LJIdol: 3 Strikes - Week 5 - Kuchisabishii
“Daniel, take that out of your mouth.”
“He can’t help it, you know.”
“I know, but I don’t have to like it. It’s not proper.”
Darius stared in disgust at the newest member of the family for another few seconds, then sighed and turned back to his conversation. He was comfortable here in his velvet lined chair, a warm drink filling the goblet on the table beside him. Was it really worth the effort to chase after Daniel again? Even if he succeeded, it would only last a few minutes before Daniel would be chomping on something else.
Andrei laughed quietly from a neighboring chair as he watched Darius’ internal struggle.
“Gura Singuratică.”
“Sorry?”
“I really think you should learn the language one of these days.”
“English is fine, thanks. Everyone here already speaks it anyway.”
“You’re just afraid to be laughed at. Anyway, the Japanese call it ‘Kuchisabishii’. In Romanian, we sometimes say ‘Gura Singuratică’. The Americans call it ‘oral fixation’. Directly translated, though, it means ‘lonely mouth’. All the same really. Daniel is just still stuck in the oral stage of development where everything goes in the mouth.”
“No kidding. Every time I see him, there’s always something in his mouth. He eats like there’s no tomorrow.”
“Well, maybe for him it’s reasonable there won’t be a tomorrow. Given what he went through and all. I mean, to be fair, there very well might not be a tomorrow for any of us. Have you seen the papers?”
Darius had. And honestly, it didn’t look good. War was ravaging neighboring Ukraine, and here in Romania, the impact was being felt. People were staying inside; food supplies were becoming scarce. Darius congratulated himself again on being well-prepared for this type of contingency, though Daniel made those preparations feel a lot less sufficient. If this war stretched out too long, it could make for a rough summer. Long unsafe days and short supply-less nights.
“We have made it through worse.” It was true, but Darius’ voice lacked conviction.
Daniel had left the room, but Darius could hear him flittering around the hallways. Andrei had already forgotten about him, and was relieved to have a different topic for at least the moment.
“Correct. This family has survived much worse. Wars, plagues, earthquakes, floods, fires…”
“To be fair, the only reason we were nearly caught in that last nightclub fire was someone’s bad taste.”
“I just wanted to get to know some of the modern musical scene. It’s good to be in touch with the times. How was I to know they hadn’t thought through the potential of using six foot flames in such a small space.”
Darius grunted and shook his head. His memory of the event differed slightly. In his mind he recalled Andrei being less interested in the music than in the pyrotechnician he was entwined with just before things got out of hand.
“Music scene, right. In any case, that only destroyed the one building. Hardly a disaster.”
“You’re just saying that because you never liked the Colectiv.”
“No, I am saying that because compared to the second Vrancea earthquake…”
“Oh, here we go again. The second Vrancea earthquake. So much worse than the ones before or since. That story of you trapped underground never gets old to you does it.”
“It’s a compelling story!”
Before Darius could start in on the tale for the third time that week, they were interrupted by a scream of frustration and the sound of a table falling over. Darius started to get up, but Andrei put his hand out and held him back.
“Let him be. We can get Elena to make sure the house is okay. Elena!”
“Already on it, sir,” came the response from outside the room. Elena had been a great addition to the household. Sometimes, luck was on their side. Sometimes… Well, time would tell with Daniel.
“You were no different when you were his age, you know.”
“Poppycock.”
“It’s true, Darius. You used to wander these halls just the same way. We wondered if you would ever be able to speak, given how rarely you left your mouth free to try. You likely don’t remember when you first got here.”
“Of course I do. I remember my life before here. And I remember very clearly the day I joined this family. That was right after the first Vrancea earthquake. I remember well.”
“Do you? Well, perhaps so. And perhaps I will take it as the compliment I hope it was meant as. But do you remember the first couple years after that?”
“I… I remember feeling… empty. Feeling like I had lost something.”
“That’s right. And you tried to replace it, to fill that emptiness, by putting everything in sight in your mouth.”
“I was… searching for something.”
“Yes, you were. We all do when we first arrive here. And when we find it, it is all-consuming. And for some, like Daniel, it takes a long time to move on from that first fulfilling addiction.”
“It’s been nearly ten years.”
“We all must live with our poor choices.”
A sharp cry, followed by a squeal of triumph, echoed down the hall. A moment later, Daniel entered, a freshly killed rat in his mouth. His eyes were half glazed over in ecstasy as he savored the blood oozing from the tiny matted corpse.
Without a word, Andrei rose from his chair, slid across the room, and reached up and tore open Daniel’s mouth to inspect the poor creature.
“At least he seems to have killed it outright this time.” Andrei tossed the rat into a nearby trash can as Daniel’s sad eyes followed it hungrily, his jaw still moving up and down, blood plastered to his cheeks. Andrei looked at his face for a moment, licking the blood from his fingers. He smiled broadly, his sharp white canines gleaming in the candlelight. “C’mon big guy, it’s past sunset. Let’s go out and get you someone real to eat.”