Jack must have cried himself to sleep after they had put him back to bed,
for when he rolled over, the round-faced woman was kneeling by his side.
Like the samurai the day before, she wore a silk robe, but hers was a deep
blue decorated with images of white and pink flowers. She smiled sweetly
and offered him some water. Jack took the small bowl and gulped the liquid
down. It was cool and fresh.
'Thank you. May I beg you for a little more?'
She frowned.
'Can I have some more water?' said Jack, pointing to the small bowl in
his hand and making slurping noises.
Understanding, she smiled and bowed. Disappearing through the sliding
door, which Jack noticed had already been repaired, she returned with a
scarlet lacquered tray bearing three small bowls. One contained water, one a
thin steaming fish soup and the third a small pile of white rice with a
serving of pickles.
Jack drained the water and, although he didn't like the peppery taste, the
soup warmed him. He then greedily shovelled the rice into his mouth,
eating with his fingers. Jack had seen rice once before, when his father had
brought some back after a trading trip for his mother to cook. To Jack it was
a bit tasteless, but as he hadn't eaten for days he didn't care. Licking his
fingers clean, he gave the woman a broad smile to show that he appreciated
the food.
The woman looked utterly shocked.
'Err… thank you. Thank you very much.' Jack didn't know what else to
say.
Obviously upset, the woman collected the empty dishes and scurried out
of the room.
What had he done? Perhaps he should have offered her some too?
A few moments later, the wall panel slid open again and she entered with
a white robe and laid it by his bed.
'Kimono wo kite choudai,' she said, gesturing for him to put it on.
Jack, aware he was naked under the quilt, refused.
The woman appeared perplexed. She pointed to the robe once again.
Frustrated at their inability to communicate, Jack signed for her to go
through the sliding panel. Clearly bewildered by the request, she
nevertheless bowed and left the room.
Jack stood up as quickly as his aching body would allow and, taking care
with his splinted arm, put on the silk robe.
Moving over to the door, he slid it open, being careful not to damage it
this time. The woman was waiting outside on a wooden veranda that circled
the house. A set of small steps led to a large garden surrounded by a high
wall. The garden was unlike anything he had ever seen.
A little bridge spanned a pond filled with pink water lilies. Pebbled paths
weaved their way through colourful flowers, green shrubs and large ornate
stones. A tiny waterfall ran into a stream that wound around a glorious
cherry blossom tree then flowed back into the pond.
Everything about the garden was so perfect, so peaceful, thought Jack.
How his mother would have adored all the flowers. It was another world to
the muddy patches of herbs, vegetables and hedges that were strewn across
England.
'It's like the Garden of Eden,' murmured Jack.
The woman indicated for Jack to put on some wooden sandals, then
shuffled along the path in tiny steps, beckoning him to follow.
On the other side of the pond a bony old man, evidently the gardener,
tended an already perfect plot with a rake. As they passed by, he bowed
low. The woman gave a slight bow in return and Jack followed suit. It
appeared bowing was the thing to do, at all times.
They entered a small wooden building on the other side of the garden.
The room was pleasantly warm and inside there was a long stone bench and
a large square wooden tub filled with steaming water. To Jack's horror, the
woman signed for him to get in.
'What? You don't expect me to get in there, do you?' exclaimed Jack,
backing away from the bath.
Smiling, she held her nose, pointed at Jack, then at the bath. 'Ofuro.'
'I don't stink!' said Jack. 'I washed barely a month ago.' Didn't they
know that baths were disease pits? His mother had warned him that he
could catch the flux or worse!
'Ofuro haitte!' she said again, slapping her hand on the bath. 'Anata ni
nomiga tsuite iru wa yo!'
Jack didn't understand and didn't care. There was no way he was going
to get in that bath.
'Uekiya! Chiro! Kocchi ni kite!' shouted the woman, making a grab for
Jack.
He ran round the bath and headed for the door, but the gardener had
appeared and blocked his path. A young maid then dashed in and caught
hold of him. The woman pulled off his robe and began to sluice him down
with cold water.
'Stop that! It's freezing!' cried Jack. 'Leave me alone!'
'Dame, ofuro no jikan yo, ohkina akachan ne,' the woman said, and the
maid laughed.
Jack struggled and kicked so much that the gardener had to help hold him
down too, though the old man took great care to avoid Jack's broken arm.
Jack felt like a baby as they scrubbed him down and then lowered him,
still protesting, into the steaming bath. The heat was almost unbearable, but
every time he tried to get out the woman gently pushed him back in.
Eventually they let him out, but only to wash him down again, this time
with warm soapy water. By now, though, he was too tired to resist and
resigned himself to the indignity of it all. The worst thing was that the water
was scented. He smelt like a girl!
They dunked him back in the bathtub, his skin turning bright pink from
the heat. After a while, they let him out, only to subject him to a final
dousing of cold water before drying him and dressing him in a new robe.
Exhausted, he was led back to his room where he collapsed on his quilt
and immediately fell into a deep sleep.