. Shalnev
19th December 2004, 07:09 PM
Author's Note: Nausica of the Valley of Wind and Studio Ghibli
characters (c) Animage/ Hayao Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli. This work is
not intended for commercial gain or to infringe or otherwise
challenge the status of these copyrights.
What if the Valley of Wind was only one long flight away from our
world? A mysterious voice prompts Nausica to visit someone for the
holidays.
A NAUSICA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND CHRISTMAS
by
Raymund Perez (fallingoffbed@hotmail.com)
Winter never touched the Valley of Wind. All the destruction wrought
during and after the Seven Days of Fire had seen to that. The weather was,
notwithstanding the constant threat of the Forest of Corruption,
generally mild and pleasant--if a bit breezy, hence the name--throughout
the year.
But that didn't mean that Nausica didn't know what snow was. She had
traveled far enough, and long enough, to know what it was. Frozen water,
falling from the sky in flakes that resembled the spores that drifted
down from the building-tall fungi in the Forest. She had even played in
the stuff once, throwing snowballs at her friend Asbel, Prince of the
destroyed city of Pejitei.
Now, as she flew her glider Mehve through blinding sheets of it, she
had one more occasion to think back on how she had started this journey.
She had returned to the Valley of Wind from a long trip down the
coast with Mito, trying to help people resettle in the wake of the latest
eruption of growth of the Forest. She was resting in her old room in what
had been her father Jhil's castle, sitting by her bay window, watching
the sun set, when someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened and a young man, barely older than she was, entered.
He was garbed in a thick brown suit and had goggles on his head.
"Nausica," he said, bowing.
"Hello, Prince Asbel," she greeted him, standing up and returning
the bow.
"I just wanted to report that we've gotten that Royal Yanma back
into the Forest without any problem."
"Any sign that it brought spores along?" she asked, a look of
concern on her face.
Asbel shook his head. "Some people are looking into it, but I don't
think we need to be troubled about that." The spores were a source of
constant worry to the people of the Valley; if even one took root and
grew, it would signal the beginning of the end: it would spread itself
rapidly, virtually immune to destruction, protected by horrendous insects
like the Royal Yanma, until it finally covered the Valley and made it
just one more arm of the Sea of Corruption.
"Thank you, Asbel. You didn't need to come all the way up here just
to tell me that." She went to a side table and poured him some water in a
ceramic glass. "You must be tired."
The displaced Prince of Pejitei gratefully accepted the glass and
drank it down. "I thought you'd like to know." He watched the setting sun
behind her glinting off her bobbed shoulder-length brown hair. He
wouldn't tell her it was also an excuse for him to come see her--he had
feelings for her, but knew she was far too busy to be able to spend any
time or emotion on him.
She sat back down beside the window as he returned the glass to the
table.
"How are your people doing, Asbel?"
"Just fine, Princess." Asbel wasn't the only Pejitan in the Valley;
the Council of Elders had also granted permission for some of his people
to come live with them. They were a welcome addition to a land where the
mortality rate was extremely high: Nausica herself was the only survivor
of eleven children, all her brothers and sisters having died early from
absorbing the poison in their mother's body, in the process giving her a
chance to live. "They've been working hard to give a good impression of
themselves so far."
She smiled. "That's good to hear," she said, turning to stare out
the window once more.
Asbel pushed a low stool beside her and sat. "What are you looking
at, Nausica?"
"Oh, nothing much." They watched as, in the distance, a kite like
Mehve--really nothing more than a flying wing--began to rise up in the
air, tethered to a long rope, emitting a shrill sound designed to
discourage insects from landing in the valley. "I was just thinking about
something Mito said a while ago."
The mention of Nausica's crusty one-eyed guardian brought a smile to
Asbel's face.
Nausica rested her chin on her hand. "I made a remark that I must
have gone everywhere and seen everything there was to see. And he said,
'No one's ever gone to the other end of the sea, Princess.'"
A blade of the giant windmill mounted above Nausica's room slowly
creaked past outside the window. "Is that true?"
"Well, no one's ever returned to tell about it, as far as I know. I
was wondering about what must lie there."
Asbel fell silent for a few minutes, then shook his head. "Oh, now
you've got me wondering about it too." Standing up, he removed his
goggles. "I think I'll go and rest now." He nodded to her and walked to
the door.
"Asbel," he heard her say as he gripped the door handle. He turned
around.
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
His heart skipped a beat as he flashed one back at her. "No problem,
Princess. It's the least I can do for allowing my people to settle down
here." Opening the door, he let himself out.
----------
"Now, this is crazy," remarked the old man wearing the eyepatch.
In the hangar bay at the base of the castle, Mito watched as his
young charge strapped on her ear-flapped cloth helmet. "Princess, won't
you reconsider?"
"No, Mito, I won't." Her brown eyes were full of sympathy as she
told him, "Don't worry! I won't be going very far, and I'll have the
Prince to escort me half of the way."
"But at a time like this! Don't you want to at least stay for some
of the harvest festival?"
"Oh, Mito, I've already done my part opening it." She double-checked
her pouch and saw to it that her sword was strapped securely in place at
the small of her back. "Send the extra food to whoever can use it."
"Yeah, Mito, like me," joked the man beside him, a gap-toothed,
wrinkly-faced fellow named Nobu. He was as thin as a rail.
"Ah, shut up, you." Mito sighed. "Nausica, like I always keep
telling you, be careful."
She pulled on her thick leather gloves, gave her spats one last
inspection, and kissed him on the cheek. "Of course. I'm always careful,
am I not?"
Asbel appeared at a side entrance, carrying a heavily-laden sack.
"All set?"
She nodded. "I'll ride up front." She glanced as he put the bag in
her hands. "What's this for?"
"Provisions." Asbel put his own metal-studded leather cap on. "One
never knows."
They quickly got into the craft mounted on the nearby catapult. It
was the large, derringer-faced Kaiyodo gunship, which Mito usually flew
in when there was a chance of encountering trouble. It had two separate
open cockpits: the one in front was for controlling the two gigantic guns
in front of the plane; the one at the back had the responsibility of
regulating the powerful engines. It could be flown from either cockpit.
Attached to it by a tow line was Nausica's glider, Mehve. Like any other
kite, it was a flying wing, cream-colored, but with an engine buried in
the middle, and handlebars for a person to ride on top of it and skids
for it to land on or a person to hang from.
Nausica climbed up the boarding ladder and settled herself in the
front cockpit. Mito helped her strap in, while Nobu did the same for
Asbel in the rear cockpit. She had elected to use the gunship because it
was easier to fly farther in the big plane than in Mehve. Once or twice
on long flights she had drifted off to sleep while in the glider, like a
swallow on the wing, and almost fallen from the sky.
When all the preparations were done, Asbel cleared the area
immediately behind the gunship. He gave a thumbs-up sign to Mito, who
signaled back with the same gesture. The Prince then started the engines.
A shrill whine began to build in the hangar bay. All the other
people there knew what it meant and headed for the nearest shelter, aware
of the hurricane-force blast that would soon be shaking the place.
The engines in the gunship's wings came to life with a roar, blue
tongues of flame licking out hungrily between the flaps. Dust and debris
started swirling around in the confined space.
After checking his instruments for a minute or two, Asbel put his
goggles and mask on. He signaled to Mito, who was standing against the
far wall to his left, behind the catapult operator. Mito yelled something
into the man's ear and, on receiving the answer, gave Asbel a three-count
with exaggerated arm gestures.
Three... Asbel set the throttles to 75 percent. The catapult began
shaking slightly.
Two... His hand gripped the control stick more tightly, ready to
compensate for the jolt they would receive when the catapult flung them
skyward.
One! The operator yanked the lever in front of him.
There was a loud, piercing hiss as the device shot the gunship
through the open hangar doors and into the air. For a moment Asbel's
vision dimmed as the force of the launch shoved him back into the seat
and drained the blood from his brain and eyes. Automatically he pushed
the throttle forward to 90 percent, hearing a distant twang as the
elastic restraints connecting Mehve to its gantry gave way and the glider
took to the air behind the gunship.
Nausica recovered from the catapult shot and looked behind. The
castle was quickly growing smaller.
"Stern cockpit," she said into the intercom. "How high do you
suppose we have to go?"
Asbel's voice, sounding tinny and flat, came back to answer her.
"Let's try sixteen thousand."
"Okay."
The gunship gradually leveled off. Asbel set course and headed for
the distant end of the valley, where the green, fertile land met the
World Sea.
Within minutes they were crossing it and heading out over the water.
It was dark blue and still. There was no one below them: the runoff from
the Forest of Corruption had poisoned the water as well as the land,
making fishing all but unfeasible unless one went more than a day's
journey from the coast.
As they had discussed earlier in the day, Asbel headed directly west.
Their plan was to fly in that direction for about three or four hours,
after which Nausica would switch to Mehve and go on alone. It was a
daring gamble: should the Princess have to turn back, there would be no
chance to rest until after the flight straight back home.
The Princess slept most of the way, lulled into slumber by the
steady thrum of the engines and the monotony of the sea below them. After
four hours had gone by, Asbel decided to wake her.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked her. "Chasing this dream of
yours seems... foolhardy."
"Don't worry, I'll take care."
"Okay, Princess. I'll stay here until I can see you no longer." With
that, Asbel throttled back until the gunship was almost stalling, almost
ready to fall out of the sky.
Nausica unbuckled and stood on her seat, bracing herself against the
winds that threatened to blow her out into oblivion. She carefully
stepped out onto the fuselage and made her way to the back of the plane,
passing by Asbel and waving farewell to him. Then she grasped the tow
line in her hands and jumped.
