Part 2 The translator - Glimpse V

Twas the night before Halloween, when all the ghouls and ghosts come out to play and she had been looking forward to this all year, every year since she was little. It was her favorite holiday and the ryokan where she was staying was throwing a party. Which was very convenient for her since the town had become ridiculously crowded.

She had brought her favorite black dress with her, a simple black cocktail dress just for such an occasion. She wanted to feel pretty again, although she did not think this through.

Brushing her hair in the mirror she hoped he did not think she was dressing up for him. They had kind of agreed the town was too crowded tonight and it would be more comfortable to remain for the inn’s party.

“Maybe I should dress in something less revealing?” She wondered as she put on makeup. “My boyfriend won’t know, but still, it’s kinda inappropriate and sends the wrong message to the guy, why couldn’t my new friend be a woman, alien cat, maybe I’m lucky and he’s gay, considering the horrible beard and hair bun, must be gay, he’s fun to talk to too.”

She was all dressed up now and feeling good about herself. She tried the day before to mention her boyfriend as often as she could to make things clear in case there were any ideas on his part, if he got the wrong impression tonight it was his fault, she told herself, as she put on the earring.

With heels now on foot, she walked out of her room happily, with a spring in her step. The management had promised a show, karaoke and thematic food.

The hallways were abuzz with people already drunk despite it being only 9 o clock. More guests had arrived during the day, probably for the communal hot spring baths and the party.

When she arrived at the dining area, she looked around for a place to sit. She had forgotten to make reservations but surely, they must have extra tables for the other guests, she though.

At the bar she noticed a clean shaven, middle eastern man waving at her. “Horny sleaze balls, they wave at any woman in a shirt skirt.”

The music was a playlist of typical Halloween themed songs and all the tables were taken or occupied, the bar was the only place left so she moved toward it but did not want to sit next to the guy lest she give the impression she was answering his call. But as she got closer, she recognized the eyes and her mouth gaped open.

- I see you are speechless, you must like my smart casual get up. My sister was right. Never fails to impress. I’m all black for Halloween and glad to see you are matching me.

He cut his hair too.

- Are you ok? Now he was concerned.

- Ha...ha. She said awkwardly. I did not recognize you.

His nose looked so much bigger without the beard. “Who’s giving who the wrong impression now”, she asked herself as she sat down next to him.

You like it? He asked with doubt in his voice.

- It’s not very Halloweeny.

- Sure, it is, I look like Zorro when he’s off duty.

Now he got a genuine laugh from her.

He waved at the android bartender and asked for a espresso for himself and then asked her what she wanted.

- A martian mix for me, please. So, are you hoping to catch cat woman tonight? I saw at least two of them on the hallway, on my way here.

- So, you do think I have a chance with her? Maybe even both?

- Oh, look at you confident womanizer, I was sure you were gay with all that hair.

- Yeah, my gorgeous hair, I miss it terribly, not many women seem to like it though. Not now anyway, I’m behind the times fashion wise.

- It comes and goes, maybe in 10 years it will be all sexy again.

- My face is cold and itchy.

- So are my legs but I don’t complain.

He gave an obvious long stare at her naked legs.

- Myeah, I could never wear heels, I like socks too much. Why do you do it?

- Habit I suppose.

- Like a chain smoker or alcoholic?

- Something like that, I think it makes me look cool.

- Like a smoke addict, it’s confirmed.

She gave a short pause to think what else to say since he kind of killed the conversation for her.

- Are you any good at dancing?

- No, I am a shame to my people.

- Cat woman will be disappointed. Anyway, I thought you all danced since before you were born. She said as she sipped from her drink.

- Not my parents. My mother was a mathematician who worked in accounting.

She opened her mouth to ask something, but then she changed her mind.

- Yeah, don’t ask me what my dad saw. I can’t answer that. And he had two left feet, so it was a "blind leading the blind" combo when it comes to dancing in my family.

People started to gather on the dance floor as the DJ fiddled with the mixer and even more people were coming into the dining area. A woman disguised as a white furred kitsune came in with the crowd and as the people dispersed her figure became visible.

- Do you think I have a chance with her? He gestured with his chin.

- Who? She asked turning around.

- Don’t be so obvious! He tried to whisper.

- Who? She repeated her question more quietly this time, while looking at him.

- The fox lady. Two foxes in the same room, we must be destined for each other.

- You fancy yourself a dashing fox? She asked rhetorically.

- Yeah, we’ll marry and have babies and live happily ever after.

She nearly spit through her nose the last sip of her drink.

- You think my happiness is a laughing matter? You’re breaking my heart and being selfish.

- You are so dramatic, you should have been an actor.

He reached with his long hand to the tissue box and then handed her a tissue. While she wiped her face embarrassed, he waved to the bartender.

- Have you ever had a Hachi Kuro?

- No, what is it?

- Two Hachi Kuros, please.

- I don’t like surprises. I’m very conservative with my food and drink.

- If you don’t like it, I’ll drink yours too, ok?

Before she could answer the party host and probably a ryokan employee walked up on stage and started to speak.

- Welcome everyone, we are so happy that you chose us to celebrate your Halloween! Her squeaky japanese voice beamed with happiness despite her struggling to speak chinese.

