Dendera

Dendera Read Free

Book: Dendera Read Free
Author: Yuya Sato
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Climb the Mountain and not die offended Kayu Saitoh. And even worse was to make a place like Dendera and live there. It was unforgivable. Makura Katsuragawa was supposed to have gracefully parted from this world eighteen years ago. She was not supposed to be eking out a miserable existence on the other side of the Mountain. The very idea was sacrilege. Kayu Saitoh felt defiled.
    If Kayu Saitoh were to go back to the Mountain now, even though she had never meant to come back down again, even though she had been brought down without her consent, the Mountain would know. It would know, and it would not allow her to move on to Paradise. The path to the next world was closed off to her forever. The thought of this had made Kayu Saitoh boil with anger. And she had needed to take the anger out on somebody, and that somebody was Makura Katsuragawa.
    Makura Katsuragawa was struggling to push Kayu Saitoh off her, but she might as well have been a rag doll for all the good her resistance was doing. Kayu Saitoh squeezed harder, digging all ten digits into Makura Katsuragawa’s neck. The other old women were watching the fray, though, and two of them leaped out and restrained Kayu Saitoh, pinning her to the ground.
    “Let me go!” Kayu Saitoh shouted.
    The two old women holding Kayu Saitoh down were Hatsu Fukuzawa, who had Climbed the Mountain four years ago, and Somo Izumi, who had made the journey fifteen years ago. Kayu Saitoh’s anger was now directed at them. Weren’t they ashamed to be still alive after Climbing the Mountain?
    “Calm down, Kayu. What do you think you’re playing at? I thought you only just woke up?” said Hatsu Fukuzawa, her foot planted firmly on Kayu’s back.
    “Maybe she thinks she’s still dreaming,” said Somo Izumi.
    “Don’t you dare talk about me as if I’m one of you!” Kayu Saitoh howled. Her body was starting to work again; she was starting to feel again. She could feel the snow, cold, underneath her. She wasn’t supposed to be able to feel anything …
    “Ka—Kayu,” Makura Katsuragawa sputtered out eventually between heavy coughs. She clambered up and looked at Kayu Saitoh warily.
    “What’s this ‘Dendera’ shit?” Kayu Saitoh said. “Why are you all in a place like this?”
    “What do you mean, ‘why’?” said Makura Katsuragawa, rubbing her neck where Kayu Saitoh had been choking her. “Because we don’t want to die. Why else?”
    “Have you no shame?” Kayu Saitoh’s voice was full of hate, and Makura Katsuragawa scurried back into the crowd without listening to the actual words. Kayu Saitoh wanted to chase after her; she made a renewed effort to throw off the two old women who were restraining her. At the same moment a new figure arrived on the scene. She too was an old woman. She wore dog pelts over her grubby white robe. Kayu Saitoh recognized her. It was Hono Ishizuka, the old lacquer-tapper’s wife. She too had Climbed the Mountain—sixteen years ago. She too was supposed to be dead. She too was a gutless coward. Kayu Saitoh glared at her.
    “Ah, Ms. Kayu. You are welcome here.” Hono Ishizuka looked down at Kayu Saitoh. “Violence, however, is not permitted in Dendera. The next time there is a violent outburst from you, we will place you behind bars. You shouldn’t cause such a scene. It makes problems for people. For yourself too. Now, you have been granted a new lease on life. Shouldn’t you show some gratitude for this?”
    “Who asked you to bring me back to life?” Kayu Saitoh snarled, still held in place. “Hono Ishizuka! You used to be important in the Village. I used to respect you! Now you just disgust me.”
    “You were prepared to roll over and die just because they told you to,” said Hono Ishizuka. “You are weak. Your opinion of me doesn’t mean anything.”
    “You were supposed to have Climbed the Mountain! You were supposed to be dead! What are you doing here ?” Kayu Saitoh asked.
    “Living,” said Hono

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