Falling into the Dragon's Mouth

by Holly Thompson

  chocolate soccer balls

  whistle candy gum

  mini ramens

  candy colas

  teeny mochi squares

  gummi-rope

  even mini dango

  Cora thinks and thinks

  and picks up and puts down

  every single type of candy

  hurry up I say

  or the adventure’s off

  at last

  she puts

  her candies

  with mine

  in the mini basket

  and we pay

  the futon lady

  then we stuff the candies

  into our pockets

  get on our bikes

  and I lead the way to the port

  thinking we can eat our candies

  on the breakwater

  watching the sea

  as the sun drops

  good plan, right?

  Chapter 18

  BREAKWATER

  we ride past storage buildings

  heaps of fish nets

  and boats pulled up

  onto wooden boards

  on the concrete ramp

  all the way out to the breakwater

  where we park our bikes

  Cora’s wary

  we’re not supposed to be here

  Dad said no water she says

  we won’t be in the water I say

  just near it

  to get up onto the high part

  of the breakwater

  you have to charge at the wall

  and keep running up

  I show Cora

  and make it up

  on my second try

  Cora runs hard

  but slips

  back

  down

  after three tries

  I lie down on the

  breakwater

  and reach low

  to pull her up

  we walk along the top

  of the sea wall above

  the open water with waves

  sloshing gently below us

  the sky is pinkish gray

  the sea fairly still

  and all along the wall

  people are fishing

  we walk around and over

  tackle boxes and coolers

  rods and lines until

  one fisherman grunts at us

  then with cold eyes he says

  you shouldn’t be here

  and way too late I notice

  standing beside him

  Yuki

  at first I think of the cousin

  who set the fire

  and wonder if it’s him

  but then I remember he

  was sent to jail

  so this man must be

  her father or brother

  or another cousin

  Yuki makes a face

  at us, as cold

  as the guy’s eyes

  and says

  nothing

  the man points

  with his chin

  at a ladder

  that goes down

  to the lower level … huh?

  we have the right to be up there

  as much as they do, or rather

  they’re not supposed to be there

  as much as we’re not supposed to

  but his eyes are like ice

  so I lead Cora down the ladder

  and direct her to the lighthouse

  at the end of the lower wall

  I don’t even pause at the lighthouse

  just turn right around to go back

  but we just got here! Cora says

  you can’t rush an adventure!

  I don’t care

  I don’t want to be anywhere

  near Yuki or her brother

  or whoever he is

  though I know Cora knows

  I’m just making it up I say

  we have one more thing to do

  but we won’t have time if we stay here

  Cora doesn’t argue

  just follows me to our bikes

  and we ride away from the port

  and all the people fishing

  I hate

  that I can’t seem to get

  away from school

  even after school

  I hate

  that seeing Yuki

  has ruined my day

  I stop at a park

  and do some pull-ups

  and push-ups

  to let off some steam

  Cora does the trick

  flipping over the metal bar

  that little kids learn

  in Japanese school

  that I can’t do

  and we ride the swings

  and leap off

  again and again

  until I don’t care

  about Yuki

  then Cora squints, says

  was this the one more thing?

  while I’m thinking she says

  there isn’t a one more thing, is there?

  there is I say

  we get back on our bikes

  and as we ride I think

  and think some more

  up along the river

  past the three bridges

  then it hits me—

  I take her to the section

  with the earthen path

  and we lock our bikes

  beside the wall

  what are we doing? she asks

  visiting I say

  who? she says

  Takemura-san I say and ring the bell

  Cora grabs my arm

  do Mom and Dad know we’re here?

  did you bring a gift?

  you’re supposed to have a gift

  if you visit someone!

  shh! I say

  when the door opens

  he stands before us

  scowling in the door frame

  and Cora shrinks back

  ah! he says, recognizing us

  excuse me I say

  I know when you said the other day

  to visit again you didn’t mean

  today, but …

  Come in! he says … shōgi board …

  in here … your first lesson?… sister, too?

