“Takeru!”
The sound of Ken’s voice made Takeru jump.
“Shocked t’see me?” said Ken, laughing.
“You off work already?” Mitsuko asked Ken.
“Finished ’bout three. I was washin’ the company truck,” said Ken. “But more interestin’ than that—Ito Fisheries caught a dolphin in one of their nets.”
“That’s strange,” Mitsuko said.
“Yeah, that’s why I came over,” said Ken. “Takeru, you want t’come and have a look? I can take ya.”
“What?” asked Takeru, looking up at Ken. “Now? To see the dolphin they caught?”
“Yeah.”
“But we’re still going to Dolphin Village tomorrow, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” Mitsuko intervened. “You’ll see lots of dolphins tomorrow. There’s no harm in not goin’ today.”
“Well… thing is, Mitsuko,” said Ken awkwardly, “there was that storm the other day…”
“The one that blocked the road?”
“Yeah. That storm hit Dolphin Village. I found out yesterday from my friend who has that yellowtail farm o’er in Shishinome.”
“Hit? You mean it was damaged?”
“Some huge waves came smashin’ into the bay and ripped the nettin’ of the dolphin pen. A lot of ’em escaped.”
“The dolphins escaped?” exclaimed Takeru.
“That’s what I heard. And now they’re eating all the fish in the fishin’ grounds. It’s a real problem.”
Mitsuko looked mystified.
“If it was such a big problem you’d think it’d been in the newspaper. I read it every day, but I ain’t seen nothing ’bout that.”
“Can’t say,” said Ken. “Don’t look at the newspapers much. But that was what my friend told me. And I figure the one they caught must’ve been from Dolphin Village. That’d make sense.”
“I wonder,” said Mitsuko dubiously. “Just ’cause a dolphin’s escaped doesn’t mean it’s gonna swim straight into a net. They’re supposed to be clever, ain’t they?”
“They can cure people,” said Takeru.
Neither Mitsuko nor Ken was listening.
“Well, anyway, it’s my day off tomorrow so I’ll take Takeru and Saki to Dolphin Village, and if it’s closed we’ll go on a bit farther to the prefectural aquarium. It’ll be quick on the highway and there’s lots t’see there. That’d be ’kay, right Takeru?”
“Do they have dolphins?” asked Takeru.
“Course. And they’ve got otters and sea lions too. They have a dolphin show, and a sea lion show as well. That’ll work, won’t it?”
“Yes,” said Takeru. “It’s fine by me. But what about Saki?”
“If it’s ’kay with you, I’m sure Saki won’t mind,” said Ken.
“Yeah,” said Mitsuko. “It’ll be good, Takeru. Just next to the aquarium there’s a place where they feed wild monkeys. Get Ken to take ya there too.”
“I think I’ve seen enough monkeys,” said Takeru, looking slightly embarrassed. “There are lots around here.”
“That’s true,” said Mitsuko, smiling.
“And we’ve got Hii-chan too,” said Ken.
Takeru laughed as he pictured the old man’s monkey-like features.
“Don’t go sayin’ things like that!” said Mitsuko, though she was laughing as well.
The next day Ken came to pick them up at 8:30 as promised. Saki had gotten up early and come over to Mitsuko’s house at 7:00 for breakfast.
The children were ready in good time and sat waiting eagerly for Ken to arrive. There had been rain overnight, but it had stopped around dawn, and by the time they got into the car there were just a few dark clouds left in the sky to the east.
The village always stank of the sea. The stench of rotting shellfish hung heavy in the air, especially after rain. Driving around the bay, the smell of the sea never left your nostrils, even with the windows closed, and the road wound on endlessly, so Takeru had always felt carsick when he first arrived. But that didn’t last long. You could get used to a smell even if you hated it. You could probably get used to a place too, Takeru thought, if you lived there long enough—even a place you hated, detested.
They turned right at the bus stop. Old Tsuru was already sitting there, the spot already bathed in sunshine. Tsuru saw them and lifted his hand. But no. He wasn’t acknowledging Takeru, Saki, or Ken, but something bigger. But now Takeru was inside that big thing, so why not say Tsuru was acknowledging him? Takeru guessed that in Tsuru’s raised fist was his glass eye. Takeru didn’t know if that eye would see, but he raised his own hand and gave a little wave in Tsuru’s direction.