Zaldizko - Chapter 1 Gat Shiem

My name is Famine.

I come from a tranquil monastery called Gat Shiem, which covers the apex of a snowy mountain. Gigantic moonstone rock walls protect this place from Sol’s harmful elements.

It is a blessed home that I’m grateful to wake up in. Especially on days like today where the morning daylight warmed my small room, making it hard to leave my snugly blankets.

“Onii-san, I’ve finished pressing your pants.” Pesti yawned before me, wiping sleep from his neutral-grey eyes.

I smiled at the sight of my baby brother’s delicate and unassailable features, which would outdo the beauty of any princess.

“You’re good at this.” I praised him when I eventually rose from my futon to take my clothes from his arms.

He acknowledged the praise with another yawn, sweeping aside strands of silver fringe from his brows.

My hands ran over the crease free cloth of my neatly folded sackcloth tunic and long pants. I felt fortunate to share room with my brother, as he kept a meticulous order, reflecting the cleanliness of Sangha Hall’s (our dull stone dormitory) ground floor.

We began our typical routine once we were dressed for duty. Pesti and I were tasked with the upkeep of the grounds and gardens around the shimmering sand-white splendour of Buddha’s worship hall and Butsudan.

“Morning.” I reverently greeted a shaven head monk dressed in a formal midnight-blue kimono.

We repeated greetings for the other monks we passed on our way to the small alder log cabins, which were nestled within a belt of pine trees at the small glen near the back wall.

The crisp air invigorated my energies as I tended to the cabins’ private rock gardens and trimmed the grass of the meditation grounds with Pesti.

“Morning Loppy.” I greeted a spotty rabbit that rubbed against my sandals.

Pesti gently patted its head.

“Can you clear away the fallen leaves over there?” he politely asked the creature, his finger pointed to scattered nettle leaves littering the sand beds.

The rabbit hopped to the area and eagerly ate the leaves.

By mid-morning, we had cleaned all the rock gardens, the Zend and surrounding areas.

My cheeks were flushed from heat of the approaching noon sun. It was time for my regular visit with Buddha.

I packed away our cleaning tools in the tin garden shed behind the library moonstone pillar tower, and hurried to the Temizuya stone basin within the Central Courtyard to perform my ablution.

The placid lull about the Butsudan Hall’s wide verandah was calming. I felt pure as I entered the worship hall and padded down the cool strip of floorboards that lead to our deity. I offered my thanks before a glorious gold and dark stone sitting Buddha enshrined within nature’s splendour of various coloured flowers and lush foliage.

“Life’s good, please keep it this way.” I sealed my prayer with a clap; the sound echoing around the hall.

The smell of woody incense burning at the shrine filled my head with peace and a feeling of nostalgia. I relished the gentle rays of daylight warming the top of my head, which was bowed at Buddha’s feet.

“It’s nice, the earnest prayers from youngsters.” I heard a papery voice behind me.

I greeted Shuso, our head monk, with a reverent prayer bow as he approached me from the other end of the hall.

“Famine. The pink angels are smiling down on us from the sky, looks like an eventful day awaits us. I saw your brothers at the Kuri with bellies crying for food.” The elderly monk chuckled. “Aah such youth.”

I acknowledged his metaphorical words with a cordial bow then sprinted through the temple grounds to the Kuri, (the kitchen hall).

Its long rows of benches and dining tables were sure to be crowded. I would miss out on the ganmodoki if I didn’t hurry.

I groaned. The sight of piddly amounts of rice remaining on the row of buffet tables near the rice paper doors, upon my arrival, made my stomach growl.

“Damnit!” I hissed at the revelation of no ganmodoki. “Don’t blame me if my afternoon duties are shoddy due to delirium!”

“Watch your manners Famine. You sully your pretty face with foul complaints. Your black eyes and hair stand out like a hissy cat,” said a shaven head monk. His droopy dog eyes were set with a cranky expression.

“I need protein only ganmodoki can give!”

I yelped at the curt slap he gave my skinny shoulders.

“Sorry Adams-san.” I bowed.

I hurried to the back row of tables and benches, which my three brothers occupied.

“Dat’s what yah get for prayin’ too long Famisto.” War, my elder brother, teased me with choice bits of savoury fried tofu dangling, deliberately, between his chopsticks.

I growled at his smug face.

Daylight accentuated the cocky expression in his green eyes. His spiky crop of flaming red hair added to his rugged manliness.