She slid along the wire until she reached Mehve. With a deft
somersault, she landed on top of it and lay down with her belly on the
belt built into the handlebars. She gave a thumbs-up sign to Asbel, who
gave the tow line's retaining pin a vigorous tug and suddenly Mehve was
free, floating in the air like a great white gull. Reaching down, Nausica
triggered the engine.
In a minute her glider had caught up with the circling gunship. She
waved to the Prince, who waved back and pointed westward. Then she then
peeled off, heading for the unknown.
Asbel watched Mehve grow smaller and smaller against the backdrop of
the clear blue sky. When it was finally out of sight, he banked the
gunship around and headed for home.
'Gods, let her be safe,' he thought. He couldn't remember Nausica
doing anything so risky yet so pointless; more so, doing it on a moment's
notice because of some voice in her head.
----------
Nausica flew on as the day went on, like a bright-winged bird
searching for a place to rest. Here and there clouds boiled up past her
like tall pillars in a cathedral of air; she knew to avoid them, as they
bore hidden dangers within their hearts. She was glad she had taken
Mito's advice and worn extra clothing, as she had never flown so high for
so long. The cold blast of the wind stung the small parts of her cheeks
unprotected by the hard, inflexible Dorok oxygen mask she wore. Its
bottle was safely tucked away in the sack of provisions Asbel had given
her, and which she wore on her back. Not for the first time that day she
was thankful her companion had had more foresight than she did.
That afternoon she happened to look down and, through a break in the
clouds, saw a group of little islets far below. She debated whether to
land and rest or go on. If she descended, she knew Mehve wouldn't be able
to take her this high up again, and her progress afterward would be much
slower than before. On the other hand, she was tired and keenly
interested in exploring the little islands.
Perhaps she would even be the first to set foot on them.
She decided to land. Switching off her engine, it took her more than
half an hour to glide down to the islets. She carefully planned her
landing, as they were so small she could easily get Mehve dumped in the
water. That would be a serious mistake, for although it could take a
dunking, there was always the chance that the engine would not start up
afterwards.
With a swoosh, the silent glider landed on white sand. Nausica
hopped off and stretched her body, groaning. She turned off her oxygen
supply valve and removed the mask, yawning its marks off her face.
Doffing her gloves and stuffing them in her pants' pockets, she rubbed
her cold cheeks and looked upward, gladly basking in the warmth of the
sun.
"Hello there."
She jumped at the voice. Looking around, she saw nothing unusual,
except a small, pink animal with a barrel-like body, four cloven feet,
beady little eyes, and a snout that looked a lot like the protruding
filter on her own mask.
"Who's there?" she called out. "Asbel?"
"No one by that name here," came the voice, and she swore it came
from the thing.
Nausica looked askance at it, then at the oxygen mask hanging by its
straps around her neck. Maybe the mix was a bit off...
"Who are you?" She saw the animal's mouth move, and her jaw dropped
open.
"H-hi," she stammered, addressing the animal. "Is that you talking?"
"Why, of course it is," replied the creature. "Who else?"
"Sorry, it's just that I've never seen your kind before." She sat
down on the fine, powdery sand, holding out a hand, palm up. "My name's
Nausica. What are you called?"
"My name is Boo," the creature replied, trotting up to her and
sniffing with its snout her outstretched hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss
Nausica. As to what I am... haven't you ever seen a pig before?"
"Pig." The word sounded hard and unlovely to her. "No, I haven't. We
don't have pig..."
"Pigs," the animal corrected her. "Plural."
"Pigs... where I come from."
"Where do you come from?" Satisfied with her smell, the pig sat on
its haunches and regarded her with those little round eyes.
"The Valley of Wind, on the Eftal coast."
"Never heard of it."
"How about you?"
"I come from Japan. I was a passenger on a container ship and got
shipwrecked here."
"Japan?"
The animal seemed to nod, but it was a gross, uncoordinated bobbing
of the head. "I've been here for the longest time."
Nausica crossed her legs and settled in for a long chat, as the
animal didn't seem to want to do without her company. "Do all pigs talk?"
"Why, yes, of course." It made a little squeal. "But where I come
from, humans like you don't understand what we say. They think we're dumb
and use us as food."
"Goodness!" she exclaimed, horrified.
"You're the first human I've met who can understand what I say,"
continued Boo. "In fact, you're the first human I've seen in a while.
What are you doing here?"
"I was just looking for a place to rest," replied the Princess. "I
was heading westward, to find out what lies at the end of the World Sea."
"World Sea?" There was a sawing, snorting sound that she interpreted
as laughter. "Last I checked, we were somewhere near Rabaul."
Nausica signaled incomprehension.
"Ah, never mind. I know it may seem impolite, Miss Nausica, but I
want to ask a favor from you, seeing as how you'll probably be the only
passer-by I'll see in a long time." The pig stood up on its feet and
seemed excited.
"What is it?"
"Could you, ah, take me with you when you go? I'm tired of being all
alone here."
"I don't know where I'm headed myself," Nausica told it.
"Anywhere new is better than being stuck here."
Nausica pondered the request. "Okay. It gets lonely flying all by
myself."
The pig squealed again. "Thank you! Oh, thank you!"
So it was that early the next day the Princess of the Valley of Wind
took off with one passenger in her sack, along with its gift to her, a
strange green round thing the creature said was a coconut, something good
to eat. The pig's head protruded from the bag and, as they flew along, it
entertained her with chitchat until it fell asleep sometime in the middle
of the day.
Nausica flew on. The miles seemed endless, and the sea below seemed
to stretch into forever. But when she finally started to think about
turning back, an island appeared in the distance. They landed on it and
spent the night there.
Later that afternoon something strange happened. Nausica was feeling
the ache in her back from carrying the sack and its piggishly snoring
contents, wanting to land and rest for a while, when she flew into a
bright white cloud bank she swore didn't exist a minute ago. The light
inside the cloud was blinding, even with her helmet's built-in goggles
over her eyes. She tried to go over it, but found she couldn't break free
of the blinding whiteness. The same thing happened when she tried to fly
under it. Then, just as suddenly as it had swallowed her up, it spat her
out into the cool, crystal-clear air. She found herself flying over the
sea.
Mehve's gyrations had, meanwhile, woken up Boo. "Look!" it exclaimed.
"Land!"
Nausica saw the same thing her companion did: a strip of green in
the hazy distance, stretching from horizon to horizon.
"Maybe it's what I'm looking for," she said, her tiredness
disappearing with her renewed enthusiasm.
As they flew towards it, the sun began to set and twilight began to
creep in. Little stars started to twinkle in the firmament. The air
became much colder.
To the Princess' amazement the stars didn't seem to spring up only
in the sky, but on the ground as well.
"Is that a city? I've never seen one so big!" she said to Boo.
"I recognize it," her companion told her. "It's Tokyo! I'm almost
home!"
----------
As Nausica flew over the city of Tokyo, she marveled at its
prosperity, displayed underneath her in a welter of dazzling lights and
the hustle and bustle of its inhabitants. Only in the capital city of
Torumekia had she seen anything to even remotely match it.
"I see lots of lights down there," she said. "Is this the way this
place normally looks?"
"Not really," the pig answered. "Oh, I get it. It's Christmastime."
"Christmastime?" she echoed.
"Yes. It's supposed to be a season for forgiveness and goodwill
towards one's fellow man. Not to pigs, though." As Boo explained the
occasion further, Nausica flew lower, wanting to get a closer look at
this amazing place.
"Is this where I'm supposed to go?" she asked of herself. It
certainly seemed a wonderful place to stop in. But her heart told her to
fly on.
A few minutes later she spied an all-too-familiar sight.
"Something's burning down there."
"Uh-huh."
"Let's take a closer look." Mehve dove closer.
A three-story building was on fire. Flames and smoke were billowing
up into the night sky. As she sped past it, she spied something that made
her heart race.
"There's someone on the roof," she said. "It looks like they're
trapped."
"I see them," said Boo.
"I'm going to try to help," Nausica said. "Hang on, pig."
She turned off the engine and glided towards the conflagration. She
could hear the fire roaring and crackling like a living, breathing thing-
-and the sound of someone crying.
"It's a child!"
She brought Mehve down into the smoke and onto the roof. As she
stepped off the glider, the concrete under her rumbled ominously.
"This doesn't look good," remarked her baggage.
She ran through the thick, choking smoke, towards the sound of
distress. It was a little boy, and she found she could understand what he
was saying. He was crying for his mommy.
"Hello," she said, coughing, kneeling beside him. "I'm here to help.
What's your name?"
"Makoto," he replied, his sobbing dying down a bit.
"Makoto, I'm going to take you to your mommy, okay?" The little boy
nodded.
She took him by the hand and led him back to Mehve. Hustling him on
board, she told him to hold onto the handlebars and opened a small panel
near them, fiddling quickly with the controls.
With a loud, creaking, snapping roar, a portion of the building
behind them collapsed, revealing the glowing, burning interior.
"Miss Nausica, you'd better hurry up!" called the pig.
"Finished." She slapped the panel shut. "Here we go!"
The timer she had set wound down, and the four lift engines in
Mehve's underside came to life, lifting the craft and its passengers off
the roof and out of danger.
There was a little turbulence and a scalding wash of heat as they
passed the edge of the roof, but otherwise their escape was uneventful.
The little boy looked around in wonder as Mehve bore him away from the
fire, his tears forgotten.
"We're flying!" he said in his small voice.
"Yes, we are," Nausica agreed, smiling at him. "Fun, isn't it?"
He nodded in wide-eyed awe. "Big sister, may I know your name?"
"Huh? Oh, my name's Nausica."
"Na-u-shi-ka," he repeated. "That's a funny name."
"Really? I never knew that. Now, where do you think we can find your
mother?"
They had to wait in a little park for a more than half an hour
before a tall woman with long black hair and sea-green eyes, dressed in a
green ribbed sweater and faded blue jeans, ran towards them, frantic with
worry.
