Rusałka Mami travels: Adventures of Tomomi Ogawa and the Odd Water Nymph.

Chapter 5

Written by myszkin, edited by myszkin & Crystal

-Tomomi speaks-

One thing you should know about time in Ostroda - it's something that doesn't work like in any other part of the world. Sure, we have watches, we know how they work, all those hours and seconds ticking off to the established beat. But in my town time isn't really pushed by the hand of the clock, it's more of a concept that we all agreed upon and we try to follow it, sometimes failing miserably. I know, hard to understand, but let me give you an example. Let's just assume that you want to paint your room pink and put some yellow dots on those rosy walls, because you're feeling crazy like that and there's no one around you with enough common sense to stop you. The room is big, you are small and lazy so you find a house-painter who will do that for you. He says he'll be there on Monday at eleven o'clock. And that's the time that is set but you both know that when he said "eleven" and "Monday" it might have meant that it will happen on Wednesday at four cause that's just Ostroda, that's just life, the universe wants you to be in a different place at that time and you just can't fight with the destiny, right? Apparently that would be just rude and irresponsible. To battle against the gods' will? Who does that? I don't.

At least that's my theory and I'm selling it right now to my mum who can't understand why I want to skip my shift and go to the local library. As I am starting to use the "this is the theory of relativity of time and space, mum!" explantation, she raises her perfectly lined brow and I'm pretty sure I am doomed. God, I'm twenty two and I still have to report to my mother. Of course I did promised I'll be around the restaurant the whole day but, you know - rusalka?, that kind of thing doesn't appear too often. I have to prepare for this meeting.

"Tomomi... you've promised."

"I know b-but... I'll take a shift on Saturday, I promise."

"Yes, because you keep them all, as we can see now."

"Come on, I told you. The time in Ostroda is different! Albert Einstein would write the whole bunch of stuff about this place if he only knew it exists! And if he weren't so focused on that Noble Prize thing and the Manhattan Project but I heard that was totally untrue that he had anything to do with it." I babble without noticing that maybe I went a bit too far from my previous topic. That happens from time to time. Ok. It happens a lot. You got me. I'm so easily distracted that sometimes even I don't know where my stream of thoughts will take me. Hopefuly this time it will land me somewhere around the library.

"I honestly don't know where we went wrong when rising you up." I can see her smiling. Just a small uplift of the corner of her thin lips but I know what that means. Soon the warm glow from her smile will reach her eyes and it implies one thing - I won.

"Totally dad's fault if you ask me."

"Eh... go... You're taking double shift on Saturday."

"Sure! Thanks 'ma!"

I have to make a quick escape before she changes her mind and before dad will come back from his trip. He doesn't believe in Einstein as much as my mother does when it comes to justify skipping work. Not a science guy, I tell you.

Our joint, Golden Dragon, is placed just few blocks away from the public library. I have to run through the street, pass the bookstore and liquor store, a green, two-storey house, and there I am. An old, square like building, that is a well restored reminder of an old German castle, waits for me with its books neatly arranged on metal racks. It's like walking into second home. I know the smell of this place so well: a delicate trace of wooden aroma blended with dust and the scent of old, thin paper. When I was a child, I have been spending so many days here, reading books or playing board games with other kids that were coming to library on rainy afternoons. In those dim lights the differences between us were less visible and all that mattered was whether you were a good checkers player or not.