“What happened to you …?” Jet began to ask, recalling the warrior she had just fought, the figure shifting almost imperceptibly in the wind.
Her mother couldn’t answer.
The walk down the mountain took an hour, Satoko leaning heavily against Jet with labored breath, her body exhausted in the night from which the wind had fled.
There were so many questions Jet longed to ask, so many her mother would never answer.
CHAPTER 2
物語り Monogatari
The Story
Back at the trailer, Jet helped her mother to bed, then bound her own ankle. Returning to her mother’s side, Jet was surprised to see Satoko sitting up in bed, patching a hole in her jeans with a pink flower.
She looked so gentle, sewing quietly in the dark. Not like the woman on the mountain. Not like a threat.
Satoko guided the thread through her mouth to knot it, finishing her work. She folded the jeans and laid them next to her. Then she slid down in the bed, pale and spent.
“Get some rest,” Jet said softly, pulling the blankets up to her mother’s chin. Satoko sank beneath them, reaching out trembling fingers to take her daughter’s hand.
“Wait. Tell me the story,” she pleaded, gripping Jet tightly. Her ice cold skin sent a shiver up Jet’s spine. Jet took a breath and stilled her thoughts, letting the stories her mother had told her come back from distant memory.
“Long ago, there was a country called ‘Hinomoto.’ It means ‘land of the rising sun.’ It was once governed by the Emishi, a native tribe. Their mountains and forests gave plenty of nuts, greens, and animals to live by, and their oceans and rivers gave them fish. Nature gave them so much wealth, they didn’t have to fight.”
Satoko’s eyes narrowed. She nodded, urging Jet to continue.
“One day, a tribe called the Wa arrived from the mainland. They had many soldiers, and even more powerful weapons. Their king, who called himself the Mikado, said to the Emishi leader: ‘You should give your country to me. I will change the forest into rice fields and build beautiful shrines. I promise you a much richer life than now.’”
At this, Satoko’s jaw stiffened. In the dark, Jet couldn’t see her mother’s expression clearly, but she sensed her sadness. Her mother’s inconsolable sadness was the only thing that helped Jet endure. She wanted to lift it, to make it disappear.
Jet sighed and continued. “The Emishi king replied: ‘We don’t need more wealth, and for us there is no greater shrine than nature. If you want to live on this land, we’ll welcome you. But you must keep our laws. If you don’t, then leave.’
“Well! No one had ever talked to the Mikado like that before!” Jet exclaimed, relieved to see the pleasure lightening her mother’s tired face. “Everyone had surrendered to him for the promise of power and wealth. Enraged, the Mikado attacked the Emishi, who were quickly outnumbered.”
“Go on,” Satoko instructed.
Jet, too, was exhausted and shaken. In childhood, when she couldn’t sleep, her mother had sat on the edge of her bed, spinning her tales. When her mother had spoken the words, each one had meant another night in their home, another moment of peace—not moving, not running, not scared. Jet wondered if the story was keeping Satoko alive now. Now it was her turn to be the strong one.
She took a breath and continued. “The Emishi abandoned their capital and fled north, where they built a new home surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests. But the Wa were not satisfied, and invaded there, too. This time, the Emishi decided to fight back. It was a long, long battle. Many Emishi died—women and children too.”
Jet glanced over at Satoko, feeling grief wrap itself around her mother like a thick wool cape. She inhaled and carried on. “Finally, the Emishi surrendered. And here is the saddest part. They were sold as slaves to the Wa. Their only hope was of returning to their homeland someday. That dream kept them alive.”
At this, her mother had always cried, and tonight was no different. Seeing the tears stream down her mother’s face, Jet began to cry, too.
“What happened then?” Satoko urged her daughter.
“The age of the Mikado ended, and the samurai lords attained power. There were various classes of samurai, the lowest being mountain bandits….”
“No. They were ninja,” Satoko murmured. “Those who hide quietly in the darkness, those who can put the heart over the blade.”
“What?” Jet asked. She stopped, unsure as to whether to continue.
“Go on,” Satoko urged.
“I don’t know that part,” Jet admitted, filled with concern.
“Well, I’ll tell you,” Satoko said in a raspy voice. “One day, a girl was born to the genin, the slaves, the ninja. She grew up to be beautiful, strong, and smart. The head of her ryu ordered her to infiltrate a samurai castle disguised as a servant so she could determine the lord’s military strength and find out when he’d attack his rival.”
“Genin? Ryu?” Jet puzzled over the words. Satoko had told her of the girl before, but never this. Satoko lifted her eyes to Jet and sat up taller, her spine straighter than before. She spoke more forcefully now, as if the words were giving her strength, feeding her energy.
“The girl was headstrong and willful. She saw only an opportunity for her people to be released from slavery, and nothing more. She became close to the lord, confided in him: ‘My master has joined forces with your rival. He and other families are preparing to attack you. Now’s a good chance to attack them first.”’
By now, a hint of color had returned to Satoko’s gaunt face. “Furious, the lord attacked his rival and the tribes in the mountains and wiped them out. But the girl had already relayed her plan to the genin, who escaped before the attack.”
Jet listened intently, almost holding her breath.
“That’s how the slave tribes returned to their homeland as a free people,” Satoko said. “They rebuilt their villages and lived peacefully in nature.”
With a satisfied look, Satoko finished and lay back against the pillow, breathing deeply. She pulled Jet closer, guided her daughter’s head onto her chest.
“Mom, hang on!” Jet called out, feeling her mother’s life force grow faint.
Satoko’s voice fell to a whisper. “Each new generation learns about this brave girl who helped their ancestors survive. But the generations are getting smaller and smaller, moving away, forgetting. If we aren’t careful, they’ll disappear altogether…”
“What can I do, Mother? What can I do?” Jet pleaded.
“You have to go back,” Satoko spoke painstakingly, as if each word contained another diminishing ounce of strength.
“Back where?” Jet asked squeezing her mother’s hand.
“To Hinomoto. To Japan.”
“How can I go back, Mom? I’ve never been there before!” Jet caught herself as the familiar sarcasm edged into her voice. No. Not now. Not now. Stop it!
Satoko gripped Jet’s hand with a strength she’d never feel again. “Well, that’s all the more reason to go now, isn’t it?” she answered.
Jet held back her frustration. “Why, Mom? Why?”
“Sometimes we have to risk everything in the present to gain the future,” Satoko whispered and pressed something into Jet’s palm. A rolled up paper.
“What’s this?” Jet asked, surprised.
“Open