The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

“Well, I don’t know much about it, but I remember reading somewhere that there are some special people who have the power to transport themselves to other places in the world, just by thinking about it. It’s called teleportation. So when the truck was about to hit you, you might have used some power like that to move through time and space — even without knowing it!”

“What? No way! That’s ridiculous!” Goro shook his head violently. “That’s impossible! So unscientific! It goes against all common sense!”

“But things happen all the time that can’t be explained by common sense.”

“But there’s no evidence, Kazuo!” shouted Goro, annoyed. “Can you prove any of it?”

“I can!” shouted Kazuko in response. “We’ll just wait and see if there’s an earthquake tonight, and if your house ends up being threatened by fire.”

WAITING FOR THE NIGHT

“How can you say such a thing!” shouted Goro, now scarlet with anger.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” said Kazuko. “But this is the only way to find out if there’s any truth to this.”

“Of course it isn’t true!” said Goro, storming out of the room.

“Now I’ve made him angry,” said Kazuko to Kazuo.

“What should I do?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” said Kazuo, frowning. “He’s not a bad guy, but he needs to learn to control his temper. Besides, you’re right. It’s the only chance we have for finding out what’s happening.”

After several minutes had passed, Goro still hadn’t returned. So Kazuo stepped out of the room, only to find him leafing through the phone book in the hallway.

“What are you doing?” Kazuo asked.

“Looking for a mental hospital,” Goro replied.

“Don’t be so nasty to Kazuko!” shouted Kazuo. “Would you really consider having one of your best friends locked up in a lunatic asylum?”

“But…” said Goro angrily, “she’s already starting to go mad. If we don’t get her to a doctor soon, she might go completely nuts!”

“And you can prove that she’s mentally sick, can you?”

“I don’t have to. Her absurd story is proof enough!”

“But what if it is true? If there really is an earthquake and a fire tonight?”

“No way!”

“It’s easy to say that. But we won’t know for sure until tonight. So why don’t we just wait until tonight and see what happens? If nothing happens, then you can do as you wish. You can call the mental institution first thing in the morning if you like.”

“I guess…” agreed Goro, reluctantly.

When she got home from Kazuo’s place, Kazuko couldn’t think of anything else, and she certainly had no appetite for dinner. After all, the food was exactly the same as the night before, as was the conversation between her mother and younger sisters.

It’s just like we’re all acting in a play! she thought to herself.

Kazuko couldn’t bring herself to do her homework either. She’d already done it the night before, but once again those pages of her notebook were blank. If she really tried, she was sure she could remember her work and write it out again. But she just couldn’t bring herself to do that. Instead she decided to get into bed and get some much-needed sleep. But sleep isn’t so easy to come by when you’re expecting an earthquake later on. So instead she stretched across the bed and grabbed a study guide for her high-school entrance exams. At least her time- travelling might help her prepare for that, since she’d already gained an extra day.

Before she knew it, Kazuko had dozed off with the book on her face. Then came a low, thundering sound followed by a violent shaking. It was the earthquake!

“I knew it!” shrieked Kazuko, jumping out of bed and into the hallway, where her sisters and mother were already scurrying around in fear.

“There’s no need to be scared!” called Kazuko. “It’s not a big earthquake!”

Once Kazuko had managed to calm her sisters and her mother down, she put on her shoes and headed off for Goro’s house. The fire from the bathhouse would be starting about now, and if she hurried she might be able to let people know before any serious damage was done. She even thought about shouting Fire! Fire! But there was a chance that people might think she was just exaggerating.

Unlike the way she’d remembered it, there was nobody to be seen when she reached the bathhouse. But she could clearly see smoke rising from the edges of the back door as well as the occasional red spark. She thought about shouting out Fire! But instead she held her breath. After all, if Goro hadn’t believed her story, then it might not look good in his eyes if she were to be the first on the scene. He might think she’d started it herself to make her story seem true. Then she’d be branded an arsonist, and the police would come to take her away. It was a thought that made her body shiver. But what could she do instead? Surely she couldn’t just stand there idly and watch the flames spread.

PANIC IN PYJAMAS

At that moment Shin, a young employee from the local rice shop, stepped out of the bathhouse with his bath bag in hand. He’d noticed the smoke and sparks, gathered his things quickly together and come outside to spread the news with his famously loud voice.

“Fire!” he called out. “There’s a fire!”

And in an instant, doors and shutters seemed to open everywhere, and people spilt out onto the street.

“Someone call the fire department!”

“They just went to do that.”

“Where is the fire?”

“It’s in the kitchen in the bathhouse!”

A few minutes later the fire trucks arrived on the scene, followed by the police, who immediately began herding the onlookers.

“Kazuko!” came Goro’s voice through the crowds. “You were right. Your prediction came true!” he said, running towards her with an unusually pale face.

“So Kazuko was right after all,” said Kazuo, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and was now standing behind her with a similarly pale face.

“Kazuo!” said Kazuko, turning to see her friend. “Wait a minute. I thought you said you didn’t own any pyjamas!”

“Well I didn’t then,” answered Kazuo. “I used to just sleep in my underwear. But when I got home my mother had bought me these ones.”

“So Kazuko really does have the power to predict the future!” said Goro with a hint of admiration.

“Not predicting the future,” said Kazuko. “It’s something stranger than that.”

“What do you mean?” said Goro.

“I’m not predicting the future. I’m jumping back through time. But I can never be sure when it might happen. And if I jump back again, I’m going to have to convince you both all over again.”