War of the Eagles (24 page)

“Look, kid, even if you do shoot me, and I don't think you got the guts to do it, my three buddies will get you.” His voice was quivering.

“Maybe, but it won't make you any less dead.”

My answer stunned me even more than it did him.

His face softened and he smiled, but his smile was like a snake. “Come on, kid, is it worth shooting some–body over a few trinkets? These Japs won't be needing them anyway.”

The word “Jap” seared into my mind. Is that how I sounded when I used that word?

“Shut up!” I yelled. “You drop the bags and go, now, or I start shooting.”

The leader stood motionless. “He's just bluffing. He won't kill anybody.”

There was silence. It looked like a stand-off.

“He's right,” I said quietly, “I won't kill him.” I lowered the barrel from his chest and took aim at his leg. “I'm going to shoot him in the leg and shatter his kneecap.”

I sighted the rifle at his leg. It didn't feel like I was aiming my weapon at a man any more. “If you all don't start walking, I fire. You have ‘til I count to three.”

“Don't listen! He's just bluffing!” he screamed. His voice was filled with uncertainty.

“You'll find out,” I said quietly.

“Wait!” bellowed one of the others. “It ain't worth it.”

He dropped the bag he was carrying and moved forward to the bearded man. “Come on, let's go.” He grabbed him by the arm and started to pull him back. The other two dropped their bags.

“Stay together, and get back to your boat,” I ordered.

Wordlessly, without looking back, they moved down the center of the street. I stayed a dozen paces behind them, my gun at the ready. When they reached the dock, two jumped into the boat and the other two started to untie the ropes.

“Wait,” I ordered one of the men. He stopped and looked up from the rope.

“You're native,” I said.

“Yeah.”

“I've never met a native who did things like this.”

He just shrugged his shoulders and untied the knot.

Then he jumped on the boat without looking at me again.

I locked eyes with the bearded man already on the boat.

“Big hero, aren't you, kid. Big deal. So you stop us for now. We'll be back, or somebody else will. What are you going to do, stand guard for the rest of the war?”

“Maybe. But before you go, I want the other bags back. The ones you put on the boat already.”

“Don't push your luck,” he snarled.

My gun was aimed off to the side of his head. I fired.

The bullet whizzed by and shattered the bridge's wind screen. He jumped backwards and I saw a splattering of blood. He'd been hit by flying glass.

“Now,” I demanded as I pumped another shell into the chamber.

Without uttering another word he tossed the bags onto the dock.

“Get going,” I ordered.

The engine roared to life and they pushed away from the dock. The gap of water between us opened up, and the bearded man motioned for one of the others to take the wheel. He walked to the back of the boat.

“I won't forget you, kid!” he screamed. “You better watch out … maybe the next time I'll be the one with the gun!”

I turned and walked away. He continued to yell, but his voice became quieter as the boat steamed away. Soon all that remained was silence. All at once my legs become rubbery. I slumped to the ground and rested my back against the storage shed. My hands were shaking and a cold sweat poured out of my body. Holding the gun tightly against my chest, I found myself rocking. What now? He was right, I couldn't stay here forever.

“Maybe not forever,” I said to myself out loud, “but at least for tonight.”

I got to my feet and opened the door to the storage shed. I took the two bags and placed them on the dirt floor of the shed. Next I found a canvas tarp and tucked it under my arm. I closed the door behind me and moved back to the rock face. I climbed to my familiar perch. I pulled the collar of my jacket up around my neck. I felt a terrible chill, but I knew this was coming from within, not from the weather.

At least tonight the village would be safe.

.18.

I awoke with a start. For an instant I had no idea where I was. Then it all came back. I shifted my weight, and shook the tarp I'd used as a blanket. I was still clutching my rifle. I had held it tightly in my hand all through the night. As I stood up and stretched, thick drops of dew slid down the tarp and dropped off the bottom. My back felt all kinky and I worked my legs slowly up and down.

