Chapter Seven
Interior. Meadow before the exit from the gate to the ghost park
Chihiro thought she had been sleeping for a very long time. But in fact, she woke up after 30 minutes. Jiniba told her not to disturb the girl, and Chihiro remained to sleep right there on the meadow. Haku brought a blanket and a pillow, and they laid the girl on it. When the girl woke up, there was almost no one left on the meadow. Only Haku was giving instructions to the yawning to the ghosts cleaning the meadow. Soon there was nothing to remind them of the past holiday and the tragedy. The grass of the meadow glistened cheerfully with dew drops in the rays of the rising sun.
Chihiro
Haku, where are you, Haku?
Haku
I'm here! I was busy cleaning, but I didn't go far from you!
How are you?
Chihiro
Where is the Faceless One?
Haku
Lady Jiniba ordered to throw a dark cloth over the Faceless One. Now he's like in prison.
Chihiro
Didn't they offend him?
Haku
No, everyone was afraid of him. They tried not to approach him. That's why Jiniba's personal servants led him to the room that would serve as a prison cell until the trial of the Faceless One.
Chihiro
Will there be a trial?
Haku
Do you still feel sorry for him?
I know that there is some strange connection between you. But I am sad that the relationship ended so tragically. Yes, there will be a trial. Lady Jiniba said that it is necessary to understand what happened to Faceless. He was a great assistant and best friend of Mr. Lantern, and then tragedy happened. Sorceress Jiniba now very much regrets that she did not put out a search for Faceless back then; if she had done so, today's tragedy could have been avoided. But at that moment, she was confused, and her task was to ease Mr. Lantern's suffering as much as possible.
Chihiro
Llyn left?
Haku
Don't you remember?
Chihiro
I hoped that I had just dreamed it all. So it all really happened, and Llyn saved me.
Haku
Yes. We were lucky that Llyn was there and reacted immediately, otherwise you would have died.
Chihiro
What should we do now? I turned out to be a bad security consultant. I couldn't even protect my own life, because I was careless, my friend died.
Haku
No, it's my fault. You have a sixth sense, and you categorically refused to go up on stage. You felt threatened, you just couldn't formulate this feeling, the general joy, excitement, noise did not allow you to concentrate. In order to understand what was really happening, you needed at least one minute of silence, but they pressured you, persuaded you, even, as far as I remember, threats began to come from the crowd of ghosts. I had to listen to you, and I listened to the mood of the crowd.
Chihiro
What will happen now? What will they do with the Faceless One?
Haku
Jiniba and Yubaba will call an extended meeting in the evening, when everyone wakes up, you and I must also be present at it. It will be necessary to select 12 jurors from among the ghosts.
Chihiro
Should these be the ghosts who were at the celebration?
Haku
I don't know. When evening comes, everything will become clear.
Chihiro
I need to go home. I'm worried. How are my parents?
Haku
My parents are fine. Their life stopped at 10 on the dial of your
home clock.
Chihiro
Yes, you already told me that I would return the same minute I left. But I'm
worried.
Haku
You will return home soon. I promise you.
Chihiro
Haku, tell me, what did my friend Llin tell you before she disappeared?
Haku
I can't tell you now. She made me promise that I would tell you everything only when you finally decided that it was time for you to
return to the real world.
Chihiro
That's not fair. You have to tell me everything now. This will calm me down a little and
give me the illusion that my caring friend is still by my side.
Haku
Do you want me to break my oath?
Chihiro
I'm sorry I put you in such an awkward position. No, I take back my
request. But I really hope that when the time comes, you will tell me everything.
Haku
Don't doubt it, it will be so. How are you feeling? I brought two stuffed
buns, when you eat the buns, don't hold back, you must cry, otherwise the pain
and anxiety will paint your heart black.
Chihiro
The buns are so delicious. I'm sorry I have to dilute their taste with salty tears.
Haku
After you eat the buns, go to your house, you need to sleep. I'll
show you off and then go inspect the grounds. I need to understand the extent of the
destruction. Some things can be restored with magic, but not everything. I
suspect that in a few cases real repairs will be necessary. Are you ready to go home?
Chihiro
I would not like to be alone now, this is not my home. If you allow it, I will go with you.
Haku
I understand you. If you wish, then let's walk around the ghost park for a while, and then you will still have to go back home, since your arrival at the ghost park your routine has been disrupted, and you have not slept much. Besides, the events of yesterday's festival will remain in your memory for a long time. So, of course, I will take
you with me. Did you eat the buns?
Chihiro
I ate the buns and washed them down with my own tears.
Haku
The first destination of our walk is the ghost gourmet street "Hunger and Food", of course, all the restaurants are destroyed and closed, but one of the restaurants specializes in what works during the day. It serves treats for ghosts who can't sleep during the day.
Chihiro
What, are there such ghosts?
Haku
Yes, and there are actually quite a lot of them. Why are you surprised? Don't you ever feel like getting up at night and having a drink or a snack?
