moonlitnights: old/stories/CCScharity

comparison old/stories/CCScharity_2.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights

[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'

author	rlm
date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Learning To Fly: Chapter 2
+by:
+The Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+G.P.
+pearsong1954@yahoo.com
+=====
+Shifting uneasily in his chair, the hospital administrator glanced
+at the two young women while shuffling distractedly through the
+paperwork on his massive desk. He had seen the one girl many times
+before, assisting her mother in charity work. As Acting Director of
+the Tokyo Medical Center Children's Hospital, he was fully aware that
+the presents for pediatric patients were but a tiny fraction of the
+Daidouji Foundation's generous contributions. Very generous
+contributions. He knew the younger Daidouji as quiet, sensible and
+hard working. But her companion was something new altogether. He
+peeked sideways at her, as if to confirm just what he was seeing. She
+was young, rather pretty, and looked deeply embarrassed. Embarrassed,
+no doubt, by the outlandish costume in which she was dressed.
+Her blouse was tightly wrapped and bare at the shoulders, leaving
+little to the imagination. Made of a curious fabric, she shimmered
+all the colors of the rainbow with every hesitant movement. Her
+skirt, made of glossy white taffeta, was distressingly short,
+revealing a pair of athletic legs clad in silvery pantyhose and
+lavender garters. Her hair was bedecked with ribbons and bows, and on
+her back were…wings. She had to lean forward to keep from crushing
+her delicate, diaphanous butterfly wings against the chair. Most
+peculiar of all they seemed to flutter now and then all on their own.
+It was of little comfort that the girl seemed as embarrassed as he
+was, though their mutual emotion seemed to make little impression on
+the cheerful Daidouji woman. In a reluctant voice he spoke,
+"Ehhh, well, it is a bit unusual, you see. The children, are, well,
+easily upset by changes in their routine."
+Oblivious to his concerns, the dark-haired woman sang out, "But
+we're merely delivering the presents, so there really is no change to
+the routine. And I'm sure they would be delighted by Sakura's
+costume, don't you think?"
+This allowed him the chance to look directly at the young brunette,
+though he quickly looked away with a blush. Haltingly, he spoke
+again, "Perhaps, umm, if I had some of the nurses deliver the
+presents…"
+Tomoyo replied with a sweet smile, "I wouldn't want to trouble your
+staff with such a little thing. I'm sure they are very busy with
+their regular duties. Perhaps, if there is a problem, you and my
+mother would be the best ones to work it out?"
+This hit home. The last thing he wanted was to explain to the Board
+of Directors why the primary donor of the Hospital was upset. Almost
+too hastily he answered, "Oh, no, no, no, I'm sure there is no need
+for that, heh-heh. Umm, yes, well, why don't you and, umm,  Kinomoto
+san go ahead with your good work, then?"
+"Splendid!" The Daidouji woman rose and bowed, pulling up the still
+dazed Sakura by her bare arm. "I believe we are scheduled for the
+second floor today."
+"Yes, well, the best of luck to you both." The Acting Director
+slumped back in his chair, watching the peculiar pair exit the door.
+Holding his head in his hands he slumped back, longing for the life
+of a simple ward doctor working 48 hours straight.
+Sakura and Tomoyo strained to pull the wagon full of gaily decorated
+packages. Passing nurses and orderlies doing their utmost not to
+stare, Sakura mumbled, "Tomoyo chan, he's right, you know. Why am I
+dressed up in this….costume?
+Tomoyo, amazed as ever at Sakura's strength, replied cheerily,
+"Because Sakura looks very cute in it, and if it makes the children
+half as happy as it makes Tomoyo, they will be ecstatic."
+After trundling down the long 1st floor hallway, the girls stopped
+in front of a massive freight elevator. Tomoyo pressed the "2" button
+and waited. With a mechanical ka-chunk the doors opened, and the cart
+was wheeled in. As the doors shut, Sakura marveled,
+"It's sooooo big! Do they use it as a freight elevator?"
