Haruki Murakami - Kafka on the Shore

"So, where to?" he asked.

"Anywhere is fine," Nakata replied. "Just circle around the city."

"You sure?"

"You can go wherever you like. I'll just enjoy the scenery."

"This is a first," Hoshino said. "I've done my share of driving-both in the Self-Defense Force and with the truck company-and I'm a decent driver, if I say so myself. But every time I get behind the wheel, I know where I'm going and beeline it right there. That's just the way I am, I guess. Nobody's ever told me, You can go wherever you like-anywhere is fine. You're kind of baffling me here."

"Nakata is very sorry."

"It's okay-no need to apologize. I'll do my best," Hoshino said. He slipped the CD of the Archduke Trio into the player. "I'll just drive all over the city while you enjoy the view. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

"I'll stop the car when you find what you're looking for. And then the story will develop in a new direction. Do I have that right?"

"Yes, that's what might happen," Nakata said.

"Let's hope so," Hoshino said, and unfolded the city map in his lap.

The two of them drove through the city, Hoshino marking each street on a block to make sure they'd covered every one, then heading over to the next. They took an occasional break so Nakata could enjoy a cup of tea, and Hoshino a Marlboro. The Archduke Trio played over and over. At noon they stopped by a diner and had curry.

"But what the heck are you looking for?" Hoshino asked after they'd eaten.

"I don't know. But I think-"

"-that you'll know it when you see it. And until you see it, you won't know what it is."

"Yes, that's correct."

Hoshino shook his head listlessly. "I knew what you were gonna say, but I just had to be sure."

"Mr. Hoshino?"

"Yeah?"

"It might take some time before I find it."

"That's okay. We'll do our best. The boat's left the dock, and we're stuck on it."

"Are we going to take a boat?" Nakata asked.

"No. No boats for the time being."

At three they went into a coffee shop, where Hoshino had a cup of coffee. Nakata puzzled over his order, finally going with the iced milk. By this time Hoshino was exhausted from all the driving and didn't feel like talking. He'd had his fill of Beethoven. Driving around in a circle, getting nowhere, didn't suit him. He had to keep his speed down and pay careful attention to what he was doing, and he was getting bored. An occasional patrol car would pass by, and Hoshino did his best to avoid eye contact. He also tried to avoid passing in front of any police boxes. The Mazda Familia might be just about the most inconspicuous car on the road, but if the police spotted the same car passing by a few times they might very well pull him over. He drove cautiously, making absolutely sure he didn't rear-end anybody. An accident would put everything in jeopardy.

As Hoshino drove around the city, checking the map as he went, Nakata sat motionless, hands on the window, scanning the passing scenery, intently searching for something, for all the world like a child or a well-behaved dog. They each concentrated on their task until evening, and hardly a word passed between them.

"What are you searching for?" Out of desperation Hoshino started singing an Inoue Yosui tune. He couldn't recall the rest of the lyrics, so he made them up as he went along.

Haven't you found it yet?

The sun is soon setting…

And Hoshino's stomach is growling.

Driving round and round sets my head spinning.

They went back to the apartment at six.

"Let's continue tomorrow," Nakata said.

"We covered a lot of territory today. We can probably finish up the whole city tomorrow," Hoshino said. "Hey-I got a question for you."

"And what might that be?"

"If you don't find what you're looking for in Takamatsu, then what?"

Nakata gave his head a good rub. "If we can't find it in Takamatsu, then we'll have to look farther out."

"And if you still can't find it, then what're we supposed to do?"

"If that happens, then we have to search even more."

"We'll just make bigger and bigger circles and eventually we'll find it. Like the saying goes, if a dog walks on, it's bound to bump into a stick."

"Yes, I think that will happen," Nakata said. "But Nakata doesn't understand. Why does a dog have to hit a stick if it walks? If there's a stick in front of it, the dog can go around it."

Hoshino puzzled this over. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I never thought about it before…"

"It's very strange."

"Let's put the dog and the stick aside for a minute, okay?" Hoshino said. "That only complicates things. What I want to know is how far are we going to search? If we don't watch out, before we know it we'll wind up in another prefecture-Ehime or Kochi or someplace. Summer will be over and it'll be fall by then."

"That may well be. But I have to find it, even if it's fall or winter. I know I can't ask you to help me forever. Nakata will just walk alone and keep on searching."

"Let's not worry about that for right now," Hoshino stammered. "But can't the stone be a pal and give us a hint or something? Even an approximate location would help."

"Nakata's very sorry, but the stone doesn't say much."

"Yeah, it doesn't strike me as the talkative type," Hoshino said. "I don't imagine it's much good at swimming, either. Whatever… We don't need to think about it now. Let's get a good night's sleep and see what tomorrow brings."

The next day it was the same routine, with Hoshino this time circling the western half of the city. By now his city map was full of yellow lines. Only the increased number of yawns coming from the driver set this day apart from the previous one. Nakata kept his face plastered against the window, intently studying the passing scenery, and they hardly spoke. Whatever Nakata was looking for, he didn't find it.

"Would today be Monday?" Nakata asked.

"Yup. Yesterday was Sunday, so today's Monday," Hoshino said. Then, almost in desperation, he made up a melody to some words that popped into his head: If today is Monday, tomorrow must be Tuesday.

Ants are hard workers, swallows like to dress up.

The chimney's tall, the setting sun red.

"Mr. Hoshino," Nakata said after a while.

"Yeah?"

"You can look at ants working for a long time and never tire of it."

"I suppose you're right," Hoshino replied.

At noon they stopped by a restaurant specializing in eel and ordered the lunch special, a bowl of rice topped with eel. At three they went to a coffee shop, where Hoshino had coffee, Nakata kelp tea. By six p. m. the map was a mass of yellow marks, the anonymous tires of the Familia having traversed every square inch of road in the city. But still no luck.

What are you searching for? Hoshino sang again in a listless voice: Haven't you found it yet? / We've gone everywhere in town. / My butt's aching, so can't we go home?

After he finished, he said, "We keep this up much longer, I'll turn into a regular singer-songwriter," Hoshino said.

"What would that be?" Nakata asked.

"Never mind. Just a harmless joke."

Calling it a day, they left the city, got on the highway, and headed back to the apartment. Lost in thought, Hoshino failed to turn left when he should. He tried to get back on the highway, but the road curved off at a strange angle into a maze of one-way streets and he was soon totally lost. Before he realized it they were in a residential area they'd never seen before, an old-looking, elegant neighborhood with high walls surrounding the homes. The road was strangely quiet, with not a soul in sight.

"I don't think we're too far from our apartment, but I have no idea where we are," Hoshino admitted. He parked the car in an empty lot, cut the engine, set the parking brake, and spread out his map. He checked the name of the neighborhood and street number on a nearby lightpole and looked for it on the map. Maybe his eyes were too tired, but he couldn't find it.