The Story of Gon, The Loyal One Eye Dog.

So the following is a story that I translated. There is an interesting story as to how I got the Japanese version. A few weeks ago I was interviewed by a reporter for a regional paper that has about 200,000 readers. In it I mentioned that I translate anime and manga into English. The whole thing is actually kind of embarrassing but I guess there isn't anything really important happening in southern Chiba. So one day I get a phone call from one of the teachers at school saying that I have received a strange letter from someone in Tateyama (about an hour south). We both tried to figure out who it could be since I had never been to Tateyama. Once she opened it however it was a letter, a short story, and a pamphlet for an onsen. As it turns out that they wanted me to "share" the story of Gon with Americans. I've had some free time and I haven't had a good translation project for a while so I gave it a shot.

The reason I enjoy translating as a hobby is that there are so many challenges you need to address. First off is Japanese is a cute language. It is very easy to make something really really cute, I think its hard in English. Japanese cheezyness isn't as clearly defined as it is in English. The Japanese version really gives off a feeling of "Oh this poor dog, I feel so sorry for him" I don't know if I really pulled that off well in the English version or not.

The second thing is length of paragraphs and sentences. You would think that the best way to work with a story is to go sentence by sentence and keep the paragraphs the same, but Japanese can have crazy long sentences and very short paragraphs. There were a lot of parts where I split sentences and merged paragraphs, but this version still has very small paragraphs.

Another thing is quotation. There are lots of parts in the original that seemed like they should be quoted weren't and vice versa. I just went with what sounds better in English on that. One translation problem that you would see in any language though, is what if the original is just written poorly? This story would occasionally break the 1st person for a third person. I guess you have to change it for the better but you also need to protect the authenticity of the original.


Ok so enough of an intro, please enjoy the story
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The Story of Gon, The Loyal One Eye Dog.

Written by Mitsue Suzuki
Edited by Shintaro Suzuki
Translated by Benjamin Pomeroy

