Chapter 1
Early Afternoon Breakfast
“I’m hungry.”
“You are always hungry.”
“We are always hungry, and watching them just makes me hungrier.”
Toko can’t help but laugh at Pan’s complaining. “Well, I am hungry” she admits “I’ll bet someone is leaving our breakfast right now.” she says, eyeing the mass of people moving about between stalls carrying food, sitting or standing at counters eating, or standing in line holding tickets that mean they have already paid.
“It’s well past lunchtime, Toko.”
Toko lets out an exaggerated yawn while she stretches her arms above her head. “Well it's breakfast for me.”
Signs proclaiming the “best ramen” the “freshest fish” the “rarest fruit” all flap in the breeze and- seem to yell their specialty at every passer by. The stalls are all similar on the outside. A window for ordering, a wooden counter for eating, and a line of people waiting for their food. Every single building is painted red, to match the city walls, but not all as freshly painted. Some paint is even chipped to show the white plaster underneath. “It really isn’t fair is it.” Toko asks aloud, but to herself.
“No it isn’t.” Pan replies, eyeing a large bowl of ramen being slurped loudly at a counter. “
“I am going to try Poora’s today.” Toko announces, again, more to herself.
“Hah, no one gets close enough to Poora’s and they even guard the trash!” Pan’s eyes are still stuck to the ramen bowl when he hears the light thwap thwap thwap of Toko’s feet. He turns to see her sprinting along the wall “Toko wait!” he yells “You can’t be serious!”.
Chapter 2
City Wings
Racing along the upper walls of Bento made Toko feel free. The air blew her hair out while buildings and people blurred by. Some yelled, but as long as they didn’t see her jump on the roofs yelling was all they would do - most of the time.
“Toko wait!” Pan yelled from behind as he tried to keep up.
Toko couldn’t wait. Poora’s was well guarded, and none of the street kids had ever tried the food there. Jikon claimed he had tried it, others said they had found scraps in trash. Toko didn’t want to come back and tell stories, she was going to show everyone what was inside Poora’s.
The brick wall came to a sudden end, Toko ran out of footing and lunged to the side, barely catching her balance on the hot vent pipe from the store who’s roof was butted close to the wall.
“Hey!” an angry voice shouted. A sweaty fat chef in a white coat waved his arms wildly.
“Sorry” Toko shouted behind her as she sprinted off to jump from roof to roof. The wall that would take her up and into Noble district was close now. Leaping rooftops was flying, she was a crane gliding on the wind as she soared to the next roof and landed already in a full sprint.
The first stone the angry man threw clattered against the building below her. Not even close, Toko congratulated herself while continuing her sprint.
“No you don’t.” the man grumbled.
Good luck catching me, Toko thought with a rueful smile.
Thwak! “Argh!” Pan cried out.
Toko glanced over her shoulder and saw Pan tumble from the brick wall. He bounced on the ground as he hit with a loud “Ooof!”. Toko’s heart sank, her feet nearly pivoted towards Pan, but she knew the rules. Pan knew the rules. Toko jumped to the next roof.
Chapter 3
Outsider
Toko focused on the gaps ahead as she leapt roof to roof and ran parallel to the wall that bordered the Noble district. Running on top of the wall would be a much more dangerous endeavor. Guards, some she had to admit were very fast and skilled, patrolled this wall more regularly and did not take kindly to anyone on top of it.
Soon she saw the triple smoke trail rising up, something only found above Poora’s roof. Everyone joked and wondered at what the three different smokestacks were for. Most kitchens had one, and the biggest restaurants had a second - but only Poora's had a third.
Standing on a rickety patched rooftop, Toko pulled herself up over the wall just enough to see over the top. There was the entrance to Poora's. Nothing close to the building to climb, with its immaculate red walls and bright but delicate paintings covering each wall. Behind Poora's ran the Sakura River. Its water was so beautiful in blues and greens, reflecting the sky and grass and trees around it. Out front, an overdressed couple smiled and laughed as they headed towards the entry while four different employees bowed and held out hands to take umbrellas and coats - welcoming them in. No one ate outside, there was no counter to order at, the restaurant did everything within the walls of its large two story building.
