Fredwarsdshi no Ahiru by Ushijima Keiko Volume 2 Part 2 A Golden Furred Puppy Translation in English by Y.W natane@geocities.com This translation may not be 100% accurate as I tried to make the whole thing "flow" better and because my Japanese is by no mean perfect! :) 2:32 PM 12/22/98 Key { } = labels placed by the author [ ] = action by characters ( ) = speech bubble/ thought Notes ______________ Rosemary (Spring time...spring time...spring time. Humans associate spring with kindness, with this belief in mind they look forward to it with happiness) Kevin Cliff!! don't get on my bed!! Cliff Kaingg... Rosemary (Our master is still experiencing a winter) He broke something again oh dear. (It's possible to say that his springtime has abandoned him. A fairy who lived quietly in his heart had flown away.) Kevin [Sitting on a sofa reading a note from Esmerelda] "I am going to marry Richard" Esmerelda Cliff [sigh] Rosemary I told you not to go near Kevin, you're just going to be his target. (Even if people say that I'm a wonderful housekeeper right now I'm useless. He is a man who does not forgive easily once he learned how to love, he will love them deeply) Don't worry Cliff. Kevin Don't come here. How many times do I need to tell you for you to understand!! [He was about to hit Cliff] (What would happen if I strangle him now? He won't even suspect me, though he knows nothing about me. His playfulness could be stopped with one squeeze, but he will continue to trust me until the end...without suspicion. Trust...that's Cliff's strongest weapons, animals do not asked to be loved because they are liked, it's because they like you that they do not stop giving. Then again humans are different...I am different...Esmerelda.) I'm sorry. Rosemary I'm taking Cliff for a walk. Rosemary Thank goodness! Kevin (Now I understand why human called their pets "companion animal", it's because they give without demanding something in return.) Cliff catch this ok? C'mon. Priest Mr. Kevin Fredward? Kevin Ha? Kevin Priest? Rosemary So as an act of charity for the church you were invited to bring food for old home bound people in the neighborhood? Kevin It feels odd, small towns have the oddest customs. Churches, I'm starting to miss the city already. FLASHBACK Priest You are rostered to Mr. Peter Willingham who lived at the edge of the wood, now may God bless you Later Kevin For goodness sake I'm not God's catering service! Rosemary Twice a week for a month right? What should I make? Kevin Every Tuesday and Friday, feels like doing the garbage. Rosemary If he is quite old, then his teeth is not very strong, I'll make stew with very tender meat. [Cooks the stew] It's finished Kevin! Are you going to walk? Kevin It seemed pretty close, I need the exercise anyhow. Rosemary I'm glad that you're better. Kevin Hmm through the woods, it's quite far after all. Professor Peter Willingham... Professor? HERE! Haunted house! Willingham If you're interested go right in, not that I'm guaranteeing you'll survive going back. Do you have business with me? Kevin (Looks like he comes from another era, born in the Victorian era even) Professor Willingham? Willingham Yes, you want something? Kevin (Completely different image) My name is Kevin Fredward, I was rostered today. Willingham Oh...the small time writer who lives at the edge of the lake. Kevin (Pretended to laugh) Willingham Take it back, just like those women from the church who has nothing else to do. Kevin (Keep calm Kevin...calm, you'll probably be exactly like him if you're still alive50 years from now) Willingham Is that your dog? Golden Retriever...hmmm. What did you bring? stew? Huh! as if I'm some sort of geriatric, who made it? Kevin My housekeeper. Willingham Careless isn't she, forgot to trim the fat, it's not very healthy. Look the fat is floating to the top, so oily. It's not that I'm being rude, but I advise you to get rid of her. Kevin Get rid of Rosemary? (They...blasted Church committee, just because I'm new here they assigned me to the neighbor's egocentric charity case) Willingham Also...don't call me Professor. Kevin (Even if they beg me, I'll never turn up here again!) Rosemary WHAAAT!!! Kevin I didn't say it! I don't want to return to that house again. Rosemary If he insults me he's insulting you as well!! Kevin (From here starts the war between Rosemary and the Professor). Willingham Catering service again? Beef jelly, too much gelatin. Kevin Catering Willingham Beef stew, she burned the soup! Kevin Forget it Rosemary I want to eat something else. Rosemary Just wait a second, we'll switch food this time. Kevin Just leave him be. Rosemary Kevin likes to eat good food, but HE has high expectation. (My pride is hurt) Kevin (I realised that, even when storm comes, lightning will strike. As I waited it out and Cliff chews on. Rosemary is the heart of this house). There are still 5 more Tuesday and Fridays, we'll die of starvation at this rate. Cliff Don't cry, I'll share my food with you. [Willingham is gardening when Cliff approaches him] Willingham Oh hey there. I guess it's time then. You come back here again. Your master doesn't give up easily does he. Your housekeeper doesn't have anything to do does she? She never gives up. Kevin I'm the one that suffers. Willingham Oh cream pie today? [Smiles] Would you like some tea with this? I'm not forcing you ofcourse. Kevin (Oh so that's it, he likes sweet things rather than a meal) Why am I the one who's making tea? Willingham The young must work. I'll give a bone for the little one. Kevin You like dogs? Willingham Dogs reflects their owners. Kevin (Cliff reflects me?) Willingham It looks like he's starving. Kevin [Blush] You like hunting? Willingham When I was young, I was a businessman and I used to travel the world. Professor is the name given by the women around this area for me. Kevin [Smiles] Oh I get it! You're rude, stubborn and you look unkempt, so they call you Professor. Willingham Shut up! Kevin Oh Professor. Willingham Don't call me