Island of Figures E-Book

Renier-Fréduman Mundil

• Herausgeber: BoD - Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 151

Beschreibung

A little girl in Japan receives a doll from her father for her birthday. When the girl is older, the doll is placed on the waves of the sea in a small boat. Apparently a tradition to mark the transition to a new phase of life into adulthood. The girl's brother is present at this farewell to the doll, and suddenly he rushes into the waves to place his lion in the boat as another companion for the doll. He manages to do that, but then disappears forever into the dark sea. Some time later, another girl travels after her missing doll, and an exciting, adventurous journey begins with an unusual, surprising end.

Leseprobe

For

Tali

Our wonderful daughter

An enrichment for our lives.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Biography

Preface

Renier-Fréduman Mundil (pseudonym) has been a doctor for 40 years, and now, at the end of his professional life, has pulled a dusty manuscript out of his cluttered desk drawer, and his wife subsequently clothed it in the neatly cleaned and freshly ironed costume of an old book cover, so that it can walk a little like Pinocchio himself through this world.

Mundil has been married for 43 years and has 24 children (don't be alarmed, four of his own, four children-in-law and 16 grandchildren).

Some of these dusty manuscripts arose from the age-old, simple perpetuum-mobile reason: Once upon a time there was a man who had 24 children, and the 24 children said, Father, tell us a story! So the father began: “Once upon a time there was a man who had....“

A little girl in Japan receives a doll from her father for her birthday. When the girl is older, the doll is placed on the waves of the sea in a small boat. Apparently a tradition to mark the transition to a new phase of life into adulthood. The girl's brother is present at this farewell to the doll, and suddenly he rushes into the waves to place his lion in the boat as another companion for the doll. He manages to do that, but then disappears forever into the dark sea.

Some time later, another girl travels after her missing doll, and an exciting, adventurous journey begins with an unusual, surprising end.

1.

Mr Yomoto lived in the land of smiles. Everything in this land smiled, the sun, the sky, the flowers, even the grey stones. Because nature smiled, it was easier for people to smile too. Even in moments of sadness, people's faces were covered with a gentle smile instead of dissolving into tears.

One day, Mr Yomoto went to hospital. Because he was always smiling, it was impossible to guess whether he went to the hospital for a sad or a happy reason.

Let me just ask him.

Mr Yomoto, why are you smiling?

The little man turned round. But he didn't see anyone.

Who's talking to me? he thought and walked on.

Mr Yomoto hadn't seen us. It's no wonder, because he lived a hundred years ago and we're alive now.

I met him again later. And he allowed me to tell his story, which is actually the story of his daughter Imito. On that day, he went to hospital because he had become a father. His wife had given birth to a little girl.

It was only a few moments before little Imito was already two years old. She could stand and walk and speak a few words.

Our daughter is old enough for a doll, thought Mr Yomoto.

He remembered that it was his daughter's birthday again in three days' time.

He got into his car and drove into town. Doll shops are much rarer than grocery shops or hairdressers. Mr Yomoto had to search for a long time before he found a doll shop. The shop was on the outskirts of the city, away from the main streets in a narrow alley.

Mr Yomoto entered and the shop bell rang. After a while, he heard shuffling footsteps. The wall curtain opened and an old woman came into the room with short, shuffling steps.

What would you like, sir?

I'm looking for a doll. For my daughter, you must know. She will be three years old tomorrow. The old woman led Mr Yomoto into an adjoining room. The dolls were sitting there on small armchairs and tiny chairs. Some had straight blonde hair, others black curly hair or even auburn hair that curled over the doll's clothes like a lion's mane. But whether they had blue or red, yellow or pink dresses, all the dolls were new, barely more than a year old.

Do you also have older dolls? asked Mr Yomoto. I thought I would find older dolls in an older shop.

The woman shook her head in surprise. This question was unusual, more unusual than someone asking for blue apples in a fruit shop. But Mr Yomoto couldn't have known any better. He had become a father for the first time, he was buying a doll for the first time in his life.

There isn't a doll older than fifteen in the whole country, the old woman whispered mysteriously. Don't you know the custom in our country?

What custom? asked Mr Yomoto curiously.

A doll knows everything about a girl, said the woman. It knows when a girl cries and why she is crying. It knows when a girl is in love for the first time because a girl tells her doll everything.

And the custom? Mr Yomoto interrupted.

Let me finish my story. The doll gets something like a soul and in this soul there is a lot of knowledge about a girl. That's dangerous. If a stranger steals the doll, he can learn a lot about the girl.

