Bheela’s Blog -018
20 March 2021
Episode 17 Recap
Shunsaku teaches Oshin another lesson. She should not hate or resent those who mistreat her and should become a person who can love her fellow human beings. She should be able to forgive those who are nasty to her without any reason.
Fuji, Oshin’s mom, believes that Oshin is dead as she cannot survive the blizzard. She goes ahead and gets a funeral performed at the local temple. She believes that with this, Oshin’s soul will rest in peace.
Spring is about to start; Shunsaku and Matsuji dread this because they will have to drop Oshin at her village as soon as some snow melts.
Episode 18
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
Oshin was enjoying the best time of her life in the mountain hut with Shunsaku and Matsuji. Both men are now attached to her as if they are from the same family. They enjoyed the new year together.
Now spring is around the corner. Snow has started melting. It is time that they have to send Oshin to her village downhill.
Oshin is very sad; she is sitting with her head down. Matsuji is trying to explain that it is time for her to go home as the spring has arrived. Her parents and grandma are waiting eagerly for her. They will be worried to death if she does not reach on time.
Shunsaku also joins in cheering up Oshin. He says that Oshin has worked hard here in the mountains. She is so bright and even so sweet. He tells her that she might be facing hardship in the future, but she should never give up hope. With hope, she will find true happiness. This is probably the last lesson Shunsaku is giving her. He explains that the two men cannot make her happy in the mountain as much as her family in the village can. He asks her to be ready to go home.
Matsuji says that they should leave at dawn. He asks Shunsaku to help Oshin pack her things, and he gets up to cook the remaining rice on the last night of Oshin’s stay at the hut. They also will have some Iwana fish. As the river stream is free of ice, he could go and catch fish too.
(East Asian trout fish is called Iwana in Japanese. It is mainly found in Hokkaido in Japan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvelinus_leucomaenis)
Once Matsuji leaves the room, Shunsaku tries to cheer up Oshin and tells her that she will meet her family the next day. Oshin feels too sad, and she gets up to leave the hut and join Matsuji. The snow is not fully melted yet; there are ankle-deep layers of snow. Oshin walks behind Matsuji. Shunsaku also picks his gun to start hunting in the forest.
Suddenly he hears Oshin shouting Anchan! Anchan!! Shunsaku runs towards the direction of the sound of Oshin’s voice. It appears that Matsuji has fallen. They bring Matsuji back to the hut; it seems that he sprained his foot. Shunsaku presses his ankle and applies a home-made medicine of herbs. Matsuji thinks that as he is getting older, he encountered this fall. As a young man, he had never fallen. Shunsaku is very thankful since Matsuji did not fall into the river. After examining thoroughly, Shunsaku declares, ‘No bones broken. The medicine has been applied, and Matsuji will be okay soon.’ Matsuji is worried that due to this injury, they will not be able to leave the mountain the next day to drop Oshin. The leg is swollen, and it will take a while for Matsuji to walk normally. Oshin is happy; she chirps, ‘It means that I’ll get to stay until he is all better.’ She is thrilled. Shunsaku replies with a serious face that he will take her downhill the next day. He cannot take her all the way up to the village, but he can drop her at the nearest safe place from where Oshin can reach home by herself. Matsuji protests mildly to let Oshin stay for some more days. Shunsaku is firm on his decision, and he says that delaying her departure will make it harder for her to go. He is determined to start the very next day as per their plan.
Shunsaku and Oshin come out of the hut to look at the weather. Snowing has now stopped. The weather seems suitable for starting downhill the next day. Oshin requests Shunsaku to play the instrument, she does not know what it is called, but she likes the tune a lot. Once she goes home, she will never get a chance to listen to this beautiful music. Shunsaku agrees to the child’s request and plays his favourite tune on Harmonica. Oshin listens attentively. At the end of the song, Oshin bows to him and conveys her gratitude, saying, ‘Thank you very much for everything.’
As she begins to walk towards the hut, Shunsaku calls her from behind and gives her the Harmonica. He knows that Oshin likes the instrument. Oshin is surprised; she says she can’t take it; it belongs to him. Shunsaku tells her that she can play it when she is having a rough time; it will comfort her.
Oshin still hesitates to take it. Shunsaku explains to her that the instrument is called Harmonica. He took this instrument to war. There are many sad memories attached to this, which he wants to forget. For him, it is now too painful to hold on to the instrument. Shunsaku wants Oshin to play it and treasure it; she will create happy moments. Shunsaku sits down to come up to Oshin’s level and teaches her the basics. He says that it is straightforward, and Oshin will learn it quickly. He makes Oshin play it by blowing air into the slots. As Oshin blows, some music comes out of the instrument. Shunsaku encourages Oshin and tells her that as she thinks about any song’s notes, she will figure out which slot to blow air to, the music then will follow. She will learn quickly. Oshin has heard the music so many times that she knows the song by now. She promises to learn the song her brother played. Her eyes are filled with tears, and she hugs her brother. Shunsaku consoles her, patting her back.