"Makoto!" she shouted, hugging the boy, relief evident in her face.
"I was looking all over for you!"
"She saved me, mommy," said Makoto, looking up at her and pointing a
grimy finger in Nausica's direction. "I was trapped on the roof, and she
came and flew me out."
The woman stood and bowed before Nausica, thanking her many times.
Embarrassed, the soot-stained Princess said, "It was nothing. I did what
anyone else would have done."
"Where are you from?" asked the woman, noting her unusual clothes,
not to mention the large winged contraption lying on the ground nearby.
"I'm... from far away."
"Are you going somewhere in a hurry? Because I'd like to invite you
to our house for dinner. It's the least I can do to repay you."
"Just make sure she doesn't have me for dinner," grunted a voice
from Nausica's sack, which she still wore.
"What was that?" the woman asked, looking around.
"What was what?" Nausica reached back and covertly gave Boo a tap on
the head. "I didn't hear anything."
"Hmm. Must have been from the fire." She looked at the burning
building, two blocks away. "Anyway, would you like to?"
"Well..." considered Nausica. She had no place to go, had no place
to stay, and the guide in her heart kept whispering that it was okay.
"I'd be honored to."
Just then a man walked up to them. "Hey, I saw what you did. Can I
take a picture of you for my--" he said a word she didn't understand.
Confused, but trusting the man's polite and engaging manner, she acceded
to his request. He aimed a box-like device which flashed a bright light
at her, asked her a few questions, thanked her, and left.
Half an hour later, after a ride in a small car the woman called a
Mini, with Nausica's kite strapped to its roof, they arrived at a two-
story house with a two-car garage. Had she known, Nausica would have
realized it was a veritable mansion compared to the ordinary Japanese
home.
Inside, she was showed the bath and gratefully made use of it,
washing herself of the dust and weariness of the day's travel. She had
dinner with the family, and then was invited to stay the night. She
accepted.
----------
In the guest room later that evening, Boo, who had been hidden in
the sack throughout the night, sat despondently beside the Princess' bed.
She was lying down on the soft cushions, dressed in a shift Makoto's
mother had lent her, unable to sleep because of the strange sights and
smells that stirred her blood.
"Miss Nausica," it said, "could you let me out?"
"Why, Boo?"
"I-I want to go home."
"Do you know how to get there?"
"No. But this isn't a place for me. Surrounded by all these humans...
I'm afraid."
"It'll be okay," the Princess reassured it, patting it on the head.
"I don't think it's a good idea to let you loose among all these people."
She sat up, and watched the light snow drifting down outside the window.
"Maybe we'll find somewhere you can stay without fear of being eaten."
The beady little eyes looked sad. "I hope so." Returning to the bag,
the pig nudged it open, crawled in, and lay down.
Partly to comfort the animal, and partly to reassure herself,
Nausica began to sing a lullaby her father Jhil had taught her. Her voice
echoed in the stillness, and Makoto's mother, passing by in the corridor,
heard her. She listened to the strange, haunting melody, and wondered
some more about their mysterious guest, before going on to her little
recording studio in her former bedroom. She
was a producer and musician.
----------
"Thank you so much for letting me spend the night here." Nausica
bowed.
"Thank you for saving my son." Makoto's mother bowed in return. "May
I ask you a question?"
"Yes?"
"Last night, I heard you singing."
Nausica looked down at the floor. "I was lonely. I'm a long way from
home."
"I have no doubt about that now. What was that you were singing?"
"Oh, it was something my father used to sing to me."
"I couldn't understand it. The words, I mean."
"They were in an old language. No one uses it any more."
"Little girl, go you to sleep now,
Until the light comes back to the sky
Dream of a better place
And wake to a brighter tomorrow."
"I... see."
"Well... I must be going. Thank you, again."
"Goodbye."
Nausica walked away, to where she had set up Mehve in the family's
yard, which was dusted with a thin covering of white. She had told them
to cover their ears when she took off.
"Why can't she just walk or use the bus, mommy?" Makoto asked his
mother as they watched Nausica fasten the ear flaps of her helmet and put
on her gloves.
"She can't carry her plane on the bus, Makoto, you know that."
"Where did she say she was from again?" asked the boy's father, a
freelance photographer who had just celebrated his thirty-fifth birthday
the preceding month. He had taken a picture of the young woman with his
son on her shoulders last night as a memento of the occasion. His arm was
around his wife's waist.
There was a pause before she answered. "The Valley of Wind."
"Valley of Wind?" He frowned. "What prefecture is that in?"
----------
It was cloudy that day, and the wind lashed Nausica with its
coldness, heralding unpleasant things to come. The city continued on
under her and continued to amaze her with new sights to behold. By mid-
day she had reached its borders, and paused in a wooded area to rest
herself and eat.
Boo busied itself with exploring the place, sniffing here and there,
following interesting scents.
"Aren't you hungry?" asked Nausica.
"No, I'm still full, thank you."
"You know," she said, munching on some sour-tasting rations that
Asbel had included in her pack, "you remind me of a pet I had once. His
name was Teto."
"And?"
"He was a fox-squirrel who used to accompany me wherever I went."
She smiled at the image of her little companion in her mind, remembering
how Lord Yupa had brought the hissing little bundle out of the Forest,
and how she had to placate the gigantic Ohmu that was chasing her
itinerant mentor.
"Did he talk to you too?"
"No. In fact the first thing he did when I met him was bite my
finger."
"Where is he now?"
The smile left her face. "He's dead."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "It's a long, long story." Looking at the morsel
of food in her fingers, she added, "Suffice it is to say that the land
where I come from is a very violent place."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Nausica." The pig eyed her. "You don't
look like the sort of person for such a place."
"Oh, but I've lived there all my life. I am the Princess of a people
just trying to survive." She popped the food into her mouth and swallowed.
"The people of this place are very lucky, being at peace."
"They think little of it. They think it's always been that way,
always will be."
"Has it?"
"It's been a lifetime since the last world war. The parents of
today's generation haven't tasted its fury." The sawing, snorting sound
came from it again. "Perhaps they should. It might improve their
character."
Nausica looked at Boo, seriousness in her eyes. "I wouldn't wish
that on them," she said. "All I've learned about war is that it takes
everything away, and gives precious little in return."
----------
That afternoon, it began to snow. Nausica doggedly flew on through
the slush, as the voice inside her was urging her to hurry, hurry, or she
might be too late. She landed and asked twice for directions, asking for
a place whose name was growing stronger and clearer inside her. People
looked at the damp stranger with the strange flying machine with
suspicion in their eyes but, in the spirit of the holiday season, helped
her out anyway, pointing her in the right direction.
"Koganei? You're headed the right way," they had told her. "It's
over there."
And now, after the last of the sun's light had disappeared from the
sky, she found herself in a blizzard. The strength of it was such that
within minutes it quickly forced her to land, shivering and forlorn,
seeking shelter.
'Not here,' the voice prompted her. 'Not here.'
"But I'm so cold," she protested.
'Just a little further.'
Mehve made its way back up into the whiteness, and Nausica, chilled,
watched as ice began to form on the wings.
"Boo? Are you alright?"
"I'm cold, Princess."
"Hang on for a few minutes more."
They flew low, so Nausica could see the land they were flying over.
They zoomed past some farms and entered an area littered with houses. The
flying snow was obscuring, turning everything into a shadowy white
flatness.
'There, there.'
"Where?"
'Over there. There is home.'
"Home? This isn't my home."
'Home.'
Then she saw the building, and felt in her heart that the voice was
right.
It was a nondescript, three-story affair, painted white, although
one couldn't tell that in the whiteness of the winter that wreathed it.
"Boo!" shouted Nausica over the wind. "I think I've found it!" She
angled Mehve to land in the little open space outside what appeared to be
a door. The little pig didn't reply.
She landed in a cloud of snow, Mehve's skids making a loud scraping
sound as they hit the ground. She looked into the sack and saw Boo
shivering.
"Cold... so cold..."
"We're here, don't worry," said a worried Nausica, hugging the bag
to her chest. "You'll be warm shortly."
A tall figure, backlit by the bright light coming from inside the
building, emerged from the doorway, over which hung a banner that read
'Christmas Costume Party.' "Hello," it called. "I thought I heard
something."
"Hello," said Nausica, feeling that she had found a friend in what
she made out to be a dark-haired young lad dressed in a blue shirt and
white leggings. He had a scar underneath one eye, and a red cap sat on
his head. A bow and quiver were slung on his back.
"You're a bit late, Princess Nausica." The figure stepped aside and
motioned for her to come in.
"You know who I am?" The sudden warmth and cheery brightness of the
interior was a welcome change from the outside.
"Of course! Everyone's been waiting for you."
"Who--?"
She peeked inside, and saw a gaggle of individuals all looking at
her with welcoming smiles.
"Hey! She's here!" shouted a cigarette-smoking, barrel-chested,
mustachioed man wearing khaki-colored clothes and leather flying cap,
straps undone, with goggles on his head.
There was a chorus of welcomes, and Nausica bowed and said "Thank
you," although it was still a mystery to her how they knew her and why
she was here.
The man came to her and showed her a large piece of paper with
pictures and print all over it. "We knew you were coming." He pointed to
a picture of her in the lower left corner of the paper. "You're an
amazing kid, getting your picture on the front page the first time you're
here," he remarked. Putting it down on a nearby table, he took her hand.
"Come on. The Chief is waiting."
"Wait. Could you please take him somewhere warm?" she said, handing
the man her sack.
"Eh?" The man opened it. "A pig!" he exclaimed, pulling Boo out.
"What's Princess Nausica doing with a pig?" she heard someone say.
"I found him. Please don't eat him."
