Fate and Sakura
Fate and Sakura
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Chapter 4
Fresh Season
Days were getting warmer now and the village much busier. The fields had woken up with fresh new shoots of the seeds we had planted last week. The soil is moist due to high level of moisture in the atmosphere. Dews do not dry up quickly since the winter had just finished. But when the plants started to grow bigger we had to water them up almost everyday. It was hard work because we had to fetch water in skin bags and swing to and fro like a voltmeter needle. It was fun but at the end of the day we often got tired and slept quickly.
Apart from watering we had to dig up the soil and take out weeds which are also growing along with the vegetables. Now we are approaching hot summer season and the weather is not like before. It is much hotter and I feel like that am inside a boiler. Once I tried to take off my shirt while working in the field and Hiroto recommended that I shouldn’t do that but I insisted because it was too hot. By the evening my back was covered with mosquito bites and it was terribly itchy.
Hiroto and Aiko laughed everytime I scratched wildly and began calling me “o saru” I didn’t know the meaning of “o saru” till one morning Miki spotted a rhesus monkey on the persimmon tree and called out loudly “o saru! O saru!” to draw attention of the village kids he was playing with. Aiko and Hiroto were in the field with me and gave me a very queer smile for now I know the meaning of “o saru” which is monkey. But I can’t deny their proclamation since I really acted like one that night.
Now the summer season is here and the vegetables are growing very well. We don’t have to water the field that much nowdays because it often rains but we have to regularly inspect the field inorder to check whether rain had not damaged the plants. By mid summer the vegetables were ready. Fruiting plants were laden with their produce and looked very appealing. These days Jako and Hana often visit the field to check the quality of vegetables and the plants. If a plant is infected by parasite or fungi the plants next to it are also removed. I felt sorry for the hard work we had done and there were unwanted wastages. But according to Hiroto this year crops were much better than the previous year.
Well, I can say the field is standing with seventy to eighty percent of plants now after removing the infected ones. How come he is saying that we have good crop. Charles (Wakeham) came from a farming family and he often used to say that farmers should not have more than ten percent of bad yielding. More than ten percent means not healthy farming and contradicts with Hiroto’s statement according to me. I went up to Jako and asked him why he has to throw so many uninfected plants together with the infected ones. Jako’s explanation wasn’t clear but I could get it that since they are using traditional method infected plants may have infected plants near it so to avoid infection spreading further such means had to be taken. A very old agricultural technique but a wise one I would say for these people. Hiroto further explained that since the seeds were planted before the new moon the infection is lesser.
Now I got it why they are following the lunar calendar for planting crops. Most of the insects feed or breed during moonlight and there is chance of damaging young buds and shoots of plant crops. Ancient knowledge is really interesting as far as I can say. I hope some day we could apply these techniques for the betterment of whole world. One thing I learnt about nature is that it operates on a rhythmic pattern. Everything is interwoven so finely to the fabric of life. It is really amazing how these people understand the whole web and network system. For a moment I felt how stupid I was for my reaction about their backwardness but now I feel how backward I am in understanding them. It’s true that we always tend to view world from our own perspective and expect them to view as us but the world is more meaningful when we see from their perspective.
It was time to reap the labour we had committed till now. Actually Hana had been harvesting the crops for her kitchen use way before. But since the foliage is great in numbers now it is appropriate to harvest and make better use of them. Money is not important to these people but it is good to earn a few for just in case. Since war is ongoing there aren’t frequent trade relations with neighbouring villages and districts. However the villages do earn a few from distant fishermen and a town market about ten miles from the village. Before Jako and Hiroto used to take up to a bigger market about half a day ride by horse. Because of military posts installed at that town they prefer to take it to the nearby village. Jako does not like taking goods down the market always so instead he takes a large quantity and often camps at a friends place till all the goods are sold.
Jako didn’t ask me to come for he feared for Japanese soldiers to be present at the market so asked Sato to accompany him instead. Hiroto is the usual choice for him but since I was there he asked him to stay. We prepared four horses, two with goods and the other two for the men. The children were excited about their father’s departure. They gave a list of orders, what to bring for them when Jako returns. Hitomi had the longest list and I wondered if both the men would remember even half but for sure she wouldn’t remember most of it by the time they will return.
