The Land of Flora

The Land of Flora

  By Marie Springberry

  Copyright 2013 Marie Springberry

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  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 Ken and Meg’s Flight

  Chapter 2 The Garden of Peace

  Chapter 3 At the City

  Chapter 4 Unexpected Welcome

  Chapter 5 The Feast of Eclipse

  Chapter 6 The Story of Fair Lady

  Chapter 7 Dream and True Song

  Chapter 8 Acceptance of Fate

  Chapter 9 Tulitta

  Chapter 10 Meg’s Voyage

  Chapter 11 Mishap at the Castle

  Chapter 12 Sakuratta

  Chapter 13 Difference in Perspectives

  Chapter 14 Sounds of War

  Chapter 15 Magic and Farewell

  Chapter 16 The Fate

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  In the beginning, everything was Empty.

  Emptiness seemed to last forever, and ever….

  Suddenly, sweet fragrance filled the Emptiness.

  And from nowhere, five flower petals appeared.

  A beautiful petal of Rose.

  A powerful petal of Tulip.

  A fragile petal of Sakura.

  A brave petal of Daffodil.

  A cheerful petal of Violet.

  They drew spirals in the Emptiness,

  And came together as One Flower.

  The petals of the Flower then started to rotate,

  Slowly and slowly, recognizing the new Bond….

  Suddenly, the movement came to a halt.

  And there appeared in the middle of the Flower,

  A Lady with breathtaking beauty.

  The sweet fragrance became stronger and stronger….

  The Lady then whispered into the Emptiness

  “Emptiness is the beginning of Everything.”

  Everything, everything…

  Her whisper resonated through the Emptiness

  And grew louder and louder…

  Emptiness is the beginning of everything…

  Everything, everything…

  Lo! The Emptiness suddenly started to prepare itself

  To become Everything….

  Lo! The Air started to fill the Emptiness.

  Lo! The Water emerged in the Emptiness.

  Answering to the Call by the Fair Lady.

  The Fair Lady was smiling on the Flower,

  Waiting for the Moment to come.

  When Everything was ready to sustain Life,

  The Flower started to descend gradually.

  Until it touched the Water gently.

  And the petals of the Flower each became a Land.

  Then, the Fair Lady proclaimed

  “Here the Land of Flora begins! May it last peacefully forever!”

  Lo! Five shining Stones appeared in the Air.

  Pink, red, white, purple, and yellow.

  The Lady took the Stones from the Air

  And threw each Stone onto each Land.

  Then, the Fair Lady disappeared into the Air….

  So, the Land of Flora was Created,

  By the Words of the Fair Lady.

  The Land of Rosetta,

  The Land of Tulitta,

  The Land of Sakuratta,

  The Land of Violetta,

  The Land of Daffolitta,

  Together they formed a Union.

  Under the name of the Fair Lady.

  The Land of Flora was to last Peacefully,

  Forever and ever…….

  Chapter 1: Ken and Meg’s Flight

  The sky concealed something hostile behind the thick layers of clouds. This particular flight from New York to Tokyo might have been doomed in the first place. It was supposed to depart from John F. Kennedy at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. But the sudden and harsh thunderstorm prevented its take-off, and the 131 passengers had been waiting for nearly an hour at the runway, crammed in the slender aircraft.

  “Hey, how long will you make us wait?”

  “I have an important business meeting in Tokyo!”

  As time went by, the main cabin started to ring with irritating complaints by grumpy passengers.

  “My baby is crying. Do something!”

  “I’ve been waiting for my drink for half an hour!”

  “Isn’t this high-tech plane supposed to fly in an extreme weather condition?”

  The complaints were dealt by inexperienced cabin attendants, whose superficial smiles failing to conceal their true feelings. Outside the plane, the wind was getting even stronger, as if to claim the triumph of natural force over human technology.

  When the voltage of the complaints was at its highest, the frustrated pilot finally got the clearance.

  “Thank you for flying with…… We are now ready for departure. Please fasten your seat belt. We apologize for our unexpected delay. Our new landing time will be….”

  Listening to the dull announcement in the business cabin, Ken and Meg were experiencing a very mixed feeling about the plane’s take-off. They were happy because the long waiting time was finally over. They were unhappy because they knew they wouldn’t come back to New York for some years once they waved good-bye to the airport. Ken, who was wearing a T-shirt of his favorite rock band over his jeans, was a 15-year-old boy with a somewhat grown-up air. He was sitting in the window seat, looking down the now fast disappearing runway. Beside him in the aisle seat was Ken’s elder sister Meg. She was wearing a pale pink dress with a flower pattern. She had just had her 19th birthday, but her girlish style and expression made her look much younger. In fact, if someone saw the brother and sister together, that person would think Ken was older than Meg by a few years. Their father was a CEO of one of the leading technology companies in Japan—that’s why Ken and Meg were in the business cabin. They were on their way to Tokyo to see their father for the first time in seven years. To be more precise, they were not only going to see their father, but were going to live with him, at least until they both graduate from university.

