“And that really is the least of it,” Kubo added. With that, he brought his hand down on the shamisen, strumming all three notes. The blue light exploded across the cemetery. Then, suddenly, everything was a beautiful white.
The light was so bright Kubo couldn’t see anything. When it finally faded, the cemetery was calm. The giant beast was gone. Standing in front of him was the gentle old man from his dream. He smiled kindly.
“Where am I?” he asked.
Sensing that something powerful had happened, Kubo walked toward him. He knelt in front of him. “Hello, Grandfather,” he said.
The man looked confused. “I’m sorry, young man, but I seem to have forgotten my story. Can you help me?”
The people in the crowd looked at one another, realizing what had happened. The powerful magic that had brought the spirits to Earth had taken the Moon King’s memory, turning him into an ordinary old man. The love they felt for one another had made him human again. Kameyo stepped forward, seeing an opportunity.
“I’ll tell him. No—we’ll all tell him. We’ll tell him everything he needs to know,” she said. Then she turned to the old man. “You are the kindest, sweetest man to ever live in this village.”
“Really?” the old man said.
Mari stepped forward. “Every day you walk around smiling and handing out coins to children like me.”
“And old women!” Kameyo added.
One by one, more villagers stepped forward.
“You taught my kids to swim!” the fishmonger called out.
“You fed the hungry,” an elderly woman said.
“You’re a good man,” Akihiro added.
“A great example,” the owner of the kimono shop said.
Kameyo leaned in close and pointed to Kubo. “You know, we have something in common. We both adore your grandson. His name is Kubo.”
The old man rubbed his forehead and frowned. “Kubo, I’m sorry…” he said softly, “but I don’t remember.”
“Well, your grandson’s a storyteller,” Kameyo said. “He’ll tell you all the stories you’ve forgotten.”
“Really?” the old man said.
Kubo looked at his grandfather, who was so different from the man who stood before him just hours before. His face didn’t have the same harsh lines. He was frail and kind, and he smiled when he spoke. Maybe Kubo wasn’t alone after all.… Maybe he’d have his grandfather from now on.
“Of course I’ll tell you,” Kubo said, taking his hand.
Later that night, all the villagers walked down to the river, accompanied by their loved ones’ spirits. Each villager held a glowing lantern in their hands. As they got to the river’s edge, they set the lanterns in the water, watching the current pull them away. They each said their last good-byes to their loved ones, then they turned and headed back to the village.
Kubo made another altar on the riverbank. He put two new paper lanterns on top of it, then knelt down. “Hello, Mother; hello, Father,” he said. “I know my stories can tend to get a little, um, long… so I’ll keep this brief. I am very grateful I had the chance to meet you both. Hear your wisdom. Feel your kindness. Even eat a meal sitting between you. This was a happy story… but it could still be a whole lot happier.”
He took a deep breath, feeling his eye well with tears. “I don’t know exactly what the rules are or how this works. But, you know… I still need you. So I could say this has been a happy story, or I could feel it. We could all feel it. And then we could end this story… together.”
He looked up, and light spilled across his face. Then he heard the first beautiful notes of a familiar song: “The Song of the Dead.”
Hundreds of paper lamps floated out to sea. Kubo watched as each one lifted into the air and refolded itself, coming together to form a giant paper bird. It was the glowing golden heron, and its light was brighter than ever before.
Kubo smiled, a tear falling down his cheek. His parents were on either side of him. They were there, he knew they were—Hanzo and his mother, their hands on each of his shoulders. For the first time in his life, he didn’t need to see them or hear them.… He could feel their presence. They were with him, always.
Hundreds of paper lanterns lifted off the river, folding into paper birds to join the rest of the flock. The light danced over Kubo’s face. He watched as they circled the sky, darting this way and that in one spectacular display of beauty.
“The end,” he whispered, clutching his parents’ hands.
And with that, an even more beautiful story began.…
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Photos
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Kubo and the Two Strings™ the Movie © 2016 TWO STRINGS, LLC, all character names and their distinctive likenesses: ™ and © 2016 TWO STRINGS, LLC. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Hachette Book Group
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Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: July 2016
ISBN 978-0-316-36142-2
E3-20160617-JV-PC
Kubo and the Two Strings Page 6
