We sat there on that lonely balcony, just Adelmar and I and watched the world come alive around us. The last few hours took their toll on the wolf and he promptly fell asleep in my lap, his massive head moving rhythmically up and down as she snored loudly away. I managed to gently lift him off me without waking the wolf. The apartment was starting to cramp and hem mein. I needed some fresh air and besides, there was an entire city waiting for me to explore it. Walking over to the bedroom, I opened the closet and started rummaging through the clothes left behind from the ones that came before me.There were a few articles of clothing that I would not be caught dead in and I wondered in horror how they even fit into some of the more skimpy pieces. I finally settled on a faded jean, white t shirt and black over coat. There was even a blue tinted pair of sunglasses in one of the drawers. The new clothing felt strange on my body but I had to admit I looked damn good, staring at myself in the mirror.
The last item I reached for was the pistol I took off the man in the alley. The cool black metal felt ice cold in my hand as I held it up to my facebut I had mixed emotions about it. On the one hand it had saved my life from those thugs I met earlier but it was also an instrument of mayhem and carnage. Maybe it was my curse that I would always have the shadow of death two steps behind me. It was something inescapable and part of me now and I might as well embrace it. Placing the Beretta back in the drawer and pulling my sleeve over the gauntlet, preferring not to think about it I headed out. Adelmar had woken up and was sitting on his haunches, waving his tail and waiting for me.
“You cannot come with me,” I said, running my hand through his thick mane. “I think you will give the people out there the fright of their lives. I’ll put out some food for you and I promise I’ll be back soon.” He whined to himself before turning his back on me to go lie on the carpet, clearly he was not impressed with his mistress leaving him behind for the day. Taking a deep breath, I headed for the door. It was a surreal trip down the elevator; so many thoughts running through my mind that it was almost too much to take in on one go. I pushed it to the back of my mind when the doors opened and I walked down the dingy looking entrance portal.
And suddenly there she was.
Tokyo was standing and waiting for me in all her glory, dressed in a coat of silver and the yellow and oranges hues of early morning. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. Laughing to myself as I ran across the street, dodging the cars and seeing the taxis whip past me as I went, it was exhilarating and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.
A group of teenagers dressed in the most brightly coloured clothes imaginable saw me as I stood looking up in awe at the buildings towering over me and sashayed over. The seemed to be fascinated with me, running their hands down my face and laughing happily while doing so.A silver haired girl grabbed my wrist and started running with me, the rest followed behind. A boy dressed in leather grabbed an apple from a nearby fruit store and threw it at our heads. I couldn’t help myself from grinning ear to ear as I dodged the piece of fruit.
Soon the strange looking girl led me down an underground tunnel and I could hear the strangest noises coming deep inside it. It sounded a dragon, like the bard in our village told us about in one of the fantastic stories he made up.I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the beast, it was like a gigantic metal worm but people were climbing in and out of it. My eyes grew wide and I shook my head in wonder but I didn’t have time to react as the girl pulled me inside the monster. Her friends soon piled up behind us, pushing and shoving their way into the carriage. They sprawled over the subway benches, one with a cigarette hanging limply in a manicured hand. He offered me one but the smoke made me cough like a mad person, sending them all into fits of laughter. I tried to hide it when the train started picking up speed and I didn’t want them laughing at me. It was like the ride in the car earlier but faster and so much better! For a moment I imagined that the gods itself was hurtling the metal train through time and space and I held on for dear life as the subway lights and advertising boards flashed past us. Finally, we came to a stop again and I could catch my breath again as everyone bundled out onto the next platform. What an amazing ride that was. The teenagers filed into a little eatery only a short distance away from the station and happily started tucking into bowls of steaming Miso soup and wonderfully smelling omelettes. I could understand the language but most of the things they talked about went over my head but it was an experience just to sit with them and listen to how they saw the world around them. But soon the time came for us to say goodbye and we hugged tightly and I watched with fascination how these strange but so beautiful people faded away from me into the thronging masses of the station crowd.
I was now completely and utterly lost somewhere in the pulsating heart of Tokyo but it did not matter to me in the least. My adventure was just beginning and there was so much more for me to see, there just had to be. Walking away from the station and its busy crowds, I realized that I was in a quieter and more sedate part of the town. Beautiful cherry blossom trees lined the streets and the white leaves danced gracefully down to earth, almost sacred in their secretive nature. A few mothers were taking their children to school and each child had an ornate wooden box tucked under their arm. Even from here, I could smell that it was filled with delicious goodies to get them through the day. They seemed at peace, little hands grasping their mother’s hand tightly. For a second, I thought back to my own mother and the horrible images of her dying in the mud, slaughtered by the Romans flashed back to me. I turned my head away in anger, trying to hide the tears in my eyes.
“One day Helena, one day and you will have your revenge.” I thought bitterly to myself. My attention was brought back to present day when I saw two men approach from down the street. Never in my admittedly short life had I ever seen anything like it. They were enormous, bigger than the biggest warrior our village ever had but they moved with a subtle grace that belied their size. Dressed in an elegant robe of white and red and with their hair pinned back, it wasn’t difficult to see that these men were of a warrior class. There was a restrained power about them, they could have easily destroyed anyone that dared cross their path but they held back, like coiled springs. I decided to follow them a respectful distance.
They moved majestically down the street and entered a nearby temple, leaving their shoes at the entrance. I followed them in and watched with fascination as a sacred ritual unfolded before me. They were not like the soldiers I knew from my childhood in Germany or on one of my adventures in the Caribbean. Those men were savage, brutal and blood thirsty, ready to kill and maim at the drop of the hat. These men, which I would later learn go by the term of “Sumo” had a restraint and respect for the power they were gifted with. Truly an elite class that embraced the code of Bushido in every aspect of their lives. When the ritual ceremony was finished, the men bowed and slowly filled out again. I sat there cross legged on the wooden floor, taking in the rarefied air around me when a white robbed priest approach me and gently laid his gloved hand on my shoulder.
“Have you found what you are looking for my child?” He asked, smiling softly at me.
“I had hoped to find answers in my journey but nothing seems to make sense yet.” I replied, head bowed low.
“Your answers will come when you find yourself. Only then will your purpose become clear my child.”
“Yeah, I just don’t see it yet but thank you anyway.” I slowly rose, getting ready to leave and head back to the apartment when I felt his hand on my shoulder again.
“Darling, I think it’s time you and me had a chat again.” I spun around, eyes wide in shock and looked straight in the massive grin of the demon.
Larousse was back.