Do you understand? He can find out why your daughter has been crying, what she is most ashamed of, what she is afraid of, who her best friend is. A doll is like a diary. Do you want a stranger to know all these things about you? Would you like a stranger to read your diary? Mr Yomoto shook his head.

And that's why there's a custom?

The old woman nodded.

That's why all the dolls are burnt when the girls are fifteen. That way, no-one can find out their secrets.

Why don't they hide them, nobody could steal them!

Today, everything is stolen. Even jewelry from the biggest vaults in the world. There is no safe place, no safe place for gold or jewelry, jewels or dolls.

Do the girls cry when their dolls are burnt?

Yes, the old woman replied. Some cry for days and take a long time to understand everything. That's why another custom was introduced.

What do you mean? asked Mr Yomoto.

The dolls are abandoned. They are put in a small boat and the boat is put in the water. The waves and the sea current then carry the boats with the dolls away.

Mr Yomoto became thoughtful. Maybe he shouldn't give his daughter a doll. Would she cry later if he had to burn the doll or put it out on the big ocean?

Buy your daughter a doll, the old shop assistant advised, as if she could read minds. Fifteen years is a long time, a lot can change by then.

Mr Yomoto nodded.

You're right. What happened to your doll when you were fifteen?

My father built a small wooden boat. It was very nice, as big as a baby buggy. There was a mast in the centre made from an old table leg, with three sails. One day before my fifteenth birthday, we travelled to the sea. My mum had sewed little bags for the provisions: dry rusks, salted meat, tins of fish and chocolate cubes. I then tied the boat to my kite string and put it in the water. Soon the sea current had carried the boat away. The kite string had run out and I cut it. Do you understand? It was like cutting an umbilical cord. Now I was living alone and my doll was living alone.

Suddenly someone called my name:

Tamashi, Tamashi, wait!

It was my brother, he knew how sad I was that day. I can still see him running down the hill and calling out to me: Aren't you afraid that something might happen to your doll? Of course I was scared. When you're fifteen years old and you put your doll out to sea, of course you're scared.

He opened his jacket and pulled out something big and brown. It was his lion, his favourite stuffed animal.

It will protect your doll, my brother said. But the boat was already floating far out. Before we realised it, I mean my father and I, my brother had taken off his clothes and jumped into the water. He could swim like a fish. With every wave, his body disappeared with the brown lion into the churning sea. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the boat. We saw him put the wet stuffed lion into the boat next to my doll.

The old woman interrupted her story.

Mr Yomoto knew the reason immediately.

I'm sorry, he said.

Yes, my brother didn't come back. He was caught by a wave and didn't reappear. My father took me in his arms and comforted me. I can still hear his words today, as if the whole disaster had only happened yesterday:

We have to be brave now. And: You don't need to be afraid.

The wood of the boat is stronger than the water, the lion is stronger than the perils of the sea. And eventually the ship will land on an island where the sun never sets and the sand is as white as snow.

Mr Yomoto looked at the old woman. She was a head shorter than him, her back bent downwards by the many years.

Do you believe it? I was going to say, do you believe that this island exists?

I don't know. You know, as a child you're told a lot. Some of it is true, some of it is just meant to scare children. At fifteen I was no longer a child, but the fears from childhood remain. If you are afraid of spiders as a child, this fear remains even when you are an adult. Back then, I was very scared when my doll disappeared in the tiny wooden boat on the big sea. The thought that somewhere beyond the blue horizon there was a snow-white island where my doll would one day live helped me a lot.

You're right, replied Mr Yomoto. There are thousands of islands in the vast ocean. Some of them are said to be home to strange animals and plants that no human has ever seen. Certainly there are also islands where no human has ever set foot.

2.

The man looked again at the many new dolls lined up on the shelf. Which one should he choose? Which one would his daughter enjoy the most? He wanted to choose the prettiest one. Everyone looks for the prettiest doll when they want to give their daughter a present.

The old woman stood next to Mr Yomoto.

You shouldn't go by beauty, she said.

Why?

Remember, in fifteen years' time this doll will be travelling across the great sea, alone, all alone. Maybe she'll be caught in a storm. Maybe a predatory fish will chase her or a sinister pirate ship will cross her path. I mean, whoever gets into these dangers doesn't have to be beautiful. Choose a smart doll, one that is stable and strong.

It's easy to find out that a doll is beautiful. But how do I know if it's clever and skilful? asked Mr Yomoto.

You have to look into the doll's eyes, said the old woman.

