Unscene #2

UnScene #2: It was Valentine's Day in Japan. 

I thought I'd try to write something about it.

Boxes of Chocolate

 “Shouei-sempai, Happy Valentine’s Day!” the unknown girl said with a big smile as she shoved a fancily wrapped box of chocolates under Shouei’s nose.

“Err... thanks...” he managed to murmur as the girl turned to walk away all a-giggle.

That was the fourth box today.  Shouei sighed.

“At least it’s not as bad as it was last year,” he thought to himself, remembering the dozen boxes he received the previous year.

He heard a familiar voice calling him from behind.  He turned and saw Anri-chan weaving through the loitering seniors in the corridor on her way toward him.

“Whew!  Found you at last, Sho-niichan” she recovered a breath before she dumped the contents of her arms into his. Six fancily wrapped boxes of chocolates.  “You sure are popular.  Some girls from my class were too shy to give these to you themselves, so they asked me to do it.”

Ten boxes now.  Shouei sighed.

Anri laughed.  It was low and had a touch of irony to it.  It made Shouei smile as well.

“That’s better,” commented Anri.  “You should be glad so many girls like you. Smile at them like that and make them happy!”

Shouei wanted only one girl to like him.  Right now, she was waving good-bye as she turned to go back through the crowd of noisy students exchanging Valentine presents and waving each other good-bye for the day.

“Gotta run, Sho-niichan.  The teachers might leave soon!”

Shouei had shrugged off his backpack and was trying to stuff all the boxes in when someone tapped his shoulder. 

“Yo, Shouei.  That wasn’t my sister, was it?” asked Genta.  Shouei nodded.

“Where’s she going?  I told her to meet me here as soon as the bell rang.  Dad will pick us up any minute now,” Genta muttered.  “It’s Dad’s turn tonight, he said he’d take us out to dinner somewhere,” he explained at Shouei’s bewildered look.

Shouei had never met Genta and Anri’s father, even though they had been close friends since elementary school.  But he simply nodded in understanding.  He knew the circumstances of their parents’ divorce were tough on his friends, especially for Anri-chan.

“I think she was headed for the faculty office,” he told Genta.

“Dammit.  So she really is gonna give that thing to Inoue-sensei,” lamented Genta.  “That girl is hopeless.”

“Inoue-sensei?!” blurted Shouei.  “Anri’s got a crush on Inoue-sensei?  He’s at least thirteen years older than us!  And isn’t there a rumor that he and Suzuki-sensei are dating?”

His best friend just shook his head, saying, “She says Inoue-sensei reminds her of Dad, in some ways.  I tried to tell her off, but...”

Genta left Shouei behind, asking him that if Anri comes back, to tell her to head straight for the school gates.   Shouei was still trying to fit all the boxes into his bag when he saw Anri walking slowly back down the emptying hallway.  Her face had a distant, bewildered look on it.

“Anri-chan, Genta said he’d wait for you at the school gate... Are you alright?  You seem pale all of a sudden...” Shouei held her arm.

“Married,” Anri mumbled.  “Inoue-sensei and Suzuki-sensei are gonna get married.  He said it himself.  He didn’t even look at my present for him...”

Her eyes glazed over and her face reddened for a moment, but she didn’t let a single tear fall.  She blinked a few times, squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath.  She looked down at the fancily wrapped box in her hand, as if wondering what it was still doing there.  She held out the box to Shouei.

“Here, Sho-niichan.  You can have it.  I baked them myself,” she said proudly. “They’re really tasty, too.  Oniichan did the taste-test for me.  He’s probably fuming out there by now.  Gotta go, see you later.”

Shouei stared at her rapidly retreating back.  When she disappeared around the building corner, he walked straight to the nearest garbage can and threw the box in with a vengeance.  Then he opened his bag and threw in the rest of the boxes as well.

“I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY!!!” he yelled out.

His voice echoed back to him in the now-empty corridor.

Unscene #1

According to O. Henry, "There's a story in everything."

UnScene is my attempt to find a story behind any random object or idea that I come across as I go through my days. These "scenes" may be about something trivial or something important; it depends on what kind of story the objects or ideas want to show me. And what a show they do give!

I have always believed that stories have a life of their own; and like any living thing, they want to attest their existence.  I don’t think they want to remain unheard, or unseen.  So if it please you, friend, listen and take a look.

UnScene #1:  I got bored while waiting for my students to arrive, so I took out some chewing gum.

Chewing Gum

Joel sat behind the wheel, waiting for Michele to come out.  Pulling the road map out of the glove compartment, he again re-checked the route to the new restaurant.  The last thing he wants is for Michele to laugh at him for not even knowing which way to go.  This night, the first of many in his mind, must be 100% perfect.  The bouquet of roses waiting along with him on the passenger seat smelled subtly of his eagerness and anxiety, intoxicating and sticky-sweet.  He glanced back to the front door.  Nothing yet.

