—The Americans, explained Fumi’s mother, threw poisonous gas into the cave where Seiji’s hiding.
Then she stared into the distance with a terrified look. Fumi’s knees shook and she grew restless. Taking her mother’s hand, Fumi headed to the woods with the other villagers to witness what was happening.
SEIJI [1945]
The moonlight filtering down into the cave began to flicker, and the shadows on the wall changed into crouching beasts. Then the figures quivered and turned into American soldiers, slouched over their guns. When they started to move forward, Seiji got down on one knee, readied his harpoon, and yelled in a threatening voice:
—You think I’m gonna let you damn Americans take me prisoner? Well, come and get me! I’ll rip the guts out of every last one of you!
He lunged out at the soldier in the lead and felt his harpoon plunging into a mud-like substance. Then he heard a moan and felt a weight on the end of the shaft. The form collapsed to the ground, and the figures in the rear retreated. As Seiji plunged his harpoon into the writhing body a second and a third time, he could hear the screams of the American who’d been swimming in the ocean. He could once more see the long-limbed body cutting through the glittering light, which filtered down from the surface. Seiji pictured himself thrusting upward with his harpoon. He had missed the heart, but he knew he’d done some serious damage to the stomach. The iron head, which he’d sharpened with all his hatred, penetrated the flesh and ripped into the internal organs. But a single thrust hadn’t been enough. Suffer and die, you bastard! Seiji had wanted to thrust a second and third time, tear the stomach into shreds, and scatter the guts into the sea, but he’d been prevented from finishing the job. Do you bastards think we’ll let you do whatever the hell you want on our island? I’ll feed your damn American blood and guts to the sharks. He had failed at sea, and now, all that frustration went into the harpoon thrusting into the rocky floor of the cave. Suddenly, the sparks shooting up from each blow startled him, and Seiji stood still, confused. The Americans were nowhere to be seen.
Breathing heavily, Seiji sat down and gave his body to the embrace of the chilly air of the cave. Though he had goose bumps, sweat rose on his forehead and dribbled down his neck. The sweat felt like blood, so he wiped it away with the back of his hand and sniffed. The sticky substance had a putrid smell, so he moved toward the opening of the cave to check his sinewy hand under the blue-tinged light. As he did so, he noticed a mass of crabs jostling against one another at the bottom of the cave. Scared that they’d claw at his flesh and start gnawing their way up from his toes, he scurried to a nearby rock. Just then, he heard a voice inside his head.
What’re you afraid of? Compared to those blown up during the American bombing, you’re lucky to be alive! Blood churned inside Seiji’s skull. In agony, he dropped the harpoon, fell to his knees, and clutched his head. Mom! Please help me! Please protect me! he repeated again and again. He pressed his hands together and prayed to his mother, who gazed back at him with eyes on the verge of tears. I’m fighting all by myself, Mom! Sorry for being such a lousy son! Rubbing his palms together, Seiji lifted his head. The dull blue light cascading down into the cave fell on his face. He looked outside. The wind carried the warm scents of the woods and the ocean. Such air could eliminate his pain and calm his emotions. Seiji opened his mouth wide, sucked in a deep breath of the night air, and listened attentively to the sound of the rhythmical rushing beyond the hum of the woods.
It was the sound of the waves, which he knew came from the ocean, glimmering in the shadow of the trees. Ever since he was a kid, the ocean was where he’d always gone fishing with his father, who was an uminchu, a man of the ocean. Normally, the sensations of the waves never left Seiji’s body, even when he returned to land. But now the ocean seemed so far away. You have defiled the pure ocean with the American’s blood! said an accusing voice from above. Instinctively, Seiji dropped to his knees and put his hands together. God of the Sea! God of the Land! God of the Village! Please forgive me! What I did was for the village. I couldn’t let the Americans destroy everything. I had to protect our women. Please forgive me! He bowed again and again and again. The voice laughed. You? Protect the village?
Kiyokazu and Munenori were saying goodbye to their families, just before heading off to join the Blood and Iron Student Corps. Few students from the island had been able to get into junior high school, and these two talented young men, who’d succeeded in everything since they were little, had always made fun of the dummy, who’d often missed school to help his father. However, Seiji never bore a grudge and even looked upon them with awe. As they headed off to the harbor, he said to them:
—You guys can, uh, go and fight with the army for the Emperor, okay? I’ll stay here and, uh, protect the village.
They sneered at his words, and then spit out:
—You? Protect the village? Don’t make us laugh!
—Yeah! And what a hick! When are you going to learn to speak standard Japanese? You’re Japanese, aren’t you?
Seiji felt overwhelmed with shame. But the more he’d tried to use the standard dialect,