+Tomoyo nodded and answered quietly, "Yes, and it has to be big for
+the gurneys, for carrying children to and from the operating rooms.
+That happens on the third floor."
+Sakura was silent as the elevator stopped with a little jolt, and
+the doors opened. Operations, she thought with a shudder. It must so
+scary for the poor children. She realized Tomoyo was struggling to
+get the cart over a little bump between the doors, so she helped
+muscle the cart onto the second floor. The hospital was impeccably
+clean, characterized by a distinct antiseptic odor. But this smell
+was somehow sharper and less cheery than the scent of a freshly
+cleaned house. Sakura felt an odd sense of unease, but she shook it
+off as the cart rolled forward. Finally, Tomoyo gasped out
+breathlessly, "This is it, 21, the first Ward. Oh, my, I'm so glad
+you came, Sakura-chan. This is much harder to do without Oka-sama."
+Tomoyo opened the door and the two pushed the heavily laden cart into
+the large room.
+Sakura looked up from her labors and saw a long room, with beds on
+either side. Suddenly, the boys and girls rose up amid squeals and
+chatter, nearly overwhelming the nurse in their eagerness.
+Contrary to Sakura's expectations, Tomoyo proved to be exactly
+right. The children were more excited by Sakura and her fairy costume
+even than the cartload of presents. They huddled around her, gaping
+in awe at the remarkable sight, a few brave ones reaching out
+tentative hands to touch her. At first overwhelmed, she quickly
+adapted to being the center of attention, and was soon chatting
+merrily with her appreciative audience. They showed her scars and
+hurts, some healed, some not. They peppered her with questions,
+unable to suppress their astonishment at such a fantastic sight.
+Tomoyo and the nurse struggled to bring order out of the happy chaos,
+finally managing at least a modicum of order. Tomoyo organized some
+quiet games, and a sing along, including one song about fairies that
+the children found especially delightful. Sakura again found herself
+the center of attention, blushing as the children laughed and sang.
+Finally, when it was time to go, the children rushed forward and
+hugged her, reluctant to loose the magic she had brought. With waves
+and smiles and shouts of goodbye, the two girls, with the grateful
+nurse's help, pushed the slightly less heavy cart out into the
+hallway.
+And so it went for 5 other wards on the 2nd floor. By the time they
+entered Ward 26, both girls were exhausted, but the excited children
+somehow gave them the giddy energy to continue. As Tomoyo passed out
+the last of the presents, Sakura wended her way to the bed-ridden
+children near the large window at the end of the ward. Finally she
+came to one boy, about 12 years old,  who stared at her curiously
+with dark, watchful eyes. She smiled and asked his name, but he
+frowned at her hatefully and turned away. Startled, she opened her
+mouth to say something, but found herself at a total loss for words.
+A little girl with a cast on both legs managed an apologetic smile
+and said quietly,
+"Don't mind him.. He's always grumpy about things,"
+"I'm not grumpy. I just hate her," he spat out.
+Sakura was taken aback, and whispered, "I'm sorry."
+Suddenly the boy spun around and glared at her angrily. In a venom-
+laced voice laced he shouted,
+"You should be sorry! Running around in that pathetic outfit,
+pretending to be something that doesn't even exist."
+The little girl in the cast recoiled and answered in a trembling
+voice, "That's not true. Fairies do so exist."
+The boy turned on her with an ugly scowl and shot back, "Don't be
+stupid. Fairies don't exist, and even if they did, she's just a
+stupid girl in a stupid costume." Suddenly, he reached out and
+tightly grabbed a diaphanous wing. With a smirk he brutally ripped
+off the shimmering wing, tearing the costume and leaving a flap of
+satin loose on Sakura's back. Triumphantly the boy held up his trophy
+and called out in a mocking voice,
+"See? See? It's just a fake outfit. She's just a fake!" Then,
+turning Sakura he hissed, "Go back to your stupid cosplay, you
+stupid, lame, fake."
