Tokyo Twins Chapter 18 - The magic flute.

by Tommy Schmitz



Katie and Susan O'Brien slid

between the closing doors of the Keio Line Train,

and went to school for the usual three hours on Saturday,

their minds, emotions and senses

shifting and tied up,

occupied and elsewhere,

claustrophic and vaporous.




Each felt a new texture of fear.

More real.

Neither would tell the other.

Their teachers,

friends,

other students --

none really understood why they showed up.

Nobody said anything.

The discomfort laid siege to the school,

and it somehow made the girls feel a little better.




The girls left school and walked by themselves to the station,

jumped on the Keio Line to Shimotakaido Station

and transfered to the Setagaya Line.

They talked for the first time in hours along the way.

"You know what?" Katie said.

"Mmm." said Susan.

"I wanna change the music for my routine."

"Mmm. I think I know what you're saying." Susan said.




They stepped off the train at Wakabayashi,

and once again

ran into their coach

walking to the gym.




There were the usual greetings and bows

and smiles, too, nearly took form,

but surfaced anyway

through their eyes.

They continued the three minute walk to the gym.




"I wanna do something different

for my music," Susan said to her.

"Me too," Katie said.

"I don't understand, girls." said the coach.

Susan explained that she wants to use her

grand father's lullaby for her routine.

Katie explained she wants to use Kenji's companion melody.

Inga Godotnova stopped walking.

"It's way too late for doing anything like that!" the coach said.

The girls objected.

They explained the music is not that much different

from what they were already using...

... it was beautiful... it was balletic...

... and it wouldn't change their routine

except for a few steps here and there.




Inga Godotnova objected now.

"This is simply not how things are done, girls.

"It'll take your focus away...

... we choose the music at the beginning

so that you concentrate on your routine...

... not the music."



"But we know this music already... at least the lullaby...." Susan said.

And Katie explained that Kenji's melody already

felt as though it had always been with her.




Inga objected again, "but there is nothing recorded!

"I have to submit these recordings,

along with your planned routines Monday morning!"

"We'll record them..." Katie said.

"We have a good microphone at home...

I'll hook it to my sound card... and record it... our house is very quiet..."

Susan said, "Yeah! and our friend Kenji can record

his flute melody too.... we'll do it tomorrow morning!

The coach objected again,

"This is simply not how things are done, girls!

I understand what you are saying and there are

other meets coming up soon. You know that.

Why not use this music for the meets in September!

"Please" "Please" "Please." the girls begged together.

"It may even help our performance!" Susan said.

"Yeah, it may improve our performance... make us feel more relaxed! Please!" Katie said.

Inga stood shakiing her head for several moments.

"Let me think about it..."

"I'm going to lose my job." Inga mumbled to herself. "Go and practice now!"

"Yea!" the girls said together smiling and running off..."

"I didn't say yes." Inga said, over her shoulder walking away.

"Yea!" Susan says again... "I mean, okay!, we understand!"

and Susan dove onto the floor

next to the five and six year old girls playing....

And Katie dove onto the floor too.

Warm-up began, practice started,

an hour passed, and the girls sat together

during a break and held towels and water.

in their hands.

One of their longtime teammates approached them.

She wasn't a friend, nor an enemy either.

But she looked tense,

and holding fast to some deep upset.

The coach discreetly watched and listened in.

"My mother says your parents have no business in that part of the world."

"Huh?"

"What did you say?"

"My mother says your parents

don't have any business

trying to solve problems so far away.

She's not surprised about what happened."

The girls faces drained of blood in shock.

"Can you believe this?" Katie said out loud to no one.

"I'm gonna knock the crap outta you."

And Katie jumps up and lunges for the girl who quickly moved away.

"Girls! Stop! Come over here right away, you."

The coach stood staring down the teammate now.




"My routines are slipping away as it is." Katie shook her head

and was talking to Susan now.

"I know. I'm not hitting anything today.

Feels like I'm two years behind."

"Why would anyone say something like that?" Katie said.

