Vivian frowned as she went round the room picking up Cousin Vivian's clothes. Really the spoilt cow must be doing it on purpose. Nobody is naturally that untidy! Vivian couldn't deny that Cousin Vivian was a success as a geisha. She certainly knew how to sparkle at conversation, as well as being expert in the correct way to serve tea, sing and dance. She only seemed to come home to redo her elaborate make up, throw her clothes on the floor and shout at her wig-dresser. Vivian looked up as a rumble not quite like thunder shook the house. She paused, but as no more followed it she shook her head and told herself that she was imagining it. Her tasks were so mindless that she had plenty of time to devote to thinking up ways to getting the silver ribbon from Cousin Vivian, who wore it most of the time except when she took a bath, when it was within her reach. Vivian wasn't sure if it would be able to get her back to Time City, but from the way Cousin Vivian guarded it, it was certainly possible. She had been in history for weeks now and had almost given up hope of Jonathan and/or Sam rescuing her. Hope remained buried deep inside her like a shining golden thread, but it didn't help much except when she woke in the middle of the night, overwhelmed with homesickness and despair.
She had just finished putting all the clothes away and was preparing to clean the bathtub when Cousin Vivian bustled in, looking rather agitated. 'Did you feel that earth tremor just then?' she demanded.
'What, those rumbles? I thought it was thunder,'
'Oh you are stupid. Japan is right in the middle of an earthquake zone, of course it wasn't thunder you foolish girl!'
Vivian had got used to being called a fool or an idiot, or worse, so she placidly carried on with her task. This seemed to infuriate Cousin Vivian and she threw a hairbrush at Vivian with a growl of annoyance. 'Answer me when I speak to you. I wish I'd never Summoned you now, you irritate me beyond endurance!'
'Then send me back,' replied Vivian, picking up the hairbrush.
'I would if I could, but I need something from Time City to make the belt work,' Cousin Vivian clapped a hand over her mouth, realising she'd said too much. Vivian gave her a long, hard look but merely replied 'Don't do that, you'll ruin your make up. Haven't you got another client soon?'
'I'm not going. If there's going to be an earthquake I'd rather stay here, thank you,'
'Your choice. Your business,' Vivian replaced the hairbrush on the dressing table, picked up a pile of dirty laundry and left the room.
Outside she encountered the wig-dresser, who was the tiniest, oldest woman that Vivian had ever seen. Although Vivian couldn't speak Japanese and the wig-dresser couldn't speak English they somehow managed to communicate by signs and odd words. The wig-dresser, whose name appeared to be Tsubaki, pointed to the closed door and said something that sounded like 'Fujin?' followed by a questioning shrug. Hoping that Tsubaki was asking about Cousin Vivian, Vivian screwed her face up and replied 'Bad mood.' The little old woman pulled a face and scuttled into the room.
Vivian took the laundry to the servant's quarters, where she found the cook scolding everybody. The other servants seemed to be afraid of something, other than the cook who was hitting out at everybody with a large ladle. As she couldn't understand a word that anybody was saying Vivian caught hold of a passing servant and pushed the load of laundry into their arms before leaving them to their terror. 'What is wrong with everybody today?' she wondered, making her way back to the tiny cupboard of a room next to Cousin Vivian's quarters, where she slept. She had her hand on the door when suddenly the building gave a heave and a valuable vase slithered off a marble table. There was a shriek from inside Cousin Vivian's room, followed by the sound of a loud slap and Vivian heard her name being called. 'Oh, honestly,' she sighed, trying to ignore the quiver in her stomach at the thought that a real earthquake may be happening. Tsubaki suddenly shot out of Cousin Vivian's room, her face ashen as the house started to shake violently and ornaments and furniture began to slip and slide about. Grabbing hold of Vivian she began telling her something urgently and pushed and pulled at the girl. Vivian, a rising tide of panic catching in her throat, allowed herself to be bundled under a table and the two women cowered there, listening to the crashes and rumbles and screams that filled the air.
Vivian thought she ought to go and make sure that Cousin Vivian was hiding safely, but Tsubaki had a tight grip on her arm and every time Vivian moved the frightened woman would grip her tighter and howl in terror. In spite of the noise and her own fear Vivian felt as if she was dreaming. It seemed like hours later when the earth finally stopped shaking and everything that was going to fall had fallen. Wincing at the cramp that seized her as she moved, Vivian crawled out from under the table, followed by Tsubaki. Feeling suddenly very sick they crept towards the closed door of Cousin Vivian's room, leaning against the wood to listen. There was silence from the other side, and Tsubaki gently pushed at the door.
Both women screamed and clutched at one another when they saw what was on the other side. Lying sprawled on her back amidst the devastation of her luxurious room was Cousin Vivian. Pinning her to the floor, through her chest, was the ancient sword that had once hung on the wall and a trickle of dark red blood ran from the corner of her mouth to the floor. Tsubaki fell to her knees and began to rock herself and keen loudly. Stepping around her Vivian cautiously made her way across the floor to Cousin Vivian's body. Although she was obviously dead Vivian shook her gently, calling her name and trying to find a pulse. Her knees shook so badly that she couldn't get up, so she crawled back towards Tsubaki and shook the wailing woman 'Don't just sit there crying,' she shouted, 'go and get somebody!'
Though she couldn't understand the language Vivian's tone got through to the distraught wig-dresser and she tried to stop her weeping. Seeing that she was calming down Vivian repeated her command and added kindly 'Go on, I'll stay with her. We can't leave her alone, it isn't right, even she is a cow to us all.'
Helping the old woman to her feet Vivian gently steered her towards the door, hoping that her commands were understood. Once she was alone she swallowed the feeling of revulsion at what she was about to do and pulled aside the kimono that Cousin Vivian was wearing. Underneath was the Summoning Belt, fastened firmly round her waist. Vivian twisted the ribbon round trying to find a fastening and when one wasn't obvious she pulled hard. To her surprise it came undone easily and Vivian tugged until it had come away from the body. Stuffing into the pocket of the shabby robe she was forced to wear Vivian quickly rearranged Cousin Vivian's clothes and sat on the edge of the sleeping mat. She hadn't been there long before the door burst open and several of the other servants streamed in, followed wearily by Tsubaki. In the confusion and clamour that followed Vivian slipped out of the room and into her own sleeping place.
There she studied the ribbon carefully. Apart from the beads decorating it there wasn't anything else on the surface and certainly no obvious buttons to press or other ways of making it work. 'It needs something from Time City to make it work,' remembered Vivian. Burrowing under the heap of rags that served her for a pillow she shook out the Time City pyjamas that she had been wearing on her arrival in Japan. Quickly she changed into them and then pulled hard at the fabric trying to detach a thread. Once she was successful she held the thread between her lips and went back to examining the ribbon. She twisted it, pulled at it and pressed the beads down firmly. Suddenly, not sure how she had done it, Vivian found herself looking inside one of the largest beads which had sprung open, revealing a little hollow inside. Nestling there was a curly brown hair that she recognised as her own. 'So that's how it works,' she said, dropping the hair onto the floor and coiling her thread inside, 'Sam would love to see this, I'm sure,'
Standing there, the ribbon in both hands, Vivian wondered what happened next. 'Do I click my heels together three times,' she said, smiling to herself, 'or tell it I want to go back to Time City, or what?'
Suddenly Vivian's head began to whirl and she felt very dizzy. Closing her eyes Vivian's last conscious thought was that she hoped this wasn't another earthquake.