He shoved the ganmodoki into his mouth before I had a chance to steal it.

“Mean!” I sulked and slumped down on the bench next to Pesti who was disinterested in War’s raillery.

“There, there, Onii-san, take mine. I saved this for you anyway,” said Pesti as he gently offloaded his three untouched patties to my poor plate.

“You’re the best Pesti!” I hugged him, letting go when I felt his body tense.

“Fine, take meh morsels. Better give meh bloody thanks.” War grumbled as he offloaded his remaining two patties to my plate.

My heart swayed with forgiveness. I planted a ‘thank you kiss’ on his cheek.

“Spoiling our younger brother again War?” chuckled Death who was seated next to him.

War ignored his tease. He shuffled out of his seat to take his leave, failing to hide his blushes.

I warmly acknowledged our eldest brother.

Death was already of legal majority age, being three years older than myself.

Adams-san had once mentioned that women would find Death’s stylish sweep of blond hair, symmetrical features and smiling blue eyes fetching. ‘Of husband quality’, he had put it.

I personally found it difficult to envision. Death would only need to open is mouth and talk about magism to turn a person off.

“With my blessings.” He kindly offloaded his fat ganmodoki patties to me.

Buddha had blessed me with three kind brothers.

“Make sure you chew thirty times before swallowing,” he said as he wiped off some rice grains from my face.

He removed himself from the bench with dirty plates in hand.

I wolfed down my food, cleaned my mess and raced out of the Kuri to complete the rest of my chores.

“Yummy!” I licked my lips and patted my satisfied belly as I strolled past the Karesansui, (the sand bed garden).

I stepped onto the soft sand and pebble stone path behind the Butsudan Hall, with intentions to make my way back to the alder log cabins.

The blissful rays of the afternoon sun continued to warm the air. Summer crickets still chirped their lulling tunes.

I hummed a ditty melody then stopped. I feared it was from one of Bulldog’s ragtime records, I had secretly listened to whilst sampling forbidden moonshine with my brothers at the Kuri basement. The times we had almost been caught by the fukuten or tenzo were bad for my heart.

“Forgive me Buddha for being a bad boy. I promise to be good from now on.” I clapped my hands to set the promise.

The rush of feet at my back made me turn around; I cursed when my body was slammed to the ground by War’s knock down.

“Yah sloppy Baby Bro, taught yah better than this,” he said with an irritating grin.

“Ugh!” I struggled against War’s headlock.

My banging hands stirred clouds of sand. I grabbed a fist full and threw it back at his head, causing his arms around me to ease.

I struggled out of his hold and stood heaving for breath. He had knocked the wind out of me.

“What the heck War!”

“Dat’s the spirit Baby Bro! Get ’em fighting juices flowing.” He licked his lips as he grabbed my ankles and yanked me to the ground.

We brawled on the path, disturbing the air with more sand clouds.

“WAR! FAMINE! Cease this behaviour this instant!”

We froze at the sound of Death’s priggish voice from the Butsudan Hall’s wide veranda.

“You’re an idiot,” I hissed at War and pushed him off me.

“Stupid pansy needs toughin’ up.” War threw back.

I moped at the messy sight of my sackcloth tunic and pants and felt bits of stone stuck to my sandals. I pulled them off to pick out the troublesome pieces from the soles.

“War! Refrain from fighting our younger brother!” Death wagged an angry finger.

“Tell him Death.” I poked my tongue at War.

“Grow up Famine! You’re not a kid anymore!” Death redirected his scolding to me.

“B-But it was War who…” My explanation was silenced by Death’s icy stare.

“Honestly, this behaviour is disrespectful to Buddha and the monks. You should learn from our youngest! Furthermore…” Death continued to scold.

War and I sat on our knees with our heads bowed with apology.

“If we were magis at a time of contention, you’d be flogged for disrespect according to Section 28 of the Magism Code of Conduct and Consequence, which states…” Death’s scolding became a long-winded lecture.

I hoped he didn’t notice my sleepy eyes.

“Ahem. I hate to interrupt your lecture Death-niisan, but Bulldog is asking for Onii-san.”

I perked up to the sweet sound of Pesti’s voice.

“Oh, Pestilence, of course.” Death’s voice had changed to a friendlier tone.

No surprises on who was his favourite brother.

“I think I’ve scolded these two children enough.” He expelled a weary breath.

