Summertime of the Dead

by Gregory Hughes

  ‘Yukio!’ He put his hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m so glad you could come!’

  I saw then that he never did blame me for the twins’ deaths. He was probably just disappointed because he had depended on me to look after them.

  ‘I’m glad too,’ I said.

  We knelt at the side of the grave and started to clean. We took the dead flowers from the metal vase and ripped up the weeds that had already started to grow. He picked up the twigs and the leaves that were lying on the path, while I got a cloth from under the buggy and wiped the black marble tombstone until it shone. All the hate and sorrow flowed out of me as I worked, and I started to feel good.

  When we were finished the Lump knelt down and arranged the fresh flowers in the vase. She worked carefully, arranging one flower so it highlighted another. It was as if she’d been doing ikebana all her life. And when she’d finished we saw a flower arrangement as beautiful as it could be. I was grateful to her for doing a good job and I put my arm around her to show it. I noticed other families cleaning tombstones or making their way to graves. Some of the men wore black suits, as though once again they were going to the funeral. But some of the women wore brightly coloured kimonos, which was another way of showing respect. And I felt glad then that I was here on this day. Because showing respect was what it was about.

  A taxi pulled up and Yoshe got out. She was dressed in a black dress and she looked as smart as I’d ever seen her. She kissed the baby, and opening a parasol she stood as erect as a soldier. Natsuko came to the head of the grave and rang a small gold bell. We bowed our heads and she started praying in a singing voice. The baby must have liked it because he joined in, but Yoshe soon shushed him. And then, when Natsuko had stopped praying, she turned her attention to us.

  ‘I’ve seen a lot of death and suffering this year. And when I returned to Japan I was praying for peace and tranquillity. But then I heard that the twins had died. I consoled myself with the fact that they were no longer suffering, only we who are left behind are suffering. But through that suffering we celebrate what great spirits they were. I truly believe they found Nirvana and that they are finally free from the constant cycle of rebirth and death. And that they are now in heaven.’

  Natsuko bowed to the twins’ grandad and he stepped forward. He looked a little frail, but he started to speak. ‘Thank you, and thank you all for coming. There were things that I wanted to say at their funeral, but I was too devastated to speak. And now I am at a loss for the right words. But let me say this: the twins made my world beautiful! I know that Miko and Hiroshi are in a better place. I only hope that when my time comes I will be with them.’ His eyes filled with tears then and he kind of lost his way. ‘I’m sorry. Maybe their best friend, Yukio, would like to say a few words.’

  I was already feeling pretty emotional, but I had to say something, and so I did. ‘Miko once told me that there were no bad people and no good people. There were only people with good and bad in them. But she was wrong. Her and Hiroshi never had a bad thought in their heads for anyone. Not in all the time I knew them.’

  Yoshe looked a little teary. ‘Well said, Yukio.’

  It was over then. There was no more to be said. The twins’ grandad bowed to everyone and we bowed back. And then taking his arm I walked him to a taxi.

  ‘If we never meet again, Yukio, remember that I always thought of you fondly. The twins could not have asked for a better friend.’ The door closed and I bowed as the taxi drove away. But I felt so sorry for him. Because wherever that taxi was taking him, he’d be there alone. The Lump came over, and linking her arm through mine she walked me back to the others. But then she stopped.

  ‘Policeman.’

  I could see a man at the base of a tree, but the branches blocked his face.

  ‘How do you know it’s the policeman?’

  ‘Shoes,’ she said.

  ‘Shoes. Are you kidding?’

  ‘No,’ said the Lump.

  I kept my eye on the man as I walked back to the others. Yoshe put the buggy in the trunk of a taxi and turned to us. ‘Would you like a ride home?’

  ‘We’ll walk,’ I said.

  She gave me a hug, and bowing to Natsuko she got in the taxi. Natsuko waved to her as she drove away and then she turned to us. ‘Come and see me soon, Yukio. I really miss your visits.’

  ‘Me too?’ said the Lump.

  Natsuko smiled. ‘Of course you too.’

  We bowed to Natsuko and she headed back through the graves. Then I saw ravens flying up from the tree and turning I saw Detective Maki walk away.

  ‘So it was him.’

  ‘Policeman,’ said the Lump.

