Washing Statue Wanderlust – Chapter 7

YUKI

I spend all evening loading photos onto my tablet and calling up information about each destination so I can tell Arai more about the images as I display them to her. The whole experience really makes me want to travel more, even after my trip to Kyoto. I stumble across a blog of a woman traveling the world all by herself, and I get sucked in to her site for over an hour. Her photos and stories about living out of a suitcase, abroad, far from home, and having the time of her life captivate me and hold me hostage. She’s been everywhere, and she’s so good at blogging and photographing her locations that people pay her to come and blog about her experiences in their hotels or resorts.

I’ve only got one more year left in college before I graduate, and even though I’m working hard and doing well, finding a job in this market is going to be tough. I wonder if I could take some time to travel and write about it, from a diabetic’s viewpoint. That might be interesting! I would need to brush up on my English and write in both languages, but I like the idea of either traveling alone and setting my own schedules so I can stay on top of my insulin or traveling maybe with Koharu. She understands me, so I bet we’d make good traveling partners.

I do have money I could spend on traveling especially since my parents want me to move back in with them when I graduate. They worry about me living in the dorms with Koharu, and I have no desire to live on my own. My parents are getting older and want me around to take care of them. I’m fine with that. They took good care of me growing up with all my high-maintenance sugar issues. They want me to be happy, though, so I’m sure I could delay moving back in by a year to travel.

I fall asleep early and wake up early the next morning ready to present more photos to Arai. Summer break is nearing the end and students are beginning to return to the dorms after their vacations. I should take advantage of the time off while I have it.

I arrive at the temple not long after it opens, around 06:30, my cup of iced green tea in my hands, excited to start the day.

“Good morning, Yuki. I didn’t expect you back so quickly.”

“Morning,” I say, bowing to Arai. There are a few people wafting incense smoke onto themselves not far from me, so I keep my voice down. “I realized my summer break will be over in only a few days and then I have to go back to classes, so I thought I would come every day until then.”

I approach the statue and shoo away the ginger cat who insists on sleeping at her feet whenever I’m here. Setting my bag down, I get my tablet out and turn it on.

“Where are we going today?” Arai asks, giggling. I almost expect a little girl to crack open the statue’s head and climb out. This may be an old statue but she is young at heart.

“Arabia!” I wiggle my head as I flip to the first photo, a camel in the Sahara. “And something called dune bashing. It looks like a lot of fun.”

“What is this?” A loud male voice interrupts me, and I jump away from Arai, almost dropping my tablet. “Young lady, why are you back here? And what is this?”

The priest who caught me talking to Arai on my previous visit waves at my tablet. Words somersault in my head, a jumble of apologies and defenses. I open my mouth a few times but nothing comes out as people start to gather around us.

“I… I… I came in early to spend time with the Arai Kannon statue before it got too busy here. I didn’t think anyone would mind.”

He clasps his hands together and narrows his eyes. “Why are you showing photos to a statue? Do I need to call the police? This is not normal behavior.”

Tears well in my eyes. There’s nothing worse than being a freak your entire life and having to defend yourself constantly.

“Arai asked me to show her the world. When you said I couldn’t take her to Kyoto, I thought I would at least show her in some other way. Really, I’m not bothering anyone.”

“That’s right, Yuki, stand up for yourself. I’ve never liked this priest. He is too old fashioned,” Arai says behind me.

“Shhh,” I whisper at Arai and the priest glances between us, his eyes wide.

“This is outrageous. I am going to call the police. You must be ill.” He starts to walk away when an old woman parts from the crowd, her hunched over frame is small, but her eyes are bright and angry.

“You, priest. Leave this girl alone. She’s only speaking what the statue wants.”

“Thank you, kind woman. I forgot that we speak on occasion.”

I look between Arai and the old woman, my eyes ready to pop from my head and roll away on the sidewalk. “You hear Arai as well?”

“Why yes, of course. Though we are not on a first name basis.”

“Please tell this priest it is my wish to travel,” Arai directs her request at the old woman. “I don’t want to be stuck here in this courtyard anymore.”

The old woman harumphs. “I will do no such thing, as I have told you countless times. You belong here, to give good health to those who need it.”

“Wait wait wait,” I say, waving my hands between the old woman and Arai. “You mean to tell me Arai has been asking you to travel and you’ve denied her this?”

The old woman nods once, her head swift and decisive. “It is not this god’s place to ask for a different life than the one it was given. It is the duty of this statue to give good health to those who wash it, not to travel the world. It’s nonsense.”

The priest’s eyes bop between us, so I turn to the crowd. “Who else hears the voice of Arai?”

Two people way near the back raise their hands and another man pushes through the gathered folks towards us. “What’s going on here?” he asks, and my face flushes from the attention I’ve garnered.