"Eat him?" The man holding Boo roared with laughter, and the
ruffianly-looking bunch of men he was with followed suit. "I'd be
insulted by what you just said, if anyone else said it. Hey, Curtis, help
me with this, will you?"
"Sure thing, Marco." Still shaking with mirth, the mustachioed man
departed with the tall, thin aviator he called Curtis, the pig tucked
under his arm, to do what Nausica requested.
When the other people assured her that Boo wasn't going to be turned
into hors d' oeuvres, Nausica breathed a sigh of relief.
"I see you too have made a long journey," said a low voice.
Turning, she saw the speaker, a huge white wolf standing in the
middle of the room. It appeared to bare its fangs threateningly at her,
but Nausica realized that was so just because it was speaking.
"I am glad to finally meet you," it said. "I am Moro." It pointed
with its muzzle to a black-haired girl standing protectively beside it.
She was dressed in a white fur shirt and black skirt, a grotesque-looking
mask pushed up on her head. Red paint decorated her unsmiling face. "This
is my child, San."
San nodded, and Nausica bowed. Both were startled by how similar
they were to each other in appearance--it was almost as if they were
related. "I feel as though I know you," the wind rider remarked.
"So do I," said San, whom Nausica later learned was called the
'Mononoke-hime,' the Princess of Vengeful Spirits.
"Do you know why we were called here?" the Princess of the Valley of
Wind asked.
"For a celebration, I think," the wolf replied. "Though I care not
much for the little tanuki that are running around. I'm feeling quite
hungry tonight."
San looked up reprovingly at the wolf. "Mother."
The wolf looked down at her and let loose a 'woof' that shook the
ceiling and set everyone within earshot jumping in fright.
Nausica stepped aside for a young girl wearing an apron and bearing
a platter of something that smelled wonderful. "Gangway!" she said as she
took it to a nearby table. "Excuse me please!" Sitting at the table were
a young boy and his still younger sister, both in clothes that were
obviously brand-new, except for the threadbare white cap on the boy's
head. Although they looked happy now, Nausica was struck by the suffering
etched in their faces. She watched as the apron-wearing girl slid the
platter onto the table and said, "Here you go, eat up." With many thanks,
they began to devour the food, the brother first making sure that his
sister helped herself. "After all, Setsuko," Nausica heard him say, "they
said it's all ours. Hurry up so we can return to Father." She found the
sight somehow comforting.
A young man with a harassed and awestruck look on his face passed by
her, muttering to himself, "I've got to get a picture of this... I must
be going out of my mind..."
Nausica smiled.
Someone tapped on her elbow, and she turned around to find a boy
with glasses and with suspendered shorts offering her a mug of something
steaming. She took it gratefully and drank, feeling the hot, sweet liquid
returning the warmth to her chilled body.
"Hot chocolate," the boy said. "My favorite during a cold winter
day."
"Thank you," said Nausica. "It never snows where I live."
"Really?" The boy pushed his rounded spectacles up the bridge of his
nose. "It always does in Koriko. You must be lucky, always being warm."
"You think so? I was just thinking that you were lucky, being able
to play in the snow and all."
The boy opened his mouth to reply when someone called "Nausica!"
She turned to see the speaker, a thin, middle-aged man with a smile
on his face--something told Nausica that he was unaccustomed to such an
expression but wasn't complaining about it, at least for tonight. He too,
was wearing eyeglasses. She bowed and excused herself and walked to him.
"Good evening," he said to her as she approached. "I'm sorry to
disturb you, but Miya-san is anxious to meet you. Shall we go to him?"
She nodded. "I hope you didn't have a hard time getting here," the
man commented as they walked up a long, narrow flight of stairs. Through
the large windows on her right, Nausica could see that the blizzard that
had given her so much trouble had died down to nothing, leaving in its
wake a winter wonderland full of strange and fantastic shapes.
"Not really," she replied, watching as a little band played a joyful tune
down on the ground floor and spectators clapped their hands, paws and
whatelse in time to the music. "I'm surprised you were able to contact
me."
The man smiled. "That's Miya-san. Works in mysterious ways."
They came to a room filled with strange boxy devices with screens
displaying different images and letters. A woman was busy at work on one
of them.
"Shuuna," said Nausica's companion. "Stop working already. The party's
started downstairs."
"Just finishing this, boss," she replied, not looking up from the device,
tongue sticking out of a corner of her mouth. They left her alone and
ascended to the roof. There was a little garden on it and some seats and
tables, which had been cleared of snow.
There was no one there except a man with two little kids, each
hanging on to one of his arms, and a little black cat sitting on the top
of the low wall ringing the roof. All of the humans wore parkas against
the inclement weather. They were staring into the night air at things the
Princess could not yet see.
The smaller of the two kids waved and called. "Totoro! I want to
ride!"
The other child turned to her. "Mei, come on, he must be tired
already," she scolded her.
"I want to ride! I want to ride!" Mei insisted.
At the same time, the cat was yelling, in a funny voice that Nausica
could understand, but doubted anyone else could, "Kiki! Come back down
here this instant! You'll catch a cold flying up there in this weather!"
The man with Nausica interrupted the byplay by clearing his throat.
"Shocho," he announced. "She's here." Nausica stood expectantly, waiting
to see the man's face.
He turned around, and the world collapsed into him, became him.
At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her. She saw
Lord Yupa standing there, his face in shadow. The man's parka turned into
Lord Yupa's cape, his hood into the tasseled hat her mentor almost always
wore. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear them, thinking that
it must be a trick of the dim light or something similar.
When she opened them again, the person had turned back into an old
man, bearded and moustached, and yes, with eyeglasses. His eyes looked at
her with fondness, and she although she didn't know who he was yet, she
instinctively felt he was very important to her. Her whole world, in fact.
"Nausica," he said quietly. "At long last I've seen you."
Tears unbidden sprung to the Child of the Wind's eyes, love
unlooked-for flared in her heart, and she flung herself at him.
"Father!" she cried.
He put his arms around her, and she trembled at his touch. The two
kids with him went to hold each other's hand and look at them, smiling.
"For as long as you are old I've worked on--and worried about--you,"
the man said as he stroked her hair. "I am glad to see you looking well."
It seemed as though upon seeing him the blinders over Nausica's eyes
had finally fallen away, and she understood everything.
"You don't have to feel guilty about putting me through everything
that happened," she told him, looking up at his face, tears streaming
from her eyes.
The man said nothing, but was content to smile down at her. "Seeing
you as you are now," he said, "I don't think I have to worry about you
any more."
Nausica put her head against his chest and cried. Her happiness was
a strange, overwhelming feeling. They stood there for several minutes,
while the snow coated their heads and shoulders in a light veneer of
white.
"Well," the man said, "I think we ought to go downstairs and
announce that the party can get underway. Not that it hasn't, anyway."
The man who had escorted Nausica upstairs took hold of Mei and her
sister, whose name was Satsuki, and all of them went back downstairs.
One half point less than total pandemonium reigned in the place.
Here and there people were running, shouting various things like "Can
someone help me? The dust motes are starting to muck up the server!" and
"What do I do with these kodamas?" to "Could someone please tell Sheeta
and Pazu to get their flyer off my car so I can get some more sake from
the store?" and even "Yes, Moro-sama, the food will be along shortly,
please have patience." There was also a friendly little scuffle in a
corner of the room between the man named Marco and a younger guy wearing
a dark blue jacket and white policeman's helmet, while two women, one
young and one middle-aged, wearing 1930s period clothing (had Nausica
known what such a thing was), speaking a language unfamiliar to the
Princess, stood nearby, looking on in fond disgust at their juvenile
antics, having unsuccessfully tried to stop them. In another corner, two
tanuki were busy teaching a pair of high school students how to play
poker, while a regal-looking one-armed woman wearing some sort of
ceremonial clothing and holding a large straw hat--she reminded Nausica
of Regent Kushana of Torumekia--and a silent girl about Nausica's age,
barefoot and clad in a simple snow-white dress, with large, beautiful
feathered wings on her back, looked on interestedly.
"Excuse me, everyone," the old man started to say. The room quieted
down in an instant, everyone turning to look at them.
"Thank you all for coming. I hope you'll have fun tonight. Please
try not to break anything, however. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" everyone returned back at him, whether they
understood the phrase or not. The noise started up again.
There was a commotion at the front door, and she and the old man
turned to see a large blue-furred creature with upright ears, v-markings
on its white chest, and a large grin on its mouth trying to squeeze
itself through the doorway. Helping it was a girl in a black dress and
with a red bow in her dark hair. The little black cat Nausica had seen on
the roof was beside her, urging them to greater effort, while beside it
two much smaller versions of the large blue creature were pushing a
broomstick on the floor out of their way.
The two kids Mei and Satsuki detached themselves from their guardian,
the thin man with glasses, and ran towards the scene. "Totoro!" they
yelled in unison. "We'll help you!" There was a squeal, and Nausica
looked down to see Boo, apparently all right.
"A friend of yours?" the old man asked. She nodded and scooped the
pig up in her arms. "I found him while traveling here. He says he wants
to go home, but doesn't know how to. He's afraid of becoming someone's
lunch." The man looked at the pig, then thought for a moment. "Is he
well-behaved?"
"He's a fine-spoken individual," replied Nausica. "Very polite, and
very intelligent."
"Really?" The man patted Boo on the forehead and thought some more.
"Well, provided he agrees to become the studio mascot, I can see no
problem in letting him stay here."
"Really?" Boo shouted, although everyone else but Nausica heard
nothing but loud squealing. "That would be wonderful."
She translated for him, nodding at the old man, and added, "He says
a finer gift no man ever gave to him."
"You're welcome," replied the old man. Nausica put Boo down on the
floor, and the animal trotted away, disappearing happily among the crowd.
"Merry Christmas, Nausica."
She smiled up at him. The voice in her heart, now faint, spoke one
last time.
'Home.'