There was a thick mist coating the village and the harbor was not visible at all. I slowly looked around, trying to see if anybody was there. Everything was still and silent. In the daylight, even the faint, fog-shrouded daylight, it seemed better. All through the night I'd been jarred awake at every sound and shudder of the dark. Now things seemed, if not safe, at least safer.

I uncurled my fingers from the rifle and set it down at my feet. I took the tarp, gave it a good shake, folded it up and put it under the overhang. I placed a rock on top to weigh it down and keep it there. There was no telling when I might need it again. Besides, I didn't want to leave the rocks again to go down into the village. There was no telling who was hiding where.

I started for the base. I was pretty sure nobody had missed me last night. My mother would have assumed I'd gone back to Naani's for the night, while Naani would have figured I was spending another night at the camp.

Very deliberately I decided I didn't want to go through the village. I climbed down the side of the rock face closest to the camp. Although it would take a little longer, I'd backtrack the route I'd followed chasing the deer. I knew it was stupid but I kept on picturing those guys putting into shore just up the coast and hiding, waiting for me to pass. In the forest I'd be safe even from my imagination.

I passed right by the buck. I could see the cover was still in place. Nothing had disturbed it during the night. The trail was easy to follow and I made time. It felt good to put distance between me and the village.

Despite the cold morning air, I felt myself working up a sweat. I stopped and undid my jacket. Through a break in the forest cover, in the distance, I saw a thick chimney of smoke rising straight up into the air. It was a beacon, from the fire pit, directing me to the camp. I doubled my pace. It was important to do something quickly.

Soon I was on the very outskirts of the camp. I gin–gerly climbed over the low trip wire that completely encircled the base. Moving quickly and noisily, I caught the attention of one of the guard patrols. Both men waved a greeting and I waved back.

I came out on the opposite site of the camp from the major's office. I crossed through the middle of the parade ground. Eddy's perch sat empty and a smile creased my face. I walked directly to the major's office. Without hesitating, I knocked.

“Come!”

I opened the door. The major was seated, and three of his officers were hunched over his desk, studying whatever was on top.

“Yes, Jed?” Major Brown asked.

“I need to talk to you, sir.”

“I am sorry, Jed, but I'm in conference for at least the first half of the day. Can you come back sometime after lunch?”

“It's important.”

“What we're doing is important too!” snapped Cap–tain Stevenson, glaring at me.

There was a pregnant silence. “Important?” Major Brown asked.

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded. “Let's take a short break. Gentlemen, why don't you go and have a coffee in the mess hall. I'll send for you when Jed and I have concluded our talk.”

“Sure thing,” replied one.

“No problem, a break would be nice,” added another.

Stevenson remained silent but continued to glare at me as he followed the other two out the door.

“Please, have a seat, Jed.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt …” I let the sentence trail off.

“That's not a problem. But something else is?”

“I was over by the village last night. I shot a deer. And … and, there were men there … they were breaking into the houses … taking things.”

“Did you get a good look at them?”

“Yeah, really good.”

“Did they see you?”

“Yes, sir. They were almost as close to me as you are. I forced them to leave the village,” I said, my voice trailing off.

There was a look of concern on Major Brown's face.

“Jed, how did you force them to leave?”

“I aimed my weapon, sir. I told them to go … or else.”

“Were you prepared to make good on that threat?”

“I don't know … but I couldn't just let them do what they were doing. I couldn't just let them break into houses and steal other people's things … Tadashi's family's things … I just couldn't let them.”

“Never point a gun at a man unless you are prepared to discharge it. Would you have fired?”

“I don't know. Maybe.”

He rose from his seat, circled around and sat on the very edge of his desk, right in front of me. “Give me your gun.”

I removed it from my shoulder and handed it to him.

“This was your grandfather's, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

He stood and held the gun. He raised it and looked down the sights. “It is a beautiful old gun. Your grand–father must have trusted you very much to have left it to you.” He paused and sat back down on his desk, the rifle cradled in his lap. “What you did last night, confronting those men, was stupid and dangerous … and brave.”