  “Well, I guess this is it,” said Ken. “We are now heading to our new home country.”

  “I can’t believe we’ll be in a totally different country when we wake up,” commented Meg.

  “It shouldn’t be that bad.” Ken’s voice was not convincing. “We are not going to live in a remote village in the Sahara.”

  “You know what I’m talking about,” retorted Meg.

  “Umm…” Ken produced an ambiguous grunt.

  “I know Japan is not that different from the US these days. They have advanced technology and stuff like that. But what about traditional cultures of Japan? I know almost nothing about Samurai, or Kabuki, or Kado…”

  “I don’t think people of our age are that much interested in traditional cultures any more. Well, at least business people in Tokyo are not dressed in kimono, right? You’ve seen Tokyo a lot on CNN, haven’t you?”

  “But what about language? I only studied Japanese for a year in my high school, and that was four years ago.”

  “Sis, we’ve gone through this talk before. You will be fine. How many times do I have to remind you that you’re going to a bilingual university?”

  “But, it’s not totally in English, right? Bilingual means that I need to speak Japanese…”

  “I’ve told you many times that you can take classes offered in English. I guess you didn’t read the curriculum. Didn’t I tell you that you should have
a look through it so that you’d feel better?”

  “It was too painful for me to even open that envelope. Besides, you read it for me… No, no. I can’t accept the idea that I will be studying with Japanese speaking people. I won’t be able to make any friends. What shall I do?” Meg’s voice was now starting to tremble.

  “OK, my big sister.” Ken made an audible sigh. “There’s nothing we can do about it. You know Japanese at least better than me. And I’m going to a totally Japanese high school. If one of us is going to have trouble with the language, that’d be me.”

  “But still, how can I get around without literacy in Japanese?” Meg’s shaky voice was now getting higher.

  “Calm down, Sis. We will try to adapt to that society together, OK? I’m always with you. And you’re always with me.”

  “Yeah… Thanks, Ken. I wish I wasn’t the older one.” Meg remarked. Ken wanted to say that he was always feeling like the older one, but thought better of it. Instead he just said,

  “Everything will be all right,” though he wasn’t sure about what would happen to them in Japan either. Actually, there was one important piece of information Ken had not shared with Meg. They had received a letter—though Ken thought it was an “instruction”—from their father two months ago. That letter, which Meg refused to read by herself, contained a list of things the two should do before leaving the US, and the things they would do after they arrived in Japan. Meg was supposed to be responsible for the paperwork in the US, but because her nerve was not stable, Ken had to do it almost all by himself, from cancelling the housing contract to calling a cab to the airport. He did read out the list for half-listening Meg, but he hesitated at the final line of the what-to-do-in-Japan list. It said, “I will introduce Meg to a son of another big company in Japan. Our company and their company are considering the possibility of merging.” Ken was not entirely sure about the intention of his father, but it seemed to him that his father was possibly trying to have Meg marry a son of another company so that his father’s business would run better. As Ken was worried how Meg would take it, Ken had decided not to tell her about it at that time. As there was nothing the two could do about it at that time, Ken did not want to overwhelm Meg with more troubling news than necessary.

  Now on the plane, Ken was wondering if he had made the right decision. Meg could have remained in New York by herself because she was already 19, but Ken knew she was not ready for that. She had always been a dreamy kind of girl, reading fantasy novels as being her only passion. Moreover, ever since that tragedy happened to them, she seemed as if she were living in another world. Ken hoped and believed that Meg would feel better once she got accustomed to her new life in Japan. Besides, his father had already told them in the letter that if they were to ignore him and remained in the US, he would stop sending money to them. It was a crucial matter as the two had been raised in an affluent circumstance. As for Ken, he still needed at least high school education, and he needed assistance from his father to do so. Besides, Ken, unlike Meg, loved adventure, and he was eager to experience a different culture despite the anxiety. Ken believed that his father had asked them to come to Japan because he really wanted to live with them. Ken was also hoping that their father’s plan of Meg’s dating was one of his best jokes. The two had only seen their father a few times a year since their parents divorced 12 years ago. Their father would always meet his children when he came to New York on a business trip from Japan. The three then had a joyful dinner at a cozy French restaurant. Their mother never joined that meal, and they never asked what had happened between their parents. So, the two only knew how their parents had met.

  Their parents were both Japanese-Americans who had grown up in New York. Their mother was a famous dance instructor, and their father was a young successful business man at the Wall Street. They met and fell in love at a café near the Empire State Building. Soon, there was a fine wedding ceremony which also appeared on newspaper, and Meg’s birth followed after a year. It seemed the life of the newly-wed couple was full of hope. Then, Ken was born four years after. It seemed it was around this time when tension began to rise between their parents. When Ken turned three, and Meg seven, their father went on a business trip to Japan, and declared divorce soon afterwards.

  Ken vaguely remembered the last time he met their father. It was the October seven years ago on a chilly day with the hint of winter already in the wind. They had dinner together as usual. But, when they waved good-bye to their father, their father told them that they wouldn’t be seeing him again. Ken remembered his father as a cheerful guy with a good sense of humor. Ken always wanted to see him again. Once, he tried to buy a plane ticket to Japan, and realized he did not know where their father lived. It was only when Ken opened the letter from his father that he learned their father had been sending money to the family.

