"Obaasan? Are you alright?" he asked.
"Heh?" the old lady answered, a bit startled. The boys just gazed at her quietly, still waiting for her answer.
"This path leads to a crossway. The path forward goes around the mountain and will take you the lake. The path to the right leads to a temple. That's not where you want to go.
Take the left path that goes into a ridge. You'll know if you're close to the crossway once you see the huge hinoki tree loom ahead," the old lady provided a detailed instruction despite her reluctance.
"Arigato, 'baasan. We'll be on our way now." Ryo thanked the old lady, apparently in haste.
"Matte!" the old lady exclaimed, stopping the group in its track.
"The village is still too far away. You won't reach it by sundown, and it's dangerous to linger in the forest at night," she explained, visibly worried.
Ryo paused and debated with himself. He wanted to continue the journey so badly until they reached a point of no return. That way, they would have no choice but to press on.
But he also realized that the lady had a point. It would be dangerous to hike at night. After giving it a thought, he decided to postpone the hike and rest for the night.
"We'll camp out then and carry on in the morning. Thank you for your concern, 'baasan," Ryo reconsidered.
"No, you can't. The mountain spirits roam the forest at night," she protested, quavering.
"Mountain spirits?" Koji chimed in.
The old lady didn't answer and instead gave him a deep, unyielding stare.
"Come, stay at my house for the night," the old lady offered as she started climbing up the steps. Her house was at the top of a ridge, overlooking the stream.
It wasn't big, but it was cozy. A short fence made of dry branches surrounds the plot she claimed for herself to keep her goats and chickens from straying.
There were two thatched structures on this plot. The bigger one, obviously her abode, was raised, with its base used for storage. The smaller one looked like a makeshift barn for her animals.
The smell of chicken manure mixes with the smell of hemlock spores, but it didn't bother the boys. They couldn't be more grateful for being offered a place to stay. A complain is unforgivable.
As soon as they settled in, Ryo followed the old lady into the kitchen to offer assistance with anything. He'd seen her pick up the bowl of vegetables from the top of a mizusashi beside the stairs and realized that it was time for her to prepare supper.
And because she invited them to her house, she must have felt compelled to prepare them food. Embarrassed by the old lady's kind gesture, Ryo wanted to help in the least ways he could.
"Obaasan, are you cooking? How can I help?"
"You don't have to. You're my guest."
"No, please, I insist. We don't want to be a burden."
"You're not a burden.I'm glad I'm able to help. Besides, I don't get visitors very often."
YOU ARE READING
Saving Touma
Mystery / ThrillerWhen the past and the future collide, chaos follows. Lives from different worlds intertwine and dance in a perpetual loop. The victim? An innocent child whose future would remain uncertain and cost many lives to retrieve. The key to all of this is a...