War and I rose to our feet, shoving each other back and forth in the process.

“Your fault Death’s mad at us,” I hissed at War.

“Yah a pipsqueak brother boy ain’t yah,” he answered back.

We snarled at each other.

“Come on Onii-san.” Pesti sighed.

He grabbed me by the ear to drag me away from War’s call for a rematch, and Death’s groaning.

“You really ought to calm yourself when War tests you,” Pesti said, releasing my ear once we were clear of the Butsudan Hall, and near the Temizuya stone basin.

We walked across the Central Courtyard and past the reinforced iron doors of the archive moonstone pillar tower, bowing our respects to passing monks.

“I can’t help it. Big Bro’s always picking on me,” I sulked whilst rubbing my sore ear.

“You’re an easy target Onii-san. You’re simple-minded, you let your emotions get the better of you, you’re too transparent.” Pesti’s observation tugged at my heart.

“Brutal!” I gasped at the truth.

“Mushin, Zanshin, Satori; it’s what we learn right?” He patted my back with a warm smile.

He was the wiser brother. Although he was a year younger, his maturity placed him on the same level as Death. If he were to shave his head and don the official midnight-blue samue, he would likely reach the ideal image befitting Buddha’s blessings.

I frowned with another train of thought.

“Hey, Pesti. Why did Shuso let us keep our hair, and we don’t wear the blue samue?”

“You’re asking me?” Pesti raised his brows at my random question.

“Dat because yah boys be wildcats not ready for the samue!” Bulldog’s gruff voice growled behind our backs. “Yah taken too long.”

“Sorry Bulldog. It was War’s fault. He started picking a fight with me for no reason,” I mumbled my excuses and yelped at the stinging pinch Bulldog gave my ear.

He let out a weary sigh.

“Yah boys be old enough to be adults. Famine give meh most heart trouble. Lots to learn yah ‘ave. Lucky I know lots to teach.” He flashed me a toothless smile, which didn’t match the stern glare from his brown eyes.

“Pestilence. Go tend dah foxes. I be taken Famine for some training.” Bulldog calmly ordered.

“Do well Onii-san.” Pesti gave me the thumbs up.

He left for the evergreen trees at the bottom of the slope.

Bulldog was an unexpected monk in the blue kimono, and a kind-hearted father to the four of us at most times. Right now, his intimidating presence made me nervous.

“Now I teach yah some ways to Mushin.” A cold grin pushed back his saggy cheeks.

I followed his lead to the pond amongst the evergreen trees, where my warm afternoon would soon become an icy cold one.

Bulldog had me learning Mushin in the pond’s freezing water for most of the afternoon.

The evergreen trees grew a dense canopy around the irregular shaped pond I trained in, isolating it from the glaring late summer–early autumn sun. I shivered before I went into the water; no chance of feeling warm. To top it off, an overpowering stench of musk and pine wafted about the air to stir up a nasty headache as I practised the art of stillness, waist-deep in murky water.

Eventually I was permitted to re-join Pesti for our usual duties.

“Did you learn anything?” Pesti asked as he observed my shivering body.

“The pond’s bloody cold. That’s what I learned,” I grumbled, feeling like a drowned rat.

Pesti chuckled. He returned to his work.

I sighed, deciding it was best to work harder, so I could dry faster.

We followed Bulldog’s example of diligent care towards the plants and small animals of the grounds.

Seeing seeds, sown in the gardens by my own hands, flourish into beautiful life was fulfilling. Healthy animals sharing napping spots as if they were old friends was a delightful sight.

Pesti enjoyed the company of animals the most. His ability to gain their assistance had lightened our work load.

The day was approaching twilight when we headed to the temple’s entrance to complete our last duties.

We were causally passing through the Torii gate near the shady pine forest when I felt something land on my shoulder. I dropped my water bucket with fright near one of the red hashira.

“Sheesh Small Cap, quit startling me like that.” I sighed with relief.

It was just my spider friend. His bug-face appeared to be grinning.

Small Cap was a large-sized great huntsman whose golden hair, walrus beard, opaque eyes and twiggy legs was a gentle appearance for a spider. I gave him his name because of his unique tiny tuft of hair that protruded from his forehead like a cap.

He scurried into my pocket.

“I’m glad he’s fond of you. Probably been hard for him since he lost his place in his nest,” Pesti said with a smile.

“Guess I’m his makeshift nestmate.” I gently patted Small Cap’s head.