"Come on." Susan said. "Let's finish training and get outta here."




The girls didn't even wipe off at the end of practice.

They dressed, packed-up and made a bee-line for the door.

"Katie and Susan!" Inga Godotnova yelled out.

The girls stopped with their hands on the door.

The coach ran to them and knelt down.

"I am worried..." the coach paused... "...that you are deciding this music change

because of the tremendous stress on you right now."

"This is not about stress, Sensei."

Katie was nodding her head a bit and slowly in affirmation.

"Okay. Then do it." the coach responded.

"Bring me the recordings tomorrow afternoon. At practice."

And eye contact all around sealed the deal.


********



Thank you, Satchitananda-san, for letting us bring your flute

They were walking to the river

under a gloaming sky and late rising moon.

They didn't feel like eating when they had arrived home,

and told Oba-chan so,

and retired to their room

in silence

and sat on the floor.

An hour or so passed

and both began hearing the soft tones of the flute.

"I think we're being called." said Susan.

And off they went, outside their bedroom window.



"How long have you had it?" said Susan.

"It looks old." Katie said,

and examined the flute more closely with her hands and eyes.

"Somebody said this once belonged to Mahandas Ghandi." Kenji explained,

"It was given to me by my first teacher

at Ghandi's ashram near Amedabhad . . .

it was my sixteenth birthday.

It must be very special to you.

He smiled. "I enjoy playing it."

"You play it well."

"Thank you."

"How was your training today?" Kenji said.

And the girls both began talking rapidly about what their teammate had told them about what her mother had said.

They were crying loudly now, half screaming, half trying to talk.

They arrived at the top of the river levy now,

the girls paying little attention to where they were.

Kenji continued listening until the girls settled down a bit.

And he quietly and slowly began to talk. "Perhaps your teammate, too,

is afraid. Hmmm? If she didn't care,

she'd be feeling nothing about your situation,

like some stranger standing next to you on the train."

"But it's mean!" Katie said.

"Yes, it is." said Kenji.

"It's not fair." Katie continued.

"No, it's not." said Kenji.

And Katie swung her arms up in frustration

and out of her hand flew Kenji's flute high into the air and into the river.

Katie made a bending motion with her knees to dive in and fetch it.

Kenji grabbed her shoulder.

"No. I'll get it." he said.

And like that, Kenji dove straight into the water.

The girls watched with mouths wide open and were screaming and wringing their hands.

And watched.

And watched.

And watched.

Bubbles were coming up and off the moonlight.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...." the girls were screaming...

"where did he go!"

"ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...."

"I'm going in," Katie cried.

Susan grabbed her from behind in a bear hug.

"No... wait a second... just wait..." Susan insisted.

"No! We have to get him."

Wait. Please.. just a few more seconds....

"I can't wait." Katie said.

Susan held onto Katie.

Katie hands were still wringing,

eyes lasered to the river where Kenji dove in.

They suddenly heard the sound of Kenji's flute.

"huh?" they said together, and spun themselves around.

There was Kenji sitting down at the bottom of the river levy behind them

playing their grandfather's lullaby on the flute.

The girls at once fell to the ground out of breath.

And sat a moment

and continued hearing the flute,

got up, and ran down the hill.

"That was not nice!" Katie yelled.

"How did you do that!" Susan was excited now.

"Do what?" Kenji paused his playing.

"We didn't see you get out of the water!" Katie said.

Kenji continued playing then paused again.

"I didn't do anthing." he said and continued playing.

"How did you get back here?" the one said.

"We would have seen you." said the other.

Once again, he paused. "I dove into the water.

And now I'm here." Kenji said smiling and laughing and continued his playing.

The girls began laughing now too.

"you're a magician!" Susan cried.

"No, I'm not."

"You scared us!" cried Katie.

"I am sorry, Susan and Katie... Are you okay now?"

"Yeah... we're okay." they said together, still trying to catch their breaths.

"How do you feel about what happened today?

"What?" the girls said.