"Merry Christmas, Father."
THE END
__________________________________________________ _______________
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characters (c) Animage/ Hayao Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli. This work is
not intended for commercial gain or to infringe or otherwise
challenge the status of these copyrights.
What if the Valley of Wind was only one long flight away from our
world? A mysterious voice prompts Nausica to visit someone for the
holidays.
A NAUSICA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND CHRISTMAS
by
Raymund Perez (fallingoffbed@hotmail.com)
Winter never touched the Valley of Wind. All the destruction wrought
during and after the Seven Days of Fire had seen to that. The weather was,
notwithstanding the constant threat of the Forest of Corruption,
generally mild and pleasant--if a bit breezy, hence the name--throughout
the year.
But that didn't mean that Nausica didn't know what snow was. She had
traveled far enough, and long enough, to know what it was. Frozen water,
falling from the sky in flakes that resembled the spores that drifted
down from the building-tall fungi in the Forest. She had even played in
the stuff once, throwing snowballs at her friend Asbel, Prince of the
destroyed city of Pejitei.
Now, as she flew her glider Mehve through blinding sheets of it, she
had one more occasion to think back on how she had started this journey.
She had returned to the Valley of Wind from a long trip down the
coast with Mito, trying to help people resettle in the wake of the latest
eruption of growth of the Forest. She was resting in her old room in what
had been her father Jhil's castle, sitting by her bay window, watching
the sun set, when someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened and a young man, barely older than she was, entered.
He was garbed in a thick brown suit and had goggles on his head.
"Nausica," he said, bowing.
"Hello, Prince Asbel," she greeted him, standing up and returning
the bow.
"I just wanted to report that we've gotten that Royal Yanma back
into the Forest without any problem."
"Any sign that it brought spores along?" she asked, a look of
concern on her face.
Asbel shook his head. "Some people are looking into it, but I don't
think we need to be troubled about that." The spores were a source of
constant worry to the people of the Valley; if even one took root and
grew, it would signal the beginning of the end: it would spread itself
rapidly, virtually immune to destruction, protected by horrendous insects
like the Royal Yanma, until it finally covered the Valley and made it
just one more arm of the Sea of Corruption.
"Thank you, Asbel. You didn't need to come all the way up here just
to tell me that." She went to a side table and poured him some water in a
ceramic glass. "You must be tired."
The displaced Prince of Pejitei gratefully accepted the glass and
drank it down. "I thought you'd like to know." He watched the setting sun
behind her glinting off her bobbed shoulder-length brown hair. He
wouldn't tell her it was also an excuse for him to come see her--he had
feelings for her, but knew she was far too busy to be able to spend any
time or emotion on him.
She sat back down beside the window as he returned the glass to the
table.
"How are your people doing, Asbel?"
"Just fine, Princess." Asbel wasn't the only Pejitan in the Valley;
the Council of Elders had also granted permission for some of his people
to come live with them. They were a welcome addition to a land where the
mortality rate was extremely high: Nausica herself was the only survivor
of eleven children, all her brothers and sisters having died early from
absorbing the poison in their mother's body, in the process giving her a
chance to live. "They've been working hard to give a good impression of
themselves so far."
She smiled. "That's good to hear," she said, turning to stare out
the window once more.
Asbel pushed a low stool beside her and sat. "What are you looking
at, Nausica?"
"Oh, nothing much." They watched as, in the distance, a kite like
Mehve--really nothing more than a flying wing--began to rise up in the
air, tethered to a long rope, emitting a shrill sound designed to
discourage insects from landing in the valley. "I was just thinking about
something Mito said a while ago."
The mention of Nausica's crusty one-eyed guardian brought a smile to
Asbel's face.
Nausica rested her chin on her hand. "I made a remark that I must
have gone everywhere and seen everything there was to see. And he said,
'No one's ever gone to the other end of the sea, Princess.'"
A blade of the giant windmill mounted above Nausica's room slowly
creaked past outside the window. "Is that true?"
"Well, no one's ever returned to tell about it, as far as I know. I
was wondering about what must lie there."
Asbel fell silent for a few minutes, then shook his head. "Oh, now
you've got me wondering about it too." Standing up, he removed his
goggles. "I think I'll go and rest now." He nodded to her and walked to
the door.
"Asbel," he heard her say as he gripped the door handle. He turned
around.
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
His heart skipped a beat as he flashed one back at her. "No problem,
Princess. It's the least I can do for allowing my people to settle down
here." Opening the door, he let himself out.
----------
"Now, this is crazy," remarked the old man wearing the eyepatch.
In the hangar bay at the base of the castle, Mito watched as his
young charge strapped on her ear-flapped cloth helmet. "Princess, won't
you reconsider?"
"No, Mito, I won't." Her brown eyes were full of sympathy as she
told him, "Don't worry! I won't be going very far, and I'll have the
Prince to escort me half of the way."
"But at a time like this! Don't you want to at least stay for some
of the harvest festival?"
"Oh, Mito, I've already done my part opening it." She double-checked
her pouch and saw to it that her sword was strapped securely in place at
the small of her back. "Send the extra food to whoever can use it."
"Yeah, Mito, like me," joked the man beside him, a gap-toothed,
wrinkly-faced fellow named Nobu. He was as thin as a rail.
"Ah, shut up, you." Mito sighed. "Nausica, like I always keep
telling you, be careful."
She pulled on her thick leather gloves, gave her spats one last
inspection, and kissed him on the cheek. "Of course. I'm always careful,
am I not?"
Asbel appeared at a side entrance, carrying a heavily-laden sack.
"All set?"
She nodded. "I'll ride up front." She glanced as he put the bag in
her hands. "What's this for?"
"Provisions." Asbel put his own metal-studded leather cap on. "One
never knows."
They quickly got into the craft mounted on the nearby catapult. It
was the large, derringer-faced Kaiyodo gunship, which Mito usually flew
in when there was a chance of encountering trouble. It had two separate
open cockpits: the one in front was for controlling the two gigantic guns
in front of the plane; the one at the back had the responsibility of
regulating the powerful engines. It could be flown from either cockpit.
Attached to it by a tow line was Nausica's glider, Mehve. Like any other
kite, it was a flying wing, cream-colored, but with an engine buried in
the middle, and handlebars for a person to ride on top of it and skids
for it to land on or a person to hang from.
Nausica climbed up the boarding ladder and settled herself in the
front cockpit. Mito helped her strap in, while Nobu did the same for
Asbel in the rear cockpit. She had elected to use the gunship because it
was easier to fly farther in the big plane than in Mehve. Once or twice
on long flights she had drifted off to sleep while in the glider, like a
swallow on the wing, and almost fallen from the sky.
When all the preparations were done, Asbel cleared the area
immediately behind the gunship. He gave a thumbs-up sign to Mito, who
signaled back with the same gesture. The Prince then started the engines.
A shrill whine began to build in the hangar bay. All the other
people there knew what it meant and headed for the nearest shelter, aware
of the hurricane-force blast that would soon be shaking the place.
The engines in the gunship's wings came to life with a roar, blue
tongues of flame licking out hungrily between the flaps. Dust and debris
started swirling around in the confined space.
After checking his instruments for a minute or two, Asbel put his
goggles and mask on. He signaled to Mito, who was standing against the
far wall to his left, behind the catapult operator. Mito yelled something
into the man's ear and, on receiving the answer, gave Asbel a three-count
with exaggerated arm gestures.
Three... Asbel set the throttles to 75 percent. The catapult began
shaking slightly.
Two... His hand gripped the control stick more tightly, ready to
compensate for the jolt they would receive when the catapult flung them
skyward.
One! The operator yanked the lever in front of him.
There was a loud, piercing hiss as the device shot the gunship
through the open hangar doors and into the air. For a moment Asbel's
vision dimmed as the force of the launch shoved him back into the seat
and drained the blood from his brain and eyes. Automatically he pushed
the throttle forward to 90 percent, hearing a distant twang as the
elastic restraints connecting Mehve to its gantry gave way and the glider
took to the air behind the gunship.
Nausica recovered from the catapult shot and looked behind. The
castle was quickly growing smaller.
"Stern cockpit," she said into the intercom. "How high do you
suppose we have to go?"
Asbel's voice, sounding tinny and flat, came back to answer her.
"Let's try sixteen thousand."
"Okay."
The gunship gradually leveled off. Asbel set course and headed for
the distant end of the valley, where the green, fertile land met the
World Sea.
Within minutes they were crossing it and heading out over the water.
It was dark blue and still. There was no one below them: the runoff from
the Forest of Corruption had poisoned the water as well as the land,
making fishing all but unfeasible unless one went more than a day's
journey from the coast.
As they had discussed earlier in the day, Asbel headed directly west.
Their plan was to fly in that direction for about three or four hours,
after which Nausica would switch to Mehve and go on alone. It was a
daring gamble: should the Princess have to turn back, there would be no
chance to rest until after the flight straight back home.
The Princess slept most of the way, lulled into slumber by the
steady thrum of the engines and the monotony of the sea below them. After
four hours had gone by, Asbel decided to wake her.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked her. "Chasing this dream of
yours seems... foolhardy."
"Don't worry, I'll take care."
"Okay, Princess. I'll stay here until I can see you no longer." With
that, Asbel throttled back until the gunship was almost stalling, almost
ready to fall out of the sky.
Nausica unbuckled and stood on her seat, bracing herself against the
winds that threatened to blow her out into oblivion. She carefully
stepped out onto the fuselage and made her way to the back of the plane,
passing by Asbel and waving farewell to him. Then she grasped the tow
line in her hands and jumped.
She slid along the wire until she reached Mehve. With a deft
somersault, she landed on top of it and lay down with her belly on the
belt built into the handlebars. She gave a thumbs-up sign to Asbel, who
gave the tow line's retaining pin a vigorous tug and suddenly Mehve was
free, floating in the air like a great white gull. Reaching down, Nausica
triggered the engine.
