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<\/p>\n
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Furuyama-san gazed towards the bright morning sun. She slowly shifted her balance from foot to foot, her right hand idly gripping a pair of shears. A shadow moved slowly towards her, framed against the natural angles of the village houses. The shadow became larger. Furuyama-san slowly leaned down and plucked up a weed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She looked up into a boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face. An earnest boy, rosy sunburnt cheeks, darting eyes that seemed unaccustomed to the morning light. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Furuyama-san thought, but she smiled at him anyway.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ohaio gozaimasu<\/em>,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she called out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy stopped awkwardly, and lowered his gaze to the old woman in front of him. He gave an unaccomplished little bow and cupped his hands before him, like a Thai. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ohaio gozaimasu<\/em>!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He smiled back at Furuyama-san, his bright eyes staring straight at her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fine morning,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, in slow Japanese. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But hot. So hot here! But my cabbages don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mind, do you see how big they are this year?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She motioned towards her two rows of cabbages.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes suddenly slipped down, and he shook his head apologetically. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nihongo o<\/em>….\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he trailed off, standing still, suddenly looking around, as though for something to grasp.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well nevermind,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Furuyama-san continued, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153if you come back in a couple of months I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give you some cabbages anyway. Furuyama-san does so love when I make him fresh vegetable soup in the autumn.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She smiled again at the boy, then turned back to her cabbages. A large frog was jumping between the rows, heading towards a small pond at the back. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh look, such a big frog. Furuyama-san does like frogs. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThey are masters of adaption,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he used to tell me. From swimming tadpoles to jumping frogs. Not like us humans, right? Only a kami<\/em> can change so quickly.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 She looked up at the boy, but he had turned his gaze, and was already walking off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furuyama-san turned her head, and wandered to the pond at the back of her garden. The frog had disappeared. But she saw two large tadpoles swimming along the edge. Furuyama-san smiled at them. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an easy life being a tadpole,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It makes no difference to them what the temperature\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like up here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The weather stayed hot, and the rain fell only in occasional drips and drabs. Furuyama-san kept her wide-brim hat on while she worked in her vegetable garden, and she frequently sat on a little wooden stool to wipe the sweat from her brow. She lugged a hose to and from her garden shed most days. She was just finishing off watering her cabbages one afternoon when she heard a cough behind her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She turned, slowly. The boy was back, beaming at her with his bright red cheeks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Atsui<\/em>,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hot, very hot. Uh. Here, I bring.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He lifted up his hands. There was a bottle of juice in each one. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Please. For you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furuyama-san frowned at him. He took a few steps towards her, and held out his hand. She took the bottle from him, opened it slowly. She looked up at him, closed her eyes, took a little sip. The juice was ice cold. When she opened her eyes, the boy was already walking off.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hai!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she called after him. He stopped. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give me a present and then walk off so quickly, come now, I have something for you too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy stared at her, and started shaking his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stay!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she called, and she gestured with her hands. She walked slowly to the back of the garden, twice checking over her shoulder to make sure the boy was still there. Then she grabbed two stools and started walking back. The boy saw her, came forward, grabbed a stool. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There, there, I bring.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furuyama-san shook her head, but the stool was out of her hands already. She set hers down in the ground, made sure the boy sat on his, and then slowly disappeared again to the back of the garden. She returned with two red tomatoes. She gave them to the boy, grabbing his hand so she could place them in his palm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153These are very ripe, you better eat them quickly. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been serving them to Furuyama-san every evening this week, he likes them with his fried eggs.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy gave an awkward smile, and took a long drink from his juice. Furuyama-san had another sip of hers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where are you from?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she asked the boy. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your country? A-na-ta-no-ku-ni<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It took a few seconds, but the boy comprehended. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yu Ess Ei,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, and then he tried again: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bei Koku.<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bei Koku<\/em>, how lovely! It can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be so hot there I imagine, you look so uncomfortable in this heat. Oh, the summer in Awaji is tough, especially for an old woman like me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy was finished his juice already, and he tried to fan himself with the bottle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furuyama-san laughed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do, that certainly won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do. Do you want to learn Japanese?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She repeated her question again, slower. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the boy replied. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Every day I study Japanese.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh very good! What can you say?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy leaned back a little on his stool. He stared off towards the village, and then he turned back to face the woman. He squinted his eyes a little bit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My name is John,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jo-nu<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He picked up the woman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shears from off the ground. She blanched, but he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t notice, and he used the handle of the shears to write two characters in the gravel next to where they sat: \u00e3\u201a\u00b8\u00e3\u0192\u00a7\u00e3\u0192\u0152<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Furuyama-san was smiling when he looked up again. She read the kana: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jo-nu<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n