Toko lost track of time as she watched people arrive and depart, often couples but sometimes alone. Every one was greeted by the cadre of employees outside. Toko’s real focus was on the gorilla sized men carrying large wooden clubs walking up and down the street trying to seem like they weren't a part of the restaurant. They kept a little distance so that guests did not have to interact with them, or even see them, but at the sign of the smallest amount of trouble they would snap into action. Toko had seen it happen before, her friends had tried to make easy marks of the drunken guests coming out of Poora’s. Tried, with little success.
She would need to avoid the Gorilla Men if she was going to get close enough. Seeing the short muscly arms, Toko thought I bet those Gorillas can't swim very well...
That’s it! Visions of the river carrying her down to Poora’s backdoor flashing through her mind. She needed a better look at the restaurant as it faced the river. A quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, and over the wall she went, landing quiet as a cat in the small space between two buildings she did not know well. Toko whipped her handkerchief from around her neck and picked up a brick with only one broken side, wrapping it as nicely as she could. She held the parcel in front of her as if she were out to deliver it. A deep breath, and out into the street she went, confidently as she could.
The Gorilla Men noticed her immediately, and eyed where she went, but with a sheepish smile and her obviously heading away from Poora's they did not concern themselves beyond those stares. When Toko came to the side street, passed Poora's, and turned sharply towards the river. A shopkeeper stood emptying a wooden box of rubbish into the river that flowed away swiftly burying the rubbish under its current. Toko waited for him to finish and strolled up to the riverbank.
No one else was around.
A worker occasionally popped out of one of the shops lining the river to drop something, or pick something up, but none paid her any attention. Just a few buildings down she could see the guards watching outwardly from Poora's small alleyway that led to the river. Spread far apart to watch for anyone coming down the alley, they would easily see anyone on the other side of the river... but would never notice someone crawling out of the water...
Toko considered jumping in and trying to catch the stone of the walkway as she was carried past Poora's... but that seemed risky. She couldn’t swim against the current well enough to make sure she came out at the right spot, and would have to get lucky and come out when the guards were both looking away...
She looked around for inspiration...
"What are you planning?"
Toko's feet just about left the ground, so startled by the sudden voice. The choice of whether to run or begin lying rushed at her, I’m not quitting yet. She spun around smiling.
The large discolored bruise on Pan's forehead was the first thing she noticed. "Pan!" she yelped and hugged him. "I'm sor…” Toko began, and then “I'm glad you are ok."
"Me too. And it's ok... I know the rules. Everyone is responsible for getting away."
Toko's throat felt like she was trying to swallow dry bread whole. "Right. Good." she said. I have an idea for getting into Poora's... but we'll need to find a rope."
Chapter 4
Opulence
Toko’s face stuck only as far above the water as she had to to breathe. The current pulled her downstream but she held onto the rope secured upstream and hand over hand crept closer to Poora’s back door.
The men standing watch were the same Gorilla types that stayed far from the restaurant. These, though, were well dressed, their hair neatly tied up and instead of menacing glares they held subtle smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes. Eyes that, to Toko's delight, only really looked outward watching up the road.
Toko waited there halfway between the two guards, her body dragging with the current but her hands tight to the rope held her place in the water. She waited to see if anyone else came out the backdoor directly in front of her. No one showed and she knew this was her chance. She clambered out of the water as quickly and quietly as she could manage - holding a moment to let the water run off her before darting over the pavement. She slipped inside the doorway and her eyes darted around searching for her next move.
The doorway put her in a hallway. Openings lined the hallway until it opened at the end to a bustling kitchen with smoke, flames, and chaotic hustle of white robed chefs dotting about shouting and carrying and chopping. Toko knew she would be spotted if she stayed there and took her chance- she ducked into the first opening off the hallway and found herself in a storage room.
The smell hit her immediately. Simultaneously sickly sweet and yet fresh and savory as well. She saw buckets filled with half eaten food. Some that seemed like it must have been cooked within the hour and some that seemed hours, maybe days, old. Voices from the kitchen, muffled through walls, talked and shouted - Toko could hear every few words but the din of it all was hard to make out.