“Or nest.” Pesti pointed to my breast pocket.

If that was so, I was glad to be his home. Small Cap had been separated from his nest during a storm. A window had closed on his leg when he had tried to escape through the opening. His recovery had taken some time. So, when he returned to his nest, his scent was no longer recognisable to his family. He had been chased out.

I worked with Small Cap sleeping in my pocket. He woke when I had arrived to the Kuri for dinner time. Unaware of his surroundings, he jumped out of my pocket and landed on to War’s loaded plate.

The comical sight of War’s squeals and failed attempts to shoo off Small Cap was a priceless revenge.

Food was scattered everywhere about our table. Small Cap was able to escape through a partially opened window.

Death groaned when we saw the dining hall’s attention was focused on us.

“Yah bloody wildcats! Clean up dah mess!” We copped a fierce scolding from Bulldog and a lot of disappointed sighs from the monks at the other tables.

My three brothers and I quietly cleaned up the damage. I felt War’s irk burning at my back the whole time.

“Whydahell yah bring dat critter here yah bastard?!” he discreetly growled into my ear.

I cringed at the elbow jab I felt to my gut.

“You’re lucky Small Cap didn’t bite your fat nose. I would’ve.” I spat out.

Eventually the hall resumed its restful silence. The four of us focused on eating what little food was left on our plates.

War and Death had resumed their duties back at the library and archive towers after dinner. Small Cap didn’t return.

Pesti and I finished planting the new seedlings in the small meditation garden behind the glowing white Butsudan Hall.

“Phew!” I heaved a sigh of satisfaction. Another day’s work was done.

We walked along a moist stone path through the evergreen trees towards the stone wall.

I relished the smells of musky foliage and autumn flowers sailing under our noses. A calming breeze cooled our skin.

“Beautiful night,” I whispered my thought aloud.

Pesti nodded.

We both stopped in our tracks, wonderstruck by the magical effulgence of the green, pink and blue aurora borealis snaking about the starry evening sky.

“Is this a spiritual nexus thing that Death goes on about?” I blurted the question to Pesti.

He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

I smiled at his calm expression illuminated by the light, and gripped his hand tight within mine, feeling his warmth feed love into my heart.

It was a moment I didn’t want to end.

A young rabbit brushed against my ankle.

Pesti pulled a carrot from his pocket; he fed it to the grateful rabbit. Its twitchy nose rubbed his ankle before it hopped down the slope.

“Hey, Pesti. This life won’t change, right? You, me, Death, War will always be family, right?”

“Of course, I don’t see what could change. Why would it?”

I felt settled by Pesti’s answer.

“Thank you, brother,” I whispered.

We reluctantly pulled away from the moment and made our way back to our room to call it a day.

I lapsed into a deep sleep as soon as I was comfortable in my futon.

Vague gurgling, coughing and other cries of bodily pain interrupted my sleep. I woke to pitch black night.

The noises became more obvious with dull thuds, angry curses, trampling boots, screaming, chanted curses and mechanical screeching.

Panic stirred my mind into action.

I groped the futon next to me for Pesti and felt my heart about to jump out of my chest when I couldn’t feel him.

“Pesti,” I whispered and yelped when a hand covered my mouth.

“Quiet Onii-san.” Pesti’s whispered voice flowed into my ears.

I kissed a sigh of relief into his hand.

He released my mouth and gripped my arm for me to follow his lead.

We gathered our tunics and dressed as we crawled our way to the far corner of our room.

A memory of a lecture with Bulldog surfaced to my mind.

_”Boys, if yah ever find yahselves in danger make sure yah go down a hatch.”_

Were we in danger? The increasing din of terrifying noises left no reason to doubt.

Pesti carefully pried open the hatch (disguised as a prayer mat), so as not to make a sound.

I followed him through the hatch, making sure the lid was carefully closed back into place, and down a secret hole.

The hole opened into a narrow tunnel that we had to crawl through.

A few times we had to block each other’s noses from sneezes spurned on by the showers of dust that rained on our heads every time the floor above trembled.

We crawled to a three-way fork that had paths going off into unfamiliar areas.

“Which one do we go down?” I whispered to Pesti.

“Crap – I d-dunno,” Pesti whispered.

Dirt and dust rained down harder on us from the commotion happening on the floor above. The eerie screams and unworldly screeches increased in volume.

“Ugh!” Pesti cursed before slamming a hand over his mouth.