“Kokei-san, I didn’t know you’d be returning today.” The priest bows to the new man in the circle of onlookers and I avert my eyes to the ground.

“Kokei!” Arai calls, relief in her voice. “I’ve missed seeing you all summer. How are you?”

“I’m well, Arai-san. I’m just back from my overseas mission in India and thought I would stop by. I didn’t expect such a crowd.”

Tears seep into my eyes, and I hang my head low. I’ve been taken advantage of, by a friend. She couldn’t get anyone else to listen to her, to leave her duties, so she suckered little old me into doing it. I almost broke the law and got arrested for this statue because I believed I was the only one who could help her. But no. I was the only one to fall for her manipulation.

I drop my tablet into my bag, and, without looking up, I run for the exit.

“Yuki! Come back!” Arai calls, but it’s too late.

I can’t turn back now.

—-

Back in the dorms, I lie on my bed reading my favorite manga while Koharu channel surfs on the TV.

“It’s almost time for dinner. Do you want to go get curry?” Koharu asks, gesturing at the clock. 17:30. I usually eat dinner at 18:00, so we should find something soon, but I’m tired and depressed after my morning at the temple. All I wanted was to help the statue, and I got nothing but grief over it. Whenever I lead with my heart, I always get crushed. I sigh and roll onto my side.

“What’s the matter? Why are you so glum?”

“I just wish…” I deflate and set my manga off to the side. “I wish things had worked out for both me and the statue, Arai. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I thought I was doing something right! I figured it wouldn’t do any harm to let the statue travel.”

Koharu bites on her lip and flips the channels a few more times, landing on a reality TV show then NHK News. “It wasn’t causing anyone harm and you were doing the right thing.”

“I feel like such a sucker.” I pout and stare up at the ceiling. “I mean, why else would she choose me over anyone else? I’m frail and fragile, and I have hardly any friends. She must have figured I was an easy mark.”

“Or she asked every single other person for help but you were the only one who believed her. I mean, who believes a statue?” She laughs, and I pull the covers over my head. “And you are not frail and fragile. Please. That’s ridiculous. I’ve always known you were a little crazy, though. The way you measured out your food in high school and kept that diary and your strange rituals…”

She means all the things I do when I go to sleep every night and get up in the morning. I do my routines the same way, day in and day out, so I never forget anything, but that comes with the territory. I have to take my medications at certain times of the day, and I can’t miss any of them or I’ll end up sick.

“Hey. Hey, Yuki.” A book lands on my head under the blanket. “Look.”

I throw the covers off. Koharu points to the TV, and I gasp when I recognize the person speaking.

“Yes, we had a little disturbance this morning, but it was nothing to worry about.” The priest from the temple this morning is speaking into a microphone held by an NHK News correspondent.

“A witness said a young girl came here and was asking for the Arai Kannon statue to go on vacation?”

“Yes,” interrupts the other priest, Kokei. He steps in front of the priest who was hostile to me and nods at the camera. “This statue is very special. As many people in the area know, it gives long life and good health to anyone who cleans it, but it has become good friends with a young woman named Yuki. The Arai Kannon statue asked the young woman if she would take the statue on vacation to see Kyoto, and she agreed, but it wasn’t possible to move the statue.”

“Isn’t it a bit unusual for a young woman and a statue to be talking to each other?”

“Not at all,” he says, smiling. “Several people hear this statue’s voice including me. The statue has asked me as well to go on vacation. It is tired of being in this courtyard everyday.”

The camera turns to Arai while someone else is washing her.

“I feel sick,” I say, swallowing to stop a wave of nausea. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“So, we want to send out word to Yuki and hopefully she is watching. Tomorrow we’d like for her to come back so we can discuss a vacation for the Arai Kannon statue.” He looks directly into the camera, and directly into me. How did he even know I’d be watching? I never have the news on.

The news cast switches to another story and Koharu turns the TV off.

“That’s so strange. It was hardly a newsworthy event. Who knew you’d create such a ruckus?” She laughs and rolls her eyes because she knows I am the least dramatic person on the planet. If you could choose a color to represent me, it would be plain beige. I blend into pretty much everything.

“Will you go back tomorrow?” she asks, and I roll over and away from her.

“No way. I’m not getting involved in this now.”

“Come on,” Koharu pleads, pushing my shoulder. “You should go and help plan a day away for the statue. It was all you thought about for days!”

“I’m hungry. Let’s go for dinner.” I jump out of bed, pulling my hair into a ponytail.

“Don’t change the subject. You should go.”

“I’ll think about it, okay?”

She sighs. “Okay. But I’m going to get you up tomorrow morning whether you like it or not. Only three days left of vacation, and we’re going to make them count.”