Ruri Pilgrim - Fish of the Seto Inland Sea

‘What has he done?’ Haruko asked Kei.

‘Boys get passionate about new ideas. That is the way they learn. Only those who are stupid never get into trouble when they are young, but only stupid ones go on being trouble after they grow up,’ Kei said.

‘What trouble, obahsama?’

‘Oh, politics. Something that we women do not have to understand.’

And it was not long before Hideto proved himself worthy of his mother’s efforts.

The summer holiday came and Yasuharu returned home. He brought with him a friend who was a paediatrician. The children were told to call him Dr Komoto but, in spite of the formal address, he was soon joining in with wrestling, games and other lively activities. Haruko’s English alphabet progressed from ‘apple’ to ‘pen’ with Dr Komoto’s help.

The days passed, happy and uneventful, until the day that Yasuharu, Dr Komoto, Hideto and Shuichi decided to go sea fishing. Early in the morning, they left, both Yasuharu and Dr Komoto in yukata , cotton kimono, and Hideto and Shuichi in cotton shorts, all wearing straw hats. The day promised to be fine. They carried rice balls that Shige had made. The rice balls had cooked seaweed inside instead of the usual pickled plums. Pickled plums prevented the rice from going sour but, if taken fishing, Shige insisted, there would not be any catch.

‘Oh? That won’t do, Shige san. Thank you,’ Dr Komoto said politely. Yasuharu just opened his mouth and laughed noiselessly.

At the shore, a fisherman was waiting for them with a small boat. He said, ‘It is windy further offshore. Come home early before the weather changes.’ But the sky was deep blue and the temperature was rising. The sun was already strong. They got into the boat and the fisherman pushed it out into the water.

‘Shu-chan, you must get as tanned and strong as Hideto,’ Yasuharu said. Yasuharu, Dr Komoto and Hideto rowed the boat in turn until they were a long way from the shore. They were all happily fishing when Dr Komoto said, ‘Oh?’ and looked up at the sky.

The wind was getting cool and he thought he felt a raindrop on his face. But he did not pay further attention as Yasuharu and Hideto did not seem to be worried. They were brought up in the area, he thought, they should know. But although they had grown up near the sea, neither Yasuharu nor Hideto had much knowledge or experience of boats. Yasuharu looked up at the sky as large drops of rain started to come down on them.

‘It will pass,’ he said, and asked Shuichi if he was cold. Shuichi was catching the rain water running down his cheeks by sticking out a lower lip. He shook his head. The boat began to sway and he was a little afraid but he trusted his uncles and was quietly holding on to the side of the boat.

As the wind rose, wave after wave crashed into the small boat.

‘Hideto, scoop up the water in the boat with your hat,’ Yasuharu said and Dr Komoto and Hideto started to bail out water.

‘Shu-chan, you help us, too,’ Hideto said and Shuichi joined them. The boat was lifted up by a big wave and crashed down and reeled round. Despite all their efforts, they were soon ankle-deep in water.

‘Shu-chan, come here,’ Yasuharu said, and pulled him to his side.

‘Which way is the wind coming from?’ Dr Komoto said. In the middle of the storm, Hideto thought the question was silly and inconsequential, but then it occurred to him that Dr Komoto might be trying to compose himself.

‘It seems to be blowing us along the shore,’ he answered.

At home, the three girls were sitting around Kei sewing dolls’ clothes. Ayako was not at home, having gone to a relative’s wedding party. The pieces of cloth the girls were given were mostly dark-coloured cotton with stripes. Silk remnants were kept to make cushions for guests or sleeveless tops, but Kei gave them each a small piece of brightly coloured, patterned silk. The material was carefully smoothed with a flat-iron. Kei had taken it out from a chest of drawers with large iron handles.

As they all bent down around Kei’s sewing box, Tei-ichi said from the verandah, ‘Has Yasu not come home yet?’

‘No, he has not come home,’ Kei said.

Tei-ichi’s voice was heard calling Matabei. The girls had not noticed but the raindrops were causing ripples on the surface of the pond. Plantain leaves swayed and rustled. Kei said, ‘You stay here,’ to the girls and hurried to join Tei-ichi.

Matabei ran out barefoot into the rain towards the sea wearing a waterproof cape.

‘Yasuharu is with them. They will be all right,’ Tei-ichi said, and went back to his study. The rain was getting harder.

The girls felt restless and put away their sewing. Shige came into the kitchen and started to make a fire in the range. The dark and damp kitchen became steamy and hot. Shige said, ‘Don’t worry. Mata will soon bring them back.’

While it was getting dark inside the house, it was not yet dark on the sea, but the rain was coming down harder and the bottom of the boat was full of water. The straw hats were no longer useful. Many times the boat nearly capsized and Yasuharu realised that it would soon start to sink.

‘Hideto,’ Yasuharu called. ‘You are the best swimmer in the prefecture, aren’t you?’

Hideto said, ‘Yes,’ but the sea around them was so different from the sea on the day of the swimming competition.

‘Hideto,’ Yasuharu called again, keeping his balance. ‘Carry Shuichi on your back and swim back to the shore.’

Hideto could not believe what he was hearing. It was true he was the best swimmer in the prefecture. For two years he had come first at all the prefecture swimming competitions for the adults. He had never felt tired, even after swimming a long-distance race. He remembered the sight of many heads behind him all in a line as though they were strung together by a long string, and the roll of drums from boats with flags bobbing up and down. The sky was blue and there were spectacular summer clouds. There was also sweet crystallised sugar thrust from the boats in a long-handled spoon.

Hideto was about to say, ‘I cannot do it. It is not possible,’ when his brother ordered him with all the authority of an eldest brother. ‘Don’t think. Just do it. We have to save Shu-chan ... Look there!’ Yasuharu had seen the faint glimmer of lights.

Yasuharu untied his sash and passed it across the little boy’s goose-pimpled back, under his arms and around Hideto’s chest. He crossed it in front, wound it back and tied it securely.

‘Go!’ Hideto jumped into the water. Even though he was the best swimmer in the prefecture, for the sixteen-year-old, an eight-year-old boy was heavy. Tossed about by the waves Hideto swam. Shuichi was holding on to him tightly.

At the shore, a big fire had been built. Women and children were out, and as the children ran near the fire, mothers and grandmothers scolded them. Men were calling, ‘Shuichi dansama, Yasuharu dansama, Hideto dansama, Doctor Komoto,’ in turn.

Somebody shouted, ‘Oh, there’s Hide dansama and Shu dansama!’ Hideto appeared, staggering in the light of the torches, supported by a group of men who had formed a search party down the coast. One of them carried Shuichi.

Yasuharu and Dr Komoto arrived a few minutes later. They had abandoned the sinking boat shortly after Hideto.

Hideto was sitting in front of the fire, hugging his knees. Kei stroked his back. It was the first time Haruko had seen her grandmother cry. She was saying, ‘Oh, well done. You are brave. Well done,’ with a tear-stained face.