Magician City - Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Moon Village

The following year, Grandmother decided to move.

It was too big of a house for her and her grandson to live together. More than anything else, that was the house of Yu-ye’s father, the man who never bothered to show up even when his child was born.

She also sold the house for the money too.

The new house she found was on the corner of the city in a place called the Moon Village. Just like the name, the village was the closest town to the moon.

Thanks to its location, the view from the house was great. But to get to the house, she had to climb a steep hill. The steepness which was overbearing to a 7-year-old boy and his Grandmother, who was near the end of her life.

Grandmother took the boy’s hand anyway and settled in to the highest house of the Moon Village. She had nothing to lose since she had been living in similar situations all her life. Also, she thought it was best for her parentless grandson to get used to living in such conditions.

Although it sounded a bit harsh, through Grandmother’s eyes that was the truth of the world. Evermore, the thought of her grandson in an orphanage after her death, gave her the confidence in her final decisions.

Their household only consisted of a few items: some blankets and clothes, the must-have electronically heated winter blanket, and a few other necessities.

They used a single truck to move their belongings. To their surprise, the neighbors gave them a warm welcome. Moon Village was considered a poor town, therefore, the Grandmother thought they would be too busy with their own lives to be mindful of others. However, they all came together to greet the newcomers.

Most residents at the Moon Village were seniors. They brought little gifts such as cups or dishes as an effort to get along with a new senior friend and her young, adorable grandson. However, the grandmother seemed far from happy.

After their address had changed, the 7-year-old life of Yu-ye also started anew in a new town. The routines at home were the same: get up for breakfast, eat the breakfast Grandmother prepared, finish the dishes and watch TV with her until they eat lunch. But now, after lunch, he often followed his Grandmother to her small get-together with seniors living in similar conditions. On the days he didn’t, he stayed on the front porch playing with dirt and soil until Grandmother came back to have dinner together.

He liked following his Grandmother to meet her friends more than playing alone on the porch. It was less boring than playing alone, and it was always interesting to hear other adults talk with each other, even though he only understood half of their conversations.

Also, when he sat there with a sparkle in his eye, some of his Grandmother’s friends would stroke his hair and give him a jawbreaker as a treat.

To Yu-ye, the huge jawbreakers filled his mouth in size but also with the sweetness he rarely had growing up with his Grandmother.

He thought Grandmother’s friends were nice, but to his surprise, his Grandmother was always busy bad mouthing whoever came that day on the way back home.

She would say something along the lines of ‘this bitch is a blabber mouth, that bitch got no manners, the other bitch is a backstabber…’

Yu-ye thought it weird, but never asked questions.

The daily routine continued, and Yu-ye started to talk less and less.

The Grandmother didn’t worry as he was always a quiet child, but it was a serious problem.

The only family he had was his old Grandmother, but she always blamed others, insulted them, and feared them, which gave Yu-ye the impression that it was not safe.

Yu-ye continued to sink deep into his own head.

The man who saved Yu-ye from the depths of abandonment was a Grandpa living in the same village.

He worked picking up bits and pieces of trash in the nearby buildings and shopping districts, and was recognized with his enormous burn scar over his body. Because of its grotesqueness, he only wore long sleeves even in the blazing hot summer.

But his efforts were turned to dust as the villagers kept their distance from him. The scars of the burn were too big even for the long sleeves to cover.

Regardless, Yu-ye kept a close bond with the Grandpa. Not because he wasn’t scared of Grandpa’s exterior, but because he missed the touch, scent and bond of people. There were countless people in the world, but the only people he knew all his life was the mother who left him and his grandmother. To Yu-ye, people were still strange and most of all, a thing to be missed.  And this day was no exception. Yu-ye, seeing the Grandpa pull the handcart, forcing his way up the tough mountain, was delighted as he ran towards him with a spring in each step. He stopped only to bow.

“Handcart Grandpa!!”

“Oh, why it’s my Yu-ye isn’t it?”

“Grandpa, I’ll help you push the cart!!”

With the Grandpa greeting him happily, Yu-ye became excited. And with a childish grin, he moved to the back of the cart to help push it uphill. What good was a 7-year old pushing the cart? But Grandpa still praised his warm heart.

With a light smile, Grandpa gripped the cart tightly and continued to push up the hill. Pushing and pulling, they soon arrived at the Grandpa’s house. The cart was empty after selling what was inside, but his age made it hard for him to push even an empty cart.

Yu-ye also gave all his strength, sweating puddles in the late summer weather.

“You wait here a bit and Grandpa will be right back with the water.”

“Okay”

The Grandpa went into the kitchen and pulled out a lukewarm water that had been sitting outside of the fridge. Afraid that Yu-ye will get a stomachache, he mixed in a bit of sugar in the water to help digest as he handed it to the boy.

Thirsty Yu-ye loved its sweetness and drank without a moment of pause.

“Yu-ye, does this place sometimes get a bit suffocating?”

Grandpa examined his heart, while Yu-ye shook his head.

“No, it doesn’t.”

To Yu-ye’s response, grandpa stroked his mustache in thought. Then, Yu-ye carefully asked.

“What exactly does suffocating mean?”

To the unexpected question, the Grandpa furrowed his brows in thought. His face was old, wrinkly and horribly scarred by a burn, which would remind anyone of tangled worms wriggling together, but Yu-ye waited patiently in silence.

“Hm… How would I explain…Oh yes! It is that feeling when even in the coldest of winter your insides are flaming hot and craving for some icy cold water to quench its fire.”

“…I don’t follow you very well…”

“Oh that’s okay! You don’t have to know that right now. It was just old me thinking out of line.”

Too upset, Yu-ye pouted in sadness as the Grandpa quickly waved his hands in embarrassment trying to make Yu-ye forget what was said. When Yu-ye didn’t feel any better, he rummaged his pockets frantically to find a piece of chocolate. It had melted into a strange shape because of the summer heat but was still safe to eat.

“Hee-hee! Thank you, Grandpa! It looks delicious!”

The Grandpa smiled in sadness as Yu-ye hurriedly popped the chocolate in his mouth. Watching Yu-ye, the Grandpa realized that the boy only gave a true, happy smile when he received chocolate. Troubled, Grandpa stroked Yu-ye’s hair as he spoke.

“When little Yu-ye grows up and understands what the feeling of suffocation is, try this trick grandpa tells you”

“What is it?”

Being excited, Yu-ye stared with a glint in his eye as the Grandpa breathed deeply in and out. The Grandpa repeated the breathing technique and it seemed to have a rhythmic pattern, but Yu-ye lacked observational skills to catch what was different.

“Aw…Grandpa, I know how to breathe…”

“This is no regular way to breathe. You must do it as Grandpa taught you. It may be hard at first, but with practice, your body will get stronger. So, come on, put some back into it!”

With the Grandpa’s explanation, Yu-ye’s eyes started to sparkle with curiosity once again. Yu-ye thought that maybe his breathing technique will help relieve the loneliness and boredom of playing alone on the porch sometimes.

With Yu-ye fired up, the Grandpa passionately taught Yu-ye as if it was his last few days on Earth.

The haphazardness of the breathing technique wasn’t one that could be learned by children, but Yu-ye showed unusual talent. He completely absorbed the technique.

Yu-ye and Handcart Grandpa continued to get together until he passed away that winter.