In the Woods of Memory

talked about getting revenge, but when the Americans actually showed up, nobody said a word. And then, when the Americans ordered them to help with the search, they joined in without protest and even swore to capture Seiji themselves. In those days you could be shot for resisting, so I guess they didn’t have much choice. Still, I really despised my father when I saw him grab a stick and head off to the woods with the other men. And not just my father. I despised all the men in the village. I wonder how those men felt about Seiji standing up to the Americans all by himself. He exposed them as cowards, so they probably felt angry and humiliated. But I was angry at them. When I heard that Seiji had stabbed an American with his harpoon, I was happy. Really, really happy. Anyone who could’ve done such terrible things to Sayoko deserved to die. I was disappointed to hear later that that American had survived....

Fumi had started speaking more rapidly and with more of the island language, so Hisako could barely follow what she was saying. At the mention of rape, a vision of the glittering white beach and screwpine thicket appeared before Hisako’s eyes, and her skin started to burn, even though she was standing in the shade of a huge bishopwood tree. Just then, a piercing cry from a brown-eared bulbul rang out, and Hisako’s heart skipped a beat. Throwing her head back to find the source of the cry threw her breathing off, too. The thick layers of leaves turned into the murmuring waves of the ocean. Who had explained to Hisako about what had happened in the thicket? Had she overheard the adults talking? Even though she hadn’t fully comprehended the precise nature of the event, she knew that she’d witnessed something horrible. She remembered that for a short time afterward, they had been forbidden to go to the beach.

Staring at Fumi as she continued talking, Hisako felt uneasy at seeing how stern her friend’s expression had become. The voice emanating from Fumi’s unceasingly moving lips echoed back from the cave. Hisako suddenly had the feeling that invisible beings had crawled out from deep inside and were listening on the rocks and at Fumi’s feet. She wanted to hold Fumi’s hand to protect her but felt unable to do so.

—When the gas canister was thrown into the cave, everyone thought it was poison gas and started to panic. I thought Seiji would die. But after a while, he came out, staggering and leaning on his harpoon, just like you wrote in your letter. And then he tried to throw the grenade. My mother covered me and pushed me to the ground, so I couldn’t see what happened next, but I definitely heard gunshots. When I pushed away my mother’s hands and looked at the cave, Seiji was lying on his back, with blood covering his shoulder, stomach, and feet. Even then, he wouldn’t let go of his harpoon. He raised his head and tried to find the Americans, but his eyes were too swollen. My dad told me later it was from the gas. Anyway, I don’t think Seiji could’ve seen anything. I wanted to scream and tell him that the Americans were right in front of him, but I couldn’t. I just stared as he struggled to get up. If the grenade hadn’t been a dud and had exploded, dozens of Americans would’ve died. And Seiji would’ve been happy, even if that meant dying himself. But that’s just like Japan, isn’t it? Whether it’s soldiers or grenades, when push comes to shove, it’s completely useless....

Yōichi was visibly anxious about his mother, who was practically foaming at the mouth as she spoke. Hisako didn’t think they should try to stop her. If they interrupted her now, Fumi might lose control of the words coming out of her mouth, and go completely crazy.

The wind caused the light filtering through the trees to flicker, which in turn caused the green moss to glisten and speckles of light to dance over Fumi, Yōichi, and Hisako. The light also reflected off something inside the cave and flickered against the walls. Hisako’s feeling that so me unseen beings were with them grew stronger, and she imagined their contours beginning to take shape. She turned and looked at Fumi’s profile. It occurred to Hisako that she’d always depended on her. Suddenly, Fumi turned toward her. Hisako flinched, but the reaction confused her.

Fumi pointed at Hisako’s feet and continued:

—There. Right there. Seiji fell down right where you’re standing. As he was trying to get up, one of the Americans pointed his rifle at him and pressed his boot down on his hand, the one holding the harpoon. Another soldier picked up the grenade and tossed it into the cave, and the soldier standing on Seiji’s hand took the harpoon, and passed it back to one of the others. Then he started kicking Seiji in the head. Seiji’s head was jerking back so hard that the American who’d tossed away the grenade had to step in and stop him. So then that damn American gave Seiji one last kick in the stomach, as hard as he could. And then he stooped down, just so he could spit in Seiji’s face. When I saw that, I knew he must’ve been one of the soldiers who’d raped Sayoko on the beach. After that, Seiji was lying there unconscious for I don’t know how long. Two Americans ran off to get a stretcher, and while we were waiting, the other soldiers kept their guns pointed at us. The villagers couldn’t move, so they just stared in silence. At first, I could only hear the ward chief, the interpreter, and the tall American commander. Later, I could only hear the buzz of the cicadas. I assumed that Seiji would be shot, so I couldn’t bear to watch as he was being put on the stretcher and