I saw his body trembling with fright at the hairy spider dangling off the edge of his fringe.

“Small Cap.” I extended my hand, relieved to see my eight-legged friend.

He jumped off Pesti’s hair and landed on the back of my hand.

I lowered my nose close to his body.

“Hey, you know the way out?” I whispered as quietly as I could.

Small Cap rubbed his forelegs together before he turned and scurried down the left path.

“Let’s go.” I prompted Pesti.

We followed Small Cap away from the din.

The tunnel eventually gave way to a dead end and closed hatch surrounded by scrawny tree roots.

I felt my knees scrapped and damp from moss and wet soil. Scents of morning dew and fresh foliage wafted up my nose.

We paused for danger. When we felt the coast was clear, we pulled aside the tree roots and pushed open the hatch with all our might.

My heart ached at the sight of demon orange and red lights dancing about my eyes. The monastery was engulfed in an uncontrollable fire.

I coughed at the taste of burnt material and smoke quickly contaminating the air. The sounds of people and creatures suffering pain were deafening to my ears.

“Death, War!” I cried out and scrambled into a blind run for the temple gardens and path back to Sangha Hall.

My way was cut off by Bulldog and some of the monks sprinting in our direction.

“No! Go back! Too late!” Bulldog yelled out as he grabbed my arm and forced my sprints back to the secret hatch and the wall nearby.

“Small Cap!” I called when I saw him perched on the hatch.

He skilfully leapt onto my shoulder and scurried into my pocket.

I stumbled to a rest next to Pesti with my chest heaving for breath.

“Please, Bulldog, we need to get Death and War.” I panted, receiving a head shake for an answer.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” I screamed hysterically.

I was slapped back to my senses by Pesti’s hand.

“Onii-san. We’ve to find a way out first before we can go back.” Pesti coolly reasoned.

Of course, what he said seemed the most logical approach, but my uneasiness wouldn’t calm.

“I’m anxious to see they’re safe too, so let’s trust in Bulldog and the monks.” He gently added.

I glanced at Small Cap’s tiny head poking out from my pocket. His earnest stare, from all of his eight eyes, seemed to be saying the same thing.

Bulldog and the monks chanted in a low hum. Their arms drew an intricate symbol of a third eye cakra into the air before us.

The symbol glowed with a brilliant blue light. It became solid as the monks’ chanting increased in volume. It smashed against the moonstone wall’s surface like glass.

My eyes bulged at a sight of a frozen, white, world beyond the opening the cakra symbol had created in the wall.

“GO!” One of the monks shouted.

I was pushed through the opening along with Pesti.

The sounds of fire, destruction and calamity were replaced with howling winds as we sprinted through snow that whipped at our skin and stung our eyes, barely keeping track of the orange from the monks’ billowing kesa.

The snowy landscape wasn’t showing changes in scenery. My legs were about to collapse.

We stopped suddenly. The monks threw a strip of brown, talisman, rice paper into the air.

I gawked at the sight of aurora lights dancing about the white snow.

We were ushered into the lights and found ourselves entering the comfy warmth of a hunter’s log cabin.

Bulldog guided us to a calming fire at the cabin’s hearth with orders of resting on the rug.

“Bulldog. Death and War…” My voice trailed off with doubts of their escape burning on the tip of my tongue.

No. They were our strong and smart older brothers. I had to believe it was their fate to survive and be with us soon.

Pesti’s mouth opened to say something then closed without uttering anything.

I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.

Our eyes drooped with sleep as our bodies thawed under the hearth’s warmth.

I was on the edge of a deep sleep when I felt Pesti’s body tense; my eyes opened to his expression of terror towards the cabin’s window.

I turned my head to see what he was looking at, but he yanked my head back, so our eyes were on each other.

“What is it?” My voice trembled.

Pesti answered with a tighter embrace.

“Famine,” he whispered my name.

High pitched shrieking smashed through the cabin’s window and brought an onslaught of snowy winds and near-blinding blue flashes inside.

The hearth’s warmth was snuffed out.

I screamed and struggled against the invading monstrous tree like men in black suits that were yanking Pesti and myself apart with abnormal hands and branch-like fingers.

“Pesti! No, get off me!” I screamed for him, desperate to keep hold of his hand.

“PESTI!”

High-pitched shrieking attacked my ears. The stench of fresh blood wafted up my nose. I felt the brunt of a dull object knock me unconscious.