Chihiro
Yes, sometimes it happens, but rarely, much more often it happens my parents.
Haku
Well, you see, sometimes you wake up at night to eat or drink, and the ghosts who can't sleep peacefully go to the underground restaurant to have a snack or drink during the day.
Chihiro
Is this restaurant underground?
Haku
Yes. Underground. However, to enter it, you don't need to walk under the scorching rays of the sun, it's still bad for the ghosts' skin. This restaurant is connected to the main building by several underground passages, bridges, tunnels, this is designed for those ghosts who like to take a walk during the day before going to bed. Those ghosts who just want to eat and drink something, and then go to bed again, can use the small subway that connects the main building and the restaurant. When No-Face split into 99 parts, he almost destroyed the entire street "Hunger and Food". However, the restaurants that are above ground and above ground inside the thousand-year-old tree, and he could not destroy. These are the oldest restaurants that were the first to appear on the Earth of the Magic Park, they are protected by triple magic and were not strong enough for the Faceless One. Chihiro, do you hear what I am saying? What is wrong with you?
Chihiro
Are you asking me to enter the underground restaurant?
Haku
You are as perceptive as always. I want to treat you to the juice of the flower of oblivion. If you drink this juice, you will not be able to forget everything, of course, but your pain of loss will subside a little. Besides, you just need something to wash it down with after eating two buns. Do you mind visiting the restaurant? I am sure that the dishes you see will amaze you, and perhaps you will agree to me ordering you something else for breakfast.
Chihiro
It feels like a heavy bag has been hung on my heart. And the heaviness is growing, I feel anxious and scared. So if there is anything that can help my pain subside a little, I am willing to eat or drink whatever you offer.
Interior. Underground restaurant of the ghost park. 10:00 AM
When Haku and Chihiro entered the underground restaurant, nothing was visible at first. But as soon as they stepped over the threshold, the light flashed. Soft music began to play, and a polite male voice said:
"Thank you for deciding to honor our restaurant with your attention. Welcome!"
When Chihiro and Haku sat down at the table, the voice sounded again: "Dear guests, I would like to clarify in what form would you like to receive the menu for today's breakfast? The menu can be projected on the wall in front of your table, on the ceiling, under the dome of the restaurant, on a tablet, or in regular paper form." Haku wanted to choose a traditional menu, but Chihiro beat him to it, asking for a menu projection to appear on the wall. Chihiro was a child of the 21st century and loved everything that could be scrolled with a finger.
The invisible maitre d' immediately fulfilled Chihiro's wishes. However, the abundance of dishes immediately confused the girl. The invisible assistant scrolled page after page, and Chihiro could not choose. When the choice of dishes exceeded 2000, Haku decided to take matters into his own hands. Besides, Chihiro had simply laid her head on the table and fallen asleep.
When Haku raised his hand, the flickering of the page stopped.
Immediately, a beautiful male voice sounded again: "Have you made your choice yet?"
Haku shook his head, and then added: "I have a request for you. Change the music. Let it be a lullaby. I want Chihiro to sleep for at least half an hour. After she wakes up, serve her porridge with the seeds of the Awakening grains and three drops of ginseng tincture added. I would also like to add to the selection of food and drinks a chocolate stick that gives energy and juice with the grass of oblivion."
"Is that all?" the male voice clarified. "What will you eat and drink?"
Haku
I will not eat anything. As for drinks... Just give me strong coffee.
"Do you want a triple espresso? " the invisible maitre d' asked again.
Haku
No, I need coffee raised to the power of nine.
"Okay," the invisible interlocutor agreed, "your order is coffee raised to the power of nine. The espresso will be here soon. But, if you allow me to say, I will remind you that such coffee is harmful to the body." "I thank you for your concern," Haku laughed and answered softly, "but I can assure you that I rarely drink such coffee, but in light of the events that happened last night, I simply need such a drink now."
"Yes, I understand you," the invisible interlocutor supported the conversation. "Unfortunately, I was not among those invited to this fateful celebration, since I was busy preparing the celebration in the kitchen of the bathhouse for ghosts, but I know about the tragedy that occurred when dawn was approaching. I offer my condolences to Chihiro." "I'll be sure to convey your condolences to Chihiro when she wakes up," Haku said quietly. "But I have to go now. If my friend doesn't wake up in half an hour, don't wake her up, she needs to sleep. She might be scared when she opens her eyes. So when she wakes up, turn on the lights, all the lights in the restaurant, and let some soft music play. Or, no, you can turn on a movie on the side or ceiling screen. In short, do everything so that my little friend doesn't get scared. discomfort. And of course, serve her the dishes I mentioned earlier. With your permission, I will leave for now."
"Excuse me," the voice of the invisible restaurant manager was heard again. "I would like to clarify how long it will take you to return if Chihiro asks about you?"