She cautiously poked her head down the hallway and watched for her chance to hustle down and try another doorway. Voices walked past the doorway behind her as she pressed against the wall inside this new room. A wooden desk dominated the room with only the one chair behind it. Scraps of parchment were piled haphazardly on every surface. Two large windows looked out different walls - one showing the hustle of the kitchen and the other looked out into the dining room. The windows had no glass or curtains, though. They were instead swirling woodwork where she could just see between the gaps in the design, like looking through a bush she was hiding in.
Toko was stunned, staring into the opulent dining room. Pillars painted red and gold with raised stonework spiraling up broke apart the already sparsely filled room of only ten small tables. A stone-still server in black and white stood near enough each table to be summoned at a moment's notice - but not close enough to eavesdrop on the diners, or so a diner would think. Any other restaurant Toko had ever seen would have filled that room with thirty tables before people even had to squeeze between each other, but here there seemed enough space between tables to dance. The walls were covered in more elaborate stonework images of koi, and flowers, and trees and waves! It was the most amazing room she had ever seen. Then she saw the food.
Not piled high on plates as she had imagined, the food instead was small and colorful. So much she did not recognize. What looked like a small pile of pearls stacked on an oyster shell. Green leafy shoots actually tied together and stood tall in the center of a plate with colorful sauces swirled around in concentric circles. A whole pheasant, roasted to a glistening brown was splayed across what looked like a cornfield made of different vegetables… all on one plate. Every plate was art. Every smell was divine.
Toko knew she would only have a small window of opportunity to sneak around, maybe into the kitchen, and pocket food for herself and Pan. Luckily the window in this room showed her exactly where plates were stacked, she would just need a small opportunity to poke in, grab what she could, and slink away before anyone noticed.
She watched each cook play back and forth, each intent on their task. This is it, here I go she thought triumphantly. She spun towards the doorway and charged forward.
SMACK
She slammed head first into the white apron of a tall robust man. “Who?!” he spluttered “Who are you?!” as he reached out to grab her. “Garde!” he bellowed.
Chapter 5
Abandon
The door out was a short sprint to her right, and Toko almost bolted for it. The thought of leaving empty handed rankled her skin. She turned left toward the kitchen before the large sweaty arms could reach a hold of her.
She burst into the kitchen, darting her eyes wildly looking for something to stuff in her pockets. Cooks in white garments stopped and stared at the wet, panicked girl with shouts behind her of “No!” and “Come back here!” Toko didn’t wait for them to regain their composure and made for a counter with plates of various size and shape covered in meats and vegetables and sauces, bowls of broth and even entire loaves of bread.
Her pockets quickly filled with the largest cuts of meat she could find and a whole loaf of still warm bread went inside her ragged top and under her arm. This did snap the cooks into action.
Toko rushed forward from the counter in time to hear a pan crash against the wall where she was. That could have taken my head off she worried. As Toko turned she saw that the cooks had all chased behind her, now blocking the way out to the dining room, and the doorway she came in had the large sweaty man with his arms outstretched to bar the way.
Even in her panic Toko noted the incredible kitchen she was in. Long countertops with tools and equipment she had never seen before, the various components of food she had seen in the dining hall in stages of their precise construction. The centerpiece, though, the unmistakable heart of the kitchen was the roaring fire in a hearth with iron grates held by chains swinging over the coal and flame. Smoke billowed from the flames but rose through the chimneys instead of entering the kitchen. Toko couldn’t help but wonder how terrific that smell must be on the smokestacks atop the roof.
While she daydreamed about smoked meats, Toko’s feet never stopped, without thinking she had decided on getting past the one instead of the many and went towards the sweaty man. She squeezed her sleeves to release more water onto her arms and just as she came to her burly adversary she dropped down and slid between his legs.
With a yelp of surprise he reached down and grabbed at her, but his sweaty hands and her still water slick arms were too hard to grab - she was soon on the other side of him scrambling to her feet and making for the door.
The doorway outside was wide open, sunny and blue sky visible above the tree line on the other side of the river. Toko felt the exhilaration of knowing she was free and even ripped a piece of meat from her pocket to try as she crossed outside to choose which way to run.
She stepped out looking right and lifting the meat to her mouth, but the ground rushed up at her before she even realized she had been smacked in the back of the head. The world spun around her, her feet wouldn’t listen to what she told them, and the unfortunate steadying force was one of the Gorillamen grabbing her shirt and standing her up.
