11.

Letter sent in reply from Brussels to Crow's Hall Farm, West Sussex, England, dated December the sixth

Hello Jacob!

It's grand to hear from you. I am jealous, you know, that you can go to school already. I too am studying to catch up. It is hard, but Queer (he is the one who set it all going, taking me to his home) says that for someone who in only six years learned how to blow up the planet, how hard can it be?

All the Fields have set to help me. Mr. Field teaches History. I can't bring myself to call him 'Uncle' like you do his cousin, so I say 'Cap' to him like his children: it comes from 'Capitol', one of the seven hills of Rome. He is wild about ancient Rome and has named each of his children after a Roman hill, even the dog! He tells me how as a child he found a ring from Roman times near Crows Hall, where he was on holiday. He was born in Singapore when that was still a British colony and his father ran a plantation near Kuala Lumpur, but he was sent to school in England when he was twelve and during holidays stayed with his cousins. It's odd, I was always taught that the Romans where oppressors, and mr. Field says they were too, but then they also unified Europe and kept the local tribes from fighting each other, build good roads, aqueducts, improved agriculture and so on.

"It's significant that, though people speak ill about the Roman Empire, they will still call the period that came after it the 'Dark Ages'" says Cap. He has the gift to bring history alive, so now I am hooked too! It is so fascinating, and it shows both the worst and the best of humanity. It is very good of him to spend so much time on me, for he has a demanding job as well, but Queer says he is enjoying it as much as I do and is looking forward to showing me the Roman villa's of Bignor and Fishbourne when we come for Christmas, and march with me up and down the South Downs Way (which is even older than the Romans) like he did with his children. Did you know that it was your Uncle Ben who, when ploughing, discovered the Chilgrove long villa in 1963, with its mosaics? Well, I won't bore you with history lessons.

What would you like for Christmas? Any ideas for a present for the girls? I would like to get Miho something special; she wrote to me too (and whatever her feelings for me are it's none of your business!).

I am earning some money going out 'buskering' with Queer. That is we go into town, in the 'Ilot Sacre' (the 'Sacred Isle', that is the heart of Brussels) and sing in the streets and cafe's and restaurants and the puppet theatre called Toone during the break in the performance. I said I couldn't sing but Queer said: "You are Russian, all Russians can sing! Where is your Red Army Choir spirit?"

I can, too! I sing 'Otchi tchernya' and 'Kalinka' and such Russian favourites everyone knows. I tried an old folksong that is also in one of our opera's which mamma used to love, and they actually sang along: "Those where the days my friend…" They think it's one of theirs, because it was translated and then made famous by some woman folksinger called Mary Hopkins! But it is such a Russian song! Oh well, nitchevo,* as long as they pay up.

When Queer thinks they don't tip us enough he calls out to them in the local dialect: "Allei, mam'zelleke, da joeng es weird meer v'r z'n schuun sourire alleine!" It makes them laugh and pay more. Later, he translated: "Come on miss, the lad (that's me) is worth more for his pretty smile alone." I could have sunk through the floor. Still, Queer's great. I owe him so much. He gives me books to read to improve my English.

His sister Vimi (Viminalis) teaches me French, Latin and geography from her old schoolbooks and takes it much more seriously than her brother, bombarding me with grammar, horrible! But I suppose that if I ever am to go to school I need to know the basics. My Greek is better than hers is though! She says I will come out top of my class in that, it will compensate!

Vimi has a friend, Nick, one can not call him boyfriend because he is not a boy, at least thirty, and he comes regularly (more to see her, I think) to give me mathematics and biology classes. I don't like them, but at least I am not too bad: Camu did give me some notion of science. Nick and Queer are constantly pulling each other's leg. They can be very sarcastic: "You haven't a scientific bone in your body, Queer" says Nick, and then Queer answered, good-naturedly: " Yes, all the scientific genes went to Vimi and Esk, there was none left for me!"

Esk, or Esquilinus, is the elder brother, I believe he and his wife will be coming over for Christmas too.

Crows Hall will be crowded.

Here we have just celebrated Sinterklaas. That is a children's feast, but Queer insists on keeping up the tradition because it's his birthday too. On the eve, children put out their shoes in front of the fireplace with a carrot for Sinterklaas's horse and in the morning they will find it filled with marzipan and chocolate and a present.

Mrs. Field told me how her elder children put down one of their father's big shoes when she was expecting Queer so that 'Sinterklaas will bring the little sister' They were rather disappointed with the old man when it turned out to be a little brother! So this morning we gorged ourselves on sweets and I received a book on Russia with lots of pictures. Mrs. Field said she thought I might be homesick sometimes. Then they told me that Sinterklaas is none other than our Saint Nicholas, Patron of the rodina, ** our beloved Motherland! Every day I am learning something new.

I also feel more and more Russian. There is nothing Japanese in me and I hope that I am purged of Kido's blood, as Shiryu once joked. Of course I know that is impossible, it's all in the genes as Nick explained to me the other day. Mr. Field had just told me how useful the information Shaina, I mean Antonia, had given the Secret Services had been. Especially details about Kido and his organisation. He was rather surprised that it even mentioned all of our bloodgroups, even Kido's, which is AB. I was rather proud to be able to explain something in turn. It has to do with Japanese astrology, they believe one's fate is not only dictated by the stars but by one's blood as well. "That's absolute balderdash. " said Nick who was present, "Am I a dentist because I have bloodgroup O? " "Absolutely not" said Queer, " Vimi has the same group and she's your exact opposite, which is her and our good fortune…" "I have bloodgroup O" I said, and then Nick started and looked oddly at me, and asked if I was sure. Mr. Field confirmed it from the information the Secret Service had passed on to me (unfortunately that did not contain much about my family in Russia, but they are searching). Nick was silent and brooding after that but would not tell me why. But I know that if it is something important he will not keep it from me. They are all so open and friendly, and I have never known such generosity in people. I keep saying "Please I cannot accept this" but they will offer me the shirts off their back, quite literally in Queer's case, as I had to borrow clothes of his. This caused Mr. Field to buy me a complete wardrobe because, he said, he could not stand the sight of two rainbows in his house! It's true that Queer wears the strangest colours all together. He's not just called Queer, he is! ***

I've also received a letter from Antonia. She sounds very happy. All our sufferings seem so far away now. We've always been so busy saving the world that we never took time to study it, and now I am. And I want to know more! Think of being able to study and learn everything! So maybe later I can be like the Fields.

Have a job, a home, a family.

See you at Christmas,

Hyoga

P.S. Would you like marbles to share with your friend? You shouldn't accept things without giving back.

To be continued

* Nitchevo (Russian) = 'Never mind'

** Rodina (Russian) = Motherland

*** Hyoga means it in the original sense, his English isn't good enough to know about the other meaning yet.