Crisp, Quentin S. - Ikaho

The chance encounter between two travelers. A young girl, more of a child actually, and an itinerant monk. Even though he is poor, begging for alms, Jirō recognizes the hunger in Ohisa’s face immediately and shares his food.
As both walk into Ikaho, a small place and a bend out of time, they reveal thier stories. Recent histories. The sorry reasons why both are on the road, and not indoors, safe and warm.
With encounters, there is often an exchange. As well as understanding, empathy, perhaps a solution to temporary difficulty.
Crisp’s novella is the muted connecting of sympathetic souls, not kindred spirits, although they both “see” each other.
While Ikaho itself is not dissimilar to Erith, it does seem less solid, more a place we stroll into in a dreamlike amble.
Ikaho would be a magical village to wander, rest, observe, recharge, before continuing on.