+With that, he hurled the severed wing at Sakura and lay down,
+turning his back to the room. She stood stunned and paralyzed, her
+mouth open in disbelief. She heard sobs and one child nearly
+shrieking. Suddenly she felt a gentle touch on her arm, and saw
+Tomoyo bending down to retrieve the fallen wing. Calmly, the dark
+haired young woman escorted her out into the hall, leaving the nurse
+to try and restore order. As the door closed, Sakura's composure
+finally shattered, and in a furry of tears she slumped to the floor.
+Tomoyo's suffered her own agony as she cradled her sobbing friend.
+Sakura's pain was always her own, amplified by the intense love the
+Daidouji woman bore her. Worse was knowing that she was responsible
+for bringing her dear friend into all this. Unaware of her tears that
+fell silently on Sakura's soft brown hair, Tomoyo struggled to keep
+from completely breaking down. Time enough for tears later, she
+scolded herself. Feeling the head burrowing into her breast, Tomoyo
+cooed reassurance, desperately trying to mask her own shattered
+heart. For a long time they hugged each other, oblivious to the
+figure that stood beside them. Finally, Sakura glimpsed the neatly
+starched white skirt, and struggled to her feet. Wiping away the
+tears, she rose unsteadily, helped by the Tomoyo. The woman offered a
+handkerchief that she thankfully accepted. Sakura stammered  an
+apology, but the nurse cut her short,
+"Please, it's my fault for not warning you about him. He's, well,
+he's a bit of a problem child here, and there's no way to predict
+just how he will react."
+Sakura looked at her, verging on tears again. Confused and hurt,
+Sakura felt a stirring of anger at the injustice of it all, "But
+why/? Why did he do that? Why is he so mean? What a horrible boy."
+The nurse let out a heavy sigh, and stared at the wall, looking for
+the answer there.
+"He didn't use to be like that. He was actually one of our
+favorites: bright, curious, and always so helpful."
+Sakura looked at her, genuinely baffled. The nurse answered the
+girl's pained question before she asked it,
+"Well, I suppose no one really knows why. But last winter, he got a
+hold of his medical file. We never let the children see their files,
+of course, especially children like him. But he was always the
+curious one, and clever enough to find a way."
+Sakura and Tomoyo gazed at the woman, her features clouded in silent
+pain, an echo of some past storm of agonized regret. She smiled
+bitterly and continued, "I'm the one who left the charts out where he
+could get them. So all this really is my fault."
+Sakura's voice shook as she asked, 'But why…" Her voice trailed off,
+as if she dared not ask. The nurse answered in a detached, clinical
+manner,
+"Because he's terminal. And now he knows."
+Tomoyo looked at the brightly polished floor, eyes fixed on the
+black and white checkerboard tiles. Terminal. The nurse said the word
+as her Mother once said it, when describing what it was like when
+Nadeshiko was in the hospital. Terminal. The cold, metal finality of
+the word cut the heart like a dagger of ice.
+Sakura stared, the slow comprehension mirrored in her tear-streaked
+face. Again the nurse spoke in her best professional monotone,
+"He has maybe 6 months, at most a year."
+A dipping sun painting the hallway shades of pink and orange. Three
+figures standing silent. Nothing more to say.
+II.
+Sonomi served the tea herself. Eager to hear how the first day went
+for the new member of Daidouji Foundation, she had urged Tomoyo to
+bring Sakura over for dinner. When she heard her daughter's
+reluctance over the phone, she insisted. No one knows a daughter like
+her mother, and no one knew the enigmatic Tomoyo better than Sonomi.
+Something was wrong, and she would find out what.
+Dinner had been delicious, but strained. Both girls tried to put on
+a stolid front, but it was apparent the day had not gone well.
+Normally a gratifyingly hearty eater, Sakura picked at her food with
+distracted disinterest. Tomoyo bravely kept up a stream of
+conversation on every imaginable topic but the day at the hospital.
+Sonomi let her ramble, sometimes nudging the conversation in
+directions her daughter did not want it to go, watching for her
+reaction, probing, testing, reconnoitering. The older woman was
+anxious to know, but patient as a cat by a rat hole. She bided her
+time and waited for dessert.