Soon after lunch Jako and Sato set out for the market. Hiroto and I watched them slowly walking up the mountains till they became fine dots before disappearing. I watched over the blue skies and the colour slowly fading away at the horizon. The sound of rustling leaves and the gentle breeze on my face explained their existence. It reminded me of the reality am witnessing now but at the same time things are happening for real. Life has a meaning and everything has a reason for it. It’s up to me to realize how it is working out. Truth is out here but it is plays a kind of hide seek with you always.
As I was engrossed deeply into my world of fascination a small ball of mud hit me on my back. It wasn’t painful but a small invitation from the village kids to join them to the sea. Well I couldn’t resist that now. After a long spell of hardwork we truly deserved a refreshing dip in the ocean. So everyone joined the party and piled up on the beach in great numbers. That evening we returned home pretty late but the mothers did not scold the children for it was their first visit to the sea for the year. After the evening meal we went to bed much earlier than usual time.
While Jako was away me and Hiroto carried out the normal work which we were doing but apart from that we had to chop firewood and mend the fishing net. At the first look of the net I really wasn’t eager to do anything with. It was ofcourse severely entangled with kelps and sea grass but the main factor of resistance was that it stunk and Sato forgot to clean it up before he left. I wish I could feed Sato with the rotten fish and seaweeds he had left behind for us but I don’t blame him much because he also deserves a break from the house of Jako. Though not fully because Jako went with him.
It took us whole day to clean the net but Hiroto showed me one trick and that was after opening the net we dip it into the sea. Water loosens the entangled objects and makes it easier to take them out. After freeing the objects Hiroto mended the net while I admired his skill. Aiko came up to us while Hiroto was finishing up the job to tell him that she is going to pick the children from the school and there is no one at home. The ladies had gone out to the neighbours to help in preparation for a function. Since the work was almost complete we went home and on the way I told Hiroto that I will be joining Aiko to get the children from school. The school is not far from the house but the children do not turn up home on time. Instead the village kids gather in numbers and at the nearby creek.
Aiko takes incharge of getting the bunch of kids whose houses fall on the way whenever she returns. A good help to parents but not to the children since their freedom had been limited. We walked down the village and it seemed like the journey will never end because Aiko stopped at every couple of yards to chat with someone she knows. Actually she knows everyone in the village and that’s the best part of it. By now I also tend to know most of them and some of them I had some unforgetful encounters like the old ladies who helped Hana in changing my clothes. The thing is that they don’t feel uncomfortable to talk about it in front of Aiko.
I still don’t understand their language much but by their gestures and Aiko’s shyness I know what they are talking about. Somehow we managed to reach the school. The children were still in their classrooms with about half an hour to go before their break. The village school was just an old building which looked more like a tribal longhouses built in the amazon rainforests. It was made of wood and bamboo poles. The rooms were divided as it could be seen but I wonder if it was enough for all the children. I mean it was the only school in the village but not well maintained. It has a big playing area though and nice trees for shade. I didn’t have much time talking with Aiko since she was busy with the villagers. But now it seems like that I have the opportunity I had been waiting for a while. I looked at her and she smilingly hindered what to do next. So I gestured towards a tree shade where we can wait for the school to break for the day.
The flowers were in full bloom and the birds were busy filling themselves up with the nutritious nectar. I asked Aiko what do they call flower pointing at the nearest one. She replied “ Sakura” so I got it that they call flowers “sakura.” She explained further about it but I couldn’t get what she was trying to tell since she was very fast. Unlike Hiroto who often delays in speech and with some gestures I could get his point. How different are these siblings but at the same time I couldn’t ask for more because it hadd been quite a long time since me and Aiko are sharing this wonderful moment together. She sat on a bench under the tree while I stood beside the tree trunk looking at her. She was pointing out at the buildings and maybe telling me about her childhood days when she used to be there. How sad for these children that they only complete their primary education and that’s the end of their education life.
Unlike us we have to take the next step and then the race for everything begins. We could see some familiar faces peeping out of the classroom windows and maybe wondering what I am doing over there. Maybe they are wondering that since I am there they are going to have a good time after the break. What has to be only time can tell. Soon it was time for the break and the children looked excited about it. As the bell rang for the break I could hear that there was a loud cheer to confirm that school is over for the day.
