“I officially applied for and barely got permission to talk just for 10 minutes. I mean, the visitation with you.”
“Did you have to go through that much trouble?”
“Can you show me your ID card?” She asked suddenly. “Your hairstyle differs from that in the ID.”
I picked up the card from my pocket.
“Look at this. Your hair was much shorter in this photo. It has grown by so much.”
“Come to think of it, I have not had my hair cut so often.”
Yet, she was not looking at the photograph. She pulled the card from the vinyl case. Then, she took a pen from a pocket and wrote down something in small letters. Of course, I said nothing, because she kept on speaking.
“As for me, the photograph on my driver’s license looks weird. But what can I say? It is a proof that time goes by. Even if Kildren do not age, they still undergo metabolic changes properly. Their hair and nails both grow. Old cells are replaced with new ones. It is the case for not only humans but also the social mechanism. The way of thinking is like that as well. What is good, and what is bad? People’s sense of values keep on changing steadily.”
As she continued to talk, she held out the cards in front of my face. Numbers were written on it. She did not explain the meaning to me.
“The things that do not change are, in short, the things that are renewed day by day. That is the way of Kildren, including you. In other words, it has the same meaning as a type of growth. Biologically speaking, it is fascinating. However, such constancy without changes gives rise to the more serious problem. Why are living things not designed to maintain the unchanging state? We do not know much about the field of study, which is still in darkness without enlightenment so far. Up to this point, we are sure that creatures cannot evolve without dying and being born again. If they live for a long time, they will die out as species. So, we can say, only the creatures having the function to die have survived on the earth.”
While talking, she returned the card into my chest pocket. What she wrote must be a telephone number, I guessed. Why doesn’t she mention that?
After that, she talked about our familiar old tales for a short while. But, I remembered them just vaguely.
She seemed to be paying attention to her watch.
The door was knocked and opened slightly inward. A man, whom I did not know, showed us only his face through the slit.
“It’s time.” Without looking at me, the man told her.
“Okay, I am leaving now.”
The man stared fixedly at her, nodded a bit, pulled his face out of the slit, and closed the door.
“If something happens, please contact me. Whatever happens, I will do my best for you.” She said, and tapped my chest pocket with her finger. The card was there. She wanted to mention the presence of the number she had just written down earlier. Oh, now I see she wants to hide it from the man outside, who may be listening to our conversation. I could understand it. So, I nodded without words.
“Can we shake hands?” She said.
I held out my hand.
She applied her finger onto her lips once, and then picked up a small syringe from a pocket.
“Your dream can be realized with it.” It was a faint voice.
She inserted the needle into my wrist.
I felt no pain at all.
The nurses gave me injections every day. So, I had gotten used to it.
She hastily got prepared, and left my sick room. I was struck by the image of her face turning red that was probably due to excitement.
I closed my eyes, and thought.
Who is she?
Yes, little by little, I am recalling her identity.
She is not a doctor, but a scientist.
I wonder what her name is ...
I thought it was the thing of a distant past.
She is an excellent scientist and, for some reason, is chased by someone. I am not sure why they are hunting her. I did not get it, not because I could not recall the reason, but because I could not comprehend it.
She mentioned the trial. Did it mean that she was caught and prosecuted by them?
Of course, she was not an evil person. So, even if they manage to catch her, she will not be killed. She may have to undergo punishment of some sort or pay the price of compensation for the charge. All of them have already happened in the past, I guessed.
What has she had to do with me?
I could not get that part of what was going on.
She said she would pay the price because she pointed her gun at me. However, I did not remember such a thing.
The night air was chilly, but my body was warmed for some reason and felt lighter than usual. Before I walked across the parking lot of the motel, I checked the surroundings once again. Mainly, I paid attention to the drive-in restaurant on the other side of the street. Is there anyone looking toward this direction? But, this side is much darker than the diner. Probably, no one could recognize my figure in the dark.
I deliberately walked behind a trailer truck. Her sedan was still there. I opened the door while being careful not to make any noise, and entered the room. It was not locked. It was the same as it was when I had left the room.
TV drama show was on television. Then, a laughter.
On the bed, she was not moving.
She was sleeping quietly on her stomach.
-7-