A young woman with sparkling brown eyes walked through a door behind the reception desk. She was dressed in the most beautiful pale green kimono. ‘Konbanwa. My name is Aki.’ She bowed.
‘Konbanwa, Aki-san,’ Hugh replied and bowed in return.
Cecelia and Ambrosia smiled at the girl too.
‘How was your journey, Mr Kennington-Jones?’ the girl asked in perfect English.
‘Very good, thank you,’ Hugh replied. ‘But we’re glad to be here.’
‘I hope that you are happy with the rooms we have set aside for you.’ She smiled and walked out from behind the counter. ‘I have one for the three young ladies.’ She handed Hugh an engraved key ring. He passed it to Alice-Miranda.
‘Look, Daddy, it has our names on it,’ she said, beaming.
Aki nodded at her. ‘You must be Miss Alice-Miranda.’
‘Hai,’ the child replied. ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Aki-san.’
‘I see you have been practising your Japanese,’ the girl replied. ‘I am pleased to improve my English too. Perhaps you can help me and I will help you with some lessons in Japanese.’
Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘That would be wonderful.’
Aki handed another key to Ambrosia and there was a third one for Hugh and Cecelia. ‘I will show you to your rooms,’ she said, holding out her hand. ‘Please come this way.’ Aki walked along a dimly lit hallway then stopped in a doorway. ‘This is the breakfast room and is also our restaurant in the evenings. On the other side we have a sitting room. There are some board games that the children might like in the cupboard.’
She continued further down the passage before heading up a dark timber staircase to the first floor. A central hallway divided the rooms left and right. ‘This is for Mrs Headlington-Bear.’ She slid open the door to reveal a spacious room almost devoid of furniture.
Jacinta poked her head inside. ‘Where’s the bed?’
‘Come and I will show you.’ Aki turned and opened the door opposite. ‘This is your room. Slippers off, please.’
‘The floor feels nice,’ Millie said. ‘It’s tatami, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ said Aki. ‘It’s made of thick straw, and we measure the size of a room by how many tatami mats fit on the floor.’
‘But there are no beds in here either,’ Jacinta scoffed. ‘How can this be a hotel without any beds?’
‘You will see,’ Aki said. She opened a small wardrobe and pulled out a thick roll of material, which she unravelled on the floor.
Jacinta thought it looked like a sleeping bag. She plonked herself down, expecting it to be hard. ‘Oh, that’s really soft! And that duvet is heavenly.’ She fluffed it with her hand.
‘I am glad it is to your liking,’ Aki said.
‘Girls, are you happy to get settled while your father and I have a look at our room?’ Cecelia asked. Ambrosia had already disappeared into her room across the hallway.
‘Of course, Mummy,’ Alice-Miranda said, as she pulled another futon from the cupboard.
‘This way, please.’ Aki motioned at Hugh and Cecelia. She slid the door closed and left the girls alone.
‘This room is weird,’ Jacinta said, as she walked around. It was a bare space with only a couple of pieces of furniture against the wall. There was a large wardrobe, a low lacquered table holding an arrangement of orchids and nothing else.
‘It is plain,’ Millie agreed.
‘I think there’s something lovely about how simple it all is,’ Alice-Miranda said.
‘How will we lay out the beds?’ Millie asked. Even with two futons unrolled there was still plenty of space.
‘I don’t know, but come and have a look at this.’ Jacinta had discovered the ensuite through an almost invisible sliding screen.
Alice-Miranda and Millie rushed over to join her.
‘That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,’ said Alice-Miranda as she looked at the tiny bath in the corner. It was no more than sixty centimetres square.
‘I wouldn’t even fit into that and I’m a midget,’ Millie said.
‘I think you must stand up and use this.’ Alice-Miranda picked up a shower head attached to a long pipe.
‘Check out the toilet.’ Jacinta was examining the control panel on the side of the unit. She went to lift the lid and dropped it straight back down. ‘Oh yuck, it’s warm! Like someone’s just been sitting on it.’
‘What do you mean, it’s warm?’ Millie went to touch it too. ‘Oh. It must be heated.’ Millie lifted the lid and looked inside. ‘It’s just a normal toilet.’