“Toko!” Pan screamed from just down the riverwalk.
The Gorrilaman grunted towards Pan’s voice and his partner moved to give chase.
Toko was being lifted by her clothing like a doll and saw Pan take unsure steps, she tried to tell him to run but the words came out a slurred murmur as black began to creep from the edges of her vision. The last thing she saw was him starting to run away as the spinning world went all black. Good. He will make it. I know the rules.
Chapter 6
The Rules
A garbled voice demanded something outside the blackness. Toko tried to focus and open her eyes. The world simply teetered back and forth instead of spinning as she tried to focus on the giant face in front of her. Her feet were off the ground and it was that same giant face asking…something… she couldn’t make out. She tried to think of something clever, she tried to pry his hands away, but nothing came to her and nothing budged.
The club was still in his other hand and it raised menacingly. Oh no. This is it. Toko thought. She didn’t close her eyes, and she didn’t stop struggling, but she knew it wouldn’t work.
A small arm wrapped around her and Pan’s big hat covered her vision as she felt them both swing away from Gorillaman. A quick flash of steel cut her clothes gripped by the Gorillaman sending Toko and Pan falling through the air towards the river. As they hit the ground Pan sent them into a roll up and over up and over, spinning the world again for Toko - but soon the cold rush of the river covered them and sent a jolt of adrenaline through Toko’s dizziness.
Shouting chased them down river as the current swiftly dragged them along, but the large Gorillaman did not have any interest in diving in after them.
The journey downriver was awkward as Pan tried to help Toko stay above water, and slowly make for the bank on the other side. It would not be a good day to wander Bento in wet clothes, so the forest would have to do, for now. They were well past Bento before Toko regained enough composure to swim towards shore and grasp onto the bank.
They pulled themselves up onto grass and lay there, panting from exhaustion.
“Pan, you… you came back.”
“I was worried what they would do to you.”
“The rules are-”
“I know. I think you would come back for me, though.”
Toko’s eyes burned and she found it hard to swallow. Too much time passed, she felt awkward saying it now - but she had to. “Thank you.”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reply.
Chapter 7
A New Friend
“We’ll head back when it’s dark.” Toko said, plodding downriver and half-heartedly looking for berries or any wild fruit they could snack on.
The bread she had taken was destroyed in the river. Most of the meat was washed away as well, only a single bit of pork had stuck to the corner of her pocket, which they split. It was soggy and tasted more of the river than pork.
“Ok let’s head into the forest, maybe we can find a place to rest before the sun goes down.”
Only a few steps past the treeline Toko saw the oddest thing she had ever seen. Twice her height and covered in dark blue feathers, some kind of… beast… sat on a large stone making slurping noises.
Toko froze in place, but Pan saw it too and gave a loud yelp.
His yelp startled the beast who also yelped and jumped five feet into the air.
This startled Pan further who jumped and this all shook even Toko’s nerves, who yelled out.
The beast spun in mid air to see the children, and his face was surprised - but not beastly. He had huge glittering eyes and a big fumbling mouth with noodles hanging down his chin. His ears were almost feline in the way they poked up to a point from his head, but they too were feathered. His surprise lasted only a minute before the biggest goofiest grin covered his face. He floated back down to the rock as if he were slowly sliding down a rope - even finishing to slurp the noodles hanging from his mouth.
As he landed, he simply held out the bowl of steaming broth and noodles towards the children.
Pan took another step back, but Toko felt the genuine welcome in the gesture. She walked forward and took the oversized chopsticks from the bowl and bowed in thanks. She snatched a noodle she now realized was as thick as her finger and bit off a chunk. The broth was delicious, she could taste the fresh vegetables and even the salt of the soy sauce.
“Thank you. Thank you!” She said “It is so good!”
As Pan crept forward he never stopped eyeing the stranger, but his concern could not overwhelm his hunger and he bit into a giant noodle as well.
Looking up at the big smiling face, Toko realized she hadn’t introduced herself. “I’m Toko, and this is Pan. We are in your debt, thank you. What is your name?”