+Chirping crickets made more noise than the sad little party of three
+sipping their tea in the massive Daidouji Estates garden. Finally,
+Tomoyo broke the silence and announced that they should be leaving.
+Her voice sounded relieved that the night was over, and whatever
+secrets lay hidden would stay that way. But Sonomi, with an inward
+smile, pounced. In a purring voice she asked,
+"Yes, I'm sure you two are exhausted after your big day at the
+Hospital."
+At this, Sakura stiffened, and Tomoyo glanced to the side, all hope
+of avoiding discovery dashed. Sonomi regarded the two with cat's
+eyes, inwardly smiling at their discomfort, knowing she had hit close
+to the mark. With her daughter, as well as the daughter of her
+beloved cousin, she was a typical mother, all love and affection. But
+when their welfare was at stake, she turned into a deadly predator.
+Sometimes love had to hurt before it could help. Sonomi let the
+uncomfortable silence do it's work until her daughter struggled to
+break it,
+"Well, it was, eh, very interesting for Sakura." As soon as she
+spoke, Tomoyo regretted her words. Her mother's eyes turned to Sakura
+as she blandly asked,
+"Oh, and what was so interesting today, Sakura-chan?"
+The girl stared at her for a moment, then her lip trembled and she
+began to cry. Not the wild sobbing of late afternoon, but a slow,
+soft, sad sort of sorrow, the sorrow of regret and loss. The sorrow
+that comes with the night. Tomoyo enfolded her friend in her arms,
+looking at her mother, silently begging her to stop. Sonomi's voice
+was kind but insistent,
+"Tomoyo-chan, what happened?"
+Before she could speak, Sakura broke in, "It's all my fault. I'm
+sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Slipping from her chair she fell to her
+knees, bowing her head to the ground like a suppliant. Sonomi stood
+up, walked over, bent down, and gently lifted the girl to her feet.
+Holding her close, gently stroking her hair and back, the woman spoke
+in a motherly voice that Sakura only dimly remembered,
+"It's all right now. It's all right."
+It took time, and some gently probing questions, for Sonomi to find
+it all out. She gave the girls time to calm down and talk among
+themselves when she went out to make more tea. Upon returning, she
+poured the steaming liquid into cute little yellow cups. Finally,
+Sakura whispered resignedly,
+"It really is my fault. I made such a scene. I'm deeply sorry. I
+will of course resign from my duties at the Daidouji Foundation."
+Tomoyo looked stricken, but Sonomi replied calmly after a pause,
+"Of course, you are free to resign anytime, as you are under no
+contractual obligation. But the Foundation," and here Sonomi spoke in
+her most dignified, Voice-Of-The-Foundation tone, "Sees nothing wrong
+in your actions."
+Sakura looked at her with surprise, "But I…"
+"But you did everything right". Sonomi smiled, placing her arm on
+the beautiful girl's shoulder. Her voice was almost mirthful, "You
+didn't break down in front of the children, and further upset them.
+You got out of the room and then started to cry. There's nothing
+wrong with crying, dear."
+Sakura stared into the woman's crystal blue eyes, and felt all the
+hurts of the day wash away. For the first time in many hours, Sakura
+managed a genuine smile.
+And so they talked, the three of them, sipping tea late into the
+night. A crescent moon swung into view, dancing amid the far away
+stars. The crickets stopped, and a cool breeze caused Sakura and
+Tomoyo to huddle together. Shortly after midnight Sonomi suddenly
+spoke up from the shadows in a voice fraught with emotion,
+"Just now, the moon reminded me of her. It was that sort moon on
+that night. No, it was that moon exactly." She sounded distant, her
+voice strange and far off. And so it was, for she was lost in memory.
