Little Yokozuna Read Online Free Page A
Author: Wayne Shorey
alone?"
There was a long pause.
"Well, not really alone," said Annie. "Not alone in a completely alone sort of way." This was even more confusing in Japanese than in English, and Kiyoshi-chan's father looked bothered. He waited, but the American children offered nothing else.
Kiyoshi-chan's mother brought in steaming bowls of rice and miso soup. The small room was full of the aroma.
"It is now eating," she said in English. "We have maximum hotness."
Kiyoshi-chan's father smiled at the children, continuing to speak in Japanese. "I am sorry I cannot speak English as well as my wife," he said. "She was always a much better student than I."
"Her English is wonderful," said Annie.
The mother laughed, holding her hand over her mouth. "Oh, no," she said. "Is not wonderful. Is very peculiar English."
The father was not concentrating on the conversation. His eyes seemed to be trying to dig deeply into the minds of the two American children, to uncover the
mystery of their coming to his home.
"It is very strange," he said finally. "Very, very strange." "I know," said Annie. "I'm sorry."
"Sumimasen" he said, "excuse me, but may I ask you one more question?"
"Of course," said Annie.
"Do you know anything," he asked, "about another American child near here? A little girl, about the size of Izumi-chan?"
Annie and Knuckleball scrambled to their feet, almost upsetting the table. "Yes!" said Annie. "Little Harriet! Have you seen her? Where? When?"
"I don't know if it was this Little Harriet," said the father. "But last night Kiyoshi-chan thinks he saw a little ghost in the form of a girl. Here."
"Where?!" said Annie. "Where?"
"In the garden," said the father. "In the darkest part of the night. But I am sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" cried Annie. "Tell us where she went."
"Now I am sorry that I mentioned it," said the father, very distressed. He looked almost as if he would cry. "It was so stupid of me. Please forgive me."
"Why?" insisted Annie, confused. "Why?"
"Because," said the father, "it could not have been this Little Harriet of yours. It must have been a dream of Kiyoshi-chan's."
"But why must it have been a dream?" asked Knuckleball. "I don't understand."
"Because of what Kiyoshi-chan said he saw," said the father. "He said that she came out of the garden like a ghost and dived back into the earth like a fish and disappeared" He spread his hands out and rolled his eyes toward Kiyoshi-chan. "I'm so sorry for mentioning it. Kiyoshi-chan had a very difficult night of sleeping last night."
"But of course she dove into the ground!" said KnucklebalL "How else would she get away if she was scared?"
Kiyoshi-chan's father looked at the boy as if he had three heads.
"In America," he said, "do children swim through the ground like water? Do you learn how to do this in school?"
"Not in school; said KnucklebalL "Hardly."
Kiyoshi-chan's father slapped his knees decisively. "Your words make no sense," he said. "I don't think I want to listen anymore."
"The truth is stranger than you know," said Annie. "Give us time to tell you."
"Pah!" said the father, but not in a bad temper. "I think I have no time for your kind of truth."
"But look at the strange things you have seen already tonight," said Annie. "Look at this helmet."
"I've seen nothing," said Kiyoshi-chan's father. "Someone in a samurai costume played a prank on you in the street, and Kiyoshi-chan had another one of his foolish dreams. Last week he dreamed that the yokozuna Taiho was playing left field for the Boston Red Sox, in a pink kimono. Please let's eat. Itadaki-masu."
" Itadaki-masu," said Annie and Knuckleball, but they looked at each other before picking up their chopsticks to eat. "She's here!" their eyes said to each other. And in the growing light of the blue-gray morning rain, it seemed to them as if it would be easy now to find her and bring her home again.
CHAPTER 5
Breaking and Entering
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On the same rainy morning Annie and
There was a long pause.
"Well, not really alone," said Annie. "Not alone in a completely alone sort of way." This was even more confusing in Japanese than in English, and Kiyoshi-chan's father looked bothered. He waited, but the American children offered nothing else.
Kiyoshi-chan's mother brought in steaming bowls of rice and miso soup. The small room was full of the aroma.
"It is now eating," she said in English. "We have maximum hotness."
Kiyoshi-chan's father smiled at the children, continuing to speak in Japanese. "I am sorry I cannot speak English as well as my wife," he said. "She was always a much better student than I."
"Her English is wonderful," said Annie.
The mother laughed, holding her hand over her mouth. "Oh, no," she said. "Is not wonderful. Is very peculiar English."
The father was not concentrating on the conversation. His eyes seemed to be trying to dig deeply into the minds of the two American children, to uncover the
mystery of their coming to his home.
"It is very strange," he said finally. "Very, very strange." "I know," said Annie. "I'm sorry."
"Sumimasen" he said, "excuse me, but may I ask you one more question?"
"Of course," said Annie.
"Do you know anything," he asked, "about another American child near here? A little girl, about the size of Izumi-chan?"
Annie and Knuckleball scrambled to their feet, almost upsetting the table. "Yes!" said Annie. "Little Harriet! Have you seen her? Where? When?"
"I don't know if it was this Little Harriet," said the father. "But last night Kiyoshi-chan thinks he saw a little ghost in the form of a girl. Here."
"Where?!" said Annie. "Where?"
"In the garden," said the father. "In the darkest part of the night. But I am sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" cried Annie. "Tell us where she went."
"Now I am sorry that I mentioned it," said the father, very distressed. He looked almost as if he would cry. "It was so stupid of me. Please forgive me."
"Why?" insisted Annie, confused. "Why?"
"Because," said the father, "it could not have been this Little Harriet of yours. It must have been a dream of Kiyoshi-chan's."
"But why must it have been a dream?" asked Knuckleball. "I don't understand."
"Because of what Kiyoshi-chan said he saw," said the father. "He said that she came out of the garden like a ghost and dived back into the earth like a fish and disappeared" He spread his hands out and rolled his eyes toward Kiyoshi-chan. "I'm so sorry for mentioning it. Kiyoshi-chan had a very difficult night of sleeping last night."
"But of course she dove into the ground!" said KnucklebalL "How else would she get away if she was scared?"
Kiyoshi-chan's father looked at the boy as if he had three heads.
"In America," he said, "do children swim through the ground like water? Do you learn how to do this in school?"
"Not in school; said KnucklebalL "Hardly."
Kiyoshi-chan's father slapped his knees decisively. "Your words make no sense," he said. "I don't think I want to listen anymore."
"The truth is stranger than you know," said Annie. "Give us time to tell you."
"Pah!" said the father, but not in a bad temper. "I think I have no time for your kind of truth."
"But look at the strange things you have seen already tonight," said Annie. "Look at this helmet."
"I've seen nothing," said Kiyoshi-chan's father. "Someone in a samurai costume played a prank on you in the street, and Kiyoshi-chan had another one of his foolish dreams. Last week he dreamed that the yokozuna Taiho was playing left field for the Boston Red Sox, in a pink kimono. Please let's eat. Itadaki-masu."
" Itadaki-masu," said Annie and Knuckleball, but they looked at each other before picking up their chopsticks to eat. "She's here!" their eyes said to each other. And in the growing light of the blue-gray morning rain, it seemed to them as if it would be easy now to find her and bring her home again.
CHAPTER 5
Breaking and Entering
Â
Â
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On the same rainy morning Annie and
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