The creature grinned and a sound like a gravely chuckle rumbled from his chest. He danced three quick steps, spinning at the end, never even sloshing the bowl of noodles he kept balanced in one feathered hand.
Pan and Toko giggle at the flighty movements.
“Is that… is that your name?” Toko asked.
The stranger smiled even wider, showing off massive teeth glimmering white and rectangular like human teeth.
Toko did her best to imitate the stranger’s quick steps and twirl, which sent him into a fit of laughing “Heh - heh - heh.”
“I may have to call you Friend sometimes, and it is our pleasure to meet you.”
The stranger nodded at this, and then without warning, yawned a massive yawn that the children could not help but catch. He laid down there on the ground, and pushed the bowl of noodles towards them. The sensation of comfort was overwhelming. Pan and Toko ate their fill of the giant noodles and broth, then without thought layed down as well to rest under heavy and constant breathing of the strange beast they simply called Friend.
Chapter 8
Grubber
The children woke up hours later. Their new Friend was nowhere to be found.
“Was…that a dream?” Pan asked.
“I don’t think it was. I am still full from the noodles, Pan. Maybe. I don’t know. Let's head back. It will be dark before long. Sneaking into town will be our last chore for the day.”
“Wait, what was that? I mean who was it? I mean-”
“I don’t know. But I hope I meet him again. For now, let’s go.”
Walking back towards the river, intent to follow it back to Bento, an acrid smell wafted in the air.
“What is that smell?” Pan asked with disgust.
“What do you-” Toko suddenly smelled it too. “Oh that is awful. It smells like… well nothing I’ve ever smelled before.” The air stung her nostrils when she tried to breathe in deeply. A foul sweetness, like rotten meat that never dried out.
“Let’s turn in here and move away from it, Toko.”
“Well… let’s just see. It can’t be far, who knows what we might find.”
Pan could never talk her out of something she had fixated on, so he did not try. They just continued downriver and towards the acrid scent.
The river bent suddenly away from them, and on their side of it was the culprit. Mud was roiling where the river hit the side of the bank, and in that mud was discarded trash of all descriptions. Broken wood that may have been a chair, papers that had not mulched up in the mud yet, countless containers of cheap weave. Food, too, had piled high here into a sludge of various states of decay and mold.
“Ok. There it is. Let’s go Toko I can’t bear it. “
She didn’t register what he said. “Pan, do you see that?” she asked.
“Oh course I do, but I do not want to.”
“No, there, look.”
Pan’s gaze followed where she pointed, and there lurching over the refuse was a pile of mud that seemed to swallow chunks of the molding food and then simply spit it back out.
“It…it’s a monster, Toko, we have to go!”
“I don’t think it is Pan, what if it’s like Popotir? I need to see closer.”
“How do you know his name was Popular? Wait.. why do I know that was his name? We can’t just walk up to every odd creature we see though.”
Toko walked closer gingerly, ignoring Pan’s continued protests.
It was a creature. As she closed in she could even make out eyes above the big mouth. No feature was solid or consistent, it all flowed as if made of mud. With a determined set to its eyes it would chomp down on a pile of trash, and then with frustration spit it back out. This went on for a couple minutes before the creature seemed to give up in frustration and sort of melted into a pile, its eyes open but angry.
“Something is wrong with him.” Toko thought out loud.
“How do you know? Maybe he is always angry.”
“Look, there.”
The creature kept working its mouth in a circular motion, then would open it as if to spit or cough, but nothing would happen.
“I’m going to try and help him.” Toko committed.
Toko stood and slowly moved closer to the creature, doing her best to ignore the smells poisoning the air, but she couldn’t help a cough, a cough the creature noticed. It popped up into its taller version and looked square at Toko.
“It’s ok, I don’t want to hurt you.” Toko said with her hounds out.
The creature rushed at Toko faster than she imagined it could move. It circled around her and made gurgling noises that seemed attempts to scare her away. As Toko turned to watch she saw Pan with his knife out again.
“No no! It’s ok just wait.” she told Pan.
The creature stopped and growled, the sound sending ripples through its body. Toko came forward “It’s ok. I just want to help.”
