ブックタイトルeigo13

概要

eigo13

Seriously wounded people were rescued by a military boat down-stream onthe east-side of the bridge. It had been planned that in case of an emergencymy family would be evacuated to our friend’s house in Itsukaichi. So I startedtoward Itsukaichi walking in the rivers at low tide to get past the fires. A fishwith its back burned was drifting along. It might have been floating on thewater and exposed to radiation. Then I heard a voice behind me. “I can’t see!”I thought he was probably a middle-school student. His face and his upperbody were burned and his eyelids were closed because his face had becomeswollen. I could not take his arm to lead him because his skin seemed to peeloff when it was touched. So I led him to the river bank by just saying “Comethis way.” I wonder what later became of him.It was a few days later when I saw my family who had been evacuated toKanda Shrine in Ujina. Because I was the only uninjured person in myfamily it was my responsibility to go out daily to buy food and to cook. I alsowent looking for my second eldest sister, who went to work to demolishbuildings and was lost. Several bodies at a time were cremated in andaround Honkawa-cho. The remains were buried here and there to the southof Aioi Bridge, which were distinguished by bamboo branches with a strip ofpaper. I rarely found papers with a name. Most descriptions were “male,”“female” or “unidentified.” Looking down the Motoyasu River from YorozuyoBridge, I saw lots of dead bodies among chips of wood and trash in the water.I saw the bodies being picked out of the river. They looked strangely bigprobably because they were swollen. There were so many charred bodies inthe buildings destroyed by fire. I looked for my second eldest sister in thePrefectural Hospital, where there were plenty of patients lying on the floors.The patients were dark-skinned because of burns or from being covered withdust and soil. I could not recognize whether they were alive or not. Even ifmy second elder sister had been there, I could not have recognized her unlessshe spoke to me. I felt desperate.When the war ended, I felt bitterly disappointed that Japan wasdefeated. On the other hand, I confess I felt relieved. When we turned on abright electric light that night, I was so happy that peace had finallyreturned. However I still wonder why I didn’t search more ardently for mysecond eldest sister. Now I feel pressured by regret.(He was an eleventh-grade student and mobilized for the demolition ofbuildings.)