See you, then. Naito and Kano waved to the others and got going, walking along the top of the embankment.
Sasaki and Kensuke stepped through the growth of angelica and headed into the dim interior. Every time Sasaki caught sight of a fascinating specimen of vegetation, he angled his camera, recorded it on video, or drew it in his sketchbook. There wasnt any plant Kensuke didnt recognize that Sasaki could not identify; the mentor was indeed proving himself a specialist of the natural sciences. The serious look in his eyes seemed to give lie to his usual jocularity, and Kensuke saw him in a different light again.
The soil, unused to the trample of human feet, was soft, and black liquid oozed out of the humus under their deliberate tread. If not for their boots, their feet would have been soaked completely a good while ago. Even the air was wet. Grasses and trees that were a rare sight in Tokyo thrived here, giving off an eerie odour for some reason and forming a hybrid copse unique to the island. When the sea breeze stirred the treetops, sounds fluttered down all around them, and from time to time Kensuke would not know where he was. He had pretty much forgotten about Yukari. The island was just too different from the site of his fantasies.
The deeper they went, the thicker the gloom and Sasaki spoke less and less. He wasnt peering through his camera and video as frequently, either. Facing this way and that, he finally halted.
How odd, he muttered.
Kensuke, whod been following Sasaki, also stopped. Whats odd? he asked.
Sasaki just let out a sort of grumble and didnt explain, lost in thought. They both stood still for some time, neither of them uttering a word.
Are you all right? Kensuke looked concerned as he broke the silence.
The clump of angelica back at the landing looked just the same. But the further in we go somethings odd.
How odd, he muttered.
Kensuke, whod been following Sasaki, also stopped. Whats odd? he asked.
Sasaki just let out a sort of grumble and didnt explain, lost in thought. They both stood still for some time, neither of them uttering a word.
Are you all right? Kensuke looked concerned as he broke the silence.
The clump of angelica back at the landing looked just the same. But the further in we go somethings odd.
You mean, its different than before?
I cant put my finger on it. Sure doesnt feel right though.
Hearing this, Kensuke looked around him nervously. He thought he was getting bad vibes, too. Apparently, back in the 20s, Battery No. 6 had been rumoured to be a sort of haunted isle. Just recently, a windsurfer practicing at the Seaside Park had passed from view behind the island and disappeared for good, board and all or so Kensuke had heard. Recalling such stories, Kensuke didnt feel too good.
Lets go on, shall we? urged Kensuke, intending to muster courage, but his voice trembled somewhat.
No ones supposed to have come here in ten years Sasaki mumbled to himself, as though to confirm the fact, and resumed walking. Naito had told them aboard the cruiser that the Minato Ward Council was participating in the survey for the first time and that there hadnt been a comprehensive field investigation in ten years.
Kensuke remained silent.
Sasaki stopped again. Looking up, he cried, This forests nurturing something!
Why not? Dont trees always sustain nearby life-forms?
Sasaki pointed diagonally ahead. Thats a persimmon tree. The one beyond it is a medlar. Last time I was here, there werent any fruit-bearers.
No sooner had he said this than Sasaki started running ahead.
Wait! cried Kensuke.
But Sasaki only gained speed, and it was all Kensuke could do to keep up. Dripping with sweat, he was about to give up the chase when the view changed suddenly and he found himself in a clearing about thirty feet wide.
The place seemed to be the centre of the island, the woods appearing equally thick on all sides. To the north the Rainbow Bridge towered against the sky. It was jarring to catch sight of a modern structure from the centre of an island that resembled an uninhabited jungle. It was as though the dimensions had come unhinged and Kensuke had wandered into an alien world.
The noonday sun drenched the grassy clearing with its rays. Cicadas chirped loudly. It wasnt hard for Kensuke to come up with a word to describe the clearing: it was a garden. Tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and other summer vegetables had been planted in a neat configuration. It was impossible now to deny that there was some force at work here other than nature. These vegetables had been planted according to some will for some purpose. This wasnt a case of seeds washing ashore sprouting naturally on their own. Kensuke and Sasaki looked at each other and verified the impression with each other.
Look, over there. Sasaki jerked his jaw toward the east end of the clearing. Three slender strips of wood stood atop a mound of earth.
Walking over to take a closer look, they saw that the strips were tablets. Of the ink-lettered characters only two were legible, both of them what youd expect on a tablet, while the others had completely worn off. What were the tablets doing there? Could they have come drifting to Battery No. 6, too? Why were they staked so firmly into the ground then?
What do you think? spoke Kensuke.