My name is Gon. I'm a crossbreed shiba inu. When my mother's master moved away, she abandoned her. My mother wondered around looking for a new master, when the president of a construction company saw her while he was going for a horse ride. “Well will you look at that splendid dog. Someone might be looking for it, go grab it.”His employee grabbed my mom and took her home. She was very well taken care of. And then me and my brother were born, although my brother soon got sick and died. I was given to the Watanabe couple, who worked at the same company. They loved me as much as if I was their own child.
The old man who became my master was very good at singing and would always sing a song while going for a walk. It was wonderful, and I was enchanted when I listened. I thought no one could sing better then him.
I grew up very strong and healthy, and on the day that I turned three years old, a new hobby store opened up next to the school. Three grade school kids purchased a plastic pistol and were searching around for a target to shoot. Since I never caused any one any trouble, my master let me loose in the yard. I started to go near the three of them, and just my luck, they saw me.
They caught me, dragged me out to the field, and tied me up to a tree. The three of them took the pistol and shot point plank into my left eye. Three pellets hit my eye. “Aaaahhh it hurts! It hurts! Daddy! Mommy! Help me! It hurts!”
The kids untied me and ran away. I tossed and turned because of the pain. I was scared, and I hid myself under someone's house and cried. Dad and Mom were out all night searching for me. “Gon! Gon!” They were so worried they couldn't sleep. The next day they continued to search for me after they came home from work. “Gon! Gon!”
I was in pain and I was starving, and right when I was about to go home, my master found me. My eye was dangling by a thread. They were shocked and rushed me to the vet. The doctor removed my eye. “Three plastic pellets were lodged in his eye”,they all then knew that it was the work of those no good kids.
Dad took me in under the covers, and we slept together in the same futon. “Gon, it must have hurt so much. Never go near those kids again.” Whenever Mom would say “Is it really alright to have the dog inside?” Dad would quickly come back with “What are you saying? If this was our own child, what would you do?”.
I slept with my Dad's arms wrapped around me for a week, and I started to feel a little better, so I tried practice walking. Because I only had one eye, I wasn't very good at first. I would just go around in a circle or stumble about, but Dad would do his best to cheer me on saying “You can do it Gon! Don't give up!” Eventually I was able to get back to living a normal life, which made Dad and Mom feel revealed, and they started going back to work. This time they made sure to leash me to my dog house.
After a while those same those same bad kids came back. They wanted to shoot out my other eye too. A neighbor saw what they were trying to do, and called the police. It seems Dad and Mom told them “If anything happens, please contact us” The police contacted the school, and the teachers realized how big of a problem this was. The students and parents were all gathered together, and were given a stern warning.
The parents of the children came to my house to apologize, but simply said “Well just pay the medical bill, and it will be alright.” This upset Dad and he yelled back “Fix Gon's eye! What would you do if this happened to a person?” I was very glad to hear him say that. I think even dogs have a right to live.
Once I had fully recovered, Dad would take me for a walk and sing, just like before. I was really taken away by his beautiful singing. Life was nice and peaceful, but only until that one day.
Suddenly the telephone started to ring. “Hello? Is this Mrs. Watanabe? Something terrible has happened. Your husband collapsed at work. Please hurry and come down here.” Mom had been home with a touch of a cold so she left right away. Dad was rushed off to Kameda Hospital in Kamogawa and there he began a long hospitalization.
Dad couldn't talk, he had a vacant look in his eyes, and he was paralyzed from the waist down.
The blood vessels in his brain had been severally damaged. Mom never left Dad's side, so there was only me and my older brother, their son, left at home. My brother would leave for work after lunch, so I was left all by myself to watch the house.
In an attempt to help Dad regain consciousness, Mom played the tape that Dad recorded every day. The doctor told her that it wouldn't be a bad idea, so she determined to play it over and over again.
One day, Dad suddenly work up. Tears were rolling down his cheek and Mom too was crying tears of joy. After a while his condition became more stable, and he was moved to Tateyama hospital. There he struggled everyday with his rehabilitation. Dad still couldn't talk very well, so even though Mom would come home by bike to take care of laundry or what not, for the most part, she spent everyday helping Dad at the hospital.
Some people from Dad's office were taking care of me, but they didn't seem to have the time to take me for a walk. They would say “Gon, go take yourself for a walk” and let me go. More then a year had passed since I had last seen Dad, and I wanted to see him more then anything. I found a road that had Mom's scent on it, and I followed it until I came to an intersection. The cars were honking and zooming pass so, I found some old lady and I crossed the street with her. After I had followed the road for a while, I could faintly hear Dad singing off in the distance. A human wouldn't have been able to hear it. Only a dog, like me, could hear it. Our ears are much more sensitive than human ears, so voices that humans can't hear, I can.
I eventually came to a big hospital, and Mom's scent was very strong there. I sat down at the front gate and stared, but I just couldn't see Mom or Dad anywhere. So after two hours I had no choice but to go back home. The office people I was staying with would release me after they finished lunch, so I would follow Mom's scent and go back to the hospital.
Because I would sit in front of the hospital every day waiting, some of the nurses said “Everyday that one eye dog comes to the front gate and just stares. I wonder if it is a stray. It's really gross that he only has one eye. But he does have a collar on, I wonder if someone owns him” Mom heard this while passing through the halls and though that it might be Gon. She went to go tell Dad, who as listening intently, and gestured for her to go to the entrance and take a look. Nervously she ran to the entrance, and to her surprise, she saw me sitting there waiting for her. “Gon! How did you know we were here? Did you come along with someone?”
I didn't respond, I just sat there wagging my tail. I was finally able to see Mom again. I was just so happy I couldn't stand it. I leaped up on Mom. Mom couldn't hold back, and tears started to roll down her face. “Gon, please wait right here. I'll go tell Dad. When Dad finds out that you came here, he will be so happy. It might even help him recover”
Mom went back to the room and she started telling Dad about me. A doctor, who was passing by, came in and Mom told him as well. They couldn't exactly let a dog into a hospital, but since they thought that it might help Dad recover, they let us meet in the entrance way.
I hadn't seen my Dad for a year and a half, and I was so happy that I just jumped into his arms. Dad couldn't stop the flow of tears. After our joyful reunion, Mom told me “Gon, at two o'clock Dad has to go to the rehabilitation room, so go home and come back again tomorrow. Wait out side the pathway to the rehabilitation room and watch out for cars.”
I was sad, but I just had to go home and I could come again tomorrow. Mom called the office and told them “Today Gon came to the hospital! I was very surprised. I wonder how he knew where to go. I told him to come again at two o'clock, so please let him go after lunch.” I was once again able to meet Dad and see his smiling face, so I went home happy.
Despite his rehabilitation, Dad eventually left for heaven. Mom called the office and told them “Dad passed away today, please don't let Gon go” They didn't let me go that day.
Dad came home, but not the same way. Many people came to our house, and everyone of them was crying. I was very sad too and I cried “Awwoooo” A hearse came to our house for the funeral. For a final good-bye, Mom let me go. I headed straight for the hearse and I climbed inside.
“Dad, your the one who saved me, Dad. I love you, I love you so much. You can't leave me here, please take me with you!”
Somehow, I heard Dad's voice. “Gon, no-no. There is no way I could do that. You still have something you need to do here. Now that I'm gone, I want you to watch over Mom for me.”
That's right! I still have my mom. I need to be strong for her. I have to do this, for her! My brother shouted out “Mom this is bad! Gon got inside the car!” Mom was surprised and once again leashed me to my dog house.
The neighbors and relatives all ran around busy, but I just watched in a sad gaze. After a while, Dad came home in a small box. Everyone acted as though there was a great weight on their shoulders. I just couldn't believe that Dad, who I loved so much, was inside that tiny box. I cried out again “Awwoooo”. All I want it is to go for a walk and hear him sing again. God had taken Dad to heaven. “Please let Dad come home. Please, God I'm begging you!”
Without Dad, everyday was sad. One day, Mom and my brother took me for a car ride to the grave that Dad was sleeping in. It was very far away, there was no way I would be able to walk there myself. “I came to visit you Dad. Why are you sleeping under such a cold rock? I miss you Dad. I've come to give you flowers and water, so please come out of your grave.”
Just then I somehow heard Dad's voice again. “Oh Gon, thank you for coming. I can't fix your missing eye, but I am watching over all of you so you can live happily together. I need you to watch over Mom and help her out in my place.”
That's right! I can't just let myself be sad all of the time. There is something important I need to do. I have to keep it together!
From then on, everyday after I finished eating my lunch, Mom would play the tape that Dad made and I would wag my tail. We would listen together everyday, and everyday was very peaceful. ”You can relax Dad, I am watching over Mom. And I know you are watching over both of us too. “
One day, several years later, a fine young man came to our house. I didn't recognize him, but he was one of the boys who shot out my eye. “Miss, I am so sorry. As I child I didn't quite know the difference between right and wrong and I did such a horrible thing to Gon. I couldn't imagine it being possible for you to forgive me, but I am moving away to start a new job in April and before I leave I just have to apologize to Gon.” Mom told him “Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you've come all the way here to apologize. Gon has full recovered and you have become such a wonderful young man who loves animals. I forgive you.” When I heard this, I felt very happy inside. I forgot the anger that I carried for so many years. The boy and Mom shook hands and parted ways.

