Sake Love

“So where exactly are we going?” Naoko asked.

“To the fourth circle,” the maiden replied as she kept rowing.

“What’s up there?”

“Summertime.”

Naoko gave her a puzzled look. “But it’s still spring.”

“In the lower three circles, it is. The seasons change with each range.”

“Is that right?”

“Exactly. One through three are spring. Four through six are summer. Seven and eight are autumn.”

“And the last circle is winter?”

“That’s correct.”

“Hm.” Naoko looked out at the scenery floating by. The pink grass began to blend into a playful red. Sunflowers stood with the blooming cherry trees. Young couples were having little picnics under the bright stars. The mouse lied back in the boat and looked at the sky. He had never seen some many stars in his life. They seemed to consume the very sky. They almost outshone the sun in the living world. The stars led him to another question. He glanced over at the maiden.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Eli,” the maiden said. The mouse nodded. The boat continued down the warm, red-watered river. Eli kept her eyes on Naoko.

“You should rest now,” she said. “It’ll be morning before we reach the fourth circle.” The mouse looked at her with his head tilted.

“Is that really okay?” he asked.

“You need all the rest that you can get,” Eli told him. “It’s better that you get some rest now.” Naoko only nodded at her.

“Alright,” he said. “Good night.”

“Night,” Eli said. Naoko lowered himself in the boat and went right to sleep. The maiden kept rowing across the river.

Day 2:

A small hand shook Naoko on the arm.

“Wake up, Nao-kun,” he heard someone whisper. “We’re here, wake up!” The mouse slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see Eli’s long black hair in his face as she leaned over him. He looked up to see a white and yellow town before him. He blinked as he looked around.

“Where are we?” he asked. Eli kept her stoic, elegant face the whole time.

“The fourth circle,” she replied. “We have pulled up in the harbor of lusty love.” The mouse nodded at her, slightly uneasy. Eli seemed to sense his feelings without changing her face.

“It’s okay, you can disembark here,” she said. “You need to do this now.” Naoko didn’t move at first, but then he slowly climbed out of the boat onto the dock. He turned back to Eli sitting in the boat.

“There is one more thing I have to tell you before I depart,” she said. The mouse looked on at her to listen. Eli picked up the oar.

“You won’t be able to past into the next circle until tomorrow,” she said. “But everything you need to know is in the Sake Falls Pub.” Naoko raised an eyebrow at her.

“Where would I find that?” he asked.

“You’ll know when you see it,” she said. Naoko watched her row away back to her own circle.

“Wait!” he called. “Will Austin will make it this far?” He paused when he felt a whisper enter his brain.

“He’ll be here when his number comes up,” he heard Eli tell. Naoko tried to look for her on the river, but she had already disappeared through the cotton candy purple fog. The mouse still didn’t fully understand her instructions.

She was a strange prize, he thought. Then, he turned and walked into town. Nice place here, so far. The setting made him feel like he had stepped back into Ancient Tokyo during the Meji. Paper lanterns of every color hung high above his head. Cherry blossom petals floated along in the warm summer breeze under the equally warm afternoon sun. My ladies in kimono playfully ran away from their lovers in a flirty game of chase. In fifty minutes, he came across a tall peach building next to what looked like a Ramen bar. Naoko read the pink flashing lights on the taller building.

“Sake Falls Pub,” he read to himself. He then remembered what Eli told him before she rowed away.

“Everything you need to know is in the Sake Falls Pub,” she said. Naoko’s face became serious at this potential lead.

Right, he thought. Then, he walked through the wooden lilac doors. The smell of cinnamon greeted his nose. Electronic music played from the purple speakers on the wall. Couples sat at glass tables splitting drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream between each other. The lighter coloring in the room was a subtle, welcome change from the past three circles. The sun gave off a weak light through the wax paper-covered windows. Naoko nodded to himself.

Neat place, he thought. The mouse looked to the bar and spotted the big, teddy-bear like bar tender shaking up another mix to pour. His purple tux commanded a strange power over the men in the bar, despite his deep indigo bow tie being crooked. He nearly had to duck down to keep his head from hitting the white paper lanterns above him. The man looked up and noticed the newbie mouse looking at him.

“Can I help you, sir?” he asked. Naoko took a seat at the stool of the bar.

“What exactly can you tell me about my Midori-chan?” he asked. The bar tender smiled as he poured out the drinks.

“Depends on who’s asking,” he replied with a voice so deep that it could shake the foot hills.

“My name is Naoko,” he replied. “I was going to marry her days before she died.” The bar tender looked at him tensely for a moment before his lips broke into a little smile.

“Greetings, I am Nicholas Page,” he said. “And you have come to the right place. So, what do you want to know about her? Can I get you a drink while I’m at it?” Naoko smiled at the warm reception.

“I’ll have a Dr. Pepper,” the mouse said. “And could you tell me how to get to Midori-chan?”

“Coming up!” Nicolas said. He went over to the machine and filled a ready glass with ginger ale. “You’ll find her in the tower of the final circle of this heaven,” he said.

“The final circle?” Naoko asked.

“That’s right,” the bar tender responded. He handed the patron his glass. The mouse took a sip.

“Now, how do I get there?” he asked. Nicholas’s fat face lit up as he gave the mouse a warm smile.

“The air boat,” he said. Naoko looked at him, now perplexed.

“The air boat?” he asked. “What is that?”

“Exactly as it sounds,” the bar tender said. “But, they don’t leave until every two days at noon. You missed the sailing point yesterday. So, just hang around for the day. Buy your woman a couple of presents from the shops here to give to her when you reunite with her.” Naoko twitched at the sound of that idea. A gleam flashed in his eye.

“What stores would you recommend?” he asked.