by Eiko Kadono
“It’s great that things seem to be going so well for you. I’m jealous.”
“You’ll do fine. You’re cute like me, and you seem fairly smart like me, too. Plus you’re good at flying. You do seem a bit on the feisty side, but, well, I’m sure you’ll do your best. Anyhow, I’m in a hurry, so see you!”
The big-sister witch waved and herked and jerked off into the distance.
“She was pretty braggy,” Jiji said in a low voice.
“But she complimented me.”
“Maybe. But her cat was so aloof. He didn’t even say hello, just acted all smug because he’s a little older.”
“Oh, so you wanted to talk to him, Jiji? If you felt that way, you should have said something.”
“Well, it’s not like I wanted to…,” Jiji muttered.
“Anyhow, I’ve got my own things to figure out.” Kiki speedily reversed and continued her journey.
As she flew on, she passed a few towns that seemed nice. Each time, Jiji would prod, “Why not make up your mind now?” But Kiki insisted on going to the sea.
“Just a bit farther. Only a little,” she kept repeating.
Eventually there were fewer mountains, and in their place, more fields, villages, and towns began to appear. By this point, the river was wide and flowed in big twists and turns. Kiki and Jiji’s little shadow across the water looked just like a fish swimming below the surface.
“Oh, isn’t that the sea?” Jiji shouted.
Kiki had been distracted by the view below, but when she looked up, she saw a line of light off in the distance separating the blue sky from the water.
“Yeah, that’s the sea for sure. You noticed it right away!”
“What, so it’s just a big puddle?” Jiji seemed dissatisfied.
“No, it’s amazing! It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Kiki shouted in utter delight as she gazed as far as her eyes could see up and down the coast. Suddenly she noticed a town right where the river emptied into the sea. “A town! Oh, look, a big bridge!” she shouted again.
“Oh, a train!” Jiji exclaimed at the same time.
“Let’s check it out!” Kiki sped ahead on her broom.
When they were closer, she realized the town was even bigger than she thought. Tall buildings, both box-shaped and triangular, jutted toward the sky. Kiki took a sweeping look around and exclaimed, “This is the place!”
“You don’t think it’s too big?” Jiji seemed a little worried. “Remember what Kokiri said, to think twice about big, busy towns.”
“I like it here. Look, see that over there?” She pointed at a clock tower near the center of town, a tower so tall it seemed like a ladder to the heavens. “Wouldn’t it be fun to grab that and twirl this place like a spinning top? Its shadow stretches so far, it’s like the whole town is a sundial.” Kiki peered down with starry eyes.
“You seem awfully excited,” Jiji said. “But there could be a witch already living here, like that other town before.”
“Well, we won’t know until we land and ask.”
Kiki sharply angled her broomstick down and landed lightly on one of the town’s roads.
On the ground, the streets were bustling with afternoon shoppers. When Kiki jumped onto the cobblestones with a thud, everyone was startled. Some people seemed scared and fled, while others hid behind someone else. Soon Kiki was surrounded by a wall of people. She hurriedly took the broom out from between her legs, placed Jiji on her shoulder, and put on a cheerful smile.
“Um, I’m Kiki, and I’m a witch—”
“Oho, a witch, huh?” one older woman said. “You’re a rare breed these days.” The woman adjusted the glasses on her nose and stared.
“So there’s no witch in this town? Phew! Well, as I was saying, I’m Kiki the witch, and this is my black cat, Jiji. I’ll make myself at home,” she said as she looked around at everyone and then curtsied more carefully than usual.
“Make yourself at home? You mean here, in the town of Koriko?” a man chimed in.
“Who made that decision?” a woman exclaimed. “Was it that new mayor?”
At this point, everyone was exchanging glances with the people next to them and chatting among themselves.
“Is there anything good about having a witch around?”
“Isn’t it kind of strange to go flying about the sky in this day and age?”
“They say there used to be one here long ago, but we’ve been fine without one all this time.”