+Still and faceless in the darkness, she spoke like a ghost from the
+long past,
+"It affects everyone differently, those it takes and those it leaves
+behind. Some are afraid, so very afraid. Some are sad, overfull with
+regrets. Some are so in pain that's all they know. Some are angry,
+cursing the hospitals, and the doctors and nurses who can't do
+anything, and all the living that walk about as if nothing had
+happened. As if no one had gone forever, as if no bright light had
+been extinguished in the filthy darkness. As if everything was just
+the same, even though it will never be the same again. I was angry
+like that. I guess I still am. But she wasn't."
+Sonomi paused, and Sakura could hear her own heart beating. Tomoyo
+listened, her heart breaking for her beloved mother. But Sonomi only
+laughed,
+"She wasn't angry. Not once, not ever in her whole life. At least
+not that I remember. She wasn't afraid at all. They always said she
+was too stupid to be afraid, climbing up trees and skiing down
+professional-only slopes. But it wasn't that she was stupid. It was
+just that she didn't care. About the danger, I mean. Nothing ever
+frightened her. She loved the whole world." Here the woman paused,
+and when she started again her voice was filled with wonder, "She
+even loved leaving it."
+"She told me, near the end, not to be afraid, or sad, or angry. She
+said she'd had a wonderful little visit. That was exactly what she
+called it, that short, sweet life of hers: the little visit. She said
+she had had a fascinating career, two wonderful children, and a
+cousin who adored her." Sonomi paused her, straining to keep the
+loathing out of her voice,
+"Oh, yes, and a wonderful husband, too. Anyway, she said with all
+these things, her life felt very complete. And she was curious about
+what came next. She really was. But I was still angry. So very, very
+angry. And anger is a terrible master. It makes you say and do things
+you don't really mean, things that hurt and break. You hurt so bad
+yourself that's all you want to do: hurt and break."
+Sonomi leaned closer to Sakura, gently taking her hand. In the dim
+light the woman's face seemed to Sakura almost ghostly, but she was
+too entranced to be afraid. The woman smiled and broke the spell,
+then she spoke in a plain, matter of fact voice,
+"Try not to blame the boy. He's probably afraid, and full of regret,
+and very angry. But he doesn't mean the hurt he causes. It's just
+that, when you have no hope…"
+Sonomi smiled a sad, knowing smile. Sakura nodded, and suddenly felt
+very, very tired.
+III.
+The next night, Sakura and Tomoyo stayed up late studying together.
+Even going to different schools, their classes were similar, so
+mutual study was a helpful exercise, especially for the frequently
+perplexed Sakura. Taking a break, Tomoyo brought out the torn fairy
+costume and began to sew. Sakura sat on the floor at the seamstress'
+feet, knees brought up together under her chin. The dark-haired girl
+knew her friend was deep in thought, so she worked quietly. Sakura
+looked up and saw the pale girl, her nimble fingers deftly stitching
+the torn material. Entranced, she watched the silver needle slip
+through the satiny fabric, every stitch perfect and precise. Tomoyo
+had always been a marvelous seamstress, garnering praise and
+attention all through school. She would kid that with all the
+practice sewing costumes for the Card Mistress, anyone would be good.
+Sakura was unable to look away from the slender fingers, the smooth
+flow of flawless craft. Tomoyo used a little desk lamp to light her
+work. The room was dim, save for the glow that bathed the costume on
+her lap. Sakura's green eyes wandered, beholding Tomoyo's placid
+face, illuminated by the little glow. She felt her heart flutter at
+the sight.
+Tomoyo had always been pretty, the prettiest girl she knew. But
+tonight, she was exquisite. Her violet eyes were fixed on her task,
+long lashes fluttering now and then. A cute little nose, pale, fair
+skin, and little ears shrouded in that mysterious hair, sometimes
+black, sometimes gray, sometimes almost violet. An ever present smile
+hovered on  delicate cherry lips, making her seem as enigmatic as the
+Mona Lisa. Suddenly, Sakura was sweetly shaken by this ethereal
+vision of the girl she knew so well. A strange tugging at her heart,
+and a dizziness, like being on a great height looking down. Sakura
+felt an aching surge, a longing, an incomprehensible desire. She
+trembled like a fawn in the chill early dawn.  She felt her body
+floating like a little cloud, far above the world below. Slowly, as
+if she were underwater, Tomoyo lifted her eyes and gazed at the
+countenance below. Sakura felt her face on fire, a furious blush
+covering her entire body. But she could not look away from those
+eyes, those deep, violet eyes. Tomoyo's smile widened ever so
+slightly. She tilted her head, looking at her friend with a
+quizzical, elfin curiosity. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but no
+words came. Suddenly, she tore her gaze away, staring at the floor,
+breathing raggedly. As if from some far off place, she heard Tomoyo's
+voice.