that! You can't make tea! Kevin (Loud mouth grandpa, then again...you have to tolerate it. I only need to see him for a month). Rosemary You're late today, he offered you tea? Kevin I was the one who made it! Rosemary Don't you think that's nice? Kevin I don't know, I don't really like to bother other people, or having others meddle in my life. To tell the truth, I doubt that forcing him to see me will make me happy. Rosemary You mean, you don't want to help him, but you pretend to be nice to him. Your heart hurts doesn't it? Kevin I never said that! Rosemary Don't worry, I'm sure he's happy. Kevin I don't know. Willingham You again. Kevin (You see) Willingham You think I'm some sort of useless man who can't do anything. Even if I am like that I'm still very busy. Because of you I can't go away on Tuesday and Fridays. Kevin (What am I doing here? Maybe Rosemary's will power is starting to rub on me. I also had to put up with you as well) Willingham We're useless when facing women who are convinced that they are doing good. You're a successful young man, what are you doing in a place like this? When I was your age, I was travelling the world. Across the ocean, untamed land, the hot desert wind, palaces that towers around the earth, women covered from head to toe like walking shadows. Kevin Then...you became old and closed your heart and spend your days here? Willingham You're too blunt. [Kevin looks at Willingham's watch] Kevin (Maybe that watch fitted his hand when he was younger. When he was able to tame lions and tigers....but now...now.) Let's go Cliff. it's a large house. Willingham Hmm...the children used to play hide and seek until we couldn't find them Kevin Aren't you afraid living here by yourself? Willingham This is my home, why should I be afraid? The house used to be filled with family and servants, but now...well you can see what happened. I missed the spider webs and the shadows cast by antique furniture. Kevin Don't muck around Cliff, let's go home. (You're getting heavier aren't you?) [Kevin looks up at the room Cliff entered and saw a figure of a beautiful woman] Willingham Edith...I forgot that I put your painting in this room. This is my wife, it was painted before we were married, when we were young. It was the happiest time of my life. My father died early, so since I was young I had to take over the family business. Shortly afterward I asked Edith to marry me. To me who is obsessed with work, a family is a place where I can come home to. However... marriage is also like being tied up with a chain. I wanted freedom, I wanted to be a child again. So I traveled the world, excusing it as work, I come home twice a year. I was proud to see my children grow up everytime I met them, and Edith who always meet me with a warm smile. I loved her, then suddenly her face began to become more lined, then everything changed. My company went bankrupt. My wife stopped smiling and the children left the house, but I kept on trying, because I loved my wife and children. Later I was forced to sell family land, villa and that was 12 years ago. I went to America to try and raise some money, then Edith fell sick in this house. I wasn't there when she passed away. FLASHBACK Son Until when will you continue to torture her like that? You're only satisfied when she's completely heart broken!! Willingham What shocked me the most, was the fact that I didn't see it happening. For the two days that she was sick, she never called my name. The person who she shared her life with for 40 years. It was humiliating, but that was when I realised that a husband is the ship and a wife is the port. In order to satisfy my own need I continued to play the main role in an old fashioned film called "Man". For that reason I have taken away her freedom, taken her life and ultimately her soul. I never doubt that Edith loved me, the same way that I loved my wife. Kevin (A few minutes later the sun set, and the moon starts its journey. My job is finished.) Rosemary it feels rather empty not cooking for the Professor anymore. Kevin (This time tomorrow, the Professor would be alone in that house, like his wife) Where's Cliff? Rosemary He went for a walk. Kevin, why didn't you cheer him up that time. You could have said that ofcourse his wife loved him. Kevin Do I have the right to say that Rosemary? I don't know him, or his wife, he's not an old friend of mine. How could I say something so meaningless as that. I didn't want to interfere in his life, how could I say something like that? Rosemary Is it so wrong to want to be loved by the person we loved? Kevin Eh? Rosemary Cliff and I loved you Kevin, we wanted to be loved back by you. It's more important to think on what the person want, than what we can do for that person. Cliff Woff!! Kevin Cliff!! Children Is that your dog? Kevin (These children?) Child 1 We go to Professor Willingham's house once a week to send food to him. Kevin (Professor's house?) Child 2 Let's go. Kevin (I know who they are, they're the Newsagency owner's children.) Child 1 He sometimes gives us cake, but he told us a story today. Child 2 We ate cake! Kevin (With the professor? Oh you want to tell me what the secret story was) {If you tell it to everyone else it's not a secret anymore}. Child 2 He said that he saw an angel. Kevin (That old man has lost it) Child 2 He said that an angel brought Jesus' blood and the host as well. He said that he felt very calm. Then the angel invited a gold puppy. Kevin (A gold puppy?) Child 1 Then we found this gold puppy in front of Mr. Willingham's gate. Kevin (Cliff went to the Professor's house alone?) Child 2 Can I hold him? Kevin Oh sure. Rosemary? Rosemary, I'm going to the Professor's house. Rosemary Now? In that case let me bake something first. Kevin Don't worry about it, I won't bring anything, we'll only be there for a while. Let's go Cliff. Rosemary Kevin, sometimes when I see you I get a little irritated, how fragile and afraid are human. How like a being who is constantly afraid.