  I still felt a little hatred for him for what he’d said about Miko. And I knew he’d seen that tape. And now, on Obon, when we were here to pay respects to our dead he’d turned up! He was more of a dog than a detective! I tried not to hate him because in many ways we were on the same side. But I didn’t know what I’d do if he got too close. I really didn’t.

  I sat at the kitchen table scanning a map. I opened the compass to one inch, and putting the point on Tokyo Tower I drew a circle. One inch represented one mile. I didn’t think Uncle Benni’s house could be much closer. I opened it to three inches, because I didn’t think it could be any further away than that, and drew another circle. Then I saw the problem. The area within the two circles was only small on the map but it’d be a huge area to cover. The outer circle touched Harajuku, Omotesando and the cemetery. It encompassed the Imperial Palace and went down as far south as Shinagawa station, not to mention most of the port. It would take me forever to find the house. But find it I would.

  I heard the Lump coming down the stairs. She came in the kitchen in her pyjamas and sat down like it was Saturday afternoon. Then, putting the Om on the table, she yawned and looked around. ‘Hungry,’ she said.

  I could tell by her eyes she wasn’t sleepwalking. ‘Do you know what time it is?’

  The Lump had a think. ‘No.’

  ‘Well, it’s late. Go back to bed.’

  I put the map in my pocket and got ready to go out.

  ‘I come,’ said the Lump.

  I didn’t pay her much attention. ‘I’m going on the bike.’

  She ran upstairs and I went out into the garden. I wasn’t taking the sword. There was no point if I didn’t know where the house was. This was just another scouting trip.

  I pushed the bike into the street and closed the steel door. But then I got a fright! ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I come,’ said the Lump.

  She was wearing her jacket over her pyjamas and she had that black helmet on her head.

  ‘There’s not enough room.’

  The Lump looked at the seat. ‘There’s room.’

  I don’t know why I was trying to reason with her. It was well gone midnight. ‘Go back to bed,’ I said, and pushed the bike away.

  ‘Please!’

  ‘No!’

  I kick-started the engine and rode away, but I felt bad. And when I looked back she was still standing there. I couldn’t leave her. She might end up sleepwalking to Shinjuku.

  I rode back and pulled over.

  ‘Don’t blame me if we get stopped by the cops.’

  The Lump couldn’t climb up fast enough. ‘I won’t!’ she said.

  We took the backstreets to the dual carriageway, and then pulling back on the throttle we zoomed away. Suddenly the Lump started screaming! I went to pull over. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Happy!’ she shouted.

  The Lump was a lunatic, but she made me laugh.

  ‘Faster!’ she shouted.

  I pulled back on the throttle.

  ‘Faster!’ shouted the Lump.

  ‘This is as fast as it goes, you dummy!’

  She chuckled all the way around the park and screamed down Omotesando Boulevard. And with every corner we took there was a cackle of excitement. But then, as we rode in between two rows of traffic, she pushed her head against m
y back. ‘Frightened!’ she shouted. But she laughed like a madman when we were in the clear, and then she went back to screaming. The Lump was having more fun than she did on the roller coaster.

  When we got in sight of Tokyo Tower I pulled up and turned to her. ‘Listen. You have to look out for lion dogs, OK?’

  ‘Lion dogs?’

  ‘Yes, we’re looking for a big house with ironbarred gates and golden lion dogs.’

  ‘I find,’ said the Lump.

  We circled the tower once and then we circled it again. And with every turn we took we got further away. But it was a lot more difficult than I’d thought it’d be. Sometimes we’d end up going down a dead end. Other times we’d find ourselves heading back towards the tower when we wanted to head away. And once we got on a dual carriageway that would have taken us home. I did a cheeky turn, much to the Lump’s joy, and we continued our search. We rode around until we were dizzy and the tower was in the distance, but we couldn’t find it. And then we lost sight of the tower. And then we were just lost. I was riding around a park that I thought was Shiba Park, but I couldn’t be sure. And I was starting to feel tired.

  ‘You OK?’

  ‘Hungry,’ said the Lump.

  I was just debating whether to stop at a snack shop or head home when the Lump shouted, ‘Golden lion dogs!’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘We passed.’

