“Winter
solitude--
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.”
-Matsuo Basho
A Young girl awoke to the sound of a resounding “DING!”
The plane she was in had just landed, and as the co-pilot muttered safety protocols through the plane’s intercom system, the young girl rubbed her eyes and began to undo her seat belt.
“Hey sweetheart,” The older woman next to her muttered, “You have to wait until the plane gets to a complete stop before you can take off your seat belt. The plane can still get really bumpy!”
The girl looked at her softly, smiled slightly, And put her seat belt back securely.
When the plane finally came to a full stop, The young girl quickly undid her seat belt, got up and politely bowed to her seat mate. She then grabbed her yellow book bag and got in line to leave the plane.
“It was nice, to meet you,” The older woman said to the young lady, “Hope you enjoy your time in New York City, umm... What was your name again?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the young girl answered, “My name is Yuki.”
The plane’s crew shoveled out the human cargo as quickly as they could, corralling them from the plane onto the terminal gate and then onto an immigration line.
When it was Yuki’s turn, she walked up to the tellers in front of her and handed them her passport.
“Where are you coming from?” The first teller asked.
“M...Mexico.” she answered.
“Do you have anything to declare?” Asked the second teller.
“No. I just have my book bag,” Yuki began, “Do I have to declare this gum? I bought it at the airport over there…”
“...No you’re fine,” The second teller responded, “what is the purpose of your visit?”
“Just visiting.” Yuki answered.
“Anyone in particular?” the first teller asked, a bit more brazen and to the point.
“Just family. I have a.. a sister here.”
As the second teller handed Yuki back her passport, The first teller said in almost pleasant demeanor “Please enjoy your stay in our country.”
Yuki looked outside and saw the vast number of cars and taxis crowding the streets, reminding her of her more hectic youth in Tokyo.
She hailed a cab, opened the door, sat calmly in the back left seat, and said, “Washington heights, please.”
“What part, sweetheart?” the old cabbie asked.
“west 139th street.” She answered.
About an hour later, as they arrived on the corner of 139th street and 5th Avenue, Yuki politely asked the cabbie how much she owed him.
“Oh, that’ll be thirty-six and fifty change, angel.” The cabbie answered.
“Oh ok,” She responded as she whimsically flicked her fingers, which then began glowing with a dim green aura around them, suddenly closing her hand as she made a fist.
She then opened her hand and revealed the exact amount of money the cabbie had asked for.
The cabbie saw this and just sat there, at first looking at her quizzically, then with a slightly sinister stare.
He pressed the lock button on his car, closing the doors from the inside.
“How
did you do that darling?” He asked as he looked at her through his mirror.
“Here’s your money sir, can you please unlock the door so I can get out?” she retorted, ignoring his question.
“What else can you do with those hands,” He asked her more menacingly, “Think you can you could get a little more cash out of those pretty little green hands of yours?”
Yuki looked out the window, ignoring the man as she stoically said “Please open the door so I could leave. I really don’t want to do anything right now. To you I mean.”
The cabbie then turned around and grabbed Yuki’s hand as he once again demanded she ‘do her little trick.’
“Do it again,” He shouted, “This time let me get one-thousand. It was quite a long drive. Lots of traffic.”
Yuki now looked at him, not with anger, nor with fear, but with a tinge of disgust and a touch of pity.
“People always react differently to my powers,” she began, “some people are mesmerized, some are fearful that I may be a witch of some kind. Then there are people like you, the greedy ones. You people. Your kind, well, I pity the most.”
She then Moved her free hand and quickly pointed it at the man’s face.
The man watched in horror as she flicked her fingers and saw as his lips began to stitch together with a green wire that was lead by an incredibly sharp green glowing needle.
It was so quick that he almost barely noticed the incoming pain as it seeped through him.
He yelled but could make no noise.
As tears ran down his face, he let her hands go.
“Now unlock the door 'sweetheart',” Yuki demanded with a thunderous voice, “And I’ll free you from this curse.”
The Cabbie quickly pressed the door button, unlocking the doors.
Yuki calmly opened her back door, got out, and gently closed the door behind her.
She then flickered her fingers once more, and the wire dissolved onto the man’s hands, reforming as the money she had originally intended to give him.
“Now if you don’t mind sir,” Yuki said in a much calmer demeanor, “Please speak of this to no one, and consider having yourself a grateful day.”
The cabbie nodded in agreement as tears of pure gratitude and relief rolled down his cheek, and he quickly drove away.
Yuki then took a note out of her pocket, read it, and said to herself “Now Where is Maritza?” as she calmly walked down the street.