Mr Yomoto looked at the many figures again. It took a long time before he finally stopped in front of one of the many dolls. In front of him, sitting on a turned wooden chair, was a doll about as long as his arm. Her light, curly hair fell into her face, billowing over the colourful dress embellished with pictures of animals. The palms of her hands were stubby, while her fingers were as fine as cobwebs. Two green eyes sat under bushy eyebrows, a narrow nose was lost in the round upper lip, from below the chin pushed into the features of the mouth like a too narrowly drawn "V".

I'll take this doll, said Mr Yomoto, I think my daughter will like it.

The old woman took the lifeless figure from the shelf and placed the small body, which was made of wood and cotton, silk, pearls and leather, on the table.

I'll wrap it up for you!

That's very kind of you, replied Mr Yomoto. May I ask you to use this paper?

He took a roll of tissue wrapping paper he had bought in the morning out of his bag.

3.

In this way, Mr Yomoto's little daughter Imito received her first doll and it remained the only one in her life. Mr Yomoto sat down at his desk that very day and wrote down the old shop assistant's story. At some point, before his daughter turned fifteen, he had to prepare her to say goodbye to the doll. He had a feeling that the old woman's story might help. He didn't know whether it was a good, sensible custom to separate girls from their dolls at the age of fifteen. But customs have their past history, their reason, their right, and he bowed to the greatness of the time-honored custom.

4.

Again, only a few moments passed and little Imito was about to celebrate her eighth birthday. When she returned home after school, her father was already at home. Every year, Mr Yomoto took a day off to celebrate his daughter's birthday with her.

This year, the birthday table looked strange: no flowers, no beautifully wrapped presents, no birthday cake. Instead, it was a jumbled mess of different sized and differently shaped pieces of wood, with lots of tools, wood glue, nails and screws in between.

Do you want to turn me into a boy? asked Imito.

Mr Yomoto laughed.

What makes you think that? Why shouldn't girls also work with wood, hammers and nails? But they're still girls!

Is this supposed to be a doll's house?

Mr Yomoto shook his head.

Maybe a doll's buggy?

Mr Yomoto shook his head.

Maybe a crocodile back leather throne?

Mr Yomoto answered in the negative again.

Now I know! A sledge for my doll.

Mr Yomoto was still shaking his head.

I'll read you a story, then you'll get the right answer.

He read the old woman's story about how her father had built the ship, how the doll was put into the water with the wooden boat, how the boy came rushing in with the lion, how he swam after the ship and how the doll's boat disappeared into the blue horizon. He didn't say anything about the boy sinking in the churning waves of the sea and never coming back. The story was sad anyway and he didn't want to worry his daughter too much. Mr Yomoto looked up. His daughter had lost her cheerful smile.

You must be sad now?

A little, but I still have seven years until my doll goes on her journey.

Seven years go by quickly. In seven years, you'll be a good bit taller ‒ and I'll probably be a few centimetres shorter than I am now. Imito was able to laugh again.

In seven years, you'll be able to sail across the big water with my doll. You'll definitely be small enough then.

Mr Yomoto stood up.

Sailing across the sea with a doll is probably more the thing for an adventurous child. The idea of me sitting in a small wooden boat with the doll and the waves towering over us like houses turns my skin into a rough washboard.

Imito put her hand in her father's back.

Your fur still feels quite smooth, she said.

Mr Yomoto was glad that his daughter was no longer sad. Seven years is a long time to prepare for a farewell. They both began to sort out the jumbled pieces of wood on the table. It was early in the afternoon. Mr Yomoto and his daughter were busily assembling the boat. By the evening, the hull of the boat was finished. The rest had time, almost seven years.

5.

Imito lived with her parents in a huge tower block. People lived on fifty floors, one above the other, and if it hadn't been for the ceiling of one room, which was also the floor of the next storey, fifty people would have been standing on top of and above each other. A pyramid of fifty people: Each standing with his feet on the head of the other. The houses were close together. The warming rays of the sun never fell into some of the windows, only the grey shadow of the next house covered these rooms.

Mirrors were skillfully placed on the roofs so that the sun's rays were directed into the dark rooms. But a ray of sunlight coming from a mirror does not bring the warm, yellow light of the rays that fall directly into the room from the sun. In the early evening, all the rooms were in darkness. The sun had crept behind the mountains and thousands of lamps in the rooms of the houses began to keep out the darkness of the night like little artificial suns.

Imito was sitting on her bed. She had experienced a lot today, more than on the other days. Today, of all days, there was no-one she could talk to about these experiences. Her father, Mr Yomoto,