In a minute her glider had caught up with the circling gunship. She
waved to the Prince, who waved back and pointed westward. Then she then
peeled off, heading for the unknown.
Asbel watched Mehve grow smaller and smaller against the backdrop of
the clear blue sky. When it was finally out of sight, he banked the
gunship around and headed for home.
'Gods, let her be safe,' he thought. He couldn't remember Nausica
doing anything so risky yet so pointless; more so, doing it on a moment's
notice because of some voice in her head.
----------
Nausica flew on as the day went on, like a bright-winged bird
searching for a place to rest. Here and there clouds boiled up past her
like tall pillars in a cathedral of air; she knew to avoid them, as they
bore hidden dangers within their hearts. She was glad she had taken
Mito's advice and worn extra clothing, as she had never flown so high for
so long. The cold blast of the wind stung the small parts of her cheeks
unprotected by the hard, inflexible Dorok oxygen mask she wore. Its
bottle was safely tucked away in the sack of provisions Asbel had given
her, and which she wore on her back. Not for the first time that day she
was thankful her companion had had more foresight than she did.
That afternoon she happened to look down and, through a break in the
clouds, saw a group of little islets far below. She debated whether to
land and rest or go on. If she descended, she knew Mehve wouldn't be able
to take her this high up again, and her progress afterward would be much
slower than before. On the other hand, she was tired and keenly
interested in exploring the little islands.
Perhaps she would even be the first to set foot on them.
She decided to land. Switching off her engine, it took her more than
half an hour to glide down to the islets. She carefully planned her
landing, as they were so small she could easily get Mehve dumped in the
water. That would be a serious mistake, for although it could take a
dunking, there was always the chance that the engine would not start up
afterwards.
With a swoosh, the silent glider landed on white sand. Nausica
hopped off and stretched her body, groaning. She turned off her oxygen
supply valve and removed the mask, yawning its marks off her face.
Doffing her gloves and stuffing them in her pants' pockets, she rubbed
her cold cheeks and looked upward, gladly basking in the warmth of the
sun.
"Hello there."
She jumped at the voice. Looking around, she saw nothing unusual,
except a small, pink animal with a barrel-like body, four cloven feet,
beady little eyes, and a snout that looked a lot like the protruding
filter on her own mask.
"Who's there?" she called out. "Asbel?"
"No one by that name here," came the voice, and she swore it came
from the thing.
Nausica looked askance at it, then at the oxygen mask hanging by its
straps around her neck. Maybe the mix was a bit off...
"Who are you?" She saw the animal's mouth move, and her jaw dropped
open.
"H-hi," she stammered, addressing the animal. "Is that you talking?"
"Why, of course it is," replied the creature. "Who else?"
"Sorry, it's just that I've never seen your kind before." She sat
down on the fine, powdery sand, holding out a hand, palm up. "My name's
Nausica. What are you called?"
"My name is Boo," the creature replied, trotting up to her and
sniffing with its snout her outstretched hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss
Nausica. As to what I am... haven't you ever seen a pig before?"
"Pig." The word sounded hard and unlovely to her. "No, I haven't. We
don't have pig..."
"Pigs," the animal corrected her. "Plural."
"Pigs... where I come from."
"Where do you come from?" Satisfied with her smell, the pig sat on
its haunches and regarded her with those little round eyes.
"The Valley of Wind, on the Eftal coast."
"Never heard of it."
"How about you?"
"I come from Japan. I was a passenger on a container ship and got
shipwrecked here."
"Japan?"
The animal seemed to nod, but it was a gross, uncoordinated bobbing
of the head. "I've been here for the longest time."
Nausica crossed her legs and settled in for a long chat, as the
animal didn't seem to want to do without her company. "Do all pigs talk?"
"Why, yes, of course." It made a little squeal. "But where I come
from, humans like you don't understand what we say. They think we're dumb
and use us as food."
"Goodness!" she exclaimed, horrified.
"You're the first human I've met who can understand what I say,"
continued Boo. "In fact, you're the first human I've seen in a while.
What are you doing here?"
"I was just looking for a place to rest," replied the Princess. "I
was heading westward, to find out what lies at the end of the World Sea."
"World Sea?" There was a sawing, snorting sound that she interpreted
as laughter. "Last I checked, we were somewhere near Rabaul."
Nausica signaled incomprehension.
"Ah, never mind. I know it may seem impolite, Miss Nausica, but I
want to ask a favor from you, seeing as how you'll probably be the only
passer-by I'll see in a long time." The pig stood up on its feet and
seemed excited.
"What is it?"
"Could you, ah, take me with you when you go? I'm tired of being all
alone here."
"I don't know where I'm headed myself," Nausica told it.
"Anywhere new is better than being stuck here."
Nausica pondered the request. "Okay. It gets lonely flying all by
myself."
The pig squealed again. "Thank you! Oh, thank you!"
So it was that early the next day the Princess of the Valley of Wind
took off with one passenger in her sack, along with its gift to her, a
strange green round thing the creature said was a coconut, something good
to eat. The pig's head protruded from the bag and, as they flew along, it
entertained her with chitchat until it fell asleep sometime in the middle
of the day.
Nausica flew on. The miles seemed endless, and the sea below seemed
to stretch into forever. But when she finally started to think about
turning back, an island appeared in the distance. They landed on it and
spent the night there.
Later that afternoon something strange happened. Nausica was feeling
the ache in her back from carrying the sack and its piggishly snoring
contents, wanting to land and rest for a while, when she flew into a
bright white cloud bank she swore didn't exist a minute ago. The light
inside the cloud was blinding, even with her helmet's built-in goggles
over her eyes. She tried to go over it, but found she couldn't break free
of the blinding whiteness. The same thing happened when she tried to fly
under it. Then, just as suddenly as it had swallowed her up, it spat her
out into the cool, crystal-clear air. She found herself flying over the
sea.
Mehve's gyrations had, meanwhile, woken up Boo. "Look!" it exclaimed.
"Land!"
Nausica saw the same thing her companion did: a strip of green in
the hazy distance, stretching from horizon to horizon.
"Maybe it's what I'm looking for," she said, her tiredness
disappearing with her renewed enthusiasm.
As they flew towards it, the sun began to set and twilight began to
creep in. Little stars started to twinkle in the firmament. The air
became much colder.
To the Princess' amazement the stars didn't seem to spring up only
in the sky, but on the ground as well.
"Is that a city? I've never seen one so big!" she said to Boo.
"I recognize it," her companion told her. "It's Tokyo! I'm almost
home!"
----------
As Nausica flew over the city of Tokyo, she marveled at its
prosperity, displayed underneath her in a welter of dazzling lights and
the hustle and bustle of its inhabitants. Only in the capital city of
Torumekia had she seen anything to even remotely match it.
"I see lots of lights down there," she said. "Is this the way this
place normally looks?"
"Not really," the pig answered. "Oh, I get it. It's Christmastime."
"Christmastime?" she echoed.
"Yes. It's supposed to be a season for forgiveness and goodwill
towards one's fellow man. Not to pigs, though." As Boo explained the
occasion further, Nausica flew lower, wanting to get a closer look at
this amazing place.
"Is this where I'm supposed to go?" she asked of herself. It
certainly seemed a wonderful place to stop in. But her heart told her to
fly on.
A few minutes later she spied an all-too-familiar sight.
"Something's burning down there."
"Uh-huh."
"Let's take a closer look." Mehve dove closer.
A three-story building was on fire. Flames and smoke were billowing
up into the night sky. As she sped past it, she spied something that made
her heart race.
"There's someone on the roof," she said. "It looks like they're
trapped."
"I see them," said Boo.
"I'm going to try to help," Nausica said. "Hang on, pig."
She turned off the engine and glided towards the conflagration. She
could hear the fire roaring and crackling like a living, breathing thing-
-and the sound of someone crying.
"It's a child!"
She brought Mehve down into the smoke and onto the roof. As she
stepped off the glider, the concrete under her rumbled ominously.
"This doesn't look good," remarked her baggage.
She ran through the thick, choking smoke, towards the sound of
distress. It was a little boy, and she found she could understand what he
was saying. He was crying for his mommy.
"Hello," she said, coughing, kneeling beside him. "I'm here to help.
What's your name?"
"Makoto," he replied, his sobbing dying down a bit.
"Makoto, I'm going to take you to your mommy, okay?" The little boy
nodded.
She took him by the hand and led him back to Mehve. Hustling him on
board, she told him to hold onto the handlebars and opened a small panel
near them, fiddling quickly with the controls.
With a loud, creaking, snapping roar, a portion of the building
behind them collapsed, revealing the glowing, burning interior.
"Miss Nausica, you'd better hurry up!" called the pig.
"Finished." She slapped the panel shut. "Here we go!"
The timer she had set wound down, and the four lift engines in
Mehve's underside came to life, lifting the craft and its passengers off
the roof and out of danger.
There was a little turbulence and a scalding wash of heat as they
passed the edge of the roof, but otherwise their escape was uneventful.
The little boy looked around in wonder as Mehve bore him away from the
fire, his tears forgotten.
"We're flying!" he said in his small voice.
"Yes, we are," Nausica agreed, smiling at him. "Fun, isn't it?"
He nodded in wide-eyed awe. "Big sister, may I know your name?"
"Huh? Oh, my name's Nausica."
"Na-u-shi-ka," he repeated. "That's a funny name."
"Really? I never knew that. Now, where do you think we can find your
mother?"
They had to wait in a little park for a more than half an hour
before a tall woman with long black hair and sea-green eyes, dressed in a
green ribbed sweater and faded blue jeans, ran towards them, frantic with
worry.
