Takeda must have had walked for metres and what lied before his burning and stinging eyes were unfamiliar and mind boggling. His mind just could not provide him with a better explanation. An earthquake was a definite answer but how did this mess came about. Something happened that wiped out all that was there and left behind the debris where he crawled out from.
A tsunami. That was it and Takeda was stunned for a moment to know that he had survived a tsunami. As he thought of it, he shuddered. Where am I heading? Where are my colleagues and all the rest of the people? What is this place? Where is the office building?
He looked around and the morning sunlight which brought in some brightness gave him some ideas of his location. He must have had walked further away from the sea for the saltish air was no more there and the cries of the seagulls were distant. The flickering from afar now and then lit up the sky and Takeda could see the smoke from a burning mass billowing up into the sky. Moments ago he was too close to it to realise it had come from one spot. He wondered what it could be, and he brushed off the thought of the nuclear plant that could have caught fire. He must have walked away for a long time. He squinted his eyes as if it could help him to see more clearly the strange surroundings. He tried very hard to figure out exactly his whereabouts.
His blistering feet and nagging pain of his scorched skin stopped him from continuing and he sat down to rest. He wondered why he felt extreme dryness, in his throat, his nostrils, his mouth and lips. His eyes could not be open bigger than mere slits. He felt death and just as he felt his lungs could no more give him any air, he heard a moan and as if in answer to the moan, a few voices came running towards it. Suddenly, he was not alone. More humans joined the scene and he could see more people awakening from death. For a moment he wondered if they were walking corpses, just as he had thought he was one.
They looked like zombies trudging slowly towards him. Takeda was too weak to run away. The familiar syllables of his mother tongue was heard. "Hello!" in Japanese. Then, followed by a woman's voice asking an uncle whether he had seen her baby. No, I am sorry no, my dear. I lost everything, my wife, my daughter and my grandchildren. I was looking for their bodies. Nowhere, nowhere can they be seen.
On hearing the moan from the debris, both of them rushed towards its direction. At the sight of Takeda, they stopped. They were taken aback by his condition and feeling pity for him, they told him gently that they could not go nearer. The old man spoke again. Son, you have been exposed to radiation. Did you come from over there? Takeda nodded his head feebly. He could not understand this sudden weakness. His vision was blurred. He realised it was not the smoke that caused his blurred vision. He opened his mouth to speak but no voice was heard. He realised the moan had come from him.
He stretched his arm to tell them that he needed water but they were walking away. Suddenly, his stomach turned inside out. All its contents were now in his mouth. " Come back, come back. Help me." They did not even come close enough to hear him murmur. "I am Takeda Ochi from Shibuya. Please tell my family I am here." Takeda looked up at the sky. A bright light was shining down on his face and he felt too weak to raise his hands to block off the light. He felt his lungs burst as he tried to breathe in the air. Soon, Takeda's energy was sapped totally and his whole being was pulled into another dimension, somewhat dark, completely silent, filled with nothingness and devoid of life.
A tsunami. That was it and Takeda was stunned for a moment to know that he had survived a tsunami. As he thought of it, he shuddered. Where am I heading? Where are my colleagues and all the rest of the people? What is this place? Where is the office building?
He looked around and the morning sunlight which brought in some brightness gave him some ideas of his location. He must have had walked further away from the sea for the saltish air was no more there and the cries of the seagulls were distant. The flickering from afar now and then lit up the sky and Takeda could see the smoke from a burning mass billowing up into the sky. Moments ago he was too close to it to realise it had come from one spot. He wondered what it could be, and he brushed off the thought of the nuclear plant that could have caught fire. He must have walked away for a long time. He squinted his eyes as if it could help him to see more clearly the strange surroundings. He tried very hard to figure out exactly his whereabouts.
His blistering feet and nagging pain of his scorched skin stopped him from continuing and he sat down to rest. He wondered why he felt extreme dryness, in his throat, his nostrils, his mouth and lips. His eyes could not be open bigger than mere slits. He felt death and just as he felt his lungs could no more give him any air, he heard a moan and as if in answer to the moan, a few voices came running towards it. Suddenly, he was not alone. More humans joined the scene and he could see more people awakening from death. For a moment he wondered if they were walking corpses, just as he had thought he was one.
They looked like zombies trudging slowly towards him. Takeda was too weak to run away. The familiar syllables of his mother tongue was heard. "Hello!" in Japanese. Then, followed by a woman's voice asking an uncle whether he had seen her baby. No, I am sorry no, my dear. I lost everything, my wife, my daughter and my grandchildren. I was looking for their bodies. Nowhere, nowhere can they be seen.
On hearing the moan from the debris, both of them rushed towards its direction. At the sight of Takeda, they stopped. They were taken aback by his condition and feeling pity for him, they told him gently that they could not go nearer. The old man spoke again. Son, you have been exposed to radiation. Did you come from over there? Takeda nodded his head feebly. He could not understand this sudden weakness. His vision was blurred. He realised it was not the smoke that caused his blurred vision. He opened his mouth to speak but no voice was heard. He realised the moan had come from him.
He stretched his arm to tell them that he needed water but they were walking away. Suddenly, his stomach turned inside out. All its contents were now in his mouth. " Come back, come back. Help me." They did not even come close enough to hear him murmur. "I am Takeda Ochi from Shibuya. Please tell my family I am here." Takeda looked up at the sky. A bright light was shining down on his face and he felt too weak to raise his hands to block off the light. He felt his lungs burst as he tried to breathe in the air. Soon, Takeda's energy was sapped totally and his whole being was pulled into another dimension, somewhat dark, completely silent, filled with nothingness and devoid of life.
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