The mound of earth under the wooden strips suggested only one thing to both men.
Sasaki said it: Its got to be a grave.
Ants were squirming in columns on the rounded heap of earth. A grave It just couldnt be anything else.
Just then, the portable receiver that hung from Kensukes shoulder sprang to life.
Kano here. Do you read me? Over.
We read you, replied Kensuke, his finger on the transmit button.
Weve spotted a small dark figure on the western embankment. It disappeared into the woods and must be heading toward the middle. Please exercise due caution.
What?
It was probably just an animal.
A dog maybe? A cat?
No, Kano refuted him without pause.
Why are you sure?
Were not sure. We tried to go after it, but it scrambled into the woods at an amazing speed.
Western side?
Yes.
Roger and out. Concluding the transmission, Kensuke looked at Sasakis face and awaited his decision.
Come.
Sasaki started walking toward the western woods, where the thing was reported to have vanished, and Kensuke followed closely behind. The two men stopped at the edge of the clearing and, taking care not to make any noise, scouted ahead. They couldnt hear anything yet, but the thing was coming their way through the thicket right in front of them. Kensuke held his breath and waited for something to appear.
A mosquito hummed annoyingly close to Kensukes nose while he waited in a crouch. If he didnt move at all, hed be feasted upon where his flesh was exposed. Having to stay in that crouch and make fidgety little movements at the same time was indeed tiring.
The grass in the bush ahead seemed to sway. Soon, the approaching presence became audible through the branches being thrashed away. And then, all of a sudden, a small black thing jumped out at Kensuke.
Before he knew it, he was lying face up on the ground. The impact of something hard striking his jaw from below had almost knocked him out, but his two hands had instinctively caught hold of the thing. A beastly roar went up next to his ear, and an instant later, he felt a searing pain in his arm. He had no idea what was going on. He felt a weight upon him, and when it lifted, he opened his eyes to see against the blinding summer sun a small dark silhouette that was flailing its limbs in Sasakis arms. The creature that Sasaki had pulled off him was a boy perhaps seven or eight years old.
Kensuke managed to sit up but remained in a state of disbelief. The boy was howling, not in any human language, but like a wild beast. The shrieks contained a frantic appeal but were totally incomprehensible and filled Kensuke with terror. The boy had no doubt bitten him. There were drops of blood on the arm where hed felt the pain. Kensuke stood up, pressing down on the spot with his hand. Just then, Kano and Naito came dashing out of the woods behind. No sooner had Kano caught sight of the boy in Sasakis restraining arms than he fetched his receiver to get through to the captain of the cruiser.
Prepare to depart Contact the police The instructions Kano issued in rapid succession registered only as fragments with Kensuke.
He felt dizzy. He tried to reason out what had just happened. The boy must have been glancing behind him as he ran. Not noticing Kensukes presence right ahead, hed banged his head into Kensukes jaw. But why a boy, on this island? Kano and the others were asking him for his name and address. Tossing his head wildly, he only let out inchoate shrieks and supplied no information. Hearing the cries, which werent in Japanese nor any foreign language, Kensuke felt dizzy again.
7
The boy sat on the cruisers deck floor with just his head poking above the side. He was gazing intently at the island. There was no expression on his face. Leaving your natal land usually elicited a special surge of emotion, but the boy didnt seem to know how to express such sentiments. The moment theyd taken him aboard the cruiser, hed quieted down, and now for some time hed sat there without once budging.
7
The boy sat on the cruisers deck floor with just his head poking above the side. He was gazing intently at the island. There was no expression on his face. Leaving your natal land usually elicited a special surge of emotion, but the boy didnt seem to know how to express such sentiments. The moment theyd taken him aboard the cruiser, hed quieted down, and now for some time hed sat there without once budging.
There was nothing to do but call off the survey. Their top priority was to take the boy back to the city and to hand him over to the proper authorities. Unable to conceal their excitement at the unexpected catch, Naito and Kano exchanged theories about the boys provenance and stared unabashedly at him as at a wild child whod been reared by wolves.
No one else had a clue. But Kensuke could paint a reasonably good picture of what had transpired on Battery No. 6 in the last nine years. One look at the childs face was enough to make everything clear. The refined small nose, the clear glacial eyes, the thin lips though obscured by a mass of overgrown hair, all of the boys features bore an irrefutable resemblance. It was in third grade that Kensuke and Aso had first met and gotten to know each other. The profile of the boy who sat before Kensuke now was the living image of his former classmate. Without a shadow of a doubt, this was Asos son by Yukari Nakazawa.