Translucent Tree by Nobuko Takagi

Author:Nobuko Takagi [Takagi, Nobuko]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Published: 2024-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

When she told Go about the trip, he was brought up short by the word “lost.” This prevented Chigiri from going any further with her story.

“I don’t understand what you mean by ‘lost.’” From the ninth floor of the hotel he could look out at the faded violet of the western sky. The violet was quickly going gray, and then mulberry-colored.

“We just kept going, further and further into a place I didn’t know.”

“If you were going upstream, it meant you were heading into the mountains, right?”

“It was like a hunt. Men, hunting.”

Still facing the window, Go turned his head. Chigiri was sitting on the side of the bed, leaning back on her arms. Her knees were slightly open, and the leg below her knees went straight down to the floor, with her ankles open just a little wider than her knees. The green flared skirt barely covering her knees flowed out to the right and left. From where Go stood, the place beyond those knees was deep and dark. He tried not to stare at those depths, brushing past them to look into Chigiri’s eyes.

“Of course it’s not a hunt.”

“It looked like one to me. Imagine being hooked like that. There would be no escape.”

“Sounds desperate.”

“It was. It was a hunt to the death.”

“I wish you could see your eyes. You look like a fish trying to escape. But lots of them do escape, don’t they?”

“The lure comes floating down, aimed at a spot where there are likely to be fish. I couldn’t bear it. It wasn’t like a harpoon or spear. Fish would be able to avoid that. They go after them by landing ever so softly on the water. If there happens to be a fish right there, it doesn’t have a chance.”

Chigiri’s face glowed. She had a fever in her eyes and perspiration around her nose. Go could feel the fever, but the heat he felt was jealousy, although he wasn’t yet aware of it yet. What he did notice was her knees inching apart.

“I tell you, they were hunting. They headed up the river; said they were thrilled wondering what might be ahead or around a bend. They couldn’t help themselves from going in deeper and deeper.”

“And you felt lost?”

“That’s right. You can’t keep water from flowing from its source. Do you understand what I’m saying, Go? The need to keep going in deeper and further in? They said any man would understand.”

“How old is this Nishimura?”

“Maybe forty-five or six. He’s an osteopath. He said when he looks at people, he doesn’t see their skin; he sees straight through to their bones. He said it wasn’t like that when he was young, but now when he sees a naked woman, all he can see is her skeleton.”

“Now that’s a lie. But I do understand the need to keep going in. I don’t know about fly fishing, but I get the gist.”

“Because you’re a man?”

As she asked this, she moved her knees unconsciously. She looked

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