"I will return in half an hour. — Haku placed the flower, which an invisible host had served on a tray, on the table and resolutely left the restaurant."
Chihiro was asleep, the music had changed to a lullaby, the lights in the restaurant had slightly reduced their intensity and began to softly blink in time with the lullaby. It seemed that for a while everything in the restaurant froze in immobility. However, someone you probably forgot about decided to go on reconnaissance to find out if there was a threat to his little mistress. The Paper Crane, who had been hiding in his pocket all this time, decided that his time had come. The Crane had excellent eyesight. Of course, he had only recently been born, and the gloom that reigned in the restaurant now was no obstacle for him.
Let's follow him and examine everything in this ancient underground restaurant. Let's start with what you probably already guessed: the restaurant was not just huge, it was was endless and boundless. The restaurant was underground, but if you wanted, you could go down a few more levels. The restaurant was divided into many segments that were connected by tunnels and passages. The ghosts that came to the park of the same name came here from all over the world. The ghosts had different preferences in cuisine, that is, in the choice of drinks and food. Some ghosts demanded that the service that the waiters provided them be similar to the service they received in their homeland during their lifetime. The more technology developed in the real earthly world, the more choice the underground restaurant could provide for its ghostly visitors. The blood vessels connecting the real world and the ghost park transferred information regularly. Information came from the ghost park at night, these were dreams, visions, insights. Information from the real world came to the ghost park during the day. The witch Jiniba actually had three agencies. One agency was responsible for the holidays, the second agency was responsible for show business, and the third agency, which Jiniba did not like to mention, was responsible for information technology, which the employees of the third agency simply took from people in their sleep without any permission. Thus, the ghost park received video cameras, which now hung every few meters along the entire perimeter of the park, tablets, computers, in the space between several parks there was even its own observatory. The employees of the third agency did not just use the information that they downloaded from sleepy people in their sleep, they were also engaged in developing the knowledge that they received without any permission. Well, as I already said, the witch Jiniba was a little embarrassed by the fact that knowledge about the new was usually obtained without any permission, and therefore few knew that in the house in which she temporarily lived, not two agencies occupied their place, but three. But let's return to our Paper Crane. As I have already said, the territory occupied by the underground restaurant was boundlessly huge. The territory was divided into segments, which served exactly those dishes, that is, dishes of the cuisine that the ghosts loved in their earthly life. The segments of the restaurant were decorated like movie pavilions. For example, if a ghost who used to be English was blown into the underground restaurant by some wind, he had the opportunity to eat as if he were in one of the London restaurants. Chinese ghosts could, after a hearty meal, wander through the halls of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which were recreated with amazing accuracy in the underground restaurant. That is, if we sum it up, we can say with the proverb "For your money, any whim." The huge restaurant had a beginning, but no end. It was endless, like our Universe. The Paper Crane even got tired trying to examine all the wonders of the underground restaurant. When he felt tired, he remembered that it was time for him to go to his mistress; according to his calculations, the girl should have woken up by now. However, when he returned, Chihiro was still asleep. The Paper Crane decided that it would be a good idea for him to get some sleep, too, and slipped back into the girl's pocket. However, he immediately heard a voice and left the pocket again to inquire what was going on.
"Sir," said a polite voice, "will you be ordering anything? You can't leave our restaurant with an empty stomach."
Paper Crane
And what can you offer me?
Invisible Waiter
I can offer a fairy tale about a thousand paper cranes. This will be the first course. For the second course, I can offer a legend about lovers who communicated with the help of magic cranes. If you don't remember this legend, I can give you a brief summary. He went to war, she waited for him, and in order not to die in separation, they sent each other magic cranes. The third course will be a story, real I am a story that actually happened, when a paper crane that looked like you stopped a war between clans. A beautiful girl spent sleepless nights embroidering this crane on a silk scarf and threw the scarf between the two warring clans. The war was stopped. In this way, she saved her father's life.
Paper Crane
I like the choice of dishes. I agree. And what drinks can you offer me?
Invisible Waiter
Well, I thank you and am very glad that the choice of dishes met your expectations. As for drinks: if you do not mind, then as a drink I would like to offer you the story of how the river was created, which, as I know, you tried to revive a few days earlier.
Paper Crane
Thank you. I really like the drink that you want to give me in addition to the dishes. And now, with your permission, I would like to start breakfast.
Invisible Waiter
Would you like to receive your food and drinks electronically or in paper form?
Paper Crane
Sorry, I haven't mastered the alphabet yet because I was born so recently, is it possible to receive all these dishes in voice form?
Invisible Waiter
Everything is possible in our restaurant. Now, on the side screen, you will receive a video that will give you a choice of headphones. You will have to choose the type of headphones, otherwise you will not be able to fully enjoy your dishes. Your hostess is sleeping, and the stories you chose for breakfast may wake her up.
Paper Crane
Thank you for such a subtle understanding of the current moment. I am ready to choose headphones, and in the meantime, you prepare my dishes.