浮浪者 (The Vagabond)


    “Sayla is a beautiful name.”


    The girl beamed with pride after Takuya complimented her.


    “Sayla loves Sayla’s name. Sayla’s Papa picked it. Sayla’s mama didn’t like it, though. Mama wanted to call Sayla Ska-let instead.”


    It was clear that Sayla still had difficulty pronouncing some foreign words, including what Takuya assumed was the Western name Scarlett. Perhaps named after the American actress, he wondered. He had learned a bit about the people he was now cleaning the restaurant with by talking with them as they cleaned the restaurant. The old man was Mr. Takeda, and the young girl was his granddaughter, Sayla. The former owner of the restaurant was Sayla’s father, and had unfortunately passed away about half a year prior. Sayla’s mother was apparently a successful costume designer, and was currently working temporarily in the United States, making costumes for those comic book super hero movies that were popular these days. While she was away, Sayla was staying with her paternal grandparents.


    “Sayla likes this name. Do you know what it means? It means from the stars. Sayla’s Papa told her a story about the name when Sayla was little. In the story, Sayla was a princess who lived in a floating castle high up in the sky. Sayla lived in the castle with her brother. Sayla doesn’t have a brother though, but that Sayla had a brother. Then, bad people made them leave the castle. So they came down to the ground. Then Sayla had a boyfriend, and the boyfriend and Sayla’s brother got into a fight. But then they made up, and they all moved back up into the sky and lived in the castle together.”


    Takuya was finding it difficult to keep up with the girl, who was now chattering away non-stop. She was wiping all the tables down, while her grandfather was mopping the dining area floor. Takuya was busy, wiping down every other surface, cleaning up the dust that had coated the restaurant since it had been unceremoniously closed by the owner’s passing. Luckily, having worked in kitchens nearly his entire adult life, Takuya was able to quickly locate and make use of all the prep and cleaning supplies. After making sure the kitchen was sanitary and spotless, they had moved into the dining area. While the lunch period had passed, they would certainly have everything ready for dinner, or perhaps the next day’s service, if, in fact, that was what they intended to do.


    “Sayla’s Papa would tell Sayla stories all the time. That’s why Sayla loves the restaurant. Papa would tell Sayla a different story every time. Papa never ran out of stories. There was one story about a singing princess who made evil giants become friends, or the three sisters who became knights to fight the bad men who wanted to steal their Papa’s treasure. Oh, and there was another one about a girl who had magic hands, and could punch bad people really hard. Sayla liked the stories with little girls, because Sayla is a girl. Because Papa said that the girls should become strong enough to beat up any bad men. Sayla isn’t strong, though. Sayla is just normal, and Mama says Sayla doesn’t need to fight anyone.”


    As they cleaned, her grandfather stayed by her side, saying little, but always watching her as if he was afraid she would fall and break at any moment. They hadn’t said anything about how her father had passed, but Takuya had the impression it was not unexpected. Perhaps a long-term illness, or something similar. The old man doted on the girl, as if she were the most precious and fragile thing in the world. It was an instinct that Takuya could relate to somewhat.


    “Uncle Takkun?”


    “Hmmm?” He responded lamely. He had only known the child for a few hours, but she was already calling him uncle. He mused.


    “Do you know any stories?”


    He grimaced slightly, but quickly recovered. Looking to Mr. Takeda for guidance, the old man simply nodded and smiled. It was clear who was calling the shots today, and he quickly fell into line once again.


    “Yes, would you like to hear one?”


    “Yes, please. Papa always told Sayla stories when she helps at the restaurant…”


    He could see the cloud starting to form over the child, so he interrupted.


    “Did your Papa ever tell you who Charon is?”


    “Yes! Papa said Charon is… um. He has a boat, and… I forgot.”


    “That’s alright, because I know a story about Charon that not many people know. Maybe it is different than your Papa’s story. Would you like to hear it?”


    Sayla nodded her head enthusiastically, and Takuya noticed Mr. Takeda looking at him with a deeper interest than before.


    “Okay. Let me tell you a story about Charon and the sparrow.”Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    <hr>


    While some would tell you that Charon is nothing but a boatman who takes bad people to bad places, the truth is that Charon is actually an angel. He was given the task of guiding people to their proper reward, but only after they had lived a full life.


    There once was a young man. This man was a good person, and lived a very happy life. He had a beautiful wife, and an equally beautiful baby daughter. He loved them both dearly, and considered himself blessed to have such a perfect life.


    One day, however, his daughter became sick. She cried from her discomfort, and wouldn’t sleep, no matter what he tried. Then, one night, while he held his baby in his arms, he started to tell her a story. It was a silly story that he made up, about knights and, castles, and dragons, and he was embarrassed by his foolish tale, but suddenly his daughter’s face eased, and she quickly fell asleep.


