Sunday, September 4, 2005

Running To Stand Still: The hidden ones
*episode 10*

Miroku has been accepted as the next father of the village and his friends are no longer imprisoned. They are now honored guests of the village; but the armed guards are never out of sight and they’ve been advised not to try to leave. A feast is being prepared to welcome Miroku to his new office and the whole village seems in a holiday spirit. The monk is wandering around, eyeing the ladies he won’t even have to ask to bear his children. To his delight, he likes what he sees and has to admit that the young women of this village are, in general, above average in looks. Likewise, these young women seem pleased with him and he could probably have a lovely afternoon, were it not for some custom about the right of the first night. Walking past the dojo, he hears noises from within. Poking his head through the door, Miroku sees the child Ko struggling to hold a weapon meant for someone no less than twice her age. As he watches, she raises the weapon and promptly loses her balance. She falls backwards. A single cry of pain is all that comes from her; she stifles the rest while wiping her tears. Miroku steps into the room and picks the weapon up off the floor. The girl looks up at him in surprise as he returns the weapon to its place on the wall. He asks, “Do you know who I am?” Ko nods, she says, “You…you’re a man. You’re going to be the father of the new children. But not mine.” A great look of sadness fills the girl’s eyes. Miroku kneels and places a hand on her shoulder. He says, “I can be.” The girl is stunned for a moment, then she realizes what he means. Unleashing the tears she had held back, Ko throws her arms around Miroku’s neck. As he embraces her in return, he says, “It will be some time until the new children arrive. In that time, you will be my only child. When they do come, I will still be yours as well as theirs. Then one day, when you are a woman, you will stop being my child and become one of my wives; just like all the other women. Then you will bear my child and raise it to so that it is never alone as you have been.” Clinging to the monk like a lifeline in a stormy sea, Ko nods and cries. Gently stroking the girls hair, Miroku looks up and is surprised to see Yamaneko standing in the doorway watching. The look on her face tells of pain and joy; but is neither one. She does not cry; but to Miroku, it seems she wants to.
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