He handed me back my rifle. “I thank you for shar–ing this with me. I trust your judgment, Jed. I'm sure you did what you felt you had to do.”

I nodded my head slowly. “It's just I wouldn't want to come back to my house and have my stuff broken or missing. Things have been rough enough for them. I wanted everything to be the same as when they left, so Tadashi can walk into his house and it'll be just like before.”

The major abruptly got up from his seat and walked across the room, stopping by the window. I watched him in silence for half a minute or more, my nervousness growing by the second. Just as I felt I couldn't wait any longer, he came back and sat on the edge of his desk again.

“Jed, you need to know that things will never be the same.”

“I know, but I still hope.”

“I understand why you would hope, but there are things you aren't aware of which make that hope an impossibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“I shouldn't be telling you any of this … no one is to be told,” he said solemnly. “But I'm going to tell you in strictest confidence. You cannot repeat any of this to anyone. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“Orders have come down. The contents of those houses, and the houses themselves, will be declared the property of the Canadian government and put under the control of the Custodian of Alien Property. Every–thing will be confiscated and the previous owners will be compensated.”

“I don't understand … confiscated … compensated?”

“The government has decided to take away the houses, fishing boats and all possessions of the former inhabitants,” Major Brown explained. “They will be given money in exchange.”

“There's no way the Fukushimas would ever sell their home!”

“They have no choice. The decision has been made.

They say it's for the protection of our country. Do you understand?”

“No,” I said defiantly. “I don't understand any of it.

Why do they have to take away his house … how is his family a threat to this country?”

“I don't understand all of it myself, Jed. I wish I had an–swers, but I don't. I don't.” He paused. “Could you go to the mess and ask my officers to join me?” he requested.

I stood up and started for the door before spinning around.

“But, Major, they said they'd be back or others would be back. We have to stop them,” I pleaded.

“I'm sorry, Jed, but there isn't anything I can do.

Guarding the villages is the job of the RCMP. I know they don't have the manpower to do it very effectively, but I can't do anything about it. And, as I explained,

Tadashi and his family and all the others will soon no longer even own the houses or the contents of those houses.”

“But …”

Major Brown rose from the corner of his desk. He walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Jed, this isn't right, no more than it was right to chase those people out of their homes in the first place, but there's nothing we can do. Nothing. I'll make a full report to the Commander of the RCMP detachment, and we have to leave it with him. I am sorry, believe me.”

As I left his office, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I wanted to be alone. I was too big to be seen bawling. Halfway across the parade grounds it hit me.

Maybe I couldn't protect the whole village. But I could do something.

.19.

“I should have my head examined,” Smitty said as he put the eight-wheeled, all-terrain buggy into motion. At–tached to the back was a trailer. We started out through the main gate.

“Smitty, we have to go in the other direction.”

“I know where the village is, Jed, but I also know it's best to head in another direction first. You can't even believe how serious this is … and how much trouble we can get into.”

“How serious is it?” I asked.

“Serious enough to get you kicked off the base and me thrown in the brig with my stripe taken away.”

“I'm sorry for getting you involved. I just couldn't think of any other way.”

Smitty grimaced. “Neither could I and, believe me, I tried.”

Travel with the buggy was slow. Smitty had to find paths around the rocks and between the trees and brush that were wide enough to accommodate the vehicle. While it wasn't very wide — the two of us sat scrunched up side by side — it still took more room than what was often there. As well, despite the eight wheels grip–ping for traction, the inclines and bogs were often too much for it to handle. We had to crisscross through the forest, Smitty looking for a route, while I tried to keep us aimed in about the right direction. We agreed we'd get the buck I'd shot loaded up before we went any further. Smitty said the buck would be our “beard” if anyone stumbled on us when we first reached the vil–lage. I didn't know what he meant by a “beard,” but he explained it was a disguise to cover up other things.