+"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan, are you OK?"
+I was going to say I love you.
+Had she actually said it out loud? Sakura's mind raced and wheeled
+in shock and confusion. No. No, but I was going to say it. I was
+going to say I love you.  It sounded like the strangest three words
+ever uttered by human tongue: I love you. What had happened to her?
+As if an explosion had gone off near her head, she was disoriented,
+torn from her normal, cozy world. Tomoyo's voice again, shot through
+with worry and concern.
+"Sakura-chan, are you all right?"
+With a violent shake of her head, Sakura fought to regain her
+composure. She somehow managed a disjointed, "Ummm hmmm," nodding her
+head furiously. What had happened? She was afraid to look up, afraid
+she might again go spinning wildly out of control if she saw Tomoyo.
+Calm came gradually, haltingly, and brought a numb, fragile peace to
+her thudding heart. Tomoyo, masking her concern, sat back and
+continued her sewing. Time passed like a lazy river between them,
+until Tomoyo at last broke the silence,
+"Sakura-chan, what were you thinking of back then?"
+"Umm, that boy. That boy in the hospital," Sakura lied. Well, not
+precisely a lie. The boy had been on her mind ever since.
+"Ah, so," Tomoyo graciously replied. Her silence begged Sakura to
+continue.
+"I was so surprised, and then so hurt, and then so angry at him. I
+feel awful about that."
+Sakura remembered her righteous rage at the child, and the sickness
+that followed the nurse's revelation.
+"But Sakura-chan didn't know about the boy's condition. If she had,
+she would never have felt anger," Tomoyo looked intently at the
+fabric in her lap as she spoke; it was a delicate point in the
+mending.
+Sakura thought about this for a moment, and then replied, "Still, I
+shouldn't have gotten so angry." Then, mumbling to herself, "I wish
+there was something I could do."
+"There." A note of pride and triumph in Tomoyo's voice as she held
+the outfit aloft for Sakura's inspection, "As good as new."
+Sakura looked at the shimmering fairy costume. Tomoyo's work was
+impeccable: the tear neatly sewn and barely perceptible, the severed
+wing restored. Restored. Healed, fixed. Made whole again.
+Made well.
+Sakura's smile froze, and then broadened into a crazy grin. Leaping
+to her feet she took the outfit in both hands, holding it aloft.
+Then, she turned to her friend with a beaming smile,
+"No, Tomoyo-chan. It's better. Better than new!"
+The boy woke slowly from his dream. A sound? A knocking somewhere?
+Bleary-eyed, he stared at the ceiling. Then he heard it again, an
+unmistakable rapping. Startled, he sat up in bed and turned to the
+side, towards the window. There, hovering with great, beating wings,
+was the woman from before, the one in the costume. With her was the
+lady who always delivered the presents, and both were astride a long,
+slender staff with a marvelous star at the top. His mouth opened in
+surprise, for they were floating, no, flying in the air. He let out a
+startled cry, rousing the other children. Instinctively he crawled
+away to a corner of his bed as the other children moved to the window
+with oooo's and ahhhhhh's. The costumed woman was smiling, pointing
+to the handles on the inside of the window. A girl tried to open it,
+but it was stuck fast. Pleadingly she looked at him, and with a frown
+he moved to the window and undid the lock. The children were starting
+to get loud, but the costumed woman placed her finger to her lips and
+that quieted them somewhat.