“Mommy, witches use magic, right? Seems cool!”
“They do outrageous things! You’ll get scared!”
“Do you have some wicked plot?”
As Kiki listened to all the comments, which couldn’t really be called kind, her chest tightened. Even so, she tried to be confident. Smile, smile, she thought. She needed to come up with a reply.
“I’d love to live in this town. It’s pretty, and I like the clock tower,” Kiki complimented them.
“Well, it’s great that you’ve taken a liking to the town, but…”
“But we don’t want any trouble.”
“Whatever floats your boat.”
Once everyone was satisfied, having had their say, they scattered every which way and disappeared back into the town.
All Kiki’s energy had disappeared, leaving her discouraged. When she had heard that the city didn’t have a witch, she’d hoped the townspeople would find her interesting and welcome her. But now the exhaustion from flying since morning on an empty stomach hit her, and she felt like sinking into a pit.
The people from Kiki’s hometown were happy to live near a witch. They valued her family, and even said kind things like Witches are like oil for your gears and Having a witch around brings life to the town. Every day someone was stopping by offering something tasty, saying, I just had a little extra! And naturally, Kiki and her family gave back. They shared Kokiri’s sneeze medicine, taught the townspeople the names of traditional herbs, played cat’s cradle with elderly folks who lived alone, delivered lost and forgotten items by broom—it was a give-and-take lifestyle, just as Kokiri said.
That was how it had been ever since Kiki was born, so this whatever floats your boat attitude was strange. After all, Kiki was new to town and she had just come of age—how was she supposed to “float her boat”?
Kiki moved to the side of the road and trudged along sadly, dragging her broom.
“It’s just like Kokiri said. Big towns are no good,” Jiji murmured into her ear from where he was still perched on her shoulder.
Kiki nodded slowly so her tears wouldn’t overflow. “What should we do?” she whispered, petting Jiji.
“Things will work out somehow.” He flicked his tail back and forth with extra energy.
It was almost nighttime. Kiki still had plenty of the food from Kokiri left, but she wasn’t sure what to do about a place to sleep. Even if she had money for an inn, was there a place in this town that would let her stay? Her confidence shattered, Kiki helplessly roamed the streets.
“Psh!” Jiji abruptly shouted, trying to cheer Kiki up. “Witches have gotten so wimpy. In the olden days, everybody in this place would have had to watch their backs. An old-school witch would have picked the whole town up by the clock tower and stuck it on a mountain somewhere.”
Kiki shrugged slightly and said nothing. She wasn’t sure where they were going, but after wandering for a while, they found themselves on a narrow street. Instead of tall buildings, it was lined with little houses that seemed to lean over the road. At some point the sun had set, and the shops on either side had closed their doors. From the clinking of dishes and laughter that echoed on the other side of the windows, it sounded like dinnertime.
Suddenly, she heard a woman’s high-pitched voice coming from inside a half-closed bakery.
“Oh good
ness, that lady forgot something awfully important! Dear, go and take this to her, why don’t you?”
Kiki thought perhaps the woman was talking to her and stopped. But soon after, she heard a man’s voice.
“ ‘Awfully important’? What are you fussing about—it’s just the baby’s pacifier. It’s not as if she forgot the baby. I’ve got a get-together tonight. I’ll run it over in the morning.”
“But I’m telling you, that’s not good enough. She’s a very good customer. She comes from so far away—with her baby in tow—to buy our butter rolls. You say it’s ‘just’ a pacifier, but to a baby, it’s important—as important as your pipe is to you! The poor thing won’t be able to sleep tonight! If you’re not going, then I will.”
The woman, who must have been the owner of the bakery, came out from behind the door. The man shouted after her.
“Hey, you can’t do that! Cross the big river in your condition?”
Kiki saw the woman had a huge tummy, like a baby might be born at any minute. A rubber pacifier was clenched in her hand.
Turning around, the woman called, “Then are you going to go for me?”
“Tomorrow I will,” the man replied.