‘Then what does this do?’ Jacinta pressed a button and a spurt of warm water shot out of the bowl and hit Millie in the eye.
‘Disgusting.’ Millie wiped her face. ‘What’s that for?’
Alice-Miranda giggled. ‘I think it’s like a bidet.’
‘A bid-what? Oh, gross,’ Jacinta said as she realised. ‘I won’t be pushing that button again. What’s this one do?’
A blast of warm air escaped from the bowl.
‘It’s like a hand dryer,’ Millie said. ‘Except it’s for your bottom.’
‘I might use that. It feels nice.’ Jacinta rubbed her hands together over the top of the toilet bowl. They all laughed.
Cecelia Highton-Smith slid open the girls’ door and walked into the room. She could see the three of them gathered in the bathroom. Ambrosia joined her.
‘How are you getting on, then?’ Cecelia asked.
‘Mummy, this toilet is high-tech,’ Alice-Miranda said excitedly.
‘Yes, you have to expect that in Japan. I remember the first time I came to Tokyo; I was staying in a hotel that had a toilet with more controls than a spaceship. I remember pressing one button and getting the shock of my life,’ Cecelia said. ‘Anyway, I think you should be brushing your teeth and getting into your pyjamas. It’s been a long day and we need to get to bed. Tomorrow you can go exploring.’
The girls bade goodnight to Ambrosia and Cecelia. Hugh popped his head in the door when they were all settled.
Alice-Miranda jumped up out of bed and kissed her father. ‘Goodnight, Daddy.’
‘Goodnight, darling. Goodnight, Millie and Jacinta.’ He flicked off the overhead light.
Within a very short time all three girls were fast asleep.
A woman glided down a dimly lit hallway. As always, she wore a black suit with a choker of pearls and matching earrings. Her long black tresses were wound into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. The only splashes of colour were the blood-red polish on her fingernails and the slash of crimson across her lips. As she neared the end of the passage, a screen slid open and a man stepped into her path. She bowed deeply and then looked up and whispered, ‘How is he today?’
‘The same,’ the man replied.
‘When will things change?’ she asked, shaking her head.
‘He could go on like this forever,’ the man replied. ‘And how are you, Hatsuko?’
‘I’m fine.’ She averted her gaze.
‘And Kiko?’ he asked.
Hatsuko shrugged.
‘She rarely comes out of her room these days,’ he said. ‘I have not seen her in weeks.’
‘I do my best with her,’ said Hatsuko.
‘You are a good aunt, but you take on far too much of the child’s care. We have many who can help.’
‘But she is family, Kenzo,’ Hatsuko said.
He smiled. ‘Your patience is a virtue.’
Hatsuko bowed her head. Kenzo returned the gesture and hurried away.
A sinister smile crept onto the woman’s lips. It was true. Her patience would soon be rewarded. In the end, it had been far easier than she could have imagined. The child herself had come up with the plan and all Hatsuko had to do was help her see it through. It was an unexpected bonus that the girl had written a letter explaining her actions. This was now safely tucked away in a drawer in Hatsuko’s apartment until it was needed. Who could tell how the girl’s father would react to the news? But s
he would be there to console her brother and convince him to do what was best for everyone. And soon enough she would have what was rightfully hers.
Hatsuko waited until Kenzo’s footsteps receded down the corridor, then turned away from the sliding door. She had more important things to do than sit with her melancholy brother. She turned sharply to her left and strode down the narrow corridor. After going down two flights of stairs and unlocking a low door, she entered a small basement room.
Two men in black suits looked up as she entered, and bowed quickly at her.
‘What are you doing here?’ Hatsuko demanded. The men resembled a pair of naughty schoolboys. There was no way they could have completed their task already. ‘Where is she?’
Both men gulped. Yuki cast his eyes to the floor, while Yamato stared at the ceiling, neither of them wanting to speak first.
Hatsuko could feel the heat rising in her body. ‘You’ve lost her, haven’t you? Don’t just stand there like imbeciles – one of you find your tongue and explain to me!’ she hissed.
The taller man, Yuki, straightened and looked ahead, focusing on the blank wall. ‘We did not expect her to go to the subway. We followed her, of course, but there were too many people.’
