CLAIR DE LUNE'S
The Part 19

Brother Inchmahome sat on his knees, resting on his knees

his foot. He had just observed small, stone-colored crabs

the reef lives in one of the ponds at the bottom of the gorge below the monastery. Now he is observing Clair-de-Lune.

“Clair-de-Lune,” said softly. “But why?”

That morning the Brother took them out through the back garden and showed them something extraordinary. In the garden above the ravine, which swooped into the sea, there was a kind of well surrounded by wildflowers. But it was not a well, but rather the beginning of a circular rung that led into the rock!

“Through this road on Brother go to the beach,”

he said; he carried Bonaventure and began to descend.

But Clair-de-Lune hesitated.

Brother Inchmahome knew Clair-de-Lune was sad this morning. Now he saw the girl was scared.

Clair-de-Lune is not a cowardly girl. Dancers should

courage is part of their discipline. Clair-de-Lune has done dance exercises; and during practice, Monsieur Dupoint lifts him high into the air with one hand, then swung it down again so that it swooped down like a swallow looking for food. Monsieur Dupoint threw it on the floor in a twisting motion.

But, Clair-de-Lune very rarely went out of the room.

So, all his courage was the courage in the room. He knows the courage that the dancer needs; and the courage that a man needs when he lies awake, alone, at night, in the dark, with his imagination and fear. He knew the courage he needed to be indoors, confined, and buried among the roofs of houses,

the steps, and the ceiling, had no way out; and the courage it took to face the anger of his grandmother. And, of course, he knew exactly how much courage it took him to enter a room, where everyone hated him.

Although very fond, he knew nothing about ravines, climbing, and beaches. I don't know if all this is safe or not.

“You don't have to come if you don't want to, Clair-de-Lune,” Brother Inchmahome said. He stopped at the stairs, and looked up at the girl with his head down. “But this ladder is very safe. Even Brother Juniper, who used to cook for us, often came down here—and his feet were not deft. If a bear-like person like him could go down these stairs, I'm sure you—finder— won't have any trouble. And

the beach is very beautiful.” He looked up again— at first glance interested, and felt amused—as would wonder in the heart what Clair-de-Lune would do.

Clair-de-Lune was still hesitant.

Lau, by holding the ground around the hole

carefully, he began to descend the first steps. Now his hand, which was holding on to the grass, was at the height of his waist. Then his hands were as high as his eyes. The stairs are big and strong.

Around it was a wall of stone. Clair-de-Lune became calmer, and continued to slowly walk down the stairs. I'm not sure if I'm happy or not. He didn't feel like he was going to fall, but walking down a stone pit so steep caused fear as well. He looked up.

The sky is clearly visible, in the form of a blue circle above. As he continued to descend, walking in circles, the light above grew increasingly blurry and the sky was rising

disappear. But, when he felt that the situation around him would become dark, he saw a light, a gray light like dawn that did not come from above, but from below. A few more steps, the light grew even brighter.

He could hear the sound of murmurs and the pounding of the waves, and the screams of seagulls. Then suddenly the ladder opened into the open, and he was at the bottom of the stairs, at the bottom of the abyss and surrounded by the sea, approaching to the

the beach consists partly of sand and partly of rock.

Suddenly the stairs disappeared in the sand.

Brother Inchmahome was waiting for him at the beach,

“Sea! Sea!” the great-grandson of Bonaventure from the monk's shoulder (and Brother Inchmahome immediately raised his hand to keep the rat from falling into excitement). “Ah, I am so reminded of my past! My happy childhood with my nine brothers! How peaceful it would be to sleep in shells, listening to the nina bobo songs my mother sings! And how exciting it was to play on the beach outside the fishing lodge!

Marmaduke, Bartholomew, Demetrius, Oscar, Lavinia, Francesca, Anastasia, Miriam, and Joan—ah, dear little Joan? Of course, each of them has their own career. And Iu—Mother darling! I have to go home to see her when I start that dance company. He will certainly be very happy. ‘Look at me, Mama,’ I will say, ‘in this life we are not always limited to Restrictions!’”

But Clair-de-Lune wasn't listening.

He's too fascinated.

Suddenly he could be so close…

…on something that is really outside…

Because there is nothing more open, more in

outside of the sea. His freedom! The breadth! His head seemed to be spinning. He immediately sat on a nearby rock, and looked. Just staring.

But I am still in the building. How wonderful this life is.

# # #

“What made you change your mind?” urge Brother Inchmahome soft.

Clair-de-Lune stared deeply into the stone pool. The crabs are colored that are hard to see. When it feels like a thing, it doesn't look like there's a moving crab in the water,

it was as if a part of the sand was rising up and walking.

Now I know that talking is dangerous, he said, in a voice

a bird that only Brother Inchmahome can understand.

If I didn't talk, no one would really hate me, because no

someone will really know me.

If I talk, people may hate, not just the people they think are me, but the real me.

Brother Inchmahome, I don't want to be hated. More

I am alone and lonely than hated by people.

Brother Inchmahome looked at him through his eyes that were as gray as the dawn sky and as clear as water.

“Oh, so,” he said.

Then he thought for a long time.

The rippling waves moved towards the shore, then receded back into the sea like waves of rats; the blue morning sky seemed to grow blue; the sun was getting warmer on their backs; and seagulls flew in gusts of wind like kites from paper and wood, letting out lonely cries.

Seriate…