"Makoto!" she shouted, hugging the boy, relief evident in her face.
"I was looking all over for you!"
"She saved me, mommy," said Makoto, looking up at her and pointing a
grimy finger in Nausica's direction. "I was trapped on the roof, and she
came and flew me out."
The woman stood and bowed before Nausica, thanking her many times.
Embarrassed, the soot-stained Princess said, "It was nothing. I did what
anyone else would have done."
"Where are you from?" asked the woman, noting her unusual clothes,
not to mention the large winged contraption lying on the ground nearby.
"I'm... from far away."
"Are you going somewhere in a hurry? Because I'd like to invite you
to our house for dinner. It's the least I can do to repay you."
"Just make sure she doesn't have me for dinner," grunted a voice
from Nausica's sack, which she still wore.
"What was that?" the woman asked, looking around.
"What was what?" Nausica reached back and covertly gave Boo a tap on
the head. "I didn't hear anything."
"Hmm. Must have been from the fire." She looked at the burning
building, two blocks away. "Anyway, would you like to?"
"Well..." considered Nausica. She had no place to go, had no place
to stay, and the guide in her heart kept whispering that it was okay.
"I'd be honored to."
Just then a man walked up to them. "Hey, I saw what you did. Can I
take a picture of you for my--" he said a word she didn't understand.
Confused, but trusting the man's polite and engaging manner, she acceded
to his request. He aimed a box-like device which flashed a bright light
at her, asked her a few questions, thanked her, and left.
Half an hour later, after a ride in a small car the woman called a
Mini, with Nausica's kite strapped to its roof, they arrived at a two-
story house with a two-car garage. Had she known, Nausica would have
realized it was a veritable mansion compared to the ordinary Japanese
home.
Inside, she was showed the bath and gratefully made use of it,
washing herself of the dust and weariness of the day's travel. She had
dinner with the family, and then was invited to stay the night. She
accepted.
----------
In the guest room later that evening, Boo, who had been hidden in
the sack throughout the night, sat despondently beside the Princess' bed.
She was lying down on the soft cushions, dressed in a shift Makoto's
mother had lent her, unable to sleep because of the strange sights and
smells that stirred her blood.
"Miss Nausica," it said, "could you let me out?"
"Why, Boo?"
"I-I want to go home."
"Do you know how to get there?"
"No. But this isn't a place for me. Surrounded by all these humans...
I'm afraid."
"It'll be okay," the Princess reassured it, patting it on the head.
"I don't think it's a good idea to let you loose among all these people."
She sat up, and watched the light snow drifting down outside the window.
"Maybe we'll find somewhere you can stay without fear of being eaten."
The beady little eyes looked sad. "I hope so." Returning to the bag,
the pig nudged it open, crawled in, and lay down.
Partly to comfort the animal, and partly to reassure herself,
Nausica began to sing a lullaby her father Jhil had taught her. Her voice
echoed in the stillness, and Makoto's mother, passing by in the corridor,
heard her. She listened to the strange, haunting melody, and wondered
some more about their mysterious guest, before going on to her little
recording studio in her former bedroom. She
was a producer and musician.
----------
"Thank you so much for letting me spend the night here." Nausica
bowed.
"Thank you for saving my son." Makoto's mother bowed in return. "May
I ask you a question?"
"Yes?"
"Last night, I heard you singing."
Nausica looked down at the floor. "I was lonely. I'm a long way from
home."
"I have no doubt about that now. What was that you were singing?"
"Oh, it was something my father used to sing to me."
"I couldn't understand it. The words, I mean."
"They were in an old language. No one uses it any more."
"Little girl, go you to sleep now,
Until the light comes back to the sky
Dream of a better place
And wake to a brighter tomorrow."
"I... see."
"Well... I must be going. Thank you, again."
"Goodbye."
Nausica walked away, to where she had set up Mehve in the family's
yard, which was dusted with a thin covering of white. She had told them
to cover their ears when she took off.
"Why can't she just walk or use the bus, mommy?" Makoto asked his
mother as they watched Nausica fasten the ear flaps of her helmet and put
on her gloves.
"She can't carry her plane on the bus, Makoto, you know that."
"Where did she say she was from again?" asked the boy's father, a
freelance photographer who had just celebrated his thirty-fifth birthday
the preceding month. He had taken a picture of the young woman with his
son on her shoulders last night as a memento of the occasion. His arm was
around his wife's waist.
There was a pause before she answered. "The Valley of Wind."
"Valley of Wind?" He frowned. "What prefecture is that in?"
----------
It was cloudy that day, and the wind lashed Nausica with its
coldness, heralding unpleasant things to come. The city continued on
under her and continued to amaze her with new sights to behold. By mid-
day she had reached its borders, and paused in a wooded area to rest
herself and eat.
Boo busied itself with exploring the place, sniffing here and there,
following interesting scents.
"Aren't you hungry?" asked Nausica.
"No, I'm still full, thank you."
"You know," she said, munching on some sour-tasting rations that
Asbel had included in her pack, "you remind me of a pet I had once. His
name was Teto."
"And?"
"He was a fox-squirrel who used to accompany me wherever I went."
She smiled at the image of her little companion in her mind, remembering
how Lord Yupa had brought the hissing little bundle out of the Forest,
and how she had to placate the gigantic Ohmu that was chasing her
itinerant mentor.
"Did he talk to you too?"
"No. In fact the first thing he did when I met him was bite my
finger."
"Where is he now?"
The smile left her face. "He's dead."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "It's a long, long story." Looking at the morsel
of food in her fingers, she added, "Suffice it is to say that the land
where I come from is a very violent place."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Nausica." The pig eyed her. "You don't
look like the sort of person for such a place."
"Oh, but I've lived there all my life. I am the Princess of a people
just trying to survive." She popped the food into her mouth and swallowed.
"The people of this place are very lucky, being at peace."
"They think little of it. They think it's always been that way,
always will be."
"Has it?"
"It's been a lifetime since the last world war. The parents of
today's generation haven't tasted its fury." The sawing, snorting sound
came from it again. "Perhaps they should. It might improve their
character."
Nausica looked at Boo, seriousness in her eyes. "I wouldn't wish
that on them," she said. "All I've learned about war is that it takes
everything away, and gives precious little in return."
----------
That afternoon, it began to snow. Nausica doggedly flew on through
the slush, as the voice inside her was urging her to hurry, hurry, or she
might be too late. She landed and asked twice for directions, asking for
a place whose name was growing stronger and clearer inside her. People
looked at the damp stranger with the strange flying machine with
suspicion in their eyes but, in the spirit of the holiday season, helped
her out anyway, pointing her in the right direction.
"Koganei? You're headed the right way," they had told her. "It's
over there."
And now, after the last of the sun's light had disappeared from the
sky, she found herself in a blizzard. The strength of it was such that
within minutes it quickly forced her to land, shivering and forlorn,
seeking shelter.
'Not here,' the voice prompted her. 'Not here.'
"But I'm so cold," she protested.
'Just a little further.'
Mehve made its way back up into the whiteness, and Nausica, chilled,
watched as ice began to form on the wings.
"Boo? Are you alright?"
"I'm cold, Princess."
"Hang on for a few minutes more."
They flew low, so Nausica could see the land they were flying over.
They zoomed past some farms and entered an area littered with houses. The
flying snow was obscuring, turning everything into a shadowy white
flatness.
'There, there.'
"Where?"
'Over there. There is home.'
"Home? This isn't my home."
'Home.'
Then she saw the building, and felt in her heart that the voice was
right.
It was a nondescript, three-story affair, painted white, although
one couldn't tell that in the whiteness of the winter that wreathed it.
"Boo!" shouted Nausica over the wind. "I think I've found it!" She
angled Mehve to land in the little open space outside what appeared to be
a door. The little pig didn't reply.
She landed in a cloud of snow, Mehve's skids making a loud scraping
sound as they hit the ground. She looked into the sack and saw Boo
shivering.
"Cold... so cold..."
"We're here, don't worry," said a worried Nausica, hugging the bag
to her chest. "You'll be warm shortly."
A tall figure, backlit by the bright light coming from inside the
building, emerged from the doorway, over which hung a banner that read
'Christmas Costume Party.' "Hello," it called. "I thought I heard
something."
"Hello," said Nausica, feeling that she had found a friend in what
she made out to be a dark-haired young lad dressed in a blue shirt and
white leggings. He had a scar underneath one eye, and a red cap sat on
his head. A bow and quiver were slung on his back.
"You're a bit late, Princess Nausica." The figure stepped aside and
motioned for her to come in.
"You know who I am?" The sudden warmth and cheery brightness of the
interior was a welcome change from the outside.
"Of course! Everyone's been waiting for you."
"Who--?"
She peeked inside, and saw a gaggle of individuals all looking at
her with welcoming smiles.
"Hey! She's here!" shouted a cigarette-smoking, barrel-chested,
mustachioed man wearing khaki-colored clothes and leather flying cap,
straps undone, with goggles on his head.
There was a chorus of welcomes, and Nausica bowed and said "Thank
you," although it was still a mystery to her how they knew her and why
she was here.
The man came to her and showed her a large piece of paper with
pictures and print all over it. "We knew you were coming." He pointed to
a picture of her in the lower left corner of the paper. "You're an
amazing kid, getting your picture on the front page the first time you're
here," he remarked. Putting it down on a nearby table, he took her hand.
"Come on. The Chief is waiting."
"Wait. Could you please take him somewhere warm?" she said, handing
the man her sack.
"Eh?" The man opened it. "A pig!" he exclaimed, pulling Boo out.
"What's Princess Nausica doing with a pig?" she heard someone say.
"I found him. Please don't eat him."
"Eat him?" The man holding Boo roared with laughter, and the
ruffianly-looking bunch of men he was with followed suit. "I'd be
insulted by what you just said, if anyone else said it. Hey, Curtis, help
me with this, will you?"
