Editorial
May the reader use discerment
Poems
The Giants
and the Dwarfs
heart of darkness
The Wanderer
A chocolate room
Relay
Writing
Cafe Evergreen (3)
Multilingual
Page
German:
origin of English
Guest
Writers' Corner
Wondering
Novel
Adonis Blue (4)
Chapter Two
‘Ted, where’s Jeanne gone?’ Stella asked
Ted, as if she had just remembered it now.
It was mid afternoon in a cinema theatre. As one film was finished, everyone
stood up and left.
‘Where? I don’t know’
‘You don’t know? Aren’t you his friend? Wasn’t he
living at your house?’
‘You’re right, but he disappeared suddenly; we made a search,
but could find him nowhere’
‘A well…if I had seen him one more time, I would’ve fallen
in love with him’
‘Halloa…?’
‘Now, let’s get out of here’ She took him by the hand and
stood up. ‘But I knew it. The boy would never love me: nobody would
belong to him.’
‘My darling, will you marry me?’ A woman slipped
a circlet on his ring finger, and showed her hand to him with her own
matching ring.
‘These are the ones I designed for you. They’re lovely, eh?’
‘…Yeah’
He saw the broad grin on her blissful face. How many times has he been
in the presence of such faces of women?
The two spent another blithe night.
At midnight she caught the boy departing with stealthy steps,
and captured him with all her body.
‘Fancy you making away from me, of all women’
She locked him up in her house. Heavy, iron chains tied his wrists and
ankles.
‘We are destined to become one for life here’ He was looking
at her with an ecstatic smile with his sober eyes.
Three days later, his figure disappeared from her room locked
and unopenable except by her. Sturdy shackles and chains were taken off
cleanly without any scars.
‘Jeanne, you leave me of all women, even though we’ve been together
for months…ever since we met on the train that day, how much I have
loved you …’
She was demented. She dashed out naked, ran on in bare feet, calling his
name.
One small stone was dropped in the river with a swallowing
sound. Ripples spread out. When he was throwing another pebble, from behind
him a flat stone skimmed across the water before his eyes in a sharp arc.
‘That’s such a dud. This is the way you should throw a stone’
It was his first encounter with Eugene.
Eugene had heard that Jeanne had no place to live, and he
took Jeanne to his residence.
The gigantic building like a medieval castle impressed him. To reach the
compound required a long stroll across a vast garden filled with unfamiliar
plants. Walking after Eugene, Jeanne was looking around in wonder.
Going through the grand hall, the young master and his friend
were welcomed by an old steward. ‘Your Dear Mother is waiting for
your return at any moment, my young master Eugene’
He was shown into a reception room. Eugene followed. Hearing the return
of her son and a visitor, his mother put in an appearance.
‘Oh dear Eu, welcome back! How was your school? Did
you study hard? Oh is that guest over there your dear friend?’
As she said so, her eyes turned to the side and met with his eyes. Jeanne
lifted up his head at that time, and she was petrified there.
—Another encounter with a poor woman—
He thought.
‘Er, Oh, dear Eu…is that gentleman your dear friend
at school?’ That was the most she could say.
‘Nope. I met him on the river. He’s something like an artist,
painting pictures, but he has nowhere to live. Can he stay in my room?’
Eugene, who was innocent, replied without any notice.
His reply lit up her eyes, and made her face notably blush.
‘Oh my goodness! Why not? But not in your room! I will arrange a
bedroom for our guest. You haven’t finished your dinner yet, I will
make it right now. My dear Eu, er, how good of you to take such a wonderful
artist! Please be kind to your dear guest. It is more than all right for
you to stay at this house as long as you please. I will arrange a special
atelier for this gentleman, then I can study fine arts every day. And…’
She left the reception room while speaking.
‘I’m sorry but my mum’s talky’ Eugene
said helplessly. ‘My mum’s hobby is painting pictures’.
‘I’m grateful enough to sleep under the roof, what’s more,
to have a place to paint – what else could I say for any complaints?’
Jeanne pretended not to realise a flame which started to flow over the
place.
(Continued to the Next Page >>)
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