Chapter 3: A Day with a Samurai
Jill was obviously cheered-up by Jack's company. She was now skipping and singing every nursery song she knew as she followed the hero. Jack wasn't sure he liked her attracting attention in such a way, but he liked her innocence and her joy. It was hard to find this in Aku's awful world.
It was getting late, so Jack set up a place to camp. He found a small wild animal and killed it for supper. He built a fire, cooked the animal, and handed some to Jill. "Yuck," she said in disgust.
"I'm sorry, Jill. It is all we have." Jack took a bite of his. "Eat some. It's good, actually."
She still looked disgusted, but she took a bite. Then she smiled. "Mmmmm!"
They must have been very hungry because they were quiet after that. After supper, Jill asked, "Jack, where are you from?"
Jack didn't know how to answer her in a way she would understand. "Far away," he said finally.
"Where's that?"
Jack sighed. "How can I put this? Jill, do you understand what yesterday is?"
"That's the day before today!"
"That is right! And when yesterday is gone, it cannot come back again."
"Why not?"
"It is what has been determined for the world since the beginning of time. Jill, I am from many, many yesterdays ago."
"How?"
"A monster sent me here. I believe it is the same monster that attacked you and your father. Sadly, finding my home is going to be much harder for me than it will be for you."
"Why?"
"Because I am from yesterday. Yesterday cannot happen again, and few people know how to get back to yesterday."
"Why?"
Jack shook his head sadly. "I do not know."
Jill looked at him. "I hope you find your home, Jack."
"I will. It may take a very long time, but I will. I know I will. But I will find your home first."
"And Daddy!"
"And I will try to find him."
Jack found Jill dancing in the sun the next morning. "Isn't it a beautiful day?" she said.
Jack shook his head. "Nothing can truly be beautiful in this world while the monster is alive."
"Daddy always says everything is beautiful in their own way."
"Even the monster?"
"Must be. The monster is very bad, but Mommy and Daddy both say that bad people are people. I don't understand it myself, but they understand."
Jack didn't know what to say, but he was charmed at how naïve the girl was. As he led her on, he asked more about her home. "What is it like? Are the people nice?"
"The people are all very nice!" She talked about the elderly woman who lived next door to her who baked her cookies and had funny pets. It was good to see the child valued her elders. As she talked on, though, all she'd talk about were adults. There were no children her age. No wonder Aku called her a treasure.
"Daddy's always gone talking to big, important people," Jill said. "I miss him when he's gone, but he says he does it for the good of our town."
"Why does he say that?"
Through Jill's limited description of the place where she lived, it sounded very small and very poor. It was a tiny village in the valley of a mountain, not far from a lake. It made little contact with the rest of civilization, so they didn't know much about Aku or very advanced technology or beings from other worlds. Their only outlet had to be the trade route. Aku's taking it away would really hit them hard. He must have thought it earned him little profit.
They weren't attacked by any bounty hunters, but they did meet up with a wild animal. Jack killed it before it could hurt Jill. She looked at him with concern. "Mommy told me not to play with knives."
"And that is wise advice indeed," Jack answered. "But you don't have to worry. I spent many years learning how to use this weapon so I wouldn't hurt myself, or people like you."
The day passed on silently until late at night. Jill woke Jack up gently. "What is wrong?" he asked her.
"Jack, I can't sleep. I keep thinking about the monster. He scares me."
"I do not blame you," he answered.
"Can you tell me a story?"
"I don't think you'd like any of my stories."
"Can you sing me a lullaby?"
"I'm sorry, Jill, but I only know one, and it is in a language that you would not understand."
"Did your mommy sing it to you?"
"Yes, she did."
Jill sleepily rested her head on Jack's lap. "Sing it to me, please. I wanna hear what your home sounds like."
Jack closed his eyes. He could hear his mother's soothing voice in his memories of when he was Jill's age, long before he even knew of Aku or the sword or his destiny. As far as he was concerned back then, he was simply a boy resting in his bed of silk as his mother sang. He stroked Jill's tangled hair as he remembered the words:
Nen nen korori yo, okorori yo
Bouya wa yoiko da, nenne shina
Bouya no omoriwa doko e itta
Anoyam koete, sato e itta.
Sato no miyagene nani moratta
Denden taiko ni sho no fue.
Jill fell asleep with a smile on her face. It didn't matter to her that the language was foreign, but the song was very beautiful and happy. Jill did not see Jack weeping over her as she slept, but Jack cried himself to sleep.
(Note: That song is Komoriuta. I'm very sure that it's traditional, therefore in public domain. I don't know what it means or how it goes, just that it's a Japanese lullaby I found online. I wanted to use a tape I have of lullabies around the world, but I can't find it.)