+She floated into the room, great wings beating, a flurry of wind and
+feathers announcing her arrival. The dark-haired one slipped off the
+staff, video camera in hand, filming the proceedings. The feet of the
+other woman, clad in little beribboned slippers, finally touched the
+floor. The children encircled her in awe, but she came before the boy
+and stood straight and still. Then, bowing low before him, she spoke
+in a musical voice,
+'Gomenesai. I'm very sorry if I disturbed you the other day. Please
+accept my apologies."
+He stood there, unable to reply. The fairy figure straightened up,
+tilting her head and smiling. Then she said,
+"You may be right. There may be no real fairies in this world. But
+there is magic, and it is real."
+With that she swung her staff, and a riot of colors lit up the room.
+Her voice rang out as she flipped a card into the air, " ***Sakura's
+chant here****
+Suddenly, a beautiful flower-clad woman appeared. She looked around
+the room, and with a wave of her arms showered the surprised children
+in a blizzard of sweetly scented petals.  Then she began to dance,
+with the giggling children, with Sakura, and finally, with the still-
+startled boy. In a giddy whirl they danced, she smiling, he blushing,
+both spinning away. Finally, she stepped lightly before the dark-
+haired girl with the camera. The woman dressed as a fairy giggled,
+"She wants to dance with you, too, Tomoyo-chan."
+Slowly the woman lowered her camera, looking a bit uncertain. She
+glanced at Sakura, who was busy with a gaggle of young children.
+Then, with a smile, she walked to the boy and leaned forward, "Would
+you please hold it for me?"
+He gazed at her sparkling eyes and felt his heart pound. Taking the
+camera, he watched her return to the mysterious flower woman, curtsey
+prettily, and begin to dance. Distressed to think such a beautiful
+sight might be lost forever, he swung the camera up and began
+filming. Through the viewfinder he watched her, graceful and fluid,
+her body flowing in rhythm to the music. Music? What music? Where was
+it coming from? He didn't know, but he could hear. And see.
+There were other amazing sights to see that night as the fairy woman
+tossed her cards and waved her staff: a bouncing plush toy, a
+mysterious, shadowy figure, and a strange flying teddy bear that kept
+up an incessant chatter about himself. Finally, one of the girl
+patients pulled on Sakura's sleeve, and whispered that it was nearly
+time for the night nurse to check up on them. The fairy girl looked
+panicky, but the one called Tomoyo calmly began tidying up, tucking
+the children in bed, and escorting Sakura to the window. The boy
+followed, feeling a mix of emotions. Wonder and awe clashed with
+shame for his past behavior. Clearing his throat, he watched the
+fairy girl,  Tomoyo, and the teddy bear stop and face him,
+"Excuse me. I….I ," It was hard to say. He could just let it go,
+but… "I'm very sorry that I tore up your costume. I…I would like to
+help pay for the new one you bought."
+The fairy girl looked confused, but Tomoyo smiled as she arched over
+him, "It's the same costume. I just sewed it up."
+Astonished, he turned and glimpsed her pale face, the color of
+radiant moonlight. He bowed and stammered, "Thank you for fixing it."
+She nodded and then slipped through the window onto the staff, aided
+by the fairy girl. The children gathered around, straining to keep
+their gleeful voices down. He waved, and thought he saw the beautiful
+dark-haired girl wave back. The pair swung into the starry night, and
+he watched them until they vanished. He stood and stared into the
+dark sky.
+"Tomoyo," he whispered her name to himself, "Tomoyo."
+The little girl in the adjacent bed poked him in the ribs. With a
+mischievous grin she giggled, "See, fairies are real."
+He looked down ate her and smiled wryly, "Well, I don't know about
+that. But I guess magic is."
+The next morning, Sakura and Tomoyo slept late and missed all their
+early classes At that same time, the Acting Director of the Tokyo
+Medical Center Children's Hospital began his day by trying to figure
+out how to dispose of 12 bushels of flower petals in Ward 26.

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/CCScharity_2.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights