Chapter Twenty Two – The Earth Shop
A view of the Earth Shop exterior in the rain, its growing dark now. There are no lights on.
Cut to:
(Music: The 'Earth Shop' harpsichord music theme from Whisper).
A view of the shop interior. It is dark and quiet except for some clocks ticking. We see several views. The cold fireplace. The golden pig on wheels. The rocking horses. The galleon on its table. The camera pans to the top of the stairs and tracks down them.
Cut to:
The workshop. We see several views. The large workbench. An armchair is stripped down on it, the cover and stuffing removed, the wooden frame with some new pale timbers spliced in stands waiting the next stage of restoration. We see close ups of some tools neatly stored on a wall rack; a plane, a hammer, a spokeshave, leatherworking awls, a hand drill. We cut to a view of a broom leaning up in the corner, a small pile of sawdust brushed neatly up against the wall beside it.
New scene:
A few days later. The sky is overcast. The camera pans down from the grey clouds to a graveside view. A funeral at a city centre cemetery. Trees are in the background but tall buildings are not far away and the drone of the city disturbs the quiet. Among the crowd we can see Dr. and Mrs. Amasawa, Mr. Nishi's two musician friends, Luisa, Anna-Marie, Seiji, Shizuku, plus others we do not know, many of them elderly. Everyone is wearing black. A monk is speaking. He wears long white robes with a black surplice. We can hear his voice faintly but not the words. It is breezy and coats and hats are pulled by the wind, encouraging people to move away quickly at the end of the service.
Cut to:
A more distant view looking down from longer grasses on higher ground. Our point of view descends slowly to ground level and in the foreground we see the back of Moon sitting watching the funeral. In the distance the service ends and people walk slowly away back to their cars in small groups, in ones and twos. Moon is just a cat. He doesn't understand the passing of time but he does know that what he wants at this moment is to just sit here and be in this place.
Cut to:
A car driving along. Seiji looks out the window at the cloudy sky scudding across the city. His eyes are vacant.
Cut to:
The car pulls up outside the Earth Shop.
Seiji (faintly): "No, we're fine. Just want to be alone here a while. We'll come over to the house later, OK?"
He and Shizuku get out. The car drives slowly off. Seiji is wearing a black suit, if this whole scene were not so sad he'd look handsome in it, smart. Shizuku has on a long black dress and a black overcoat. She is wearing her old straw boater hat but has replaced the ribbon with a long black one whch hangs down at the back. As with Seiji, if the outfit and the face were not so sombre she would be very attractive. Both of them look quite grown up dressed like this.
Cut to:
The side gate of the shop. Seiji unlocks the gate and steps through. Shizuku follows. At the top of the steps she stops and looks at the view. The clouds are breaking a little and the sky is lighter. Shizuku descends to the wooden balcony.
Cut to:
The balcony, looking along to the workshop door. Seiji unlocks the door with his key. Shizuku stops at the balustrade and looks at the view again.
Shizuku: "I love this view."
Seiji: "Me too. Pity we'll not see it much longer, I expect the shop will be sold."
Shizuku stays a moment longer, just looking. Not wanting to stop looking.
Seiji: "I need to collect some things."
He goes inside.
Cut to:
From inside the workshop looking out the open doorway to the balcony. Shizuku stands in the doorway, she looks in, apprehensively.
Cut to:
A view of the workshop interior. On the right is grandpa Nishi's workbench, the stripped down armchair on it. Shizuku looks left. Seiji's workbench is swept bare, everything put carefully away. Shizuku steps in quietly. As she goes across the room to the stairs she sees on the left the upright piano and Mr. Nishi's cello. We hear faintly the violin accompaniment to Country Road. We see the scene from last year, Shizuku singing, Mr. Nishi and his friends playing, the jolly refrain by the tall thin man on recorder.
Cut to:
A close up of Shizuku's face. It is discoloured from so much crying, her eyes are inflamed. Tears are welling up yet again. She shakes her head to drive away the memory. The song fades away. Shizuku runs past the instruments and up the stairs. She can't bear to be down here.
Cut to:
A view of the top of the stairs. Shizuku comes up. At the top she stops and looks around. On the table is a large box, on top of it a card. She walks over and picks up the card. She's almost too distraught to really care much, she's moving automatically.
Cut to:
A close up of the card:
TO SHIZUKU, MY LITTLE RAINDROP. YOUR HEART SHOULD NOT WHISPER, BUT LET IT SHOUT. THESE ARE FOR YOU. FROM YOUR FRIEND, GRANDPA.
Shizuku lays the card on the table and opens the box, she folds back layers of tissue paper. She lifts out the Baron. She holds him up and looks carefully at him.
Shizuku: "Hey there. Still not going to talk to me, eh?"
She stands the Baron on the table and looks inside the box again. She folds another piece of tissue aside. She pulls out the Luisa doll and holds her up. She is beautiful. In the two weeks since Shizuku sent the doll to Japan, Mr. Nishi has restored her to perfection. The ears, the whiskers and fur are like new, the eyes shine, but most amazing of all she is dressed in the most beautiful white brides dress, with a little jaunty white cap and a gossamer veil. Shizuku lifts the veil. She is overawed and once again the tears begin to flow. She picks up the Baron, smart and dapper in his tail coat and top hat. She hugs both dolls.