  I turned the bike around and rode back. Lion dogs are a common sight on the entrances of Tokyo’s houses and so I didn’t have my hopes built up, but when I pulled up on the opposite side of the street I couldn’t believe it! It was the house all right. There were the lion dogs and the iron-barred gates, and there was Tokyo Tower in the distance. I’d even parked right on the spot where the journalist must have stood. I took off my helmet and looked around.

  The street was long and narrow and as quiet as a country road. The stone wall of the park was on one side of it, and the high-walled houses were on the other. I could tell by the size of them that it was a well-to-do neighbourhood. And the spikes on the walls told me that they didn’t like intruders.

  Uncle Benni’s house had the highest walls with the sharpest spikes. It was one of those old-style traditional houses with the double rooftop decorated with demons and gargoyles. It reminded me of a fortress built to intimidate, and it did. But I felt sure Riko was staying there and I was determined to take a look.

  ‘Jump down.’

  I switched off the engine and the Lump climbed down. I fumbled to get my black hat from the bag under the seat. And while I did I thought about what I’d say to her.

  ‘Listen, I think a friend of mine lives there. I’m just going to climb over the wall and take a look.’

  But the Lump’s eyes were fixed on the iron-barred gates. Or rather on what was behind them.

  ‘What is it?’ I asked.

  But the Lump didn’t answer. I stood up and tried to see what she was looking at, but all I could see was a short driveway and some trees. But then the Lump took a step back.

  ‘Frightened!’ she said.

  She looked frightened too. She was starting to scare me.

  ‘There’s no one there,’ I said.

  But then, through the bars of the gate, I saw a shadow move. The shadow grew in size until a large man appeared at the gate. He grabbed the bars with his big hands and looked at us. But not like we were a couple of kids out for a ride. He looked at us like we were possible assassins. And he had the eyes of a tosa ready to attack.

  ‘Very frightened!’ said the Lump.

  I never told the Lump we were leaving. I didn’t have to. I just put on my helmet, kick-started the engine and tore away.

  ‘Scary man!’ she shouted.

  The Lump had never spoken a truer word. Because I knew who that man was. His name was Yama and he was an absolute maniac! There are two Yamas. One’s from Buddhist mythology. He’s the god of the dead, the ruler of the underworld. And he did some terrible things to some terrible people. But he was nowhere near as bad as this Yama. He was Uncle Benni’s most feared enforcer and it was rumoured that he drank the blood of the dead. And the worst thing was, it might be true.

  You see, the triads, who are the yakuza’s equivalent in China, were having trouble this one time with a rebel crew. They asked Uncle Benni to sort the situation and he sent in Yama. Afterwards they found the triad crew in a basement – leastways they found their body parts. And the Hong Kong papers reported that some of the body parts had been eaten. Yama was arrested and held in custody for two years, but they couldn’t make the charges stick and so he was released. When he came back to Tokyo one journalist made the mistake of saying, ‘A beast like Yama shouldn’t be allowed on the street.’ Three days later the journalist’s body was found in a dumpster. But he had no tongue; someone had bitten it off. After that nobody said a word about him.

  Like the Lump said, he was a very scary man. And just the thought of him standing in the shadows was enough to give me the creeps.

  ‘Hungry,’ said the Lump.

  I couldn’t believe how lucky I was bringing her with me! I would have been dead otherwise. Yama might have been able to hide from me, but nothing escapes my cousin.

  ‘When we get home, my little Mikazuki, I’ll cook you whatever you want. I don’t care how late it is.’

  It was silent as we sat at the kitchen table. I drank some green tea and concentrated on the paper. The Lump drank her hot chocolate and concentrated on her cookies. Then we heard a noise coming from the hall. Me and the Lump looked into the darkness and saw an image like a ghost. Then Grandmother came in and took a seat. It was rare to see her out of bed. And she was still wearing her night dress.

  ‘You OK, Grandmother?’

  She held her head in her hands, like she’d had a bad dream, and so I put some tea in front of her. The Lump looked concerned. Getting down from the table she gave Grandmother the last of her cookies. Grandmother sat up then as though coming to her senses.

  ‘And how are you, Mikazuki?’

  ‘Good,’ said the Lump.

