“Of course it would start to rain the day I move into a new
house,” Siobhan lamented. This was supposed to be a brand new start, finally
escaping the trials and tribulations of her past life – a life she would rather
forget now she had arrived to Mt. Komorebi.
Siobhan checked her phone to see that the old owner of her
brand new house had left her a few tips.
Be careful, one read, it gets very cold in the winter and
too hot during the summer. There isn’t a lot of isolating in the walls. The
fridge sometimes cuts out, but it’s easy to fix. There is no shower, sorry.
Also, the neighbours enjoy jogging past the house to get to Wakaba lake, just
ignore them, they aren’t nosy.
With her expectations diminished, Siobhan entered the house.
Her eyes drew to the lack of television in the space and the cramped quarters
of the seating and bookcase.
“At least there’s a bonsai for me to stare at out of
complete boredom,” she muttered to herself. She then paused and sighed. “I
shouldn’t complain. This is my first time living alone and I actually managed
to find a place for relatively cheap.”
That was a lie. After purchasing the house, Siobhan only had
$300 in her pocket.
With the grime of moving and the intent to rid the memories
of a past life, Siobhan took a bath. As the bubbles soaked into the skin, the
scent of jasmine wafting from the hot water, Siobhan admired the view from the
window.
She ducked lower into the tub when she noticed movement
coming from the house across the street.
However, it was to no avail. Her neighbours had set sight on
her home and were eager to greet her.
“Good morning,” the gentleman said once Siobhan answered the
door. “My name is Naoki Ito, I live across the street with my wife and
children. We saw you move in earlier. Would you like some help settling in?”
Siobhan was lost for words.
“I… Well…”
With a flash of lightning, a young woman turned the corner
holding a plate of freshly baked fruitcake.
“Love,” the woman said. “It’s positively brutal out here.”
Siobhan took one look at the woman and giggled to herself.
“I take it that this is your wife?”
Noaki simply nodded curtly, an ashamed frown twitching on
his lips.
Once Siobhan let the couple into her tiny home, she was
immediately gifted a plate of the fruitcake by Noaki’s wife, who she learnt was
called Megumi.
“I hope you like it,” Megumi said with a tight smile.”
Siobhan returned the smile with ground teeth and immediately
repulsed the moment the fruitcake touched her tongue. Suddenly, she was
thankful for seating herself so far away from her neighbours.
“Well?” Megumi asked from the table.
“Mmm,” Siobhan forced out. “Delightful!”
She could hear the breathy smile on Megumi’s lips from
behind her.
“Then, you must keep the rest for leftovers. It’s been a
while since I lived alone but I remember the hardships of cooking for
yourself.”
After finishing off her piece of fruitcake, Siobhan brought
her dish to the sink. She was immediately joined by Naoki.
“I hope you enjoy cooking,” he said to her. “Otherwise it
will be rough.”
Siobhan smiled. “I’m guessing you’re not a fan?”
“Not a big one,” Naoki admitted.
After a little more conversation, Megumi and Naoki returned
home.
“See you around!” Siobhan said, waving her guests off.
After her neighbours departed, an overwhelming sense of
loneliness swept over Siobhan. It settled in her stomach and pulled her out the
door towards a lounge bar a short walk away from her home.
The air was chilly and the breeze was slight but Siobhan
enjoyed the walk, admiring the golden and rust coloured leaves that dangled
from the trees surrounding her.
Siobhan had never been much of a drinker but something about
the smell of rich liquor entranced her. She entered the bar and ordered a Tang
and Zing.
She sipped slowly, embracing the warm bar and energetic
conversation that surrounded her. If she closed her eyes, it almost didn’t feel
real.
“So…” Siobhan said to herself. “This is the city’s mascot.”
She mulled over the look of the statue before breaking out
into a joyful smile.
“How cute!”
She immediately took a selfie with the statue for memories
sake.
The chill from the thunderstorm earlier had settled into the
area. The air grew colder and more brisk and the sky grew greyer and more
ominous.
Siobhan was about to walk home before something caught her
eye.
Siobhan had read about the capsule vending machines in the
city brochure and upon spotting one near the lounge bar, she felt the sudden
need to purchase one. She rolled a coin into the machine and waited patiently.
The metallic clunk and thunk of machine becoming stuck
echoed in the cold air.
“Are you kidding me!?” Siobhan wanted to scream.
She had also heard about the old machinery’s tendencies to
become stuck.
There was only one way to fix it if she truly wanted to the
capsule.
With all the strength that she could muster, Siobhan rammed
her body against the vending machine. There was a short whirr and a ker-thunk
before the empty sound of a round plastic ball hitting a metal plate silenced
everything.
“Aha,” Siobhan cheered. She snatched the capsule up and
vowed never to do that again. Sure, she had been lucky. This time.