“What’s taking her so long?”  Ah, women.  He took out some gum and started chewing.  Cherry.

He remembered the last time he had waited in a car for a woman to come out of her house.  That was two years ago, on his birthday, early in the morning.  He wanted Elaine to be the first person he spoke to on that day.  So he sat waiting outside her apartment building around the time she’d be heading off to work.  Instead of roses, he had a small cake sitting next to him then, candles ready to be set, lit, and blown.  He had imagined making a wish for the future with his future wife beside him.  It would have been the perfect beginning for a new life.  His excitement was making the ring in his pocket seem to burn. 

Finally Elaine came out.  But she wasn’t alone.  The tall man beside her had his arm around her waist.  Elaine turned to him, on her tiptoes, to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him.  A long, lingering kiss.  She smiled coyly as he whispered some secret in her ear.  She stepped back and the tall man turned and walked away.  Elaine closed the apartment’s door as she went back inside.

Joel heard a door close.  He looked up and saw that Michele had finally come out, polished and radiant in a deep red dress that ended just above her knees.  Her hair was up, and her neck seemed so soft and smooth.  He knew he would smell her light floral perfume if he pressed his face to her warm nape.  He would like to imagine that scent, would like to taste it in his mouth.

But at that moment, as he looked at that beautiful woman, the gum that he had been chewing suddenly turned dry and lost all its flavour.

Myoma

Forgive me, Mother, for giving
birth to nothing
but these cold bloody stones.
May I still be a woman?
May this torn womb still bear
the child of your blood? I am
only a bag of skin and bones
and stones that never will pull
one breath of life. May I
still be, Mother?

The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester

Some time ago I finished reading “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred Bester.  It was really awesome.  No wonder it’s considered one of the great sci-fi classics, right up there with “The Dispossessed” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “The Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut. 

It strongly reminds me of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and I love how savagely portrayed Gully Foyle was.  The events of the tale come at you like a barrage of explosions – one after another in rapid succession.  I do wish they never changed the title – the original was Tiger! Tiger! after William Blake’s poem – is so much more appropriate and the analogy was indeed carried throughout the story.   Foyle is a relentless predator in his struggle for vindication and he will just drag you through the muck and debris of his wake all through the tale.  It was amazing to feel like a first-hand witness to his savage pursuit – I couldn’t help but want to goad him further, make him fall faster, and see his fire burn everything around him.  And yet I almost felt for him a profound pity.  Somehow at the back of my mind I was hoping for his redemption.  Revenge is a dish best served cold, so they say.  I’m not so sure Gully was able to enjoy that cool dessert.

I like the fact that all the other characters are equally emphatic.  Their interactions with Gully and with each other make the plot and the pacing more dynamic.  Plus, for a science fiction piece, this didn’t sound like one.  A minimum of unpronounceable words and theoretical physics was presented.  It was really more of a story; a well-told tale.  And I especially enjoyed the concrete poetry presented toward the end – awesome.

Having said that, I don’t think every reader would actually enjoy this.  I’d recommend it to someone who doesn’t want anything soft and mushy in between the pages.  This is a hard-line, fast-paced missile of a novel barrelling through space straight into your brain, dragging you along without pause.  Not for the faint-hearted.   I give it 8/10. 

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

Once in a while you find a book that is just filled with magic and wonder that it pains you to see the harsh reality around your own world.  How you wish that such fictional things were not just dreams on a page and that they could really be.  One such book that I found recently is “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern.  This book got me right from the moment I first saw it at the bookstore – black and white and red, all glamour, mystery, and magic.  If ever I’d be crazy enough to try to put together a list of books I most love (an impossible, unthinkable endeavor), this book will definitely be somewhere near the top of that list. 

From www.erinmorgenstern.com comes this description:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

I don’t even know where to begin describing the experience of reading this book.  I am no literary critic; I can only try to put into words how it felt like for me to experience a piece of literature.  When I started reading this book, I just felt like I was already there – like I fell into the world by accident and didn’t even feel the wind of the passage.  And throughout the reading I felt such longing for the circus to be true, to really exist even if I could never go there myself.  It almost doesn’t matter that I’ll never enter any of the tents, or see the bonfire, or witness the performances.  Just having it all be real would be enough. 

I fell in love with all the characters – every single one of them, from the proprietors to the ticket sellers.  How I wished I could actually see their performances in the tents or on the grounds as people walked around.  I empathized with their fears, dismays, curiosities, joys, and triumphs.  And central to it all is the astounding magical dynamic between Marco and Celia.  Throughout the entire story I desperately hoped that they’ll find happiness and overcome all difficulties, for there were times in the story when I felt that not even all the magic they have between them could possibly save them.

