No walking!

It was all over the news.

Emu L. Jackson's wild rampage ended with his inevitable arrest. The media broadcasted images of him whilst aptly pixelating his face, being wing-cuffed and placed in the back of a police car.

His main charges were vandalism, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest. They also included indecent exposure as he was running naked and, believe it or not, forgery.

What happened is fairly simple to describe. He knocked down the Yatagarasu, a three-legged crow statue, at the Kumano Nachi Taisha because he felt threatened by it.

Upon realizing it was just a statue, he attempted to recreate it. Instead, he ended up sculpting a three-legged emu.

Unfortunately for him, a witness saw everything and promptly called the cops. The rest went as expected. He tried to flee the scene but eventually got caught.

Emu spent the night in jail and used his phone call to contact Tenchō. In the morning, he bailed him out, paying a hefty fine and promising to restore the statue to how it was before.

Regarding other matters, it appears Niwashi’s shop will remain closed for the foreseeable future until she’s able to repair everything. But she’ll likely also take the opportunity to do some remodeling.

Thankfully, it won’t inconvenience me that much. I don’t need to purchase anything from her for what I have planned next for the garden.

Grandpa had constructed a pond long ago that even had a small waterfall continuously running near the southeast edge of the yard. Sadly, it is now dry and filled to the top with dirt.

I’ll need to dig all of that out, check if the lining has any leaks, and if the waterfall pump could still be used. It has been buried for ages, and a miracle might not be enough.

This process will take some time since the pond occupies a significant portion of the yard. Not to mention that I will have to gather rocks for padding, which will require an entire day minimum.

Meanwhile, I continue supporting Yada with her rehabilitation, and she’s progressing with each passing day. We increased the number of repetitions and even added four new exercises.

As time passes, it feels like the right time to try out my new invention, the Yada-bridge. It consists of two parallel bars supported by a wooden ramp. She has to use the strength of her arms to keep her body straight and slowly walk across.

What sets this apart from any other? Along the rails, there are small holes separated by an arm's length. It is as simple as that. We’ll see how it works out in practice.

I assist Yada in standing up and tell her to hold onto the rails. A thin blue gym mattress covers the ramp, but I remain close behind her to be extra safe in case she loses her balance.

“No!”

Her expression is the definition of annoyance. This is too much for her.

“Yada, could you please take a look over there,” I say, pointing toward the nearest hole.

There’s where I’ve hidden my trick. A gummy bear is inside.

Expelling fumes from her nostrils, she takes a big step forward. Her hands stop precisely above the holes I made. She takes the gummy from the left side and eats it. Then, she does the same with the gummy on the other rail.

It worked!

This invention not only keeps her exercising longer but also helps her improve faster as, from time to time, she has to maintain her balance with just one arm.

But as I think that, she moves too quickly for the next pair and loses her step, falling backward. I catch her in between my chest and arms.

“Easy there, don’t rush it. The gummy bears aren’t going anywhere. Take your time.”

I look down to see her bright emerald eyes looking up at me, peacefully munching on the gummies. Her aloof face is so close to mine that it gets me flustered.

I push her back up, and we keep walking back and forth for twenty more minutes.

The brothers told me it would be a huge accomplishment if we endured that time for the first day.

“No!”

“It’s enough for today, Yada. You can’t eat more candy, and you’ll tire your legs too much! Let’s try again tomorrow.”

And so we did.

Each day, she became more stable and faster. Baba sometimes rested on her head, adding an extra layer of difficulty.

After two weeks, I no longer needed to stand behind her. She could practice independently, only needing my help with the occasional fall and sweets.

During this time, I started working on the pond project. Using a large shovel, I dug through all the dirt until I could see the lining fully and clearly.

The lining connected two separate reservoirs that were still intact. The lower reservoir had a pump and PVC tubes connected to the higher one, which allowed the water to flow.

As I thought, the pump is busted. I’ll have to order a replacement. Luckily, the tubing is in good condition and can be reused.

Now for the lining. There are small holes that can be easily sealed with spray-on sealant, but there is also a significant tear that can’t be fixed with just that. So, I plan to use the primer I found in the greenhouse and some adhesive.

After taking care of that, all I need to do is wait for the package and get the rocks before I can fill it with water.

I finished mending it after a week, and by then, Yada had improved even more. Therefore, we started practicing her ability to raise by herself.

She sits on the bean bag, and I grab both of her hands. Then, she tries to get up with just the force of her legs. We repeated it for days, and she would essentially give me an unintentional hug each time, afraid of falling back.

Later, we tried walking without the Yada-bridge. After the rising exercise, I would still face her and grab her hands while walking backward. She would slowly, step by step, follow my lead. Each day, a step further.

The new pump has finally arrived today, and the old tubes fit, so I badly want to try it out. I decided that it was time to gather the rocks.

The perfect place would be right before the Nachi River flows into Nachi Bay. The house is pretty close to it. It takes only roughly fifteen minutes to get there.

“Hey, Yada! Do you want to try going outside for a bit?”

I don’t wait for her answer.

Summer is almost over, yet I haven’t gone to the beach a single day, much less her. I can’t let it end like this.

Thus, I put her and Baba on the Yadamobile and started marching there.

Soon, you could feel the thick sea breeze, smell the salted algae, and listen to the high-pitched squawks of seagulls.

I chose a margin of the river as the gathering spot. Yada and Baba are sitting close, outside of the Yadamobile. So, I’m using it to carry the rocks.

The area I’m in is pretty steep, and it wouldn’t be a great idea to fall into the water as there are plenty of sharp rocks on the edges and bottom of the stream.

I jinxed myself. Here I go. Goodbye, world…

Huh?

Someone grabbed me by my shirt and vigorously pulled me back, both falling on our butts.

I can’t believe it! It was…

...Yada?

Did you come running to grab me?

She’s patting incessantly. She must have used all her accumulated energy just for this.

Words can’t come out of my mouth, so I stay still, just looking at her. A thank you is almost being formed, but before that, we see Baba running through the beach, chasing the seagulls away.

Suddenly, Yada giggles.

More surprisingly, she mightly got up and ran to join Baba in his demand. She’s in such high spirits today.

Although, not soon after, she falls flat in the sand. Wholly covered by it, the Yada-croquette was ready.

I couldn’t contain my laughter.

I helped her up, and the three of us spent the rest of the evening playing in the seashore.

Building sandcastles with sparkly seashells. Baba binkying around her while she spins and splashes water all over. Her blue dress and hair glistening dazzlingly as the sunshine hits the water drops covering both of them. It all makes me somehow nostalgic.

After spending all their spirit, they fell asleep on the beach towel, enjoying the warmth of the sunset.

It was time to go, but their ride home was filled with rocks.

…

I guess I can piggyback carry them home and come back for it later.

Summer is already ending, huh?