“Hmph.” She stuck her chin out. “You’re going to be a father soon yourself. I can’t believe my baby will have such a grump for a dad.”
After shouting at him, she gathered her protruding belly in her hands and set off walking. Her shoulders swayed back and forth, and her breath came roughly.
Without thinking, Kiki called out after her. “Excuse me! If you don’t mind me going, I’ll deliver it for you.”
The woman turned around and backed up a couple of steps. Then she gave Kiki a quick look, head to toe.
“You’re such a young lady, but you’re wearing black clothes and carrying a broom—are you a chimney sweep?”
“No, actually I—I just came to this town, and I’m a witch,” Kiki said nervously.
The lady ran her eyes over Kiki again. “You don’t say! Wow, a witch, huh? I’ve heard about them before, but it’s my first time seeing one.” She heaved a sigh. “But are you pulling my leg? You must be from a theater troupe or something, right?”
Kiki hurriedly shook her head. “No, I’m really a witch! So if you need something delivered, I can do it easy-peasy. Please, let me help you,” she offered politely.
“A real witch, you say? Well, delivering it will be a bit of a trip. Is that all right with you?”
“Sure, I don’t mind going any distance. Although if it’s too far north…it’s not up by the North Pole, is it? My dress isn’t very warm, and I don’t have a cape.”
The lady burst out laughing. “I think I like you. So you’ll do it, then?”
“Yes, of course.” Kiki smiled and nodded. Then she suddenly grew worried. “Um, ma’am?”
“Ack, don’t ‘ma’am’ me!” The lady put her palms up to ward off the formality. “I’m a baker, and the name’s Osono.”
“Then, uh, Mrs. Osono, I’m going to fly it over. Is that all right?”
“Now you’re going over the top. You don’t need to take an airplane!”
“No, I’m going to take my broom.”
“What?” Osono cocked her head and worked her mouth open and closed until she could finally utter, “This sure is a strange day.” Then she shook her head clear and said, “You can be a witch or a scarecrow, you can fly or swim—it’s all fine by me. I don’t like to make things too complicated. What’s important right now is delivering the pacifier.”
“Hearing you say that puts me at ease.” Kiki grinned. Jiji waved his tail charmingly from her shoulder.
“If that’s the case, then let’s get this done as soon as we can,” Osono said, digging around in the pocket of her apron. “I’ll draw you a map. Also, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but once you’ve delivered it, have the baby’s mother write her name on this. When you bring it back, I’ll be waiting with something to thank you.”
“Wonderful!” Kiki shouted. Then she took the map and the pacifier, mounted her broom, kicked off the ground, and climbed into the sky.
“You really are a witch, huh?” Kiki heard Osono’s surprised voice at her back as she flew away.
* * *
When Kiki arrived with the pacifier, the baby was wailing. But once his mother popped the pacifier in, he smiled. The baby’s mother was very appreciative and signed the map at Kiki’s request. “You really helped me out,” she said, and thanked Kiki over and over.
Kiki felt incredible as she flew back to the bakery, and hearing that she had “really helped” breathed new hope into her discouraged heart. “You know,” she told Jiji, “I’m feeling all right. So you can feel better, too.”
“Hmph,” he sniffed. “Jeez, I’m starving all of a sudden.”
“Me too!” Kiki reached out and patted Jiji’s stomach as they continued on her broom. “Once this errand is done, let’s go find a tree to sit under and eat the lunch Mom packed for us—but only a little. We have to make it last. I’m glad the moon is shining so bright tonight.”
Osono the baker was still standing in the same place Kiki left her, looking up at the sky with her mouth hanging open. Once Kiki quietly landed, Osono blurted, “Flying really is handy, huh? Will you please teach me how?”
“That’s impossible. If you don’t have witch blood in you, you won’t be able to fly.”
“Oh,” Osono said disappointedly. “But we don’t know for sure that I don’t. What do you think? Do I look part witch?” She let her belly go, then spread her arms and flapped them like bird wings.
