Mariko brought the spider closer to her face and parted her lips.
?Don?t be silly, Mariko, That?s very dirty.?
Her mouth opened wider, and then her hands parted and the spider landed in front of my lap. I started back. The spider sped along the tatami into the shadows behind me. It took me a moment to recover, and by then Mariko had left the cottage.
Chapter Six
I cannot be sure now how long I spent searching for her that night. Quite possibly it was for a considerable time, for I was advanced in my pregnancy by then and careful to avoid hurried movements. Besides, once having come outside, I was finding it strangely peaceful to walk beside the river. Along one section of the bank, the grass had grown very tall. I must have been wearing sandals that night for I can remember distinctly the feel of the grass on my feet. As I walked, there were insects making noises all around me.
Then eventually I became aware of a separate sound, a rustling noise as if a snake were sliding in the grass behind me. I stopped to listen, then realized what had caused it; an old piece of rope had tangled itself around my ankle and I had been dragging it through the grass. I carefully released it from around my foot. When I held it up to the moonlight it felt damp and muddy between my fingers.
?Hello, Mariko,? I said, for she was sitting in the grass a short way in front of me, her knees hunched up to her chin. A willow tree ? one of several that grew on the bank ? hung over the spot where she sat. I took a few steps towards her until I could make out her face more clearly.
?What?s that?? she asked.
?Nothing. It just tangled on to my foot when I was walking.?
?What is it though??
?Nothing, just a piece of old rope. Why are you out here??
?Do you want to take a kitten?? ?A kitten??
?Mother says we can?t keep the kittens. Do you want one??
?I don?t think so.?
?But we have to find homes for them soon. Or else Mother says we?ll have to drown them.?
?That would be a pity?
You could have Atsu.?
?We?ll have to see.?
?Why have you got that?
?1 told you, it?s nothing. It just caught on to my foot.? I took a step closer. Why are you doing that, Mariko??
?Doing what??
?You were making a strange face just now.?
?1 wasn?t making a strange face. Why have you got the rope??
?You were making a strange face. It was a very strange face.?
?Why have you got the rope??
I watched her for a moment. Signs of fear were appearing on her face.
?Don?t you want a kitten then?? she asked.
?No, I don?t think so. What?s the matter with you?? Mariko got to her feet. I caine forward until I reached the willow tree. I noticed the cottage a short distance away, the shape of its roof darker than the sky. I could hear Mariko?s footsteps running off into the darkness.
When I reached the door of the cottage, I could hear Sachiko?s voice from within, talking angrily. They both turned to me as I came in. Sachiko was standing in the middle of the room, her daughter before her. In the light cast by the lantern, her carefully prepared face had a mask-like quality.
?I fear Mariko?s been giving you trouble,? she said tome.
?Well, she ran outside
?Say sorry to Etsuko-San.? She gripped Mariko?s arm roughly.
?I want to go outside again.?
?You won?t move. Now apologize.?
?I want to go outside.?
With her free hand, Sachiko slapped the child sharply on the back of her thigh. ?Now, apologize to Etsuko- San.?
Small tears were appearing in Mariko?s eyes. She looked at me briefly, then turned back to her mother. ?Why do you always go away??
Sachiko raised her hand again warningly.
?Why do you always go away with Frank-San??
?Are you going to say you?re sorry??
?Frank-San pisses like a pig. He?s a pig in a sewer.? Sachiko stared at her child, her hand still poised in the air.