‘Too many people – in Tokyo? What a shock! You’re more stupid than I ever imagined.’
He cleared his throat. ‘Please forgive us. One minute she was there and the next she was gone, like a puff of smoke. We have been searching for hours but there’s no sign of her.’
‘This child cannot just disappear!’ Hatsuko screamed. ‘Not until I say so! Who is helping her?’
The men looked at each other and shrugged.
Hatsuko stormed towards the pair. ‘Pathetic! Useless!’ she shrieked. The men flinched.
Hatsuko stalked back across the room, her mind ticking over. They must find a snow drop in a puddle. A snow drop who wanted nothing more than to melt into the waters around her and disappear forever. Hatsuko smiled to herself. It was a bitter irony. She wanted the same thing for her little snow drop too – but only if she was in control.
‘What did she take with her?’ Hatsuko strode back to the men. Their heads were bowed and they dared not look up. ‘Surely you know that!’ She tipped Yuki’s chin upwards and stared into his eyes.
Finally he spoke. ‘A backpack with some clothes and her mother’s diary.’
The other man looked up. ‘And she took the necklace, the one her father gave her.’
‘The necklace! But she wasn’t wearing it when she left.’
‘No. It was in her pocket. I saw her take it out when she was walking,’ the other man said.
‘So you were that close and still you lost her?’
Both men nodded.
A stifling silence enveloped the room. Hatsuko stared ahead, a frightening smile forming on her lips. ‘Oh, this is perfect. I should have known I would have to rely on my own abilities.’
The men wondered what she was talking about. Kiko was still missing and the fact that she had taken a gold necklace and a diary with her was not any help as far as they were concerned.
‘Come with me, you idiots,’ Hatsuko sighed. She stalked towards the far end of the room and unlocked another door. ‘I will show you how to do your jobs.’
Cecelia Highton-Smith tapped on the girls’ door then slid it open and whispered, ‘Good morning.’ Alice-Miranda, Millie and Jacinta were still asleep on their futons in the middle of the tatami floor. Despite starting off in separate corners, they’d somehow wriggled to the centre and were huddled together like caterpillars in their downy cocoons.
Millie was the first to stir. She opened her eyes and stretched her arms above her head.
Cecelia knelt down beside her. ‘Hello, sleepyhead.’
‘Good morning.’ Millie sat up and yawned.
Jacinta was snoring gently: little grunts punctuated by the occasional whistling breath. Alice-Miranda rolled over and rubbed her eyes. ‘Hello Mummy. Did we sleep in?’
‘No, darling, but I thought I’d better wake you. Breakfast is ready. Why don’t you put on your robes and come downstairs,’ Cecelia suggested.
‘Don’t we have to get dressed?’ Millie asked.
‘No, we can go to breakfast in our yukatas.’ Cecelia stood up and twirled around in her pretty blue robe. ‘It’s the thing to do when staying in a ryokan.’
‘I saw them hanging in the wardrobe. They sort of look like cotton kimonos,’ said Alice-Miranda. She stood up and went to get one.
‘Jacinta.’ Cecelia gently put her hand on the girl’s arm.
‘You’ll never wake her like that. Trust me, she sleeps like a sloth,’ Millie said. She leaned over and whispered sharply in Jacinta’s ear, ‘You’re late!’
The girl sat bolt upright. ‘What? Sorry, Howie, I didn’t hear the bell.’ Jacinta scrambled out of bed onto the tatami. A few seconds later she looked around, clearly confused, and realised that she wasn’t in her dormitory bedroom at all.
Millie laughed.
‘Calm down, sweetheart. There’s plenty of time,’ Cecelia cooed. ‘Oh, Millie, that’s cruel.’
Jacinta exhaled loudly and glared at Millie. ‘Why did you do that?’
‘Do what?’ Millie replied innocently, batting her eyelashes.
‘Come on girls, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just put on your robes and slippers and we’ll get something to eat. I don’t know about you but I could murder a cup of tea,’ Cecelia said and walked out of the room.
In the cosy dining room of the Sadachiyo Ryokan, Alice-Miranda, Millie and Jacinta discovered an interesting selection of food for their breakfast. There was miso soup, rice porridge and even some broiled fish.
