“Wait a minute, it
started out as a question?”
“Yeah. Sometimes our
sessions could be like that.”
“So he asked you if you
knew why there were so many single-car accidents?”
“That’s right.”
“And you told him you
thought alcohol might be involved?”
“Of course. I mean, the area
is pretty rural in just about
every sense of the word.”
“But he said no alcohol
was involved?”
“Yep.”
“So… what did he say?”
“He said there were tunnels.
All over the place. Apparently plans were being made for a prolonged defense in
the event of an invasion. Those plans included a network of tunnels and not
just the ones everybody knows about.”
“The plans?”
“For the invasion?”
“No. For the tunnels”
“You mean tunnels like these?”
“Yes.”
“The maps, he said they were
burned. So the occupation wouldn’t be able to find them. Which, as it turns
out, was not necessary. They ended up not needing to destroy the plans. And the tunnels he was talking about were NOT the ones in Sasebo, that's far north. He said the accidents were happening in southwestern Kyushu... ”
“Kind of ironic, isn’t
it?”
“Yeah. And that he asked me
if I knew in the first place.”
“Like he wanted to teach
you something?”
“On a number of levels. He also just wanted to talk.”
Add Nagasaki to Hiroshima...now add the Tokyo fire bombings....now multiply by 5 (start there anyway)...that's how many woulda been dead if Olympic had been executed and North Japan would be Russian territory...maybe handed over when Berlin was finally...but maybe not? Osaka has a deep water port.
ReplyDeleteOptimism sure has a way of coloring how we as a people remember things with such rose-tinted nostalgia. Yeah, there would have been quite a bit of hemorrhaging regardless of how steady the hands were at wielded the scalpel for the Operation Downfall.
DeleteAt the time, the chemotherapeutic approach worked wonders in the cauterization of an open vein of furious nationalism. Unfortunately, surgeon General D-Mac and his post-operative crew allowed for the patient to relapse when they let certain elements out of isolation.
Oh well...
"Are you sure you removed all the tumorous cells, doctor?"
Delete"Yeah, probably. Sorry, can't talk now, another patient needs my attention in the next theatre and surgery's just more interesting than rehab..."
Theatres of operation are busy places.
Delete“Like he wanted to teach you something?”
ReplyDelete“On a number of levels. He also just wanted to talk.”
The things you learn by just talking with people... Nice post.
Thank you.
DeleteDoc Mercy was anything but pretentious. Definitely a solid person, and not just in a physical sense. Which makes the yet-to-be-published fifth and last post with him in it kind of... not really worrisome but important in a way that has potential to really make it all spin.
Apparently there are a lot of tunnels under Tokyo, esp the Palace etc. and a secret train line that runs out of Tokyo station. It's pretty fascinating stuff.
ReplyDeleteCan't say that I'm a big fan of going underground at any time. Subways are a bit unnerving.
DeleteThanks for pointing out Shun Akiba and the G Cans project... yeah, fascinating - the enormity of it all.
Just wanting to talk can afford you some interesting stories. Though I don't enjoy the thought of being underground... underground tunnels, passage ways and mines interest me. My first taste was http://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit/index.htm
ReplyDeleteThough I am told often I am too friendly... I do engage strangers in conversations often. I like learning about people.
I recently met an empty-nester in the process of downsizing his living quarters. The guy has a wealth of stories to share.
As for single-car accidents... I read the title and went on a little nostalgic mental road trip myself. *head shake* Who gets in a single car accident?! *raises hand*
Lava Beds, think I've actually been in those caves. None of the areas were all that narrow. But the idea of mines just waiting to cave in...
DeleteMy wife thinks I'm too friendly. Which is kind of funny, because she's got the linguistic advantage, yet doesn't like talking to people. Approaching another person isn't something that bothers me as long as there's a context/reason for it. Being approached by strangers isn't something that happens all that often. Can't remember the last time it happened over here...thinking...no, nothing.
Your nostalgic mental road trip reminds me of *holds breath* my single-car catastrophe involving an on-ramp followed by a silent 360 degree spin of panoramic fear (of the oncoming traffic) ending a few feet shy of a threatening light pole that really had me going there for a moment. *looks at the floor*
Sometimes I think when spouses think their partner is too friendly it has a little more to do with a twinge of jealousy than anything else. At least it is what I have observed in the world of partners... and that little jealousy can range from a little annoying twinge to seething rage.
DeleteAhh the green eyed monster.
Envy-green and rage-red - two of the true colors on that relationship rainbow. The beauty...the beauty...
DeleteThanks for the potentially lifesaving tip; I tend to miss that sort of stuff and kind of 'walk right into it'. A lot.