With Yukiko beside him, David passed under the gate and followed the winding path north. Along the way, smaller footpaths branched off to places he had never been. David only ventured into the forest with Yukiko, so he had only ever seen the vegetable garden. At the end of the path, a small clearing strewn with boulders met the base of a tall mountain. On the far side, a small stone Shinto shrine rose out of a hollow in the mountain. Although man made, the shrine was so old it seemed natural, as if it belonged among the scattered boulders.
Warm spring sunshine pervaded the area, making it hot despite the early hour. The rest of the Matsumotos were already at the shrine, but they waited for David to recover from the walk.
The shrine was a curious thing. A small house made of stone was set upon a pillar of rock carved from the mountain. From the pillar’s base, stone stairs descended to the clearing, where Takumi and Rie helped Grandpa adjust his robes. Looking back, David noticed a fused mass of metal before the shrine. The jagged edges had been carefully laid upon a small wooden altar.
“What’s up with the metal?” David asked. He was immediately sorry he broke the calm silence in the clearing as everyone turned towards him. Despite his embarrassment, he was awed by the way the metal caught the green tinted sunlight and threw it back in an array of gray.
“The purpose of this ceremony is to… bless the metal on the shrine. It will become a new sword,” Yukiko answered quietly, her poise relaxed as always even through the difficult English. “The metal has been prepared to look as if it came from a meteorite, in memory of how the first Matsumoto sword was created.”
Finished with their preparations, the twins and Masao joined David and Yukiko. Meanwhile Grandpa, bowed and ascended the two meters of steps to the shrine. In the full garb of a Shinto priest, he wore a long and voluminous white robe accented by a tall black cap. In one hand, he held a wand made of cut white paper, folded into zigzagging tendrils that flew about with his every movement. In his other hand, he held a small brown paddle.
As David watched, Grandpa began to chant in a low voice. The sound was unlike any Japanese he had heard before. It was older, more simplistic, yet refined. He had no idea what it meant, but beside him, Takumi watched the old man intently, his mouth moving slightly as if trying to recite the words himself. Grandpa alternated waving the paper wand, bowing with the wooden paddle in front of him, and pacing back and forth in front of the shrine. David frowned. The meaning of Grandpa’s words was lost on him. Just as with everyone else over the last month, he was expected to listen attentively to another boring speech without the slightest clue as to its meaning.
Unlike at school, where he would just zone out right away, David made an extra effort to keep his attention on Grandpa. David liked the old man, but unable to follow what he was doing, the heat and humidity soon began to weigh on him. His eyes strayed from the shrine, following the brooding trees around the clearing as his thoughts flowed back to the previous day’s fight.
‘Why can’t I break through their walls? It’s like all of Japan is trying to keep me from understanding. Yukiko probably brought me here to make me feel more included. Her and Grandpa are all I have here,’ he thought.
As his eyes and mind wandered, the dark greens and browns of the forest shifted just perceptibly, and a golden patch wavered through the tall ferns above him. David blinked. When he looked again, the forest was as it had been. Then he returned his attention back to Grandpa and found the golden hue again. Larger than before, and mingled with black streaks, the colors were brilliant against the dark browns and greens of the forest. David focused on the spot, the colors resolving into the black and gold stripes of a giant head. A large graceful tiger peered through the forest, its eyes intent, and ears alert. David watched as it slowly crept though the underbrush, angling for the shrine.
David completely forgot the ceremony, captivated as he watched the tiger move gracefully through the ferns. For an instant, David thought of the Matsumoto twins and their surreal agility. He had often watched them wishing he too could move as smoothly and confidently as Takumi, as gracefully as Rie.
‘What’s a tiger doing in Japan?’ David thought. ‘And why isn’t it orange?’
Although the incongruous thoughts made David blink to clear his vision, the tiger was still there. Its tail flicked languidly through the air and he almost convinced himself that he was dreaming.
‘After all, why would a giant tiger be stalking through the trees above the shrine?’ David shook his head, trying to clear his mind. The movement brought the tiger’s bright gaze on him, sending waves of primal fear rolling through David’s body. Time stretched as his heart struggled to beat, and then the golden eyes flicked away in dismissal. David managed one jagged breath. The massive head turned, and the tiger’s full attention focused on Grandpa. Black lips peeled from ivory fangs to form a hungry snarl.
“Takumi!” David hissed, trying to get the boy’s attention. “A tiger… Takumi!”
Afraid the tiger might not be a figment of his imagination, David pulled on Takumi’s sleeve. When that did not work, he grabbed the boy’s muscled arm, pointing frantically. He finally succeeded in getting Takumi to look at where he was gesturing.
“何？ ダビッド君 静かにして！” Takumi said harshly. He put his finger to his lips and turned back to watch Grandpa, adding only “Shh!” when David continued to stare and babble at him in surprise. Although David could not understand his words, Takumi’s face said, “Catch the hint, I was ignoring you.”
When he turned back toward the shrine, the tiger was much closer to the old man. It crouched, every muscle tightening as it shuffled its legs beneath its long powerful body. David had watched enough Discovery Channel back home to know what would happen next. It was like watching a deer just before an attack. The tail swept over dead pine needles as the tiger’s whiskers twitched. The only problem was that there was no deer, and the huge golden tiger had its sights set firmly on Grandpa.
David felt panic rising within him. Grandpa was in danger. David started moving before he realized he had made a decision. As he ran forward, the full power of the beast’s muscles unleashed in a surge of motion. David moved quickly, as he had the time Jessica had followed a dog into the street, up the steep incline next to the stairs. The tiger sped forward, using the high ground to its advantage as any hunter would.
‘I’ll never make it,’ David’s mind screamed in despair, the panic sapping his energy even as he willed himself forward.
Looking up, the world slowed as the tiger landed and recoiled, preparing for the last jump. As his mind sped up to deal with the flow of adrenaline, David became aware of the tiger’s loose furred skin rippling over powerful muscles. He could see every sharp edge of the tiger’s white fangs, every bristly hair between deeply ancient eyes. As his opponent gathered its last bit of energy, David’s heart seemed to pause again at the anticipation he saw in the feral golden eyes.
David surged forward. As he leapt, Grandpa clapped his hands twice and stepped back. The old man bowed low, and the last image David saw as his momentum carried him over Grandpa’s back was the gaping, fang-filled mouth of the giant tiger.
As the buzz in his ears grew louder, David realized that he was lying down. Most of his body felt numb, as if submerged in ice. He tried to take a gulp of air, only to find his lungs did not respond. The wave of panic that swept through him threatened to push him deeper into his subconscious, but the incessant buzzing refused to let him sink into oblivion. Slowly, David locked onto a pain that cut through the numbness and buzzing.
‘If the