"With your teammate?" said Kenji.

"Huh?" the girls said.

"Oh..." they were laughing again...

"I almost forgot. said Susan.

"Me too." Katie said, still laughing a bit

The girls sat down on either side of Kenji.

And they all rested a moment or two.

"Good. good. good." Kenji then said. "Let's go back up the hill."

"You hold onto the flute." Katie said smiling at Kenji.

Kenji laughed.

"Can we do that thing with the moon and the stars? Susan said as they climbed the hill.

"Sure." said Kenji as they reached the top.

"Let's sit down... and close our eyes."

And take a couple of deep breaths.

"That won't be hard to do." Katie said laughing.

"Let's easily close our eyes." said Kenji.

And he guided them in similar meditation as before by the river.

At the end of meditation Kenji said,

"Let's take a few minutes and slowly,

when you are ready,

open the eyes.

"It was nice?" Kenji asked.

"Yes." the girls said.

"Good. That's something you can do anytime. Together. Alone. Anytime."

"I still wanna know how you did that." said Susan.

"Did what?" smiled Kenji.

Kenji pulled a long piece of grass from the ground

and put the end of it between his lips and teeth.

"You know!" Katie said.

Kenji sat a moment or two, slowly working the stalk of grass

in his mouth....

then began to talk.

"When you meditate, and feel yourself expanded

into the earth,

into the sky

beyond the moon,

through out the heavens..."

"Yes..." the girls responded, following his sentence.

"Who is it..." Kenji continued, "who is it... that is expanded. Hmmm?"

The girls just looked at each other.

"I dont get it." Katie said.

Susan was shaking her head slightly.

"hmmm?" Kenji continued, "who is expanded?

who are you feeling is expanded?

The girls just sat. Relaxed. Puzzled a bit. But no answer.

"hmmm?" Kenji removed the grass now and worked it... massaging it,

between the pads of his fingers.

"Is it your coach who is expanded?

your grandmother? your mother? ... he pauses... father?" asked Kenji.

"No. No." said Susan.

Kenji continued taking time between comments.

Continued with the stalk of grass.

"Then who are you feeling is expanded?" he asked again.

"Oh!" Katie said.

"Me?" Susan said.

"Oh yeah. I guess I am!" Katie said.

Unaware the girls also picked

stalks of grass and held them between their lips and teeth.




Kenji looked at the girls.

"Do you mean I really am this feeling?

I really am where ever it is I am expanded?" Katie asked.

Kenji laid the blade of grass upon the ground in front of him

and began getting up.

"This question, Susan and Katie, is your food to chew....

"... allow yourself to experience this feeling whenever you like ...

... look into it... don't let me, or anyone,

chew your own food for you. hmmm?"

The girls looked at each other and started laughing loudly

pulling the stalks from their own mouths

and comparing the chewed up ends.

And then put them back into their mouths

still laughing.

"Let's eat!" said Kenji.

"Yeah!" the girls said together.

"Oh." Katie interrupted the moment.

"Would you help us tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"We have to record new music for our routines." Susan said.

"And give the recordings to our teacher tomorrow afternoon at training." said Katie.

"We need you to play your flute... and we'll record it... "

"Hmmm?" Kenji responds.

"You know, that melody you play when Susan or I

play our grandfather's lullaby on the piano?"

"Is that what it is? Your grandfather wrote that?"

"yes... our American grandfather." the one said.

"In Des Moines, Iowa." said the other.

"It's beautiful." Kenji said.

"It's our favorite song." the girls responded.

"Especially now... with your melody." said Susan.

"The melody you play along with it." Katie said.

"Oh..! Very nice. Does your Grandfather's melody have lyrics?

"I guess not." Susan said. "I've never really thought about that."

"Somehow... It doesn't need lyrics." Katie added.

"Ah... I see. The melody speaks it's own message?

"Yeah. Yeah." the girls said smiling.

"Well then, mine too, I guess." Kenji said.

"I guess so!" the girls said together.

"Let's go eat." Kenji said.