Kenzaburo Oe - Somersault

Mrs. Shigeno spoke next.

"The Quiet Women would like to get everyone's opinion about the cafe- teria. Have the meals we've prepared up till now been all right? Starting this week we'll be using ham, bacon, and fresh chicken from the Flaming Green Tree Farm. We're also negotiating with a company we've done business with for a long time to buy some very fresh pork as well. As for fish, a church truck will be going to the sea to lay in a stock. The only remaining question is find- ing a reliable provider of beef.

"We're not doing this for all of you in the church so much as in the hope that it will help improve people's diets here in this region. Soon after we arrived, I was quite shocked at how poor the selection of goods is in the mar- kets here, and when I went to the Old Town I found it much the same. The Era of Rapid Growth and the Bubble Economy have passed this place by with barely a ripple.

"Still, it's interesting to look at the schoolchildren here, because they're as big and strong as any kids you'd find in the city. I hope we can get the Farm completely up and running soon so we can provide these children with deli- cious, healthful food. According to Ikuo, the Farm has a variety of equipment so as long as we can reestablish connections to some reliable suppliers, we can leave the rest up to the Technicians."

Seated beside Ms. Tachibana and behind Patron, Asa-san hesitantly replied to Mrs. Shigeno. "In its heyday, the Flaming Green Tree Farm had a good connection with a major meat wholesaler for ham and bacon, as well as with retailers to sell the finished products. Satchan had her reasons for scal- ing back the Farm's operations, but maybe you could revive this connection with the supplier again. Anyhow, besides the negotiations to turn over the management of the Farm to the church, she has been putting out feelers in a few other directions."

"Thank you very much for your explanation," Mrs. Shigeno said po- litely. "That being the case, there's not much cause for concern. The only thing I'm trying to do is find out whether you've liked the food so far. I don't imag- ine you want to come right out and say you don't like it. Should we talk about whether to go along with a supplier who wants us to put in a vending ma- chine with beer and alcoholic drinks? The Technicians, though, since they're in a field that involves calculations with equations, don't seem to drink alco- hol much."

Dr. Koga spoke up briskly. "Some of them do drink, so when they want something they buy it from the vending machine in front of the general store down by the river. Can't they just continue to do that? That's the least we can do to help out the local economy! Speaking as a doctor, it's healthiest if the vending machines selling alcoholic drinks are as far away as possible. Good exercise, after all. Also, and the Technicians are all in agreement on this, we have no complaints about how the Quiet Women are running the dining hall.

Compared to the research institute's dining hall ten years ago, Japanese food has become quite gourmet."

The calm former radical members followed Dr. Koga's pronouncement with a serious, almost solemn attitude.

Dancer spoke next.

"We've already come up with a proposal for Patron to give sermons in the chapel. We've posted the first announcement on the bulletin board in the dining hall, but this doesn't mean we'll follow the same schedule every week.

Some people have gotten in touch with us at the office requesting that a regu- lar program of sermons be set up as soon as possible. The main question is Patron's health. Patron has been mentally preparing so that the church can have a clean start. We've come this far. I ask that you be patient until he's physically and mentally ready to begin. At the beginning Patron told you some things that Ogi or I should have reported, and now I guess I've said some things that are more properly in Patron's purview."

Kizu was sure that calls-if not protests-for Patron to address them directly would arise from the assembled group, but instead a warm reaction welled up from the circle of participants. The feeling that we've come this far was clearly not confined to Dancer.

At this point Ikuo spoke up. To Kizu at least, his forceful words seemed aimed from the beginning at intentionally introducing something completely at odds with the congenial, homey atmosphere they'd built up.

"I think we've heard enough about the transfer of the Farm to our church," he said. "There's something else I'd like to talk about. I'm hoping Patron's new church will begin here, in this building-on this piece of land, I suppose I should say-at the earliest possible date. I can't imagine what direction the church will take, but like everyone else I trust in Patron and am looking forward to a new beginning.

"As we're waiting for the launch of the new church, all of us new resi- dents-individually or in groups-each have our own approach to things.

There's no need for us to criticize the way others are standing by, waiting for things to develop. As Patron's conception of the church takes shape, disagree- ments and agreements will naturally come to the surface, and we can cross that bridge when we come to it. At this stage, each group and individual must examine their relationship with the local people and ask how this might bene- fit the church. I'd like to mention what I'm doing myself. As this progresses, I hope you'll let me continue to act on my own.

"Right now, through the good offices of the former junior high princi- pal and the head priest of the Fushoku temple, I've begun to meet with the local youth group. At first they were rather antagonistic to our church, think- ing we just barged in here without consulting anyone. But the other side of this coin is their curiosity about us. The reason I'm interested in them is that they're still young-high school and junior high students, the age when people still treat them as children-but there are some real individuals among them, and as a group they're quite outgoing. About twenty or so well-disciplined members get together regularly with their leader, who himself is a unique guy. As I meet with them I'd like to consult with them and report any new developments in our church. May I have your approval to do this?"

Ikuo came to a resolute halt. Nobody said a thing. The Technicians' faces didn't show whether they approved or not, but Kizu could sense that they and Ikuo had long since come to an understanding.

"I'd like to hear Patron and the office staff's opinion, but from what I've heard here I have no problem with what Ikuo's been doing," Dr. Koga replied generously. "Nothing's more important than building good relationships with the local people. This may sound like I'm blowing my own horn, but that's why I took over the clinic. We can't give the local people the impression that we're just shut up in our buildings concentrating on our own affairs, no mat- ter how spiritual they may be. You only have to consider what happened with the Aum Shinrikyo satyans to understand this.

"On the other hand, though, it was quite a lot of trouble for the Quiet Women and the Technicians to come to the decision to move here, and actu- ally to carry it out. After finally settling in with their new church, do we really expect them all to be open to the local people right off the bat? I think we want to get deeper into ourselves and into our faith. That's how very great our expectations are of this new path Patron's taking. Which doesn't contra- dict Dancer's understandable call for us not to rush him.

"Our honest thoughts on this might disappoint you, Ikuo, but what I want to say is that we've only begun. I find your dealings with the next gen- eration here intriguing. And I promise you that every one of the Technicians will spare no effort to help you make the Farm a success. That's all I want to say. Do exactly as you wish."