As Siobhan walked home, she heard the click-click of the
intra-city train pull up. The train lead out of Mt Komorebi to the wonders of
the world around her.
To San Myshuno, it was a 40 minute train ride. To Brindleton
Bay and Willow Creek, only 30 minutes. Oasis Springs, on the other hand, was an
hour long train journey with a crossover half way through.
After a busy day, Siobhan tucked herself into bed. The
mattress was hard and creaky but the pillow she sank into was soft, like a
marshmallow. Her eyes closed upon impact and she couldn’t remember even falling
asleep.
The next morning, after a good night’s rest, Siobhan tackled
the task of cooking her own breakfast.
“They definitely make this look easier on TV,” she
muttered. “I hope this is worth it.”
The eggs and toast were crispy and slightly burnt at the
edges. Not delectable but not inedible either. It would do for now, Siobhan
reasoned.
I’ll learn to cook, she thought.
One of the things Siobhan had learnt about from the house’s
previous owners was Lake Wakaba and it’s crystal clear waters.
Siobhan wasn’t much of a swimmer, much preferring to jog
around or even cycle through empty streets in the evenings, but the sound of a
swim in perfectly tepid waters sounded too good to pass up.
However, just as Siobhan was about to leave, Megumi threw
her a text.
Siobhan stared at the message, confused.
“Aren’t you guys married?” She sent back before replying
again with: “Just go for it!”
The waters of Lake Wakaba were perfect. A little chilly but
not freezing cold. She could see tiny little fish swim around before dispersing
the moment her feet entered the water.
It’s a good thing I came today, if it gets too cold, it’ll
freeze, Siobhan decided. I’m definitely not into a polar dip!
As Siobhan swam around, she immersed herself in the rushing
waterfall.
With the cool twinge of autumn air and the cascading ripples
of the waterfall, Siobhan decided that she was rather glad to have moved to
such a beautiful place.
After returning home and drying off, Siobhan decided to
indulge in a local dish called onigiri. It was simple, flavoured rich wrapped
around a pickled plum to settle her vegetarian needs, and topped off with a
piece of nori, or dried seaweed.
Siobhan decided she liked this far more than her breakfast.
Wondering what else her area had to offer, Siobhan went for
a quick jog. Whilst it was bright and warm, she wanted to get a trail down
before taking up the hobby again seriously when the weather got colder.
“This place is incredible!” Siobhan awed with every corner
she turned.
The next day, Siobhan received a phone call. It was from
Megumi.
“Thank you for convincing me to go out,” she said to
Siobhan.
“Like I said before, you’re married… It’s not like-“
“I said thank you,” Megumi said, her tone polite and stern.
“Let’s meet up after work for some drinks, okay?”
Siobhan didn’t bother to argue. “Yes. Let’s.”
Siobhan didn’t know what kind of career to pursue but she
knew that being a salaryman needed very few skills and experience and so, she
took the lowest level, New Hire, with minimal pay just to keep herself afloat.
After all, she had plenty of time to decide what to do with
her life.
After work, Siobhan walked to Izakaya Ipai to meet with
Megumi. She ordered them both a Wrench cocktail to enjoy.
“You look like you just went skiing,” Siobhan commented when
Megumi walked in.
Megumi smiled. “Well, I took a vacation day to spent time
with Naoki and it’s what we did.”
“A vacation day, huh? What do you do exactly, if you don’t
mind me asking?”
“I don’t mind at all,” Megumi said sweetly. She told Siobhan
that she worked in business as a senior manager.
Siobhan swallowed her drink, the burn in her throat
lingering longer than usual.
“How long have you been working?” She then asked.
What Megumi answered with did not delight Siobhan.
Feeling the weight of the alcohol on her heart and stomach,
Siobhan sloppily walked home. She bumped into light poles and trees,
apologising to each inanimate object as she went.
The heavy feeling of alcohol was accompanied by the twist in
her tummy. She didn’t want to be a salaryperson. Not really, it was just an
easy job to get.
But it would take a long time to reach a satisfactory level…
and by then, it would be too late to leave and pursue her dreams…
When winter comes, she decided, then I will follow my
dreams.
Luck was on Siobhan’s side as the next day was Harvestfest.
Not having celebrated the holiday on her own before, she struggled to find the
decorations she felt were the best to use for Harvestfest.
In the end, Siobhan strung up some streamers and then made
herself a grand breakfast.
The alcohol she had consumed the night before had played a
trick on her mind as she accidentally used real sausages instead of her
vegetarian ones.
As she took a bite of the meal, she immediately recognised
the taste of pork on her tongue.
She gagged.
And then an overwhelming sense of sadness overtook the
initial nausea.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said to both herself and to her meal.