  I try to catch his words

  tell him yes to shōgi

  but a very quick lesson

  since we have to be home

  by five o’clock on the dot

  right, well, young lady with me …

  boy … against us

  in the living room

  I kneel down by the wooden board

  while Takemura-san motions

  for Cora to sit by him

  he starts to hand her koma pieces

  larger pieces … more power he says

  in that slurring mumbly voice

  this is ōshō … in English … king?

  Cora, still standing beside him

  reaches into her jeans pocket

  and sets out three wrapped

  whistle gum circles

  these are for you she says

  ah, thank you he says

  and bows solemnly

  later … shall we?

  Cora nods and finally

  sits down beside him

  as he sets the gum candies

  on a side table

  Takemura-san points

  to kanji characters

  on each koma piece

  kanji that I mostly know

  the king goes here, middle … this row

  I copy their setup

  on my side of the shōgi grid

  and when the board is ready

  he explains the moves

  except I can’t understand

  quite what he’s saying

  though it seems to be something

  about building a castle

  I figure we can look it up later

  for now I’m just glad to listen

  and try to understan
d

  this shōgi world

  ōshō, hisha, and ryūma—

  king, flying chariot, dragon horse

  I don’t look at Cora

  I know I’ve tricked her

  this isn’t what she had in mind

  for an adventure

  but when I finally

  glance at her after I

  try a move to outwit them

  she looks up at me

  smiling

  now this is an adventure!

  she whispers in English

  and I smile back

  relieved to be away

  from Yuki, Shunta, and Gō

  trying to build my castle

  Chapter 19

  EFFORT

  it’s calmer in han six now

  and I think it’s probably because

  I didn’t rat on anyone about my

  broom-smacked head

  I hold my center in class

  stay focused at my desk

  on my work sheets

  and on the members

  of han six

  always ready

  to divert a punch

  or duck a hit

  Ōshima-sensei

  is going on and on these days

  about why he thinks judo

  like kendo

  is a good thing

  because nowadays

  they are holding judo classes

  in middle schools

  including our own

  local middle school

  I don’t say it out loud

  but I want to know

  why not aikido?

  in aikido we’re getting ready

  to perform the moves we’ll do

  next month in a full-day

  demonstration

  there aren’t really meets

  or competitions in aikido

  just a show of how far

  we’ve advanced in a year

  hundreds of kids

  of all sizes in white gi

  and all colored belts

  holding their centers

  so …

  why not aikido?

  they say you can’t start a fight

  with aikido

  only finish one

  you can’t really attack

  or punch

  or kick

  you just push

  or pull

  or twist

  to turn the energy

  and throw the other person

  off center

  at the dojo

  some kids think

  that the chanting

  and the breathing

  and the silence

  at the beginning

  is dull and boring

  but that’s when I know

  I’ve shed my problems

  left them all

  with my pile of clothes

  in the changing room

  when I tie the belt

  when I kneel at the threshold

  when I bow to the sensei

  before the framed calligraphy for

  ki—氣—life force, energy

  when I’m prepared to practice the moves

  all of Dragon’s Mouth

  disappears

  on weekends I can easily

  get up early for aikido

  get up early for family hikes

  or a museum or watching Cora

  but during the week

  I hate getting out of bed

  Mom says I’m uneven lately

  asks me what’s going on

  tries to talk to me

  tells me to make a list

  of the parts of my week

  from best to worst

  like days of the week? I ask

  like activities, school

  tutoring, English group

  everything she says

  so here’s my week

  in a list

  best to worst

  aikido

  weekend hikes and stuff

  English group

  Friday soccer

  babysitting Cora

  tutor time

  dinner

  breakfast

  homework

  school

  then she says

  now do the same with school

  break it down

  best to worst

  so I do

  and write

  science

  everything else

  she says

  explain

  I shrug

  what can I say?

