Lion Cross Point by Masatsugu Ono

Author:Masatsugu Ono
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781931883719
Publisher: Two Lines Press
Published: 2018-02-22T16:00:00+00:00

The harsh din of cicadas filled the air. Earlier in the morning there would have been birdsong, playing along with the first rays of sunlight that crept down the western hill toward the village. The hillside would have shimmered in its gentle touch, before the rough assault of full light began. But now, all that could be heard were the cicadas. The newly formed shadows of all the things in the village quivered with their cries. The sound was like that of heavy rain, but the sky was clear. There was no mist out there, it was all in his head, among his memories. He was still in a daze, as always, and thoughts would not form properly. Takeru was sitting on Mitsuko’s wooden veranda, taking large bites from a watermelon she’d cut for him.

He’d been out to the holly tree at the edge of the garden to shout for Saki to come and have some, but there’d been no reply.

“Looks like she’s still asleep, Mitsuko,” Takeru said as Mitsuko washed the dishes from breakfast in the kitchen.

“She shouldn’t be lyin’ ’round in bed, just ’cause it’s the holidays,” said Mitsuko, showing a hint of anger at Saki’s father, Tatsuya.

From Mitsuko’s veranda you could see the hills around the village to the south. The blue sky above them was clear and bright. Takeru knew that the Pacific Ocean lay beyond the hills, and he imagined the sparkling sea. There was a beach over there where sea turtles came to lay their eggs. He wanted to see that.

“I’ll take ya,” Hii-chan had said. They were on the way back from shopping in town and had stopped for some gas at the Shudo Gas Station.

“But, Hii-chan,” said Toshi, “they’ve only just laid their eggs.”

“What difference does that make?” said Hii-chan, flaring his nostrils, making his nose look bigger than ever.

“Well, it’s too late for Takeru. They won’t be back ’til next summer, will they?” said Toshi, mockingly.

“He can stay ’til then,” said Hii-chan smiling. His silver tooth glinted. “Suits ya here, don’t it, Takeru? You’ve gotten fatter.”

Hii-chan prodded Takeru’s cheek. Takeru didn’t know if he was fatter or not. Perhaps he was.

“You stay here long as ya like,” said Hii-chan. “It’ll be ’kay.”

Okay. Okay. Takeru heard Bunji’s voice too. He couldn’t say where it came from.

Takeru tried to imagine himself staying here until the turtles came back to lay their eggs again. He couldn’t really picture it. But despite that…no, probably because of it, he felt he’d be happy enough staying.

It was the day before their trip to Dolphin Village. They’d originally planned to go sooner, but there had been a series of early typhoons and the road along the coast had been closed because of a landslide.

Takeru heard the sound of a door slamming from across the field. He looked up. Saki was walking sleepily along the path, rubbing her eyes.

“Mornin’!” she shouted. “Did ya yell for me?”

“Yes! We’ve got some watermelon. Hurry up!”

Saki joined Takeru on the veranda and polished off two pieces of the watermelon.

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