After she had stumbled her way through her breakfast,
Siobhan decided to put out the trash before stepping out for the day.
Just as luck would have it, a lightning bolt struck her on
her feet.
Her mind reeled. Her stomach churned.
Siobhan stumbled through the house to the toilet where she
emptied the contents of her stomach into the bowl.
She retched and spat and coughed as the breakfast she had
just consumed was flushed away.
After all of this, Siobhan thought bitterly, I need to
relax.
As luck would have it the onsen was open on this holiday.
Siobhan hadn’t visited this area of the city yet, not being
attracted by the skiing and sledding and snowboarding, but seeing as this was
the only onsen in town, she had no choice but to venture up to the mountain
side.
After showering, Siobhan took a dip in the onsen. She was
immediately warmed up from the snow by the steaming natural springs.
She soaked in the onsen for a few hours until the heat
became overwhelming and she began to feel dizzy.
After vomiting up her breakfast, Siobhan decided to treat
herself to something local, something loaded with veggies.
She chose the vegetable yakisoba and immediately dug in with
chopsticks.
As she fumbled with the finger positions needed to hold the
chopsticks steadily, Siobhan hoped that no one she knew was watching her.
“Oh wow! You’re the real Yamachan!”
“Hai, Yamachan desu!”
the mascot replied cheerfully.
“Can we take a photo?” Siobhan asked and the mascot nodded
once.
Siobhan snapped the photo quickly and then took a few
seconds to admire it.
“Kawaii desu!”
Yamachan said, pointing at his own face. Siobhan giggled.
“Yes,” she agreed. “You definitely are cute!”
Before returning home, Siobhan spotted a Simmi capsule
vending machine again. Testing her luck once more, she rolled some coins in and
waited.
The empty sound of plastic hitting metal filled the air and
the impending dread that filled Siobhan’s stomach was replaced with relief.
She returned home after a long day and slumped into bed.
There was a sense of success that rained over her. Sure, she may have
accidentally eaten meat instead of tofu sausages but she managed to soak in an
onsen and took a photo with Yamachan.
So, she couldn’t exactly say that Harvestfest had been a
particularly awful day.
The following day Siobhan returned to work. She was thankful
that it was finally Friday, and despite having the day before off, she was
eager to return to living the work-free life that the weekend offered.
Relaxed and refreshed from the holiday, Siobhan started work
with a jovial attitude which in turn lead to her coming home with a promotion.
“Maybe this work thing isn’t so bad after all,” she mused.
But, still, even as she said that, there was an anxious feeling in the pit of
her stomach that she hadn’t convinced away.
The following morning was the Festival of Snow and the last event
to check off of her wishlist in Mt Komorebi. She immediately returned to the
mountain side and admired all of the snow statues that towered over the once
empty plaza.
The first thing Siobhan had to do was purchase an outfit to
wear during the festival. It was designed to keep the wearer warm through the
hard and bitter snow and cold.
Even though her puffy coat and boots were comfortable and
warm on their own, Siobhan decided it was better to be safe than to risk
getting sick.
One of the events of the Festival of Snow was to play in the
snow. Siobhan couldn’t help but smile as she began to roll up giant boulders of
snow to create a snowpal.
She hadn’t done anything like this since she was a kid!
Siobhan was impressed with herself upon completing her snow friend, and to her delight, she wasn’t alone.
Naoki Ito began to clap happily, a genuine smile on his face. “How cute!”
“Naoki!” Siobhan greeted, her words clouding around her like smoke from the cold. “Are you here with your family?”
“Of course! Megumi’s off getting some dango – she always craves it during this festival.”
Naoki and Siobhan sat down at one of the empty tables and
divulged in mindless talk. They spoke about work, which Siobhan had a lot to
offer about, and family, which Siobhan had little to offer.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Megumi said as she joined them.
In front of her were glistening tri-coloured dango on bamboo skewers.
“Those look tasty!” Siobhan said.
“You should time some next time. I think I got the last
plate,” Megumi said.
The three friends continued to talk into the evening.
Siobhan’s snowpal continued to get excited responses and the air was soon
filled with the boom and clap of fireworks.
It was a little after eight when Siobhan said her goodbyes
to the Ito’s. She walk back home, embracing the chill of winter’s approach.
Her first season in Mt Komorebi hadn’t been exactly like a
dream, but it didn’t feel too real either.
She wondered about winter and if she’d be able to make her
mind up about a career and possibly discover a new hobby along the way too.
And maybe, she thought with a timid smile, someone to share these things with as well.
If you enjoyed this please let me know! I'm a bit shy putting my prose out there and I know I'm very rusty from not practising as often as I should so please be kind.
Next time we will be engaging with the Ito family!
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