  it’s not like I have a choice

  to go or not go

  to that school

  there’s nothing to explain I say

  she sighs and gives up

  on trying to get me to talk

  and says I think you need to make

  more effort, Jason Parker

  on Monday after school

  when Mom and Cora

  pick me up for English group

  Mom eyes me

  before she puts the car

  in drive

  but nothing major happened

  just a couple of head whacks

  and one slam into a wall

  so I look out the window

  and soon fall asleep

  at English group

  I can forget it all

  even if we’re learning

  about entrepreneurs

  their failures

  their successes

  at least we get to eat

  chocolate bars

  as we study

  Milton Hershey

  and chew on

  milk caramels

  as we study

  Taichiro Morinaga

  thinking about

  benefits, costs

  risks, and rewards

  the English group homework

  is to think like an entrepreneur

  and come up with a good or service

  and a complete business plan

  Cora and Mom

  talk all the way home

  and all through dinner

  Mom keeps saying

  what about you, J?

  what are your ideas?

  but honestly

  I’m thinking more like

  an inventor

  than an entrepreneur

  thinking I need to create

  an invisible helmet for my head

  and special glasses

  for seeing 360 degrees

  my idea

  I finally say

  is a program for

  aikido in every neighborhood

  aikido in every school

  Mom gives me a long look

  I’m listening, J

  whenever you want to talk

  about what?

  I quickly say

  because I can’t imagine

  life would get better

  if Mom talked to

  Ōshima-sensei

  and stirred things up

  in the Dragon’s Mouth

  things are fine I say

  I just need to make

  more effort

  Chapter 20

  WAVES

  sixth graders are in charge

  of the bowling stall

  at the Games and Play Day

  coming up in mid-November

  we’ve collected plastic bottles

  decorated them with colored tape

  so little kids can knock them

  over with tennis balls, and now

  we spend a whole class

  arguing over the rules

  while Ōshima-sensei

  grades our homework

  without thinking, I speak up

  I suggest we create prizes

  because that’s how it worked

  at my school in the U.S. once

  when the PTA held a fair

  but Shunta whacks me

  and Mika laughs too loud

  saying we don’t need prizes
>
  everyone just plays to play

  so I keep quiet the rest of the day

  we have two weeks to plan what to put

  on the signs, how to arrange plastic bottles

  and distances for lines for different age kids

  all of which could be done in an hour

  if everyone just stopped arguing

  I’ve decided

  I won’t contribute

  won’t say a word

  they can do without my help

  at recess I don’t go outside

  I just read manga in the library

  this week it’s raining

  when I pick up Cora

  from the after-school center

  and find her in the main room

  throwing cushion blocks

  at three other kids

  she’s out of breath

  from chasing kids

  to whack them

  and from escaping

  being whacked

  outside trudging up the hill

  wrestling with our umbrellas

  in wind that’s blowing rain

  exactly sideways she says

  she had to play that way

  she’d tried drawing

  but kids kept hitting her

  I’m tired and thirsty she says

  what’s our adventure?

  this time I really don’t know

  since it’s raining

  and I didn’t plan on rain

  only good weather

  in which case I’d planned to

  cross the bridge to the island

  walk up to the shrine

  maybe as far as the

  supposed dragon cave

  as we eat bananas and rice crackers

  we watch TV weather

  satellite images

  precipitation projections

  and warnings

  about waves

  when I see six meters for our coast

  I watch the whole report again

  paying close attention

  because now I see a typhoon

  in the corner of the screen

  moving toward us

  pushing rain, and wind, and waves—

  and I know what our adventure will be

  rain suits

  I say to Cora

  and she looks at me funny

  I say six-meter waves

  we’ve got to see them

  we’re not supposed to go to the beach

  even in good weather! she says

  I pull on my rain pants and jacket

  that Mom bought for our hikes

  we won’t go onto the beach I say

  just a high place for watching waves

  boots she suggests

  but neither of us has boots that fit

  so we pull on the rain suits

  and our already wet sneakers

  we unlock our bikes

  and coast downhill

  with typhoon rain

  pelting our faces

  along the streetcar line

  we are practically

  the only ones