  “I wish a magician appears now and takes us somewhere outside of this world,” remarked Meg abruptly, and Ken was drawn back to the present.

  Ken wanted to say “It’s never going to happen,” but phrased it in a different way and said,

  “Well, I guess we have to get going.”

  This apparently was not a satisfactory answer for Meg. She said,

  “Oh, I’m so worried, Ken. Everything has gone wrong since…” The rest of Meg’s words were covered by her sudden sob.

  “……” he finished the line in his mind. He knew Meg’s sorrow too well because her sorrow was his sorrow. He patted Meg gently, trying to calm her down. Soon she fell asleep, tired from using so much energy for exploding her emotions. Ken gently wiped with his hand the traces of tears on her face. He then closed his eyes and started to recall the events which had happened to them over the past few months.

  That was a very cold and foggy morning. Meg and Ken left for school at 7:30 as usual, wishing their mother to have a good day. Ken still remembered the sweet smile on their mother’s face. “Have a nice day!” she said to them, and neither of the sister and brother could imagine that would be the last words they would hear from their beloved mother. At 10 o’clock, Ken was writing a math exam, trying to draw a right graph for quadratic function. That was when the door of the room opened suddenly. Ken was called. He was taken to the principal’s office, and was told that the most unfortunate event had happened. His mother had been driving to her dance studio, and at the intersection of the two major streets of NY, a wild car crashed into her car. He was told that the light of his mother’s life extinguished on the spot. Ken would never forget the scene at the mortuary of the hospital. When he saw his mother’s askew face, he knew his life would not be the same again. He had taken his mother’s presence for granted—waking him up, cooking for him, waving him a have-a-nice-day, and smiling for him…. He regretted the every moment he resisted his kind mother. Ken could not cry as the shock was too overwhelming. Meg came in 10 minutes later. She shouted “Mom!” and collapsed with sorrow. It was at this time when Ken became determined that he would be the one to protect Meg.

  The funeral was carried out on a sweet day in April. As Ken and Meg did not have any relatives in NY, their neighbors kindly helped them make necessary arrangements. At the cemetery, cherry blossoms were at full bloom, embracing the living and the dead in the soft fragrance.

  It was right after the funeral when the mail carrier knocked the door of Ken and Meg’s apartment. Ken had no idea how he did so, but their father knew of his former wife’s death. The police officers had probably contacted him, as their mother still had not removed her former husband from the contact list on her mobile phone. In any way, their father had asked the children to come to Japan. So here they were, on the plane…

  Ken gradually fell asleep beside his sweet sister.

  ***

  Suddenly, the plane started to shake wildly.

  Ken opened his eyes and found the cabin attendants shouting over the microphone, “Please remain seated, and make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened!” Ken looked right, and his eyes met wit
h the worried eyes of Meg’s. “It will be OK, Sis.” He said, though he had no idea what was going on.

  And the plane started to lose height rapidly.

  Very, very rapidly.

  Meg and Ken thought they saw a bright light before everything went dark.

  Chapter 2: The Garden of Peace

  Meg was dreaming, a dream filled with sweet memories and fragrance. Sweet fragrance of spring that reminded her of someone so dear…. But she could not remember who that was…. She was hearing a voice, calling her softly as if from….

  “Meg, Meg! Wake up!” Another voice was calling her.

  “No, no… I’m not coming,” Meg retorted.

  That someone now started to shake her body.

  “No, no… I’m not coming,” Meg resisted.

  “Meg! Sis! Don’t fall asleep!”

  Meg drowsily opened her eyes, and found Ken’s brown eyes looking her down worriedly.

  “Ken…?”

  “Oh, Meg. I was so worried that you might have…well, are you feeling all right?

  “Yeah, I think so. What just happened? Where are we?”

  “I don’t really know. I just remember our plane getting out of control. I thought we would crash, but then everything went dark.”

  “So, we crashed?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m not hurt, and I think neither are you. Stand up and check by yourself. Where do you think we are?”

  Meg slowly raised herself to find the air filled with the fresh fragrance of roses. Then she looked around and was very, very surprised. In front of her were thick bushes of roses about the height of her shoulder. In fact, she and Ken were in the middle of a rose garden, whose edges not visible. Most of the roses around them were pure white; a few deep red. All of them were at full bloom as if to show off their beauty under the soft sunlight of spring. The garden was so quiet, so peaceful…. Meg reached for a white rose nearby and felt its soft petals.

  “How beautiful! But then are we in heav….”

  Meg could not complete her comment because suddenly, a strong wind blew—an unnaturally warm wind. When the wind blew past the two, they both felt a shiver running down their spine despite the warmth of the wind. The roses did not show any sign of movement even though the wind was very strong—except the deep red ones which suddenly started to shiver wildly. The two did not notice this strange state of the red roses as they had to close their eyes to protect themselves.