Chapter 9
Damage Control
After an hour, the phone rang. Ae excitedly picked it up. "This is Ae Sekiguchi," she answered.
A woman's voice replied. "Aiko-chan?"
"Mama?"
"The police just called. They told me you'd be there. We have been worried sick about you and thought you might have died. Why did you do this?"
Aiko got an idea. "Hold on a second, mama." She cupped her hand over the mouthpiece, "Lin-chan! Here is a telephone. Do you want to talk to someone? She's my mother."
Lin got up and looked at the strange device in Ae's hand. "Is that a telephone?" She took the handset. Ae was pointing to her mouth then to the mouthpiece. "Are you too far away to walk?" were her first words.
The voice at the other end softened a bit. "Yes, child. It would take many days for us to walk to you. What's your name?"
"My name is Lin. I am almost nine. How old are you?"
"I am forty six, but don't tell anyone, ok?"
"I can count to forty six. I can also count all the way to the top."
"Wow! You sure are smart. May I talk with my daughter?"
Lin handed the telephone set back to Aiko and returned to the television.
"Isn't she adorable, mother?"
"Yes, but what is her connection to you?"
"She's one of my students. I'm a teacher!"
"Aiko, you're barely out of high school. You need to go to college to be a teacher."
"Not where I teach. You only need to be good at what you do."
"You haven't fallen in with one of those religious cults, I hope."
"No, nothing like that."
"We want you home, Aiko."
"I can't do that. I have an obligation to my employer to escort Lin for a medical examination. Then I must return to teach in two days. Please come here to Tsukuba and we can talk." Lin knew her family well. They would never go far out of their way for anybody. She always thought of her family as reptilian: lay the eggs and let the hatchlings fend for themselves. "Right now, I'm waiting for an important phone call. Could you call back in a few hours?" As she hung up, she realized that she had the same reptilian streak. A sense of regret started to manifest itself.
After another half hour, the doorbell rang. Aiko looked through the peephole. It was the doctor and a woman. She opened it. "Hello doctor, I'm glad you're here."
"Aiko-san, this is Ms Suzuki from Child Protective Services. She's here to interview Lin. The police have told me something I already knew--who you are. They just want to make sure she's safe with you." To Aiko, the doctor appeared very relaxed and confident. It was almost as if he had a scheme going. He then spoke to Ms Suzuki, "Please take your time with her. We'll be downstairs in the lobby." He then turned to Lin. "Lin-san, this nice woman has a few questions to ask you. There's nothing to worry about. Just be truthful."
Aiko and Doctor Kitamura left the room and went to the lobby on the ground floor. Aiko looked at the doctor with a big grin in her eyes. "Tell the truth?" She broke out laughing. "I'll bet you told her you were evaluating her very fertile imagination, right?"
"Not at all. If I did that, I'd leave open the remote possibility that the interviewer believed her story. If that were the case, she might think I was a liar. I merely told her the truth--that the most respected sociologist in the world requested I evaluate her mental capacity."
"But Yubaba isn't Professor Natori."
"But she is--in a way."
After two hours, the desk clerk received a call and paged the doctor. "I've completed the interview, Doctor. You and Aiko-san may come back up.
When they returned to the room, Ms Suzuki and Lin were getting along very well. "Aiko-san, Lin-chan has been telling me many good things about you. May I see your watch?"
Aiko was stunned. She had to comply, so she pulled it out and showed it to her.
"So it's now 1700 (5:00 PM) in the world she came from." She turned to the doctor. "You played the perfect gambit, doctor. Whether or not I believed her, you would come out fine."
The doctor appeared relieved. "Do you believe her?"
She looked and smiled at Lin. "I believe this little girl more than anybody I have ever interviewed. Those eyes of hers reveal her very soul to anyone who cares to look. Besides, her story fits in perfectly with Professor Natori's theories."
"Then you know I need to do an examination."
"And I also know Aiko here is a suitable companion for her. Unfortunately, I can't recommend that Lin be allowed to return to that Universe."
Aiko and the doctor in unison gasped, "What?"
"This Yubaba person who runs the bathhouse: She uses child and slave labor, does she not?"
Dr. Kitamura knew Ms Suzuki had a point. Yubaba's bathhouse was not the ideal place for children, but the caseworker didn't have the whole picture. "If you have the time, please hold your opinion and join me in her examination. I hope you change your mind, but I'm willing to abide by your decision regardless."
Ms Suzuki was ready to go along with that idea. She hesitated for effect then said, "Agreed."
-------
At that very moment, a doorbell was ringing in a shabby eight-unit apartment in Sendai. Aiko's mother answered the door. Before her stood an elderly woman, about eighty years old. On the street below, there was a gathering crowd. "Mrs. Tanaka?"
"Yes?"
"Please forgive this unexpected visit and the crowd below. My name is Yukiko Natori and I've come to talk to you about your daughter. May I come in?"
Though she was displeased that someone would come without giving her any advance notice, she very much wanted to hear about her daughter. "Please come in. Are you the distinguished sociologist?"
"Yes," she protested, "but I'm not all that distinguished." Professor Natori entered the small apartment...
Damage Control
After an hour, the phone rang. