‘All right, let’s go further in. I still have many things to show you.’
As they moved along the subterranean passage, they beheld a space lined with famous old paintings, beside that a group of statues of the Buddha, then Western marble sculptures, followed by ancient-looking craftwork. So rich was the display of objects that this indeed seemed to be an art museum.
According to the woman in black, the majority of these art objects had been taken from museums, art galleries, and the treasure vaults of wealthy nobles in every land and replaced with skilfully-made copies.
If this was true, the objects so proudly displayed by museums and passed down through the generations as treasures by wealthy nobles were fakes. The wonder of it was that neither the owners nor the general public had even the slightest suspicion about this.
‘Still, this is only an impressive private museum. Any thief with enough wits and financial resources could do the same. I have no intention of boasting about it. What I really want to show you is still further along.’
They rounded a corner in the passage and a peculiar sight completely unlike any they had yet seen came into view.
What! These must be wax mannequins. But how finely they are made.
One of the walls contained a glass display like a show window about six metres wide. Inside were a blonde woman, a black man, as well as a young Japanese man and woman. All four were naked and in various poses, standing, crouching, or lying down.
The black man looked like a boxer, standing straight up with his muscular arms crossed. Squatting with her elbows on her knees, the blonde propped up her chin with her hands. The Japanese girl, who lay stretched out on her stomach with her flowing black hair falling in waves on her shoulders, rested her chin on her folded arms and stared at the onlookers. The young Japanese man was poised like a discus thrower and every muscle in his body stood out in relief. All four were fine-featured, well-proportioned, and beautiful beyond compare.
‘Magnificent life-like mannequins, don’t you think? But perhaps a little too life-like, no? Move a little closer to the glass. See the fine downy hair on their skin. I bet you’ve never heard of mannequins having fine body hair.’
Overcome by curiosity, Sanae neared the glass plate. Such was the mysterious attraction of the figures that she forgot about the awfulness of her predicament.
My! They really were covered in downy hair. And the colour of the skin as well as the fine, fine wrinkles! Could something so convincing be a wax model?
‘Do you believe these are wax mannequins Sanae-san?’
Smiling oddly, the woman in black seemed to be teasing Sanae. Something in the question frightened the young woman.
‘There’s something about them that differs from a mannequin, something frightening, don’t you think? Have you ever seen a stuffed animal? Didn’t you ever think it would be wonderful if a method could be invented for preserving beautiful humans for ever in just that way? Well, that is what has happened. One of my underlings devised a method for stuffing humans. What you see here are prototypes. They’re not completely perfect, but they’re not lifeless wax dolls. I think you’ll agree they seem lifelike. Naturally, the inside is wax, but the skin and hair are truly human. They seem to possess souls. The human scent remains. Isn’t it fantastic? To stuff beautiful young people as they are, to preserve for ever the beauty that would surely be lost if they lived – there’s not a museum that could do it or would even think of doing it.’
Carried away by her own words, the woman in black had launched into a speech.
‘All right, come this way now. There’s a much grander exhibit further along. Although these may seem lifelike and appear to possess souls, they cannot move. Deeper in, there’s one that is full of movement.’
Sanae was guided around another corner. And there she saw on display an artwork that moved, completely unlike the still scenes they had seen thus far.
There was a cage with thick iron bars like those used for lions or tigers, and shut up inside, along with an electric heater glowing red, was a man.
He was a handsome Japanese youth some twenty-four or twenty-five years old and he bore a striking resemblance to a well-known movie actor.
He had been placed inside the cage like a fine specimen of a wild beast, with his perfectly balanced body exposed to full view.
He was pacing around inside the enclosure pulling at his hair with both hands, but when he saw the woman in black he shook the bars and screamed loudly like a monkey in the zoo.
‘Wait, you slut! Are you trying to send me crazy you bitch? Just kill me quickly. I don’t want to spend another day alive inside this cage. Open up you! Let me out…’
Slipping his white arm between the bars, he tried to seize the dark garb of the lady thief.
‘Well now, I don’t think you need to get so angry. What a mess you’ve made of your pretty face. But I’ll soon grant your wish and choke the life out of you. And I’ll turn you into an ageless doll, just like Keiko-san who was with you in this cell until a short while ago. Ha, ha, ha!’
The woman in black laughed cruelly.
‘What’s that you say?! You’ve made Keiko-san a doll! Oh you bitch, you’ve gone and killed her and stuffed her… Well, you’re not going to make me into any doll! I’m not your toy. You make the slightest move toward me and I’ll kill you with my teeth without a trace of mercy. I’ll maul your throat and suffocate you to death.’
‘Hee, hee, hee. You’d better make as much of a commotion as you can now because once I’ve turned you into a doll you’ll be as motionless as a stone. What’s more, there’s nothing I enjoy more than seeing a handsome boy kicking up such a ruckus. Ha, ha, ha!’
Relishing the youth’s agony, the woman in black progressed to a fresh horror.
‘You must be very sad since Keiko-san left. In most zoos, there’s usually a male and a female of the species in each cage. Well, I’ve been thinking for a while now that I should do something about getting you a young lady and I’ve tried all sorts of things. Today, I’ve finally brought along a bride for you. What do you think? She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Do you like her?’
Sanae felt a cold shudder and she could not stop her jaw from trembling.
Now the Black Lizard’s evil scheme had become entirely clear. She had gone to such trouble to kidnap the beautiful Sanae in order to strip her naked, thrust her into this cage and then, when the time came, to peel off her living skin and put her on display in this evil art museum as a horrible stuffed doll.
‘Sanae-san! What’s wrong? You’re trembling. Why, you’re shaking just like a reed! So you understand your role now, hmmn? But the groom isn’t too bad, is he? Or doesn’t he appeal? Well, I’ve decided, so you’ll just have to put up with it whether you like him or not.’
Overcome by fear, Sanae had lost the power of speech. It was all she could do to stand. Her mind went blank. Shaking, she looked as if she might fall at any minute.
‘Sanae-san, there’s still something I want to show you. Come this way. This time it’s not a zoo, but an aquarium. I’m very proud of it.’
Taking the quivering Sanae by the hand, the Black Lizard pulled her upright and they turned the next corner.
Here the long subterranean passage came to an end and there was a large glass-lined tank beyond. A very bright light had been fixed directly above the tank, making the objects in the water so clear through the thick glass it seemed one could reach out and touch them.
The tank measured about two metres on all sides and on its bottom countless fronds of strange seaweed were waving together like snakes.
But why did she call it an aquarium? There was no sign of any fish.
‘You can’t see any fish can you? Don’t be puzzled. After all, there were no animals in my zoo so why should it seem strange that there aren’t any fish in my aquarium?’
The woman in black
laughed eerily before launching into another ghastly speech.
‘I think it’ll be fun to put a human inside. You know how much more interesting they are than fish. That fellow in the cage who got himself into such a tizzy might be handsome, but just think about the magnificent submarine dance a person thrown into this tank would perform…’
Then it was no longer the woman in black’s voice – Sanae’s field of vision was filled with a vivid monster-movie spectre. Something white was writhing in the gloomy water. Suddenly, from the squirming mass of raised serpentine heads, a large human face appeared at the glass, the mouth hanging open, gasping for breath like a koi carp. The eyes were shut and the brows drawn down… the face was not a man’s. Nor that of an old person. It was a young woman… but wait, this was definitely no stranger. For writhing there among the snakes was none other than Sanae herself!
‘It’s wonderful, don’t you think? What a superb show! There isn’t a classic painting, or a sculpture, or even an inspired performance of Japanese dance that has expressed such beauty. This is art in exchange for life…’
But Sanae was no longer listening to the ghastly declamation. She could not hold her breath that long. In the vision, she had inhaled copious amounts of water. She struggled with all her might until finally all her energy was spent. Then the fear and suffering became too great for her to bear and she fainted.
Realizing what had happened, the woman in black put out both hands to support Sanae but the young woman was now as limp as a jellyfish and she collapsed onto the concrete floor.
Sanae had no idea how much time had passed, but when she finally awoke and opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was that her body was directly exposed to the air. When she touched herself, her finger slid freely, with nothing to catch on. Her prostrate body had been stripped stark naked!
Next she noticed the countless thick steel bars crossed in front of her like stripes. She knew only too well what they were. She was in a cage. They had put her in a cell while she was unconscious.
It must be the same cage she had seen before she fainted, the one that young man had been imprisoned in. So she was not here alone? That beautiful young man, as naked as she was herself, should be nearby.
When she recalled that much, she totally lost the courage to lift her head and look around. What to do? She had not a stitch on her body! And even worse! She was stretched out in that embarrassing state in front of a young, beautiful and naked man!
But instead of blushing, she turned white as a ghost, sat up abruptly, curled up into a ball, and scuttled backward into the corner. And no matter how she tried to look the other way, in such a cramped cell there was no way to prevent certain sights from entering her field of view quite naturally. And she saw him. The naked man.
In that underground cell together, like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, they exchanged glances. What could she say? And what could she do? Ashamed at her nakedness, Sanae’s eyes overflowed with tears. Through the dancing lights in her tears she could make out the shining, white body of the man.
‘Do you feel all right?’
Suddenly a mellow bass voice echoed – it was the young man!
She started, blinked her eyes to clear away the tears, and looked at his face.
Right in front of her was a white face, as silkily smooth as if oiled. A high, wide brow; soft, curly hair; double eyelids and clear eyes looking into hers; a Grecian nose; and firm red lips… he was truly a beautiful young man, but Sanae was terrified.
Had the Black Lizard given her to this man as his bride? Maybe the young man had that intent! And as that thought occurred to her, she once again had to face the fact that the two of them were trapped in this cage together, naked like beasts of the field… it was enough to freeze the blood in her body!
‘Miss, there’s nothing to worry about! Despite appearances, I’m not a barbarian, really!’
He spoke hesitantly, bashfully. Sanae’s fear dissipated as she heard his words.
As they came to understand each other a little better, they began to discuss their plight, cursing the evil plot of their female kidnapper, huddling closer and closer to each other like white beasts as they whispered together.
At last it seemed that dawn had broken, for they began to feel the people around them stirring in this underground keep, and then the Black Lizard’s underlings began to come, one after another, to view their newly-caged guest.
I will leave it to readers to imagine how dreadfully embarrassed Sanae was at their improper attentions; how the young man cursed and shouted at them like a beast; and what lascivious suggestions these criminals offered to her ears. Just as the four or five who had slept there underground were making such a commotion, that Morse-like signal was heard once again. Shortly after, a man who appeared to be a crew member entered the lair in something of a fluster.
The seaman was one of the Black Lizard’s men who slept in the steamer moored out in the bay. He approached the private chambers of the leader of the gang, deep underground, and knocked on the door with the same code-like tapping.
‘Enter!’
Even among such a group of disreputable men, her authority as the boss of the gang freed her of the need to do anything so undignified as locking her door. At any time, even the middle of the night, the door could be opened freely at her simple command.
‘My goodness! What in the world is the problem, and so early in the morning? It’s still only six, isn’t it?’
With no regard for decorum, she lay face-down on the white bed wearing only white silk pyjamas and she lit up a cigar while watching the seaman out of the corner of her eye. Her rich curves were revealed by the sheer white silk. Her men had no difficulties with their boss dressing like that, though…
‘Something a little strange has happened. I thought you should know right away.’ The man fidgeted, trying to avoid looking at the bed.
‘Strange? How?’
‘It’s Matsu, the stoker. He vanished last night. We searched the whole ship, and he ain’t there. He ain’t the type to run off, and I thought maybe he’d gotten caught ashore. Little worried ‘bout that…’
‘Hmm. So you let Matsu go ashore?’
‘No, Ma’am! No way! But after Jun’ichi returned to the ship, he came ashore one more time, right? Matsu was one of the rowers, and when the boat got back he weren’t in it any more. We figured we must’a made a mistake, and searched the whole ship, then came back here and asked, but the guys said Matsu never showed up. Maybe he was off wandering in town and got picked up by the cops, huh?’
‘Not good at all… Matsu is a little slow upstairs, and really can’t be depended on to do anything complicated – which is why he’s the stoker. But if he’s been arrested, he certainly could spill a few secrets…’
She sat up on the bed, her brow furrowed as she thought of what to do, but just then another strange message was delivered.
The door burst open and three of her men looked in, then one explained rapidly.
‘M’lady, please come and have a look! Something very strange is going on! The dolls are wearing clothes! And they’re covered in jewels, glittering something fierce! We checked around to see who’d play such a bad joke, but nobody knows anything. Surely it wasn’t you?’
‘You’re joking!’
‘No. Jun’ichi was so surprised he’s still standing there, gawking.’
Strange, indeed unimaginable things were happening. Who knew what connection might exist between Matsu’s disappearance and this new event, but it seemed unusual that the two things should happen at the same time! The queen of this underground realm could not remain calm any longer. She evicted them all from her room, changed quickly into her usual black Western-style garb, and hurried to the doll showroom.
It was as if imps had been at work… The upright young black man had donned a khaki uniform that would not look out of place o
n a beggar, but on his chest the giant ‘Star of Egypt’ flashed proudly like a medal of honour; the seated blonde girl, elbows propped on her knees, now wore the long-sleeved kimono of a Japanese girl, and bracelets and anklets made of diamond pins and pearl necklaces. The reclining Japanese woman had an old blanket wrapped around her torso, but smiled under a diadem, formed from many jewels, lying on her raven locks; and the discus thrower, the young Japanese man, now had on a grimy knit shirt, with glittering necklaces and bracelets.
Standing there, still looking into Amamiya Jun’ichi’s eyes, she was so astonished she could not speak for a moment.
What a joke to play! The long-sleeved kimono was the one that Sanae had been wearing the night before, but the other pieces of clothing were all from her underlings. Someone had taken them from their shelves or wicker baskets in the bedrooms, and dressed the mannequins. The jewellery, of course, was from the Black Lizard’s display cases, leaving most of the glass cases empty.
‘Who in the world would have done such a silly thing…’
‘Nobody knows! There are five men here besides me, and we’ve all proven ourselves. I’ve asked them all, and they all swear they had nothing to do with it!’
‘What about the watchman at the gate?’
‘He says nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. And even if some outsider tried to get in, that trap door can only be opened from the inside… It just isn’t possible for a trickster to get in from the outside!’
After their brief and fruitless conversation the pair fell silent again, and looked at each other. As if at a sudden thought, the Black Lizard muttered ‘No! Could it be…?’ as she ran to the cage where her ‘guests’ were imprisoned. She examined the lock closely, but there was no sign that it had been broken.
‘Has one of you children been playing with this? Tell me the truth! One of you played this trick on me, right?’
The Black Lizard and Beast In the Shadows Page 13