The polyglot in the translator could only cringe at the poor performance, yet she appreciated the effort to speak the number one human language on Earth. At least she didn’t try the second, spanish. That would have probably been impossible for an average japanese person.

- For our Karaoke Night we have a special guest from Jupiter! She is a lemn and she has agreed to honor us with a special traditional song. The hostess then gestured to her to enter the stage.

- The lemn climbed onto the stage and took the microphone from the hostess. All the leaf like structures on her head and shoulders seem to perk up as she took center stage.

- It’s the real deal! When I first saw it, I thought it was a costume. The translator concluded.

- Yeah me too, I’ve never seen one in real life.

- Yeah, she’s not wearing a green wig or anything human.

At the encouragement of the hostess the lemn raised the microphone to a pendant like object at its neck and began to speak with the most articulate and correctly pronounced chinese one could have ever expected from such a faraway foreigner to speak. The miracle of cybernetic enhancements at its finest.

- Good evening everyone! I’m very happy to be here with you tonight! As a literary translator I’ve been in love with human stories ever since I was a little child on Titan. My parents were merchants and they would read human ghost stories to me before we slept, and I’ve also always enjoyed human songs. Though our peoples may be galaxies apart I am convinced we are kindred spirits when it comes to poetry. Art brings us together.

She was struggling to stay to stay upright, yet she went on to say:

- The song I’m about to sing to you is a love song, similar to your Romeo and Juliet, except their names are Leaf and Petal. Hope you will enjoy it.

She touched her pendant and then raised the microphone to her face and began so sing.

- How about that, sounds like whistling. It’s very melodic. The writer concluded smiling.

The non-locals began immediately to applaud and start talking, some even whistled. The room quickly was buzzing with chatter underneath the singing.

- Yes, their language is similar to our silbo.

- Really? I never heard of sibo.

- It’s actually derived from spanish, Silbo Gomero or El Silbo.

- I never knew, interesting. So, we humans can actually speak their language?

- Yes, to an extent, but they can’t ours, they lack the necessary organs.

- Fascinating, I’ve heard of plant people before, but never really took an interest, it’s a different matter to see one in real life.

- You may have seen one and not realized, I don’t remember if it was the spacers or thread keeper that came up with the “blending in with the natives” policy, but I have to tell you it’s hilarious. And she looked up at the bartender bringing them their drinks.

- What do you mean? He asked as he passed her Hachi Kuro drink.

- Uh! This tastes like mushroom soup... sweet mushroom soup, she said looking perplexed at her glass and noticing a small mushroom in it. It has alcohol she added.

- It’s an irish soup then. He said jokingly.

- Anyway, I was at this conference in Africa, and it was organized for some fish looking aliens, some sort of cultural exchange and I don’t know who pranked them, or if it was a genuine mistake, but they … tried to come in “black face”.

- Ha! Ha! What? I heard of those bread stick looking aliens who wore blond wigs to look scandinavian, but this, ah.

- Yeah you heard me and their skin secrets mucus so all the black paint they sprayed on their face and arms... fins, cracked and aaah, um, they tried to even it out and then they had to shake hands with the hosts. Her speech was becoming slurred

- Oh, poor guys, it’s a very stupid policy to be honest, I think we are past that and can look at aliens dressed normally. When they try and look human it’s just terrible.

- He looked at her and she was just one big smile, looking through him.

- Have you visited the mountain or the forest yet? He asked her.

- Nope.

Her head was tilting as the lemn stopped singing. The Earth’s gravity had definitely taken a toll on the singer and a man jumped from the audience to help her to her to her seat.

- Thank you to our gracious guest for sharing her people’s song with us, it was very beautiful. Next up we have ...

Another karaoke singer was invited to the stage to perform.

- Aokigahara is very beautiful this time of the year, would you like to see it tom-

- Suicide forest is here? I thought, ahm. She raised her heavy head to ask in a confused tone.

- Yeah, it’s right here at Mount Fuji, but they don’t cal-

- Ah my therapist would be pissed, don’t tell her, shhhh shush. She raised her finger to her mouth and laughed.

- Why would she be-

- I will tell you if you don’t laugh. And she looked around with a serious face as if she was she was sharing the most important secret in the world.

- I promise. He said getting closer to her.

- I tried to hang myself from a tree, most funny fail ever...like that movie...what was it called...uh can’t rem-

- Ok, let me take you to your room, you are obviously drunk.

- I can’t be, I only dlank t-

- C’mon, up you go, room 9, right?

As they walked to her room, her feet got heavier and heavier that he had to hold her up by her arm and side. Her thought started to constrict, and her tongue had long got since gone numb.

A big blond guy stopped them on the hallway to ask about her and the writer replied it’s ok, she was drunk and that he was taking her to her room. She tried to reach out, but everything went dark.

She was in her grandfather’s hallway to his office. Dark wood bookcases surrounded her in that conservatory alcove, which overlooked a sunny rose garden. A dark figure was sitting on the leather couch that overlooked the garden. Next to him on a round table was her grandfather’s gold koi statue, ever swimming upstream with no purpose.

Please sit down. The figure said in an authoritarian tone. He seemed to be made out of some dark tinted glass, like obsidian, it looked like a tall skinny man with medium length hair. We need to talk. He added.