Dendera Read Free Page A

Ishizuka.
    “That’s what I’m saying! Why are you still living?” Kayu Saitoh said.
    “Ms. Kayu. I live because I don’t want to die. Do you need a reason to live?”
    “Shut up! I don’t need to talk about this! Now order these two women to release me!”
    “Release you?” Hono Ishizuka sniffed, as if Kayu Saitoh had finally touched a nerve. “Why would I want to do a thing like that? What a stupid notion. If they were to release you, you would no doubt simply kick up another ruckus. In any case, I do not have the authority to give such an order.”
    “Then get the person who does!” Kayu Saitoh shouted.
    “Oh, you’ll be meeting her soon enough,” said Hono Ishizuka, nodding. “In fact, as you are a new arrival, Ms. Kayu, we’ll be taking you to the Chief right now.”
    “The Chie f ?”
    “Yes. Someone you know well, I think you’ll find.”
3
    Dendera was similar in size to the Village, in terms of its boundaries, but once you considered the fact that Dendera was comprised of nothing more than sparse clumps of crude huts, it paled in comparison. It was through this meager landscape that old women, wearing white robes topped with rough straw overcoats, flitted like withered leaves drifting silently. They were caked with dirt and grime that made each one indistinguishable from the next, at first glance, but when Kayu Saitoh looked more closely she began to see that they were all old women who had once upon a time lived in the Village. These old women were now looking at Kayu Saitoh through bloodshot eyes, with a mixture of wariness and anticipation. Kayu Saitoh registered all these stares one by one as she was marched off under guard by the three women holding her captive. All the while she was thinking about what pathetic creatures these old women were. After a while walking, though, Kayu Saitoh had occasion to revise her view somewhat, when she found herself in front of a larger building. They were still wretched, shameful creatures, of course, but she understood for the first time that they really were making a go of living.
    She stood in front of a two-story wooden building.
    It certainly wasn’t anything that could have been described as fancy, but it was surrounded by a rudimentary persimmon-colored earthen wall, and there was even a crude balcony jutting from its second story, the effect of which was that it stood conspicuously apart from the other buildings. Hono Ishizuka, who was leading the way, stopped, and Kayu Saitoh thought she saw a smile emerging from underneath the wrinkles on her face.
    “Ms. Kayu, the rest is now up to you. Just be sure to think for yourself before making up your mind,” Hono Ishizuka said.
    Kayu Saitoh didn’t really know what Hono Ishizuka meant by that, but even so she found herself walking toward the entrance to the two-story wooden building.
    Once inside she found herself in a room with an earthen floor, and she saw three more old women milling about. There was Naki Sokabe and Nokobi Hidaka, who had both Climbed the Mountain the same year as Makura Katsuragawa, eighteen years ago. And then there was Itsuru Obuchi, who had Climbed the Mountain twenty-four years ago. Kayu Saitoh was surprised by the fact that Itsuru Obuchi was still alive. After all, if she was still alive (and she was) that would make her ninety-four years old.
    Inside the musty room the three old women were busying themselves with sundry tasks: carving wood ornaments, boiling water, hanging pelts to dry, and generally keeping themselves occupied as if their pride were at stake. So they paid no attention to Kayu Saitoh, and, much to Kayu Saitoh’s relief, she was able to slip past them and start climbing the ladder to the second floor. The second floor was smaller, more cramped, but the walls were lined with real wood panels now, somewhat rough-and-ready ones perhaps, but it was more impressive than the usual mix of straw and twigs that was used in most houses.
    And in the middle of this room