  ‘I hope my grandson has been treating you well.’ She gave me a strange look. ‘He can be selfish at times, but he is a brave warrior to be sure. Even our ancestors would be proud of him.’

  For just a second I thought that Grandmother knew! But then she looked away.

  ‘Tell me, Mikazuki, what do you think of your Uncle Yukio?’

  The Lump looked at me. ‘Very nice man,’ she said.

  ‘And have you enjoyed your stay?’

  ‘Very much!’ said the Lump.

  ‘Well, your sister’s tour finishes soon. So you’ll be able to go home.’

  The Lump’s face clouded over. She gave me a look and I knew I had to say something. ‘Could she not stay with us, Grandmother?’

  The Lump’s eyes shot to Grandmother. But Grandmother looked confused. ‘She is staying with us.’

  ‘For good, I mean.’

  Then it sank in. ‘Well, well, well. Who’d have thought that you two would end up being friends?’ Grandmother had a chuckle to herself. But then she stared into nothing and seemed far away.

  The Lump gave me another look.

  ‘Well, can she?’

  Grandmother didn’t look happy then. ‘Of course she can’t. Her family will miss her.’

  I could have said something about that, but I didn’t. But the Lump saw it was no good and her head went down. But Grandmother’s face softened.

  ‘I’ll tell you what – I’ll ask her mother if she can stay with us every time she has a school holiday. And every time Hatsu goes on tour. Not only that,’ said Grandmother with some formality, ‘I will request that she comes and lives with us when she’s a little older. So she can be educated here in Tokyo. And I’m pretty sure she’ll agree, if it’s put properly.’

  ‘Thank you, Grandmother,’ I said.

  When I looked at the Lump she was finding it hard to control her joy. She got down from her chair. I thought she was going to
bow to Grandmother, but she ran into her lap and threw her arms around her. Grandmother was taken aback at first, but then she stroked the Lump’s head. She even looked a little touched. ‘OK, that’s enough, let me get back to bed.’ She got up and headed to her room. ‘Don’t you two stay up too late.’

  ‘We won’t,’ I said, even though it was late already.

  The Lump took a seat and drank the last of her hot chocolate. In all my life I’d never seen anyone look so pleased.

  ‘Very happy!’ said the Lump.

  She made me laugh. ‘Me too,’ I said.

  13

  I sat on a bench in the park with the newspaper in my hands. I’d read the article a few times and each time it was a little more painful. And so I stopped reading it and watched the ravens bicker over a piece of bread. It must be nice to be a bird or a small animal, something that doesn’t have problems. Because my problems had just got a lot worse. That yakuza I’d killed on the chopper, the one who rode into an oncoming car, well, he wasn’t a yakuza at all. He was an undercover cop, and the police were vowing to hunt down his killer. His chief said that he was a dedicated officer respected by his colleagues and that he would be sorely missed. He wasn’t married and had no children. But his mother said that there was a girl he was fond of, but she married someone else. She also said that ever since he was a small boy, all he wanted to do was help people. And now that he was dead she wanted to die herself.

  I put the paper in the garbage and headed back to the house. As soon as I opened the door the Lump was there. She was sitting in the hall with her rucksack on her back. She stood up and smiled when she saw me and I smiled back, but she sensed that something was wrong. ‘OK, Yukio?’

  ‘I’m not feeling too good. We’ll go out later, I promise.’

  I went to my room and closed the door and then I stood there feeling as lost as I’d ever felt. And I was so tired – it was like all my chi energy had drained away. I’d started out to avenge the twins, defend the weak and live by the bushido code. I’d wanted to live with honour or die an honourable death. But I’d ended up killing an innocent cop, which is such a dishonourable thing to do. But ashamed as I was, I took a deep breath and tried to get my mind straight. Because tonight I was going to Uncle Benni’s house to kill Riko. And there was a good chance I wouldn’t make it out. They say karma always catches up with you in the end, and so I suppose if I’m killed tonight then that will be justice for the cop. But then the thought of death sank into my mind and saddened me, and I had no right to feel sad. I’ve taken life and therefore I should be willing to face death. But it wasn’t death I was afraid of. There were animals in that house, and I knew if they caught me I wouldn’t die quickly. ‘I have to train!’