Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [123]
Wataru nodded slowly.
“You are! You are?!”
The lizard-man lifted his scaly arms and clapped his massive hands together. Then, with a surprisingly fast motion he strode over to Wataru and embraced him.
“Whoa! What’re you doing?”
Wataru’s feet dangled almost three feet off the ground. The lizard-man had muscles befitting his size. Lifting Wataru seemed to require no effort at all. It was like getting a hug from a pro wrestler.
The lizard-man seemed overjoyed. With squinting eyes he lifted Wataru high into the air, and began to jump around like he was doing a little dance.
“Happy, happy! When I woke up this morning, I knew something good would come of the day, but little did I know! To meet a Traveler, this is a joy beyond joys! What a lucky fellow am I!”
Tossed about like a rag doll, Wataru felt like his eyes might spin out of his head. “Uh, er, excuse me,” he gasped. “My stomach—I think it’s going to fly out of my mouth.”
“Very sorry, boy,” said the lizard-man, bringing Wataru back to earth. “Well, Mr. Traveler, tell me, when did you come to Vision? You’re headed for the Goddess’s tower, no? Or perhaps you have some other destination in mind?”
Wataru rubbed his temples with his fingers. He was pleased to see that his head hadn’t been entirely warped by the shaking. “I’ve only just arrived yesterday. This morning I left the Wayfinder’s village, and I’ve been walking in these grasslands ever since. I came here looking for water…”
“I see, yes, I see. A new Traveler, are you now? That explains why you know so little. Where were you headed?”
“I thought I would head to the town of Gasara—where the Wayfinder told me to go. He said if I didn’t get lost, I’d get there just after noon.”
“Gasara? Then I’m afraid you have gotten lost. It’s not far, true, but you’re well off the path. On your legs, I don’t think you’d make it there before sunset.”
Wataru frowned. He had walked toward the sun, just as he was told. Where could he have gone wrong?
The lizard-man grinned, baring his fangs. “It’s okay, don’t worry. I’ll take you to Gasara. Ride in my carriage, and we’ll be there while the sun is still high in the sky. That darbaba you see over there, he’s the surest and swiftestfooted of my lot. Name’s Turbo.”
Swiftest?? To Wataru, the creature looked like he was sleeping on his feet. Oh well, a free ride would be welcome—no matter how fast or slow the pace. On cue, Turbo made another friendly mooing noise.
“My name’s Wataru.”
“Wataru? My name’s Keema, but, well, you see it’s a rather popular name among us waterkin, so most add on my middle name too, so as not to confuse me with someone else.”
“So, what should I call you?”
“Kee Keema,” he replied, enunciating carefully. “The first syllable, you pronounce that about a half tone higher than the second part. Else it sounds like a girl’s name, see?”
Kee Keema. Wataru tried saying it, practicing the pronunciation several times. It wasn’t a particularly difficult thing to say, which somehow made it hard to mimic exactly. At about the twentieth try, Kee Keema scratched his head. “On second thought,” he said, “let’s not worry about my name, eh? We’ve got better things to do, places to go!”
“Sorry…”
“Don’t let it bother you. That seventeenth time, just then, that was headed in the right direction.”
Kee Keema rose lightly to his feet and prepared to set off. Wataru hesitated. “But, Kee Keema, I’d feel bad just riding along with you. Don’t you have work? I wouldn’t want to get in the way…”
Kee Keema waved his hands, hooked claws and all. “Who cares about work! Once I tell my boss I met a Traveler, why he wouldn’t be mad at me over a little detour.”
“What’s so great about meeting a Traveler?”
“Why, it’s the best, most happiest thing that could ever happen to a fellow!” Kee Keema shouted, swinging his arms wildly. He began dancing again. “Frankly, I can’t quite believe my own fortune! When I was a wee one, they used to tell me that Grandpa came across a Traveler once on the outskirts