The Wings of Dreams

The kind of thing anybody here would want, don’t you think?”
    “I would think so.”
    “I heard that those short on water went asking for some and got turned down point-blank. What could they do? Once they ran out of water they could drink, they’d have no choice but to drink the water they couldn’t.”
    “And did they?”
    “No, no.” Kiwa shook his head. “They went back to the goushi and begged for some stones. The goushi wouldn’t budge an inch. So they found themselves at the end of their rope.”
    “Are you telling me they tried to steal them?”
    “Well, tried. Rather pathetically. Personally, I wouldn’t have had it in me to take them to task. Without anything to drink, they were going to die of thirst. At any rate, I heard there was hell to pay when they were found out.”
    “It turned into a brawl. That was after leaving the marsh, wasn’t it?” She was pretty sure she’d caught sight of the scene.
    “That it was. The goushi ganged up for a few rounds of punching and kicking, but let them off with the warning that under any other circumstances, they would have tossed them into a youma nest. Seeing as they were right back where they started, I shared some of my supplies.”
    “Oh.”
    “A sad tale, don’t you think? When you come across people in dire circumstances, it’s only natural to lend a hand, isn’t it? Doing nothing when people are at their wit’s end and settling the matter with violence? I felt it was about time I parted way with the goushi. This was a opportunity worth taking advantage of.”
    “I suppose so.”
    Kiwa was certainly correct. If the koushu weren’t thirsty, it didn’t matter to them how much anybody might want a drink. That’s what it came down to.
    But she also knew about the “jug stones” Kiwa had mentioned. Gankyuu kept a number of them in a small satchel. The stones, however, did not last forever. A stone could be used only one time. They started out white, then turned a pale black or green color.
    “Those goushi, they’re hard nuts to crack.”
    Shushou said, “The goushi don’t have an unlimited numbers of those stones, you know.” When Kiwa bridled she quickly added, “It’s not like I’m covering for them or anything. But they probably only carry enough stones for themselves. They have to calculate how long it will take to get to Mt. Hou, the distances involved, and prepare the number of stones they’ll need along the way. Handing them out would put them in a fix. Because of the stones, they don’t bring extra water with them.”
    “And when a thirsting man appears in front of you?”
    “I’m not denying it, but the goushi don’t have enough to share with everybody. Gankyuu is ever mindful of the rainfall, so I have to believe he’s cutting it fine. It’s easy being charitable with the people right in front of you, except won’t everybody start asking for a handout then? There’s no way everybody can have one. In the first place, they only work once. What happens when people come back for more? In which case, there’d soon be no stones left for anyone.”
    “In other words, anticipating your own need for water in the future, you should cast aside those in dire need now?”
    “Yes, it could turn out that way. But however terrible it may be turning away those in need, would it really be any different knowing they’d be coming back to you in the future in the same straits? Goushi are responsible for more than their own lives. They are entrusted with those of their employer. Making a show of such sympathies now when it will condemn their employer to a gruesome death later would be turning their priorities upside down.”
    “Ah. So as long as their employer stays safe and they collect the balance of their fees, they shouldn’t worry their little heads about what it took to get them.”
    “I didn’t mean that. Oh, I don’t know. I can’t explain what I mean.” Shushou sighed and looked away.
    Kiwa smiled. “I understand that you feel a sense of obligation to the goushi, and hence your impulse to rationalize their behavior.”
    “Not my intent.”
    Shushou really wasn’t trying to cover for them. The goushi and koushu didn’t want or need anybody making excuses for them. Though it’d be hard to read what she was saying as anything but exactly that.
    White sunlight bathed the road ahead. The wagon continued on in a faint cloud of dust. Sweat glistened on the foreheads of the men hauling the handcarts. They were