---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* Marginal 1 Prologue : Holy Mother by Hagio Moto Shogakukan Bunko Translation by Emily Horner *All page numbers refer to the bunko volumes Sleep, before the awakening <> Prologue: Holy Mother <> Old Man : That isn't what we were promised! Is the City telling us to die? We've paid our taxes every year, yet you haven't kept your promise! It's been years and years. This year is our turn! Give us a child! --Have you seen the Holy Mother? Old Man : I have! Seven years ago, when I came to the City. We finally received two children. --The Holy Mother is old. Her birth rate has been dropping steadily over the last ten years. Old Man : The few children there are are being taken by the rich men of the City! --You aren't the only one waiting for a child. It's just not possible, this year. Old Man : Then when? --Tomorrow, the Holy Mother will come out on the temple balcony, for the first time in six months. She is very old. When you see her, you will stop asking for the impossible. Habat : How is it? Grinja : The Center's shape seems strange no matter how many times I look at it. It stands up right in the center of the temple, and you can't see inside. Habat : Not even from the highest tower in the city. It is holy ground, after all. <> --Stop fighting! --The temple guards! Old Man : We can't return to the village like this! I'll go home with a child even if I have to steal him! This City will soon meet with destruction, too! Habat : Let's return to the inn, Grinja. The map is mostly finished. Habat : The temple is located in the exact center of the City. There are twelve gates, and hallways, courtyards, and places of prayer. Around the gates, there are inns for pilgrims. You can only leave and enter freely until here, the glass dome in the middle called the Center. It's said to be the Holy Mother's residence. There's a labyrinth of underground passageways, but you can't go any further. --The Holy Mother will show herself in the temple at noon tomorrow. --Have this, Grinja. Grinja : It's your bracelet. --I don't need it. Go with Habat tonight and get a prostitute, if you like. We'll be busy tomorrow. Habat : Are you scared of what will happen tomorrow? Grinja : No. Habat : All that's left is to believe in luck. --This is an old bracelet. We don't have any good ones left tonight. Grinja : That's all right. --Tito, you've got a customer! Go up to the 2nd floor. Tito : Over here. <> Tito : Are you a traveler? Grinja : Yes. Tito : Did you come to get a child? Grinja : No. Why do you have gloves on? Are you hurt? Tito : Do you want to see? Grinja : You're still a child. I don't sleep with children. Tito : I'm not a child. I'm 15. Grinja : You've still got color on your skin. You're a child. Tito : This is permanent. People with color remaining on parts of their skin are called Mosaics. That's what they said at the medical center. Tito : If it bothers you, I'll wear gloves. Grinja : That's all right. The medical center...is that in the building in the center of the temple, where the Holy Mother lives? Tito : Yes, there's a special hospital there. Usually children start to lose their color around 10, and they're all white within a year. I was called to the center because I still had some color left. Grinja : I've been in this city for two months, but this is the first time I've heard from someone who's been in the Center. Tito : Do you want to hear about it? It's pretty unusual. Some people would get mad at me for talking about it because it's holy ground. But children come from the Center, and the bodies of dead people go back to the Center. I went there and came back again. Grinja : What was there? Tito : Lots of things. I went to a place like a school and took tests. Grinja : Was the Holy Mother there? Tito : The Center's big. There are a lot of different sections, deep underground. The Holy Mother makes children in a secret place underground. Children with problems go back to the Center to be repaired. They said that I was a Mosaic, so my color wouldn't go away, but it wasn't life-threatening, so they let me go back to town. Grinja : Is the Mother still making children? Tito : I don't know. She is old, and this dog stopped being able to have puppies when she got too old. They say the City's population is gradually decreasing. Grinja : My village is down to five people, including myself, and I'm the youngest. The water's bad, and there are diseases going around, and on top of that we haven't been getting any children. Tito : Sometimes I think that the population would go up if we could have kids--Oh, I don't mean any disrespect to the Mother by that, though. Did you come to live in the City? Grinja : No, I came to see the Holy Mother. She'll come out on the balcony tomorrow. Tito : I saw her three years ago. I went up the winding staircase in the western part of the temple, and it was right by the balcony. Grinja : She was close to you? Did she have big round breasts? Tito : Her breasts were withered. She's very old. Grinja : How do you get up the winding staircase to see her from so close? Tito : Ordinary people can't. When I was at the Center, the doctor took me up there. Grinja : You can't get in otherwise? Tito : There are guards... Grinja : Is there a path? Tito : You can go through the underground passageways, but... Grinja : Underground passageways? Tito : You go down through the door at the end of the hallway... Grinja : And then? Tito : Are you cold? Grinja : It's not as cold as the desert. Tito : I thought the desert was hot. Grinja : Only when the sun is out. Tito : You should come live in the City. The City Bureau of Happiness would find you a house and a job, and the other people in your village could come too. If you did that, could you take me with you? Grinja : I won't live in the City. Tito : Will you come here again? Grinja : I don't know. Tito : How long will you stay in the City? Grinja : Until I see Mother. <> Tito : What's your name? Grinja : Grin. Old Man : There are so many people here. Will Mother really show herself? Grinja : Excuse me. Old Man : {A sword? It's forbidden to bring weapons into the temple. I wonder if he comes from a clan somewhere. There are blue tattoos on his face.