtesan parlor. She heard stories from the old women who worked the fields with them. They were places of sin, where wanton women entertained rich men with wine and their bodies. She did not want to go there, she wanted to stay here, in this village, and….there was… Kai (Sea).
Kai !
Jyo trembled again. Kai will be heartbroken. They planned to marry, he wanted to ask for her this summer, when he returned from the North, and bring her faraway from this wicked home. He would bring Kaa along too, he promised that.
Kai…his bright green eyes, his wonderful smile, his soft hair that looked like a harvest of ripe hazelnut fruit.
She will never see him again!
Another shudder came over Jyo. Burrowing herself into her blanket, she sobbed.
++Jyo-ha . A Flower of Spring++
The two peasant girls looked at the man before them with frightened eyes. Their mother stood by the side, a greedy glint in her eyes.
'How much?' The woman asked curtly, her hand slapping a fly away. The man looked at the two girls appraisingly again. He took out a tattered notebook and flipped to a page, his snake-slit eyes running down the smudged scribbles. The woman tapped her foot impatiently. It was summer, and a hot summer. Her crops were not doing too well, and her eldest son, that prodigal boy, was in the city, doing 'business', as so called. The woman needed money for her youngest son. And her two girls, useless girls they were, will be sold to a well-known courtesan parlor in the city. She knew that they were jinxes. The day the eldest girl was born, it was so hot that all her maize dried. The day, the second girl was born, it rained madly, until all her wheat was drowned in the flood.
The agent rubbed his unshaved chin slowly, and stared at each girl. He pocketed his book and walked to the eldest, pinching her arm and her face. The elder girl glared at him defiantly.
'What's your name?'
The elder girl spat at him. The woman frowned. She slapped the girl tight across her face, leaving a red mark.
'She's called Kaa (Summer), the younger one's Jyo (Spring).'
'That will not do. Change their names. She.' He pointed at the elder girl. 'Will be called Kaa-ha (Summer Flower), and this one will be Jyo-ha (Spring Flower)
He nodded at the woman. The woman's eyes glinted, promises of money and a new plot of land arising in her mind. He looked at the second, and did the same. The younger girl winced, and tried to hide behind her sister. The agent laughed roughly.
'They like them bold and shy as well.' He said, looking at the girls again. 'I will give you three gold taels.' As he spoke, he took out a bag and dumped it unceremoniously into the woman's quavering cupped hands.
The woman could hardly believe her luck. Three gold taels for two jinxes!
'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' She prostrated herself before the agent, bowing her head into the rough sand. The agent chewed on his tobacco and ordered :
'I will collect them tomorrow. Make sure you clean them properly, and have them in their best clothes.'
Night fell. Kaa was sleeping soundly. Jyo sat up beside her sister, her violet-blue eyes troubled. She glanced out of the window, at the crescent moon. Tears rolled down Jyo's pale cheeks.
'How can mother be so evil…..' Jyo buried her face in her knees and wept softly. She glanced at the blue and white dress laid out on the long table in their room. She will be wearing that tomorrow to the city, to that wicked courtesan parlor. She heard stories from the old women who worked the fields with them. They were places of sin, where wanton women entertained rich men with wine and their bodies. She did not want to go there, she wanted to stay here, in this village, and….there was… Kai (Sea).
Kai !
Jyo trembled again. Kai will be heartbroken. They planned to marry, he wanted to ask for her this summer, when he returned from the North, and bring her faraway from this wicked home. He would bring Kaa along too, he promised that.
Kai…his bright green eyes, his wonderful smile, his soft hair that looked like a harvest of ripe hazelnut fruit.
She will never see him again!
Another shudder came over Jyo. Burrowing herself into her blanket, she sobbed.