The students ran into the playground like a swarm of ants comes out of their hives when there is a disturbance. Maybe they wanted to tell how relieved they are from a rigid confinement where they have to relentlessly learn something they are not interested in. Maybe everywhere it is the same but for them I suppose they need the most of it now. Hitomi and her group ran up to us. She sprang up to me in delight and maybe asked how come I was there today. Soon Yuralria and Miki joined the party and the whole atmosphere was livened up for a moment. Aiko tried her best to control them but in the end was helpless so I had to raise my voice to get their attention. I couldn’t speak their tongue and told them that they have to listen to Aiko or else I will not play with them. Maybe they didn’t get what I was trying to tell since I was using English and little bit of broken Japanese at the same time but my loud voice was enough.
The children then after walked to their homes very cautiously trying not to disturb me. Maybe they such treatment are given in schools so that they are kept in control or else it would be really difficult to control them. Aiko occasionally smiled at me while we walked home perhaps trying to thank me. I was getting excited within myself and wanted to go across to her and ask her if she could feel the same as I am at the moment. But then I realized that there lies a bunch twenty or more children between us and more behind me. Such move would only mean trouble for me now so I controlled my emotions and replied to her in the same smile she used to give me.
On the way we made sure that all children reached their homes safely. Though they looked quite disappointed with me but their mothers were feeling quite happy since their helping hand were there. Hitomi did not talk to when she reached home. She went straight to her room while Aiko was trying to tell them their afternoon responsibilities. I felt bad for maybe what I did today but on the hand I felt good since I helped Aiko. I don’t know how she feels about me but I know for sure that the world is about sacrifices whether big or small it will turn out beneficial for you. Maybe I sacrificed a little bit of good relationship today but am confident that I must have gained something atleast on the other side. I went straight to the fields looking for Hiroto. I couldn’t find him there but I heard his voice coming from the animal shed so I made my way towards it. Before I could make it there I heard Miki screaming. I turned around and saw Jako and Sato were back from the market. Ofcourse Miki should be very happy about it. Sato looked disappointed as usual for he must have been scolded on the way by Jako but he brought the horses to the shed. Hiroto cam out and greeted them and then afterwards he brought water and hay for the horses. He let them loose on the field to take a break and then joined his father with other children.
Ofcourse Jako brought things for everyone but I was surprised to receive a pair of boots from him. The boots didn’t look new but I didn’t ask him about how he managed to get them since that would have offended him I suppose. The children were delighted to get sweets from their father. I know that Jako must have earned a good amount since the sun shown brighter on his face than the sky. I felt good for him since he was not doing for him alone but it was for his family. Hana greeted him at the door entrance and he gave her the earnings he had made at the market.
While he was inside with rest of the children I had some time with Hiroto and Sato. Sato was complaining to Hiroto perhaps and it looked really funny since Hiroto laughed and mocked at his every statement. But for his part he brought fresh tobacco from the market for Hiroto which we were really grateful about. Though we know that he is going to finish the most but we were happy with his thoughtfulness. The evening was really an entertaining one since Jako told the whole family how his trip was and what new things were there in the market. Children were always eager to know about the world beyond them. After dinner Jako signaled me outside. I wondered what it must be but didn’t have much time since he expected me out at once. The other members of the family were too busy to recognize us going outside since Sato had been entertaining them with his experience.
Jako asked me to join him for a short walk down the village path. A few yards away from the house Jako broke his silence which was really a matter of concern for me. The military post soon would be patrolling the village and there is rumour that they will be installing a post near the village. I stood still and for a moment and felt my heart freezing amidst the ribs. Jako explained that if the rumour is true then the village wouldn’t be safe for me and I would have to relocate myself. Ofcourse none of the villagers would mention about me as it is the confirmation from Jako but we never know. Under threat and torture anything can happen. I had been so grateful to this family for doing so much for me and it had been over a year now since I have been here. Now I should choose my own path as that what I was thinking about when Jako told me that it will not happen now.
The Japanese military are currently concentrating on south where they are losing control and they don’t have enough manpower to reinforce northern posts. We will wait and when the time was right then we were going to do something about. Maybe it is easy to say for him but I am a soldier and I know what it feels like when you hear about enemies closing in even though it is a rumour. I don’t know what tomorrow has in hold for me but will try out one day at a time. I really wish for them not to come for I was getting along with this new life of mine. Only time can tell what lies ahead of us now. We returned to the house and I went straight to my room. Jako must have told about it to everyone later but tonight I really wished that I should have landed on the Kurils. After long hours spending my time looking at the dark walls I fell asleep.
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