Jill was obviously cheered-up by Jack's company. She was now skipping and singing every nursery song she knew as she followed the hero. Jack wasn't sure he liked her attracting attention in such a way, but he liked her innocence and her joy. It was hard to find this in Aku's awful world.
It was getting late, so Jack set up a place to camp. He found a small wild animal and killed it for supper. He built a fire, cooked the animal, and handed some to Jill. "Yuck," she said in disgust.
"I'm sorry, Jill. It is all we have." Jack took a bite of his. "Eat some. It's good, actually."
She still looked disgusted, but she took a bite. Then she smiled. "Mmmmm!"
They must have been very hungry because they were quiet after that. After supper, Jill asked, "Jack, where are you from?"
Jack didn't know how to answer her in a way she would understand. "Far away," he said finally.
"Where's that?"
Jack sighed. "How can I put this? Jill, do you understand what yesterday is?"
"That's the day before today!"
"That is right! And when yesterday is gone, it cannot come back again."
"Why not?"
"It is what has been determined for the world since the beginning of time. Jill, I am from many, many yesterdays ago."
"How?"
"A monster sent me here. I believe it is the same monster that attacked you and your father. Sadly, finding my home is going to be much harder for me than it will be for you."
"Why?"
"Because I am from yesterday. Yesterday cannot happen again, and few people know how to get back to yesterday."
"Why?"
Jack shook his head sadly. "I do not know."
Jill looked at him. "I hope you find your home, Jack."
"I will. It may take a very long time, but I will. I know I will. But I will find your home first."
"And Daddy!"
"And I will try to find him."
Jack found Jill dancing in the sun the next morning. "Isn't it a beautiful day?" she said.
Jack shook his head. "Nothing can truly be beautiful in this world while the monster is alive."
"Daddy always says everything is beautiful in their own way."
"Even the monster?"
"Must be. The monster is very bad, but Mommy and Daddy both say that bad people are people. I don't understand it myself, but they understand."
Jack didn't know what to say, but he was charmed at how naïve the girl was. As he led her on, he asked more about her home. "What is it like? Are the people nice?"
"The people are all very nice!" She talked about the elderly woman who lived next door to her who baked her cookies and had funny pets. It was good to see the child valued her elders. As she talked on, though, all she'd talk about were adults. There were no children her age. No wonder Aku called her a treasure.
"Daddy's always gone talking to big, important people," Jill said. "I miss him when he's gone, but he says he does it for the good of our town."
"Why does he say that?"
Through Jill's limited description of the place where she lived, it sounded very small and very poor. It was a tiny village in the valley of a mountain, not far from a lake. It made little contact with the rest of civilization, so they didn't know much about Aku or very advanced technology or beings from other worlds. Their only outlet had to be the trade route. Aku's taking it away would really hit them hard. He must have thought it earned him little profit.
They weren't attacked by any bounty hunters, but they did meet up with a wild animal. Jack killed it before it could hurt Jill. She looked at him with concern. "Mommy told me not to play with knives."
"And that is wise advice indeed," Jack answered. "But you don't have to worry. I spent many years learning how to use this weapon so I wouldn't hurt myself, or people like you."
The day passed on silently until late at night. Jill woke Jack up gently. "What is wrong?" he asked her.
"Jack, I can't sleep. I keep thinking about the monster. He scares me."
"I do not blame you," he answered.
"Can you tell me a story?"
"I don't think you'd like any of my stories."
"Can you sing me a lullaby?"
"I'm sorry, Jill, but I only know one, and it is in a language that you would not understand."
"Did your mommy sing it to you?"
"Yes, she did."
Jill sleepily rested her head on Jack's lap. "Sing it to me, please. I wanna hear what your home sounds like."
Jack closed his eyes. He could hear his mother's soothing voice in his memories of when he was Jill's age, long before he even knew of Aku or the sword or his destiny. As far as he was concerned back then, he was simply a boy resting in his bed of silk as his mother sang. He stroked Jill's tangled hair as he remembered the words:
Nen nen korori yo, okorori yo
Bouya wa yoiko da, nenne shina
Bouya no omoriwa doko e itta
Anoyam koete, sato e itta.
Sato no miyagene nani moratta
Denden taiko ni sho no fue.
Jill fell asleep with a smile on her face. It didn't matter to her that the language was foreign, but the song was very beautiful and happy. Jill did not see Jack weeping over her as she slept, but Jack cried himself to sleep.
(Note: That song is Komoriuta. I'm very sure that it's traditional, therefore in public domain. I don't know what it means or how it goes, just that it's a Japanese lullaby I found online. I wanted to use a tape I have of lullabies around the world, but I can't find it.)