Kenzaburo Oe - Somersault

"The Quiet Women were able to make it on their own for ten years because they got deeper into their own special doctrine of faith. After the Somersault, people from Protestant churches who specialize in deprogram- ming mind-controlled cult members approached them, but the women held firm. In other words, the doctrine they'd been taught by Patron was stronger than mainstream Christianity.

"And now they've joined forces with the church Patron's going to found here. They have no particular problems with Patron, even though he hasn't withdrawn his Somersault, but I'm left wondering whether at some point in the near future they might not try to drag him back into this faith-minus- the-Somersault. To truly save Patron from hell."

"Do you think this upcoming summer conference Ikuo's involved in will bring about any great changes?" Kizu asked.

"I'm sure the Technicians, the Quiet Women, and the Fireflies all have their agendas," Dr. Koga said, "which means that the office staff, too, who are at Patron's beck and call, aren't just sitting on their hands either… And among the followers coming for the summer conference, the people from the Kansai headquarters already have a clear-cut idea of what they want: namely, that this first-ever national conference will clarify what direction the new church will be moving in."

Ms. Asuka appeared at the door of Kizu's bedroom, dressed in a jersey dress with a broad neckline. A set of headphones hung on her bare shoulder blades as if to underscore to Kizu and Dr. Koga that she'd been listening to classical music on the radio while they were talking, instead of eavesdropping.

Dr. Koga welcomed her cheerfully, for all the world like some still-youthful urban boy. As usual, Ms. Asuka had a faint neutral smile on her face, and her words were brusque.

"I know I shouldn't be saying this to a doctor," she said, "but maybe visiting hours are about over?"

"You're very lucky, Professor Kizu," Dr. Koga said, "to have such inde- pendent, thoughtful people helping you. I include Ikuo in this as well. Who is this?"

"This is Ms. Asuka. She usually works in film production," Kizu said, "and is going to be videotaping the summer conference."

The next person to visit was Asa-san, wife of the former junior high school principal, who had helped Kizu with the aborted art school project.

In the meanwhile they'd grown close.

When Kizu had moved into the house, the leaves on the maple trees jutting out on the west side were still reddish purple but had now turned a light green. In the fall the leaves would no doubt change again. Faint drops had gathered on the small leaves and were now full-sized raindrops. A gentle drizzle had been falling intermittently from morning. Ikuo had dropped by between lunch and his afternoon appointments and was sitting with Kizu, both of them gazing out at the chilly blurred surface of the lake, when Asa-san showed up. They could hear her at the entrance passing over the presents she'd brought to Ms. Asuka, explaining how her husband had raised this and caught that-vegetables, Chinese citrons, freshwater trout. Ever since the former owner of this house passed away, she went on, they'd let the vegetation around it just grow, but she'd noticed that the boundary between the trees in the gar- den around the house and the trees and shrubs pushing down from the lower reaches of the forest was blurring and she couldn't stand it, so she'd have her husband come over to do some serious pruning.

When she entered the bedroom, Asa-san spoke the sort of old-fashioned greetings one paid to an ailing person. She told Ikuo how adults were quite pleased with the work that the Fireflies had done in restoring the grove of low bamboo bushes and the group of red pussy willows along the original shoreline inside the dam at the Yabe River. She then turned to the matter that had brought her here.

"Since I have some connections with the church," she said, "I'm some- what worried about where it's headed. I'd like to ask the opinion of Professor Kizu-someone living here who isn't a church member. I'm particularly wor- ried about the direction the Quiet Women are taking. It's such a level-headed group, with highly educated people at the core, that I don't feel it's my place to say anything. But being the kind of women they are, if they do take action you can be sure they'll be quite fanatic about it. That's what worries me."

Kizu was immediately curious. Propped up in bed he noticed that Ikuo, too, sitting beyond the foot of the bed, wanted to hear more. Kizu had heard beforehand from Ms. Asuka of Asa-san's visit. Perhaps Ikuo had also heard she was coming and had been standing by.

"This is something I've been holding inside for quite a while," Asa-san went on, "but the day before you returned from the clinic, when I attended the prayer vigil with Patron, I became even more concerned. I found the prayer itself at the meeting deeply moving. Ikuo and the Fireflies attended, so you may have already heard this, but I wanted you to hear my reaction.

"Mrs. Shigeno gave the prayer preceding the sermon. Patron sat in his favorite barber's chair while we all listened, Quiet Women and non-church members alike. It was all very nice and democratic. Then it was time for a performance of Morio's music, so Ikuo got up and walked over to the piano, set up in front of where Patron was sitting. Morio went over with him, but after Ikuo had decided which pieces to play, Morio withdrew and sat down on the mechanical footrest of Patron's chair.

"I thought it was strange that Morio didn't sit beside Ikuo to turn pages-don't they do that in most concerts?-but pretty soon I realized why.

When the music started, Morio buried his face in Patron's shins, which were stretched out on the footrest. Ms. Tachibana, afraid maybe that her brother was having an attack, crouched down beside him. Before long Patron rested his hands on the tops of their two heads, both of which had the same round shape when you looked at them from behind.

"When the music was over, before they went into the silent prayer time, Patron gave a short sermon from where he sat. He said that Morio had said the music they'd just heard 'captured on paper the sound that echoes in the ears of one's soul when it ascends to heaven at the end time.' He said he heard this from Ms. Tachibana, 'but as we listen to this music aren't we all sharing the experience right here and now of ascending to heaven? This is a wonder- ful prelude to our prayers.

'"It's meaningless,' he went on, 'to ask which is more real, the experi- ence of ascending to heaven at the end of the world or what we've experienced through this music. Ms. Tachibana has taught me that the end time is both experienced countless times, and as a onetime event. I'd like you to really feel this, think deeply about it, live it.'

"After Patron said this, a rustle of agreement rose up, especially from the Quiet Women, and the meeting moved into the prayer portion. But you know what? I couldn't stand it!"

Kizu and Ikuo were both startled and stared at her. Undeterred, every- thing about Asa-san revealed the unyielding stance of an old woman deter- mined not to compromise. Despite the rainy-season cold blowing down from the forest, the skin around her eyes was flushed. Clearly struggling to sup- press her emotions, though, a different sort of expression came over Asa-san's sunburnt, freckled face.

"I've worked hard to get you all accepted here, so I think I have the right to oppose something I don't like that's about to happen. And as some- one who convinced the faction that opposed your move here, I'd say I have the duty to do so too. No doubt my husband would say that if something bad happens it's due to my hastiness, but before it does I have to speak out.

Professor, you keep your distance from the various groups within the church, so I thought you're the best one to talk to about this. I'm sure Ikuo has a different way of looking at the situation, but I'm happy at least that you heard me out."