The Children of Nihon (BOOK TWO)

Chapter 9 - An Audience with Mother

Sofia stood in front of Mother's carriage for a long time. She knew that others could see her and how she was hesitating, but she couldn't bring herself to walk up the few steps and knock on the door.

She had been inside before. Two nights previously, Orì had taken her and Ami, and she had even shown them "where my mother sleeps". As if it was the realm of a dangerous yet fascinating animal that had gone away only for a short while, and they had to erase all their traces before it came back. It had felt like a childish adventure and deadly serious at the same time. Afterwards, in their own carriage, Ami and Sofia had looked at each other with a kind of awe and disbelief.

She is just a person, Ami's expression had wordlessly told Sofia. With cups and plates and a blanket for when she gets cold.

But she is not just a person, Sofia had communicated back to him in the same way, knowing that he could understand what she meant. She is Mother. Sofia had lowered her eyes. And when she had lifted them up again, Ami had silently confessed to her.

I don't like her either. I don't hate her, because I don't want to hate anybody. But she is not my mother. I wish she wouldn't act that way.

Sofia had nodded. Like her, Ami didn't know his parents. But he had a vague memory, he had told her. A shape hovering over his bed. Lips touching his forehead. A voice telling him to have sweet dreams. He wasn't sure if maybe he was only imagining these things. Time and again, he had tried to carve a mask that showed the face that was so foggy and yet so distinct in front of his inner eye. So far, without success.

Now, Sofia was bracing herself, preparing herself. But she didn't know exactly what for.

When they had stopped their travelling for the day, Master Zbgi had held his usual lesson, but Sofia had been distracted. She had kept thinking about mirroring. There were things she wanted to try out, but she wanted to be completely unobserved for them. So when Master Zbgi had challenged them to recreate an object from memory, she had merely fashioned the doll her Uncle Sermon had once brought back for her from one of his travels. Not in the least as impressive as what others had done, but Sofia had not minded. Her thoughts had been elsewhere.

They had still been elsewhere when Mother had approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder as if to make her feel something - something nice and warm and pleasant. Sofia had at first expected to be scolded in that false friendly way that Mother had. Instead, Mother had told her to come to visit her after the lesson. She had crinkled her nose in a conspiratory manner.

"For a little chat."

Dumbfounded, Sofia had nodded.

"Will you be there too?" she had asked Orì when Mother had gone away.

"No," Orì had said, frowning, and despite herself, that had made Sofia feel even more apprehensive. She had wanted Orì to be there.

She still wanted that.

She lifted her hand to knock, but before she could finally do so, the door swung open without a sound.

Hesitantly, Sofia stepped inside.

The space was nothing like it had been when she had gone there with Orì. It wasn't the inside of a carriage at all.

The room was vast, the ceiling so high that Sofia had to crane back her neck. A large chandelier with thick white candles illuminated everything with an inviting warmness. Thick, colorful rugs added to the impression. Paintings of people that Sofia didn't know were hanging on the walls. There was a sitting area at the back of the room with large soft chairs and what appeared to be dozens and dozens of cushions.