Mariko moved across the room towards the window again. She was just tall enough to lean her elbows on the ledge. For a few minutes she looked into the darkness, her face close to the pane.
?1 want to go out now,? she said, suddenly.
?Go out? But it?s far too late, it?s dark outside. And your mother will be back any time now.?
?Hut I want to go out.?
?Stay hem now, Mariko.?
She continued to look outside. I tried to see what was visible to her; from where I sat I could see only darkness.
?Perhaps you should be kinder to the other children. Then you could make friends with them
?1 know why Mother asked you to come here.?
You can?t expect to make friends if you throw stones.?
?It?s because of the woman. ft?s because Mother knows about the woman?
?I don?t understand what you?re talking about, Mariko-San. Tell me more about your kittens. Will you draw more pictures of them when they get bigger??
?It?s because the woman might come again. That?s why Mother asked you:?
?I don?t think so.?
?Mother?s seen the woman. She saw her the other night.?
I Stopped sewing for a second and looked up at Mariko. She had turned away from the window and was gazing at me with a Strangely expressionless look.
?Where did your mother see this ? this person?
?Out there. She saw her out there. That?s why she asked you.?
Mariko came away from the window and returned to her kittens. The older cat had appeared and the kittens had curled up to their mother. Mariko, lay down beside then, and started to whisper. Her whispering had a vaguely disturbing quality.
?Your mother should be home soon,? I said. ?I wonder what she can be doing.?
Mariko continued whispering.
?She was telling me au about Frank-san,? I said. ?He sounds a very nice man.?
The whispering noises stopped. We stared at each other Iota second.
so ?He?s a bad man? Mariko said.
?Now that?s not a nice thing to say, Mariko-San. Your mother told me all about him and he sounds very :? And I?m sure he?s very kind to you, isn?t he??
She got to her feet and went to the wall. The spider was stiU there.
?Yes, I?m sure he?s a nice man. He?s kind to you, isn?t he, Mariko-San??
Mariko reached forward. The spider moved quite slowly along the wall.
?Mariko, leave that alone.?
?The cat we had in Tokyo, she used to catch spiders. We were going to bring her with us.?
I could see the spider more clearly in its new position. It had thick short legs, each leg casting a shadow on the yellow wall.
?She was a good cat,? Mariko continued. was going to come with us to Nagasaki.?
?And did you bring her??
?She disappeared. The day before we were leaving. Mother promised we could bring her, but she disappeared.?
?I see.?
She moved suddenly and caught one of the spider?s legs. The remaining legs crawled frantically around her hand as she brought it away from the wall.
Mariko, let that go. That?s dirty.?
Mariko turned over her hand and the spider crawled into her palm. She closed her other hand over it so that it was imprisoned.
?Mariko, put that down.?
?It?s not poisonous,? she said, coming closer to me. No, but it?s dirty. Put it back in the corner?
?It?s not poisonous though.
She stood in front of me, the spider inside her cupped hands. Through a gap in her fingrs, ld see a leg moving slowly and rhythmically
?Put it back in the corner, Mariko.?
?What would happen if late it? It?s not poisonous?
?You?d be very sick. Now, Mariko, put it back in the corner.?