The creature suddenly came forward and toppled into Toko. They hit the ground and she felt his big muddy mouth close around her arm. Something sharp poked her arm. She battled in her own mind, she knew she should be afraid - that she should fight the creature off of her but… but she knew the sharp cut wasn’t from it. She knew he was just scared. She struggled to get her feet under her, and from a crouch, with her one arm trapped in his mouth, she curled the other arm around him to hug what she could reach and whispered “Shhh. It's ok.” Louder, knowing Pan would be coming, “It’s ok Pan, wait, it’s ok I promise.”
The creature gummed her arm, but as she held on, it slowed until it barely held her arm at all. Its eyes went from focusing on her arm, and turned to try and see her face. Big orbs stared back at Toko. It reminded her of the young dogs she would get to play with before they were caught up to help work the fields or guard homes. “It’s OK.” she repeated over and over.
The creature let her arm go and pulled away. Toko was covered in a coat of grime from its body. It coughed. That's when Toko saw it clearly, one of the cheap woven baskets was caught down the creature's throat. It had broken up and its many jagged reeds had stuck in the mucky flesh.
“I want to help you.” Toko said as gently as she could. “Pan, Pan bring me your knife but move slowly.”
The creature shifted to eye Pan warily as he approached, but instead of fleeing it just sidled closer to Toko. Pan handed Toko his knife and as gently as she could she reached inside its mouth and started cutting away at the stuck basket. The creature flinched with the first few moves she made, but it seemed to quickly understand what she was doing and endured the rest.
“OK I think I have it, Pan can you reach in and take it out while I hold this?
Pan shot a disapproving look at Toko that she did not notice, before reaching his hands inside of the muck and tugging on the basket. Toko had cut it cleanly and it slid right out. Pan sat back and inspected the basket.
The creature rushed away, zooming over the grass and mud like waves crashing. It stopped and looked at the children with an undeniable look of joy on its face, then it dove into the trash and immediately garbled a huge chunk into its mouth. It mulled it around for only a few moments before it opened its mouth and the trash was simply gone. A mucky smile broadened the mud folds of its face, and it went back to work.
“I think I’ll call him Grubber!” Toko said smiling. “Come on, let's go watch him!”
“Ok, yeah I’ll be right there.” Pan said absently.
“Oh wow that is pretty” Toko said, seeing a small stone figurine in Pan’s hands. “Was that in the basket?”
“Yeah it was, I think it-” Pan simply stopped, and kept turning the figure over in his hands.
“We can play with it later, I want to watch Grubber!” Toko ran off and cheered Grubber on as he broke up the trash and swam with what seemed like glee.
Toko’s heart lightened as she felt so much pride for helping Grubber. When Grubber seemed to have had his fill, he lumbered back to Toko and sank into his puddle right at her feet. She couldn’t help but reach down and pet his mucky head. His eyes shot up with surprise, and for a moment he didn’t seem sure if he liked it - but he soon pressed back into her hand and enjoyed the attention.
“Pan come here, he is so friendly! He likes being pe-” she turned to see Pan standing, holding the stone figurine, staring North towards the mountains. “Pan?”
He did not reply. He simply took a step forward, stopped, then started again at a slow but steady pace.
“Pan, wait, where are you going?” Toko ran to him. “Pan? What’s wrong?”
“I want to see the mountain,” he said flatly.
Toko almost laughed, but the flatness in his voice had her too worried. “Pan no one goes to the mountain. No one. Come on, we need to go back or find a place for the night. Look it's already getting dark”
Pan did not say anything more, he simply clung to the stone figure, glanced between where he was walking and at the mountains to the North, and walked slowly.
Toko looked down and Grubber was right at her feet, following along, and his eyes had the concern she felt.
“Something is wrong with Pan, I need to follow and try to keep him safe.”
Grubber slid forward with her.
“It might be dangerous.” She said, taking a few more steps toward Pan.
Grubber slid forward with her.
“OK, together then.” She smiled and scratched his head. “He would come for me…”
They both followed Pan, Toko pleading with him to stop and consider, and Pan ignoring everything she said. The mountains came closer a step at a time and the forest grew darker. Bento was already beyond reach that night even if she could stop Pan but she got the feeling she would not get any rest with how determined he seemed. So she followed her friend, The Rules be damned.