The author was able to create such a magical world – I could practically see the bonfire and smell the caramel.  What an amazing imagination, to have produced something like this.  It does remind me of a couple of other books.  One is “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury, and another is “The Prestige” by Christopher Priest – both of which are just as well worth reading.  It has been a long time since any book has elicited such an emotional response from me.  I do wish more and more people will read “The Night Circus” and experience its magic, too.  

The Law of Nines - Terry Goodkind

I finished reading this book in one day.  Being a fan of Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series, I enjoyed it very much.  It's more of an offshoot of the series, but could very well be enjoyed as a separate novel.  If you have never read any of the books in that series, this might actually be a good place to start. Readers will enjoy the fast-paced, high-tension action of the story.  They will also be made to empathize with the characters - wishing them success at every conflict, hoping for a happy ending in spite of all the gruesome and horrific ordeals they must live through.  I think this is the most important aspect of any good story: its ability to make the reader believe the fiction (suspension of disbelief) and to make them empathize with the characters.

I have only two comments for this book.  First, I dislike it when villains start talking about their plans right in front of the protagonist.  I wish Mr. Goodkind could find a more subtle way to reveal the nefarious character of the villains rather than through plain dialogue.  Villains who gloat too much, who brag about their wicked plans to the suffering hero - it comes off as cliche, deliberate, and contrived.  Second, the ending - for me a tad bit rushed and anti-climactic.  It was only at the ending that the main antagonist was revealed, and I'd have wanted the antagonist to have had more depth and rationale to his character.  I think it would have been a bit better if he were more disturbed, self-righteous, vicious, and psychotic.  Still, the pacing, action, and thrill of the plot makes up for all these, and I have to say that I liked it overall.  I give it 6/10.

I can't wait for the paperback edition of "The Omen Machine" to be released here in Manila.  It is the latest installment to the "Sword of Truth" series, and I'm really excited.  I do wish more people will catch on to that series - it's so much fun.

"The Two Princesses of Bamarre" and "Ella Enchanted" - Gail Carson Levine

Sometime in late February I read two books by Gail Carson Levine, "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" and "Ella Enchanted".  Some years ago I saw the Ella Enchanted movie starring Anne Hathaway and thought that it was a pretty cute story.  So when I saw these two books at a book sale, I bought them to give them a try.  

"The Two Princesses of Bamarre" centers around two sisters and their relationship with each other.  One is timid and introverted, and considers herself a coward and weakling, while the other is the complete opposite - and dreams of adventures and heroic deeds.  However, a mysterious terminal disease falls upon the adventurous sister, and the timid sister must find the courage and strength to go on an adventure in search of a cure.  I like the way the two sisters are portrayed, and how their characters slowly deepen as the story progresses and both of them face very different dilemmas each.

"Ella Enchanted" is a Newberry Award winning piece, and no wonder.  It is an absolutely refreshing take on a classic tale.  The heroine is sassy and strong - nothing cliche about her - and faces quite a unique predicament. I love how the author portrayed her and how her interactions with the other equally memorable characters and quirky situations aid in the deeper development of her personality.  The different conflicts that she must face are also memorable and fun.  The author really gave this setting and plot all the magic and weirdness it deserved - very well delivered. Quite different from the movie, I sort of wish I read the book first before I saw the film, not the other way around.  Still, I think both are equally as enjoyable.  

These two books target a younger set of readers, maybe 10-14, but I believe most everyone will enjoy them.  Happy reading! 

Half World - Hiromi Goto

I'm recovering from a myomectomy, so while I'm in bed and not able to move so much, I'll try to read as many books as I could.  I've had this book for a while and it's high time I finally got around to it.  

What a lovely story.  I suppose the best way to describe the experience of reading it is to compare it to watching a film by Hayao Miyazaki.  An uncertain youth, plagued by poverty, bullying, and other such social dilemmas, is confronted with the reality of another world - one so monstrous and magical that she is all but lost.  Weighed by an enormous responsibility, an almost sacred duty, she must learn to make her decisions very carefully as she tries to negotiate the cruel and harsh truths she must face. She learns of profound fear, sacrifice, loss, and still she must find the strength of will and hope where it seems all hope could never be.  "Half World" may seem like it is about religion, or cultural disparity, but it is more than that.  It's a story of growing up and learning about the agonies and joys of life; about being brave in spite of all one's difficulties and burdens; and finding beauty and redemption that is beyond all fear and weakness.  I recommend this book to all readers, young and old. I give it 9/10.