    The man was so overjoyed at her reaction, that he swore at that moment, to tell his daughter a different story every night before she went to sleep for ten thousand nights if she wanted one. He loved his baby girl, and knew that he would do anything to help her live a happy and peaceful life.


    Indeed, as he had promised, every night after that, he would tell his daughter a new story as she was falling asleep, and that continued for many more nights that followed.


    But it was difficult to keep coming up with new stories. He started to ask his friends and family to share new stories with him so that he could keep coming up with something new to tell his daughter, but it was a struggle. Eventually he missed a night, then a few more. Finally, he forgot about his promise entirely. His daughter was now healthy and sleeping easily each night, so he soon went back to his old routine.


    Then, one day, he was out working, and when he came home, his house was empty. He couldn’t find his wife or daughter anywhere. He ran around to every house asking about them, but no one knew where they were, until an old woman grasped his hand and pulled him close to whisper into his ear.


    “They have gone with Charon.”


    The man was filled with fear, and he shook the old woman, begging her to tell him it wasn’t true, but she wouldn’t say anything else to him. Finally, he decided to go see Charon and learn the truth for himself.


    Charon lived near a river deep in the forest, and the man ran into trees, desperate to find out the truth. The trip took several days, and along the way, he did not eat, drink, or sleep. He did not rest until he saw the small shack by the lake.


    He had to walk past many people to get to the shack. Everyone knew that Charon was the only one who could take a person to their final reward, but the angel was clear that only those who lived a full life could travel beyond the river. Many came here, begging him to take them, or to bring someone back, but he always refused these requests, so these people stayed here forever, always staring at the river, and wishing they could reach the land beyond.


    When the man reached the angel, he demanded to know where his family was. It was then that his heart was truly broken, as indeed, Charon had taken both his wife and daughter to their reward. The man then begged the angel to take him to see them, but of course, Charon refused.


    “You are not qualified. You may not go.”


    The man argued, begged, and even threatened the angel, but to no avail.


    “You are not qualified. You may not go,” was all the angel would say to him.


    He stayed there for many days and nights, but nothing ever changed. That is until one day, when something indeed changed.


    From over the river, a small bird flew and landed on the man’s shoulder as though he were a tree. He was surprised, but so was the angel. Charon walked up to the man and examined the bird. It was a common sparrow. Nothing was out of the ordinary about it, except its point of origin.


    “Fascinating. I have never seen this happen,” the angel admitted to the man.


    “What is it?” The man asked, pointing to the bird.


    “It is… a gift. It must have come from someone who cares deeply for you, and it is also proof that you are worthy of it.”


    “What does it mean?” The man asked.


    “It means… I can tell you, but first, may I ask you something?”


    The man was shocked. He had never heard of the angel asking someone a question. He was dumbfounded, but he nodded.


    “Have you ever harmed another person intentionally?”


    The man shook his head quickly. He had never willingly hurt anyone in his life.


    “Have you ever taken what is not rightfully yours?”


    Again, he shook his head. “I would never steal,” the man responded.


    “One final question. Have you ever broken a sacred promise?”


    Again the man started to shake his head, but then froze suddenly, his heart dropping to his boots. Slowly his eyes rose to look the angel in the face.


    “Yes… I have. I have broken an oath,” he said shame and regret burning his face.


    “I see. What promise did you break?”


    “I swore. I promised to tell my daughter a new story every night, so that she would sleep peacefully. I promised her ten thousand stories.”


    The angel looked at the man with pitying sadness in his eyes.


    “Then, until you fulfill this oath, you will not be allowed to pass.”


    “How? How can I keep the promise? She is not here any longer. I can’t…”


    The angel seemed to think about the problem for a moment, before pointing to the bird, perched on the man’s shoulder.


    “The bird. It will help you. Each night, tell the sparrow your story, and while you sleep, it will travel to your daughter and deliver your duty to her.”


    The man looked at the tiny animal with hope and tears in his eyes.


    “Are you telling me the truth? I can see them again?”


    “Yes, but this is a single chance, one that must have come at a great cost. Know well that you will not receive another. If the bird is not given a story every day, it will leave and never return. There will be no second chances.”


    The man looked at the angel with a face full of grim determination.


    “If I can see them again, I will not falter again.”


    With that, the man left the river, and the forest, and the village of his birth. He set forth on a journey to faraway lands, and distant shores, all so that he could learn new stories so that each night he could pass another on to the bird so that his daughter could hear it.


    In this way, the days passed, then months, then years, and decades. Every night, without fail, the man would sit with the bird, telling it a new story. Until one day-


    <hr>


    The door to the back entrance of the restaurant opened, and a young man entered, carrying several heavy and full grocery bags.


    “Ah-kun, to the rescue!”