Kiki looked away and laughed a little. “As I thought, it seems you’re not a witch.”
“As you thought? How can you tell?”
“I just can, I suppose.”
“Well, that’s no fun. But you’re right—it’s probably impossible. I never heard anything about my grandma or any great-grandmas being witches. Anyway, how was the baby?”
Kiki handed her the map with the mother’s signature. “He was crying, but he cheered up right away. It made me happy, too.”
“That’s great! Okay, then, Miss Witch, I need to thank you.”
“Please call me Kiki. And I don’t need anything in return. I’m happy to have met someone so nice. That’s more than enough. Like I said, I just arrived in town.”
“My, how humble,” Osono said. “Well, I’m sorry I only have the things that didn’t sell today, but…” She handed Kiki a bag holding five butter rolls.
“Ooh, these look delicious. I’m happy to take them,” Kiki said breathlessly. Then she gave a polite curtsey and turned to go.
“Hey, Miss Witch—your name is Kiki, you said? You just got to this town, right? Where are you staying?”
Kiki turned around, cuddling Jiji, and lowered her eyes.
“Surely you have somewhere to stay!” Osono demanded. Kiki remained silent.
“What? You have to speak up about things like that! In that case, use the second floor of our flour house. It’s small, but it has a bed and running water.”
“Really?” Kiki shouted, squeezing Jiji without thinking.
“If you don’t like it, you can look for a better place tomorrow.”
“Oh, I definitely won’t do that. Thank you so much! But are you sure it’s all right? I’m a witch, and it seems people in this town don’t like us very much.” Kiki hung her head again, but Osono took her chin in her hand, brought her head up, and gave her a wink.
“I’ve taken a shine to you. Don’t worry. Plus, I think there’s something a little bit wonderful about having a witch stay at our place.”
* * *
The flour house, which was right next to the bakery, really was a flour storehouse, and it seemed completely coated in the white powder. After Kiki and Jiji relaxed and ate some o
f their food, they crawled into bed, exhausted.
“I might be a white cat by tomorrow.” Jiji looked himself over and sneezed.
“But look, Jiji! There’s a bay window that will get a lot of sun, just like you wanted.”
After such a long trip, Kiki was relieved that her coming-of-age day was finally drawing to a close.
“Hey, Kiki, should we look for a different town tomorrow?” Jiji asked.
“I think I’m going to stay here a little longer. I wasn’t welcomed exactly as I hoped, but the baker likes me, right? There might be another person who does, too, don’t you think?”
“Well, yeah. There might even be three.” As quickly as Jiji answered, he was soon snoring the even breaths of sleep.
Three days had passed since Kiki the Witch moved to the town of Koriko.
Taking full advantage of Osono’s offer to stay as long as she liked, Kiki holed up in the flour house. She sat in a daze on the edge of the bed, sometimes eating bits of the leftover lunch from her mother or the bread from Osono, even though she didn’t have much appetite. As if her nerves were contagious, Jiji was glued to her side.
Today Kiki needed to go out to buy food, but she couldn’t get herself to leave her room. The unending clamor of the city and the sight of the busy-looking people hurrying past her window scared her. Everything in this town seemed to operate in a mechanical way. The night she’d delivered the pacifier, she had regained a bit of confidence, but by the next day, those feelings had completely vanished.
All morning, Kiki repeated half-hearted excuses in her head.
Well, because…
I just…
I mean…
She could stay in the town and pretend to be human, or if she swallowed her pride, she could even go home. But then I’ll be just like a snail stuck in my shell my whole life. Apologies to snails, but I don’t want to be like that!
Kokiri’s broom stood in the corner of her room, and Kiki stared at it with one hand on her chest.
This is no good. I need to find a job I can do. It’s just like Mom said. In a big city, everyone is busy, and here I am in the middle of one. I delivered that pacifier. Maybe I can do more tasks like that? I’m good at flying, and there might be lots of people who don’t have time to run a little errand.
