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Authors: Wayne Shorey
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that's why we've lost her now," said Annie.
"Maybe, maybe, maybe," chanted Kiyoshi-chan, smiling.
"Maybe we have to learn a magic spell," said Knuckleball. "Like certain words to open up the garden, Open Sesame or something.
"Maybe there are certain places to stand," said Annie. "Certain times of day. Certain weather conditions. Certain positions, certain gestures. Certain combinations of circumstances. We just have to keep experimenting until we hit on it. The scientific method, and all that."
"Maybe," said Knuckleball, "it's all mathematical somehow. Maybe all the Japanese gardens in the world are arranged in some pattern, and open up according to a regular timetable, like a train schedule."
"Maybe, maybe, maybe," said Kiyoshi-chan again.
"Maybe," said a feathery old voice, "the gardens wish to keep it all... a surprise"
They turned to see the old
obaa-san
smiling beside them."
"What do you mean, honored person?" asked Annie, very politely, using the full Japanese range of respectful speech for her question.
"You are trying to understand the gardens," said the old woman, "by binding them up in a net of words. If you weave your net well, you think, you can catch the thing you seek."
"Is that wrong?" asked Annie. "We're only trying to understand them so we can use them."
"Wrong?" repeated the old woman, smiling as if the word was a great joke. "Wrong?" She chuckled.
"Help us," said Annie. "We need your help."
"If you catch anything in a net of words," said the old woman, "you have taken the first step to losing it. Words make a great thing small enough to hold in your hand, but what use is it to you then?"
"Could you explain that?" asked Annie.
"The ocean washes the whole world," said the old
obaa-san
, "but if you take your ink brush and write the character for Ocean on a piece of rice paper so you can hold it in your hand, can you sail a boat on that piece of paper?"
"I don't think I understand," said Annie.
"And I
know
I don't," said Knuckleball. "I still think we need the scientific method."
"Good," said the old obaa-san, but it wasn't at all clear what she was calling good. "It is time for dinner." She gestured toward the house and shuffled in that direction, bowed almost in half.
As they went back to the house, Knuckleball lagged behind to speak to Annie.
"Annie, I've been thinking," he said. "We're finally in a place where we can call Mom and Dad and let them know where we are. I haven't seen a phone here, but there must be one somewhere that we can use."
"I don't think that would work," said Annie. "Trust me."
"Why not?" asked Knuckleball, persistent. "Just because we have no money with us? Can't we just call collect?"
"That's not the problem," said Annie.
"Well, what is?" said Knuckleball. "You're hiding something from me. Does it have something to do with that
Yazu stuff?
"
"
Later
, Knuckler," said Annie, in a no-nonsense voice. They went in to dinner.
Â
CHAPTER 10
From Bad to Worse in the
Dead End Mine
Â
Â
Â
Q.J. and Libby wandered back along the impossible tunnel, the hand-hewn mine with no entrances. They felt drawn back to the end with the stone garden, as to a familiar place. They stepped across the tiny stream and paused for a second on its bank.
"Nothing bigger than a tadpole could get in or out this way," said Q.J., pointing to the stream. "It hasn't exactly cut a very big channel through here. Looks like ghosts carved out this tunnel."
"Brrrr," said Libby. "I wish you hadn't said that."
In fact, there was no apparent point of entrance for the stream at all. It trickled out of the wall near the ceiling, then washed down the side of the cave in a wide, thin, steady sheet of falling water. Having made its scanty way across the cave floor, it then disappeared into the rocky rubble at the base of the other wall.
"Can we at least drink it?" asked Libby. "I'm very thirsty."
"I would think so," said Q.J. "It looks very clean. Look how it sparkles in my light. But
"Maybe, maybe, maybe," chanted Kiyoshi-chan, smiling.
"Maybe we have to learn a magic spell," said Knuckleball. "Like certain words to open up the garden, Open Sesame or something.
"Maybe there are certain places to stand," said Annie. "Certain times of day. Certain weather conditions. Certain positions, certain gestures. Certain combinations of circumstances. We just have to keep experimenting until we hit on it. The scientific method, and all that."
"Maybe," said Knuckleball, "it's all mathematical somehow. Maybe all the Japanese gardens in the world are arranged in some pattern, and open up according to a regular timetable, like a train schedule."
"Maybe, maybe, maybe," said Kiyoshi-chan again.
"Maybe," said a feathery old voice, "the gardens wish to keep it all... a surprise"
They turned to see the old
obaa-san
smiling beside them."
"What do you mean, honored person?" asked Annie, very politely, using the full Japanese range of respectful speech for her question.
"You are trying to understand the gardens," said the old woman, "by binding them up in a net of words. If you weave your net well, you think, you can catch the thing you seek."
"Is that wrong?" asked Annie. "We're only trying to understand them so we can use them."
"Wrong?" repeated the old woman, smiling as if the word was a great joke. "Wrong?" She chuckled.
"Help us," said Annie. "We need your help."
"If you catch anything in a net of words," said the old woman, "you have taken the first step to losing it. Words make a great thing small enough to hold in your hand, but what use is it to you then?"
"Could you explain that?" asked Annie.
"The ocean washes the whole world," said the old
obaa-san
, "but if you take your ink brush and write the character for Ocean on a piece of rice paper so you can hold it in your hand, can you sail a boat on that piece of paper?"
"I don't think I understand," said Annie.
"And I
know
I don't," said Knuckleball. "I still think we need the scientific method."
"Good," said the old obaa-san, but it wasn't at all clear what she was calling good. "It is time for dinner." She gestured toward the house and shuffled in that direction, bowed almost in half.
As they went back to the house, Knuckleball lagged behind to speak to Annie.
"Annie, I've been thinking," he said. "We're finally in a place where we can call Mom and Dad and let them know where we are. I haven't seen a phone here, but there must be one somewhere that we can use."
"I don't think that would work," said Annie. "Trust me."
"Why not?" asked Knuckleball, persistent. "Just because we have no money with us? Can't we just call collect?"
"That's not the problem," said Annie.
"Well, what is?" said Knuckleball. "You're hiding something from me. Does it have something to do with that
Yazu stuff?
"
"
Later
, Knuckler," said Annie, in a no-nonsense voice. They went in to dinner.
Â
CHAPTER 10
From Bad to Worse in the
Dead End Mine
Â
Â
Â
Q.J. and Libby wandered back along the impossible tunnel, the hand-hewn mine with no entrances. They felt drawn back to the end with the stone garden, as to a familiar place. They stepped across the tiny stream and paused for a second on its bank.
"Nothing bigger than a tadpole could get in or out this way," said Q.J., pointing to the stream. "It hasn't exactly cut a very big channel through here. Looks like ghosts carved out this tunnel."
"Brrrr," said Libby. "I wish you hadn't said that."
In fact, there was no apparent point of entrance for the stream at all. It trickled out of the wall near the ceiling, then washed down the side of the cave in a wide, thin, steady sheet of falling water. Having made its scanty way across the cave floor, it then disappeared into the rocky rubble at the base of the other wall.
"Can we at least drink it?" asked Libby. "I'm very thirsty."
"I would think so," said Q.J. "It looks very clean. Look how it sparkles in my light. But
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