“Come on, let’s go!” said Bunichi. “Let’s cross the bridge.”
Masako wished she could say no. But if she were to turn back now, then she’d miss out on the chance to shed light on the darkness inside her. Then she thought back on how she’d urged her little brother to face his fears and walk along the hallway, and she started to feel a little embarrassed.
“Okay, I’ll go,” she said, reaching out reluctantly to Bunichi, who grabbed her hand firmly and began walking just a little ahead of her.
“Be careful not to touch the rails!” said Masako with a tremble in her voice.
“Don’t worry,” said Bunichi, “we’ll just walk down the middle of the bridge.”
Together they carried on for several more careful steps, with Bunichi leading the way and Masako keeping her eyes fixed firmly on her feet. Then Bunichi turned around and stopped.
“Masako, that’s not going to work,” he said with a frown. “You have to look around more and try to remember as much as you can.”
“But I can’t!” said Masako, covering her face with her hands. “I have this bad feeling that what happened in my dream will happen here! The poles will come tumbling down! Oh and there’s someone standing behind that pole! See, something is going to jump out!”
It was then that they heard a voice nearby — a girl’s voice.
“Masako! You’re Masako, aren’t you?”
A FACE FROM CHILDHOOD
Masako dropped her hands from her face in surprise and looked towards the girl who was calling her name. The voice belonged to a girl much taller than Masako. She wore pigtails and a school uniform, and she was standing about five metres away, staring right at them.
“Etsuko! You’re Etsuko, aren’t you?” Masako blurted out, her feelings of nostalgia resurfacing.
Etsuko had grown into a pretty girl with smooth skin. She was much taller now, but she still had the same big eyes and full cheeks she’d had as a young child. Masako was sure she’d recognize her anywhere and that Etsuko would recognize Masako anywhere too. Masako wanted to run up and give her a hug. But instead, she hesitated. It had been such a very long time since they’d last seen each other, and Masako felt a little shy. But it was okay, because Etsuko seemed to be feeling the same way as well. So, slowly, the two of them walked towards each other.
“You’ve grown so much,” said Masako.
“I know. I’m like a telegraph pole, aren’t I!”
Together they laughed and, inside, Masako felt quite relieved.
Masako and Etsuko grabbed each other’s hands in delight, and Bunichi gave a small but purposeful cough, prompting Masako to introduce him.
“This is my classmate. Bunichi Morimoto. And this is Etsuko Kitajima. You remember I told you about her?”
Bunichi took an awkward step forward and stiffly introduced himself.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Masako,” said Bunichi in his best adult-like voice, forcing Masako to stifle a giggle.
Etsuko blushed a little and bowed her head.
“How many years has it been?” asked Masako.
“Let me see…” said Etsuko, walking over to the wooden railing. “It must be seven… no, eight years now! I often thought about you. We were such good friends, but you never came back to see us.”
“I’m sorry. I often thought of you as well. You were even in my dream.”
Masako tried to take a step towards Etsuko, but stopped in her tracks. The railing behind Etsuko was rotten and weak, and she was afraid it might break off.
“But now we’ve finally been reunited!” said Etsuko, walking over to Masako and taking her hands in hers. “I was so worried that you were still upset about that incident.”
Masako was startled to hear Etsuko’s words, and she quickly glanced back to Bunichi.
“What do you mean, ‘that incident’?” asked Bunichi as he stepped towards Etsuko with a serious look on his face.
Masako’s pulse was racing. What was this mysterious incident? Was it the cause of Masako’s troubled emotions? Did Etsuko hold the key to unlock Masako’s nightmares?
“What’s the matter?” said Bunichi. “You both look so serious… You’re scaring me.”
Without thinking, Masako placed both hands firmly on Etsuko’s shoulders. Etsuko grimaced in pain.
“Please, tell me! What happened? What do you mean by ‘the incident’?”
“You’re hurting me!” cried Etsuko. “Let me go!”
But Masako was far too caught up in her need for answers. In fact, she was shaking Etsuko by the shoulders without even realizing it. Fortunately, Bunichi stepped in and took Masako’s hands in his.
“Ow, that hurt,” said Etsuko, rubbing her shoulders and throwing a glare in Masako’s direction. “You didn’t come here to see me, did you? What did you come here for? Don’t tell me you don’t remember what happened.”
“Look,” said Bunichi. “I don’t know what happened between you two. But Masako is struggling because she can’t remember what the incident was.”
“Are you serious?” asked Etsuko, looking beyond Bunichi’s shoulders to where Masako was standing, about to burst into tears. “You really have forgotten?”
Masako nodded sadly.
“I’m disappointed,” said Etsuko with a downcast look on her face, then she turned her back to them and walked over to the rail again.
All three of them stood for a while in silence, listening to the sounds of frogs and wondering what to do next. Then, finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, Bunichi decided to speak out.
“Listen, Etsuko,” he said. “Masako is feeling bad about something. But she doesn’t know what it is or why. Please can you try to understand?”
“And I’m sorry for becoming hysterical like that too,” added Masako.
“Etsuko?” continued Bunichi. “Whatever it was that happened between you two, did it happen here on this bridge?”
“Did somebody fall perhaps?” asked Masako, timidly.
Etsuko whipped her head around and shot Masako a nasty glare.
“Did somebody fall, you ask?” she shouted, pointing at Masako. “You threw me off the bridge!”
A BRIDGE ACROSS MEMORIES
Masako couldn’t believe her ears. She shook her head again and again, wishing it would all go away and, without realizing, she took a step backward, then another, then another.
“No way! That can’t be true!” she said to herself. “There’s no way I would ever do such a thing.”
“Masako,” said Bunichi in a worried voice.
Then, suddenly, Masako let out a long and lingering scream — splitting the silence around them. In a flash, she remembered. She remembered everything, and the shock of it all sent her running.
“Hey, where are you going?” called out Bunichi behind her. “Watch out!”
