—I had a grass cutter, so it wasn’t so bad, Yōichi replied before his mother could say anything.
He had overheard their exchange.
—But you must be tired, he added. Would you like to take a break?
—I’m fine. Before the end of the war, I used to pick up firewood here all the time.
—It’s a bit different now, put in Fumi. You were a child then.
The three laughed and stopped to wipe the sweat from their brows. Then they drank some of the bottled water and popped pieces of sugar into their mouths. With his branch, Yōichi pointed into the depths of the woods.
—You can see the cave over there. Just hang in there a little bit longer.
Hisako looked to where he was pointing. Through the woods full of trees so large you could barely get your arms around them, she could see a cave beneath a cliff. The scene of sixty years ago revived within her. Back then, so many trees had been blown up during the US naval bombardment that you could see the sky through the openings. Now, the cave’s entrance was half hidden by the dense growth of brush and the outstretched branches of trees clinging to the cliff. The entrance was a dark gaping hole. In spite of the chirping birds and unceasing buzz of cicadas, the area around the cave seemed to be engulfed in silence. Hisako was struck by how much the trees had grown in sixty years.
When they started walking again, Hisako had to grab branches to pull herself up the steepening path. She was glad she hadn’t waited to come to the island. If she had, she’d have been too old to make it up this hill. After going down into a hollow, they started up the final slope to the cliff. The hollow was overgrown with plants with big leaves that looked like those of the taro potato. She had seen them displayed as houseplants, but never in the wild. The leaves were a darker green and had so much vigor that they looked like they’d start moving.
—They’re kuwazu-imo potato plants, said Fumi, noticing Hisako looking at them. They’re poisonous, so you can’t eat them.
Hisako nodded and continued climbing. When she reached the top of the hill, Yōichi pulled her up to the rocky area in front of the cave. The entrance was flanked by two human-sized stones, covered with moss and fern. Several daddy longlegs scurried across the stones and ran off in various directions. The bugs looked creepy, but the green moss was beautiful. Hisako peeped into the cave. The tunnel sloped downward for several meters and then opened into a cavernous space.
—I took a look inside yesterday, said Yōichi. But after going about ten meters, some bats came flying at me, so I got surprised and turned back.
He laughed with embarrassment. The chilly air from the cave smelled like mud mixed with vegetable matter. Beer cans and candy wrappers were strewn along the walls. Since they were new, Hisako could tell that people still visited.
—This is the cave you remembered, isn’t it? said Fumi.
Hisako was at a loss.
—I guess so. But with all the trees, it’s hard to tell.
—During the war, everything was blown up from the bombing. The trees around here were burnt up, so there was more open space.
Fumi looked around at the area and then up at the trees.
—This is the cave you were talking about.
Surprised at the change in her friend’s tone of voice, Hisako stared at Fumi as she turned her gaze to the cave. Fumi’s furrowed brow and pursed lips revealed determination and tension, as if she were simultaneously digging up and burying the memories that welled up from the cave’s depths.
—That day, I got here before you did. Like you, I was with my mother. I remember seeing you coming up the path, and thinking, Oh! Hisa-chan’s come, too! I didn’t wave because I was worried about what was happening. So I don’t know if you noticed me.
—I noticed you, Fumi-chan.
Getting used to Fumi’s childlike tone of voice, Hisako started talking like a child, too. But that was okay.
—You mentioned Seiji, right?
—Who?
—The man you mentioned. The man hiding in the cave.
Hisako stared into the dark cave and pictured the man’s bloated face and swollen eyes. Imagining that the grotesque figure might emerge at any moment, she felt the hair on the top of her head tingle to the roots.
—Why was Seiji hiding here?
Fumi stared at Hisako in disbelief.
—You remember that the Americans surrounded the entrance, right?
—Yes.
—But you don’t remember why?
—No, I don’t.
—It was because he stabbed one of them. He stabbed an American with his harpoon and hid in the cave to get away.
—But why did he do that?
Fumi looked over at Yōichi, who stood to the side listening. He stared back at her with a calm expression. After brushing away a mosquito, Fumi turned her eyes back to the bottom of the cave. Hisako could hear the wind swirling around inside. It was as if the whole woods was a huge living thing, taking deep breaths.
—He did it for Sayoko.
—Sayoko?
—The woman in your dreams.
Though hazy and unclear, Hisako thought she could remember the name.
—Sayoko had shiny black hair that went down to her waist. She was very pretty. Seiji lived next door to her. We lived nearby, too, so my mom knew that Seiji liked her. But she also thought Sayoko was too good for him. She used to laugh at the idea of someone like Seiji getting married. But you know what? Seiji was braver than any other man in the village. He fought the Americans with just one harpoon.
Now Hisako could remember Seiji in front of the cave. There he was: leaning on his harpoon, on the verge of collapse.
HISAKO AND FUMI [2005]
Fumi stared into the cave and spoke to Yōichi and Hisako without looking at them:
—When Sayoko was raped, the men didn’t do anything. Some of them