} Grinja : You can use the underground passageway to get to the other side of the temple. If you go up the winding staircase, you come out right in front of the balcony. Mayor : Where is the Holy Mother? --Mayor. Three hours ago we gave her an injection to awaken her. She's on a palanquin now. --Hey! What are you doing there, old man? It's forbidden to come in here! Are you blind? --Yes, I'm lost... <> --The key? Grinja : It's here. It's noon! --Holy Mother! --It's the Holy Mother! --Our Mother, our only Mother! --Our true Mother! Old Man : She's so old! --Our Mother! --The Mother of all! The Mother of all humanity! --Mother! --Bring a shroud! Habat : Go quickly! There's about to be a huge confusion. --Mother! --What happened to Mother? --The citizens! Mayor : Deal with them! --Quiet! Mother is very tired. She had a fever today. Let us pray for Mother and the children. --Bring her out! What happened to her? --Mayor! Mayor : The Holy Mother has thrown away her old body! --I want to take your place, Habat. Habat : Go! I made a promise. Take care of the rest! Mayor : That was Mother's last greeting to us, her sons. --Mother... --What will become of us? <> Mayor : There's nothing to fear! Mother will be reborn, as she has always been! --Reborn... --Yes, reborn and young again. Mayor : Mother has an eternal soul! She will be reborn with a new body! --Reborn! --Reborn! Old Man : Instead of bringing us children, she died. Meyard : Mayor. Mayor : Meyard? Meyard : You handled that well. Mayor : It was sudden, but I knew this day would come someday. Mother was very old. Meyard : She's being autopsied at the Center. Mayor : That was inevitable. Meyard : There was this under her tongue. A poisoned arrow. Mayor : Impossible! --A man's been brought down in the temple's underground passageways. Mayor : Is he breathing? --Faintly. Mayor : Bring me to him. --He died just now. Mayor : Was he carrying arrows? --Be careful, they seem to be poisoned. Mayor : Show me his face. <> Mayor : He must have been mad. Meyard : We can find out where he comes from by the number on his forehead. --Those are beautiful tattoos. He must have been a desert nomad. Mayor : Why? Why? Whether from the City or the desert, we're all the sons of one Mother. Someone would assassinate their Mother? I can't believe it. Mikal : Father? Mayor : Mikal. Mikal : I know that you're busy, but I'd like to talk to you. Mayor : Come in. Mikal : The town bells have been ringing since noon. Mayor : They'll ring all night, as well. Mikal : When will Mother be reborn, father? Mikal : According to the hymns, the first Mother came down to the domed city, Monodor, from the moon on a moonlit night, with many servants. She gave many children to the childless city. Mayor : And when she gets old, she is born again in a young form. Look, these are the records of the Mothers in history. You should know this, because you will someday follow me as mayor. Mikal : There were a lot of them. Mayor : The Mother who died today was named Garbo, the 6th. She was 78 years old. Mikal : That's a long life. Mayor : Here in the City, the average lifespan is 35 years. I'm already 32. Mikal : But you're healthy, father. You don't look that old. Mayor : After the age of 30, everyone starts to age quickly. Mikal : Then, will you be reborn too, father? Mayor : Listen to me, Mikal! No one is reborn. Not even Mother. You'll become the mayor, and the new Mother's first husband, so listen well to the people at the medical center. Mother lived a long time because of the doctors and medicine at the Center. You can extend someone's life, but they still have to die someday. The next Mother will be the seventh. I don't know who she will be, but her name will be Hallelujah. Mikal : Hallelujah? Will she give birth to children? Dozens of children, like before? <> Meyard : It's about Hallelujah, mayor. Mayor : Meyard! It's been decided? Stay here, Mikal. You'll have to do this job one day. Meyard : Here are the files of the doctors at the Center. They reccomend this boy. Tito, 15 years old. Mayor : Does it seem like he will live a long time? Meyard : He's only been to the Center once. Mayor : Mosaic? His hands are black? But Hallelujah couldn't be a Mosaic. Meyard : Holy people have holy markings. --Grinja? Grinja : You go ahead. I'll follow after you soon. --Tito, it's the client from yesterday. Tito : Tell him I'm not here! --Tito? Grinja : Why are you running away? Tito : You killed Mother! You asked me about the underground passageways and winding staircases. No one else knows about them but me! You killed her! Grinja : We're leaving the City. Will you come with us? Tito : The gates are closed. You'll get caught. Grinja : We can leave by an underground well. Tito : They'll catch you. I'm sure of it! Why did you kill Mother? Meyard : Mayor, we'll have to rethink the Hallelujah Plan. Tito was killed last night. His body was found behind the brothel this morning. The owner remembers seeing a suspicious customer with blue tattoos over his eyes. <> Mayor : The man who killed Mother also had blue tattoos over his eyes! Were they friends? Meyard : Mother's death wasn't the act of a madman. It was planned. They must have already left the City. Mayor : Meyard... Meyard : Mayor, we at the Center will investigate Mother's assassination. The only ones who know that she was murdered were the people up on that balcony. We can keep it secret. Mayor : Of course. Meyard : In this kind of "honeybee society," with one Mother and many sons, the Mother's death was unthinkable. This will be a fascinating investigation. <> --Vultures...is there a corpse there? Grinja : I'll take a look. <> --What is it? Grinja : He's breathing.