The day arrives when Oshin will have to leave the hut and proceed to her village. It is early in the morning. Oshin and Shunsaku come to Matsuji’s place. He has made rice balls for her, and he packs them nicely in a cloth. He wants Oshin to eat as she needs strength to walk all the way to her village.
Matsuji is sad as he cannot walk with Oshin downhill due to the injury. He says that he will be praying for her safe journey with Shunsaku. As Oshin sits down to bid farewell, Matsuji gets emotional and asks her to start the trip without any formality. They must reach before it gets dark. Oshin is also choked, and she thanks him for the coat and the excellent food. She will probably never see him again, so she somehow controls her tears and leaves the hut. Matsuji, in a tearful voice, asks Shunsaku to be very careful as the military police are after his life.
Shunsaku and Oshin start walking downhill. The mountain still has layers of snow downhill resulting in a slow pace of their journey. They have to tackle nearly a foot of snow and Oshin is unable to match Shunsaku’s speed. She falls and gets up but continues behind Shunsaku. He asks her if she needs rest, but high-spirited Oshin declines; they need to go down before dark. After a while, Shunsaku carries Oshin at his back so that he can reach the village soon. It is hard as a mild snowfall starts.
Suddenly Oshin exclaims, ‘Brother, I can see my village.’ Some houses are visible now.
Oshin tells Shunsaku to drop her and go back as she can walk the rest of the way. However, a group of military police appears. Seeing them, Shunsaku takes Oshin and hides behind a boulder. Oshin thinks that they are soldiers, and she wonders what they are doing here. Shunsaku asks her to be quiet.
After they pass, Oshin again tells Shunsaku to go back up. Shunsaku fears that Oshin will not be able to make it all the way. So, he continues carrying Oshin and walks ahead. As they go further few steps, they are confronted again by another group of military policemen. The leader of the group starts questioning Shunsaku’s identity. Shunsaku tells them casually that he is a hunter in this area. They ask him his name, so he gives them a fictitious name, ‘Kasuke.’ They continue to ask who this child is looking at Oshin. Shunsaku replies that she is his sister and he is taking her to a relative’s house. The police then ask who the relative is. Oshin replies, ‘Sakuzo’ giving her father’s name.
The leader of the police group orders his men to take them into custody. Oshin shouts that they did not do anything. The police leader tells him that they are taking any suspicious characters around the village.
Shunsaku tries to argue with them, saying that he is just a hunter; why should he have to go with them? Then they forcibly try to catch him. Shunsaku asks Oshin to run, but another policeman grabs Oshin and separates her from Shunsaku’s hold. As they are pushing Shunsaku, Oshin goes after them and tries to free Shunsaku with her tiny hands. One of the Policemen throws Oshin to one side. Shunsaku somehow frees himself and asks them to leave the child alone. Shunsaku manages to snatch a rifle from one of the policemen and uses that to push the others. Shunsaku then grabs Oshin and starts running. The police leader takes out his gun and fires bullets at Shunsaku’s back. Shunsaku cries with pain, and he releases Oshin.
Oshin is scared and does not understand what happened. Shunsaku falls on the ground and tells her that this is how his end was supposed to be.
He gives the last lesson to Oshin as he takes his last breath, ‘Oshin, live your life without any regrets.’
He then drops dead. Oshin shouts and shakes him, but there is no response. It starts raining partially with snowfall.
PRESENT TIME
It is raining outside the hotel where Oshin is staying with her grandson Kei. Oshin’s eyes are full of tears as she is narrating the event to Kei. She then starts reciting the poem taught by Shunsaku. She remembers it word by word, ‘O my brother, do not die; you were not born to kill or be killed.’
She recites the entire poem; Kei listens, mesmerized as he sits still, stunned by the turn of events in his grandma’s life.
FLASHBACK RETURNS
Shunsaku is dead. Oshin thinks of him; his hunting skills, keen interest in books, his expertise in playing the Harmonica. The music of the tune plays clearly in Oshin’s memory. The image of his body, lying motionless on the ground, surrounded by layers of snow, is etched in Oshin’s mind forever.
What happens after this? Did Oshin reach home safely?
Episode 19 is coming soon with some answers.