THE END

This story is a dramatization of the story of the dog Gon, owned by the Watanabe couple.
Gon passed away of old age after living a full life in 1999

A month later.

Its just about a month since my last post and things are still going pretty good. I really enjoy what I do. I teach at elementary and middle school and I really love elementary. The kids are adorable and think I am the coolest thing in the world. They all run up to me when I enter the school screaming "Ben-sensei!" Middle school is a little different because while elementary kids are very out going and full of energy, high school students are very quite, and even the best students act like they don't want to be at school or listen to anything you say, so middle schoolers are kind of in the middle of that. The teachers are all very happy that I can speak Japanese and I still feel very welcomed and wanted everywhere I go.

My town is a really nice place but it is kind of far from everything. If I want to go to the Tokyo area it is 2 hours or so on a bus. That isn't really all that bad but it is an hour and a half drive or an hour train ride to get to church every week. Because it is every week it gets very tiring. If I go up to Tokyo on Saturday, it just kills me to go to church on Sunday. I mean I absolutely want to go to church and my week feels like it is missing something if I don't go, but its tough. My church is something I am really grateful for though. It is small but there is a strong fellowship and so many people who want to help me out. I often just receive random food from some mother who is worried about me.

I really want to get a girlfriend but it is really hard with how busy Japaneses people are. I have tried to set up a date with a few girls from church but it is like the one day they have free I don't. And there are plenty of cute young teachers at the schools around town but I barely get enough time to talk about the lesson let alone get to know them.

I really don't like living on my own. Its too quite, too much time just playing video games, and it really sucks to cook for just one person. I waist so much food because I either make too much or I can't eat the food I buy before it goes bad.

As far as events there were three things. There was field day at the middle school which was kind of cool because I've never seen one in real life. They did a lot of running and some other games but they had this cheering troupe that was just awesome. There was a small festival in my town and they had a couple mikoshi (portable shrines carried on poles) around town. It was nice and had that Japanesey feel. And I also went to Tokyo Game Show. This is a big event where all of the video game companies show off the games they are working on this year. So I got to see lots of neat things but it was crowded. I have never seen more people in one spot in my life. It was a pretty big expo center but it was just solid walls of people.

I guess thats it.