"Sure thing, Marco." Still shaking with mirth, the mustachioed man
departed with the tall, thin aviator he called Curtis, the pig tucked
under his arm, to do what Nausica requested.
When the other people assured her that Boo wasn't going to be turned
into hors d' oeuvres, Nausica breathed a sigh of relief.
"I see you too have made a long journey," said a low voice.
Turning, she saw the speaker, a huge white wolf standing in the
middle of the room. It appeared to bare its fangs threateningly at her,
but Nausica realized that was so just because it was speaking.
"I am glad to finally meet you," it said. "I am Moro." It pointed
with its muzzle to a black-haired girl standing protectively beside it.
She was dressed in a white fur shirt and black skirt, a grotesque-looking
mask pushed up on her head. Red paint decorated her unsmiling face. "This
is my child, San."
San nodded, and Nausica bowed. Both were startled by how similar
they were to each other in appearance--it was almost as if they were
related. "I feel as though I know you," the wind rider remarked.
"So do I," said San, whom Nausica later learned was called the
'Mononoke-hime,' the Princess of Vengeful Spirits.
"Do you know why we were called here?" the Princess of the Valley of
Wind asked.
"For a celebration, I think," the wolf replied. "Though I care not
much for the little tanuki that are running around. I'm feeling quite
hungry tonight."
San looked up reprovingly at the wolf. "Mother."
The wolf looked down at her and let loose a 'woof' that shook the
ceiling and set everyone within earshot jumping in fright.
Nausica stepped aside for a young girl wearing an apron and bearing
a platter of something that smelled wonderful. "Gangway!" she said as she
took it to a nearby table. "Excuse me please!" Sitting at the table were
a young boy and his still younger sister, both in clothes that were
obviously brand-new, except for the threadbare white cap on the boy's
head. Although they looked happy now, Nausica was struck by the suffering
etched in their faces. She watched as the apron-wearing girl slid the
platter onto the table and said, "Here you go, eat up." With many thanks,
they began to devour the food, the brother first making sure that his
sister helped herself. "After all, Setsuko," Nausica heard him say, "they
said it's all ours. Hurry up so we can return to Father." She found the
sight somehow comforting.
A young man with a harassed and awestruck look on his face passed by
her, muttering to himself, "I've got to get a picture of this... I must
be going out of my mind..."
Nausica smiled.
Someone tapped on her elbow, and she turned around to find a boy
with glasses and with suspendered shorts offering her a mug of something
steaming. She took it gratefully and drank, feeling the hot, sweet liquid
returning the warmth to her chilled body.
"Hot chocolate," the boy said. "My favorite during a cold winter
day."
"Thank you," said Nausica. "It never snows where I live."
"Really?" The boy pushed his rounded spectacles up the bridge of his
nose. "It always does in Koriko. You must be lucky, always being warm."
"You think so? I was just thinking that you were lucky, being able
to play in the snow and all."
The boy opened his mouth to reply when someone called "Nausica!"
She turned to see the speaker, a thin, middle-aged man with a smile
on his face--something told Nausica that he was unaccustomed to such an
expression but wasn't complaining about it, at least for tonight. He too,
was wearing eyeglasses. She bowed and excused herself and walked to him.
"Good evening," he said to her as she approached. "I'm sorry to
disturb you, but Miya-san is anxious to meet you. Shall we go to him?"
She nodded. "I hope you didn't have a hard time getting here," the
man commented as they walked up a long, narrow flight of stairs. Through
the large windows on her right, Nausica could see that the blizzard that
had given her so much trouble had died down to nothing, leaving in its
wake a winter wonderland full of strange and fantastic shapes.
"Not really," she replied, watching as a little band played a joyful tune
down on the ground floor and spectators clapped their hands, paws and
whatelse in time to the music. "I'm surprised you were able to contact
me."
The man smiled. "That's Miya-san. Works in mysterious ways."
They came to a room filled with strange boxy devices with screens
displaying different images and letters. A woman was busy at work on one
of them.
"Shuuna," said Nausica's companion. "Stop working already. The party's
started downstairs."
"Just finishing this, boss," she replied, not looking up from the device,
tongue sticking out of a corner of her mouth. They left her alone and
ascended to the roof. There was a little garden on it and some seats and
tables, which had been cleared of snow.
There was no one there except a man with two little kids, each
hanging on to one of his arms, and a little black cat sitting on the top
of the low wall ringing the roof. All of the humans wore parkas against
the inclement weather. They were staring into the night air at things the
Princess could not yet see.
The smaller of the two kids waved and called. "Totoro! I want to
ride!"
The other child turned to her. "Mei, come on, he must be tired
already," she scolded her.
"I want to ride! I want to ride!" Mei insisted.
At the same time, the cat was yelling, in a funny voice that Nausica
could understand, but doubted anyone else could, "Kiki! Come back down
here this instant! You'll catch a cold flying up there in this weather!"
The man with Nausica interrupted the byplay by clearing his throat.
"Shocho," he announced. "She's here." Nausica stood expectantly, waiting
to see the man's face.
He turned around, and the world collapsed into him, became him.
At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her. She saw
Lord Yupa standing there, his face in shadow. The man's parka turned into
Lord Yupa's cape, his hood into the tasseled hat her mentor almost always
wore. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear them, thinking that
it must be a trick of the dim light or something similar.
When she opened them again, the person had turned back into an old
man, bearded and moustached, and yes, with eyeglasses. His eyes looked at
her with fondness, and she although she didn't know who he was yet, she
instinctively felt he was very important to her. Her whole world, in fact.
"Nausica," he said quietly. "At long last I've seen you."
Tears unbidden sprung to the Child of the Wind's eyes, love
unlooked-for flared in her heart, and she flung herself at him.
"Father!" she cried.
He put his arms around her, and she trembled at his touch. The two
kids with him went to hold each other's hand and look at them, smiling.
"For as long as you are old I've worked on--and worried about--you,"
the man said as he stroked her hair. "I am glad to see you looking well."
It seemed as though upon seeing him the blinders over Nausica's eyes
had finally fallen away, and she understood everything.
"You don't have to feel guilty about putting me through everything
that happened," she told him, looking up at his face, tears streaming
from her eyes.
The man said nothing, but was content to smile down at her. "Seeing
you as you are now," he said, "I don't think I have to worry about you
any more."
Nausica put her head against his chest and cried. Her happiness was
a strange, overwhelming feeling. They stood there for several minutes,
while the snow coated their heads and shoulders in a light veneer of
white.
"Well," the man said, "I think we ought to go downstairs and
announce that the party can get underway. Not that it hasn't, anyway."
The man who had escorted Nausica upstairs took hold of Mei and her
sister, whose name was Satsuki, and all of them went back downstairs.
One half point less than total pandemonium reigned in the place.
Here and there people were running, shouting various things like "Can
someone help me? The dust motes are starting to muck up the server!" and
"What do I do with these kodamas?" to "Could someone please tell Sheeta
and Pazu to get their flyer off my car so I can get some more sake from
the store?" and even "Yes, Moro-sama, the food will be along shortly,
please have patience." There was also a friendly little scuffle in a
corner of the room between the man named Marco and a younger guy wearing
a dark blue jacket and white policeman's helmet, while two women, one
young and one middle-aged, wearing 1930s period clothing (had Nausica
known what such a thing was), speaking a language unfamiliar to the
Princess, stood nearby, looking on in fond disgust at their juvenile
antics, having unsuccessfully tried to stop them. In another corner, two
tanuki were busy teaching a pair of high school students how to play
poker, while a regal-looking one-armed woman wearing some sort of
ceremonial clothing and holding a large straw hat--she reminded Nausica
of Regent Kushana of Torumekia--and a silent girl about Nausica's age,
barefoot and clad in a simple snow-white dress, with large, beautiful
feathered wings on her back, looked on interestedly.
"Excuse me, everyone," the old man started to say. The room quieted
down in an instant, everyone turning to look at them.
"Thank you all for coming. I hope you'll have fun tonight. Please
try not to break anything, however. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" everyone returned back at him, whether they
understood the phrase or not. The noise started up again.
There was a commotion at the front door, and she and the old man
turned to see a large blue-furred creature with upright ears, v-markings
on its white chest, and a large grin on its mouth trying to squeeze
itself through the doorway. Helping it was a girl in a black dress and
with a red bow in her dark hair. The little black cat Nausica had seen on
the roof was beside her, urging them to greater effort, while beside it
two much smaller versions of the large blue creature were pushing a
broomstick on the floor out of their way.
The two kids Mei and Satsuki detached themselves from their guardian,
the thin man with glasses, and ran towards the scene. "Totoro!" they
yelled in unison. "We'll help you!" There was a squeal, and Nausica
looked down to see Boo, apparently all right.
"A friend of yours?" the old man asked. She nodded and scooped the
pig up in her arms. "I found him while traveling here. He says he wants
to go home, but doesn't know how to. He's afraid of becoming someone's
lunch." The man looked at the pig, then thought for a moment. "Is he
well-behaved?"
"He's a fine-spoken individual," replied Nausica. "Very polite, and
very intelligent."
"Really?" The man patted Boo on the forehead and thought some more.
"Well, provided he agrees to become the studio mascot, I can see no
problem in letting him stay here."
"Really?" Boo shouted, although everyone else but Nausica heard
nothing but loud squealing. "That would be wonderful."
She translated for him, nodding at the old man, and added, "He says
a finer gift no man ever gave to him."
"You're welcome," replied the old man. Nausica put Boo down on the
floor, and the animal trotted away, disappearing happily among the crowd.
"Merry Christmas, Nausica."
She smiled up at him. The voice in her heart, now faint, spoke one
last time.
'Home.'
"Merry Christmas, Father."
THE END
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