Alice-Miranda pointed at one of the plates and smiled at the young girl who was serving them. ‘Could you tell me what this is, please?’
‘Tamagoyaki. I think you would call it an omelette,’ the girl explained. She bowed and then retreated from the room.
Jacinta used her chopsticks to pick up what looked like a pink vegetable. She sniffed it and screwed up her nose.
‘I think it’s a pickle,’ said Alice-Miranda.
‘Oh, that’s disgusting.’ Jacinta flung it back into the bowl. ‘Yuck!’
‘I’ll try it.’ Millie reached over and popped the vegetable into her mouth. ‘It’s okay.’
Alice-Miranda tucked into the omelette. ‘Oh, that’s delicious. Just like Mrs Oliver’s.’
‘Well, I’m not eating that.’ Jacinta pointed at two dried fish, whose beady eyes were staring up at her from the plate.
Millie prodded her with a chopstick. ‘I think you’re going to be starving by the end of the week.’
‘I don’t care,’ Jacinta replied. ‘Surely there are some steak restaurants around here somewhere.’
The girls sat together while Cecelia, Hugh and Ambrosia were at another small table on the other side of the room. All of the tables were low and surrounded by cushions for the guests to kneel on. A young couple sat at the far end of the room, and another table was occupied by a family of two parents and a son and daughter.
Millie took a sip of her tea. She spat it out and wiped her mouth on a napkin. ‘Yuck!’
‘What’s the matter?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
‘What sort of tea is that?’ Millie stared into the cup.
‘It’s green tea,’ Alice-Miranda said. She peered into the cup at the cloudy liquid. ‘Did you put milk in it?’
‘Yes, of course. I always have milk in my tea – and two sugars,’ Millie replied.
‘No wonder it tastes awful.’ Alice-Miranda grinned. ‘You’re supposed to drink it on its own. I guarantee you’ll like it better that way.’
‘How was I supposed to know that?’ Millie set the cup back down. ‘Why did they put milk on the tray?’
‘I think it was for the rice porridge,’ Alice-Miranda said, casting her eye over the breakfast items. ‘I only know about green tea because Mummy’s a big fan. I hated it to start with but it’
s one of those things that the more you try it the more you’ll like it – I think. Wait until you have green tea ice-cream.’
Jacinta shuddered. ‘That sounds truly –’ She stopped as the little girl on the table next to her began to howl.
‘What’s this?’ The girl waved a piece of fish in the air. ‘And why can’t I have a fork? Chopsticks are stupid.’
‘Not as stupid as you,’ her brother snapped.
‘Cadence, stop playing with your food,’ her mother whispered. ‘Please.’ The woman looked over and gave Alice-Miranda and her friends an apologetic smile.
The boy was now flicking grains of rice at his sister and singing a rude song about how smelly her feet were. The father continued to read his book.
Jacinta closed her mouth and picked up her own cup of green tea.
Millie noticed Jacinta’s appalled expression and laughed. ‘It’s like looking in a mirror, isn’t it?’
‘No,’ Jacinta gulped. ‘I’ve changed, and please tell me I was never that bad. Was I?’
Millie grinned.
Hugh Kennington-Jones beckoned for the girls to join them. ‘Have you made some new friends?’ he asked, peering at the family on the other side of the room.
‘No way,’ said Jacinta. ‘Those children are revolting.’
Millie gave a sly wink. ‘Even worse than Jacinta.’
Ambrosia looked up and smiled. ‘Really, Millie? Is that possible?’
Jacinta glared at her mother.
‘I was just joking, darling. Surely you know that by now.’ Ambrosia Headlington-Bear reached out and grabbed Jacinta around the middle, pulling her onto the floor and into her lap.
Jacinta rolled her eyes.
‘We should get moving. What about you girls have a quick bath and then you can head off with your father,’ Cecelia suggested.
‘I think it will be a shower in that funny little tub of ours,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘What are you doing today, Mummy?’
‘I’m afraid Ambrosia and I have quite a few meetings scheduled this week but we should be able to catch up for lunches, and I’ve set aside some time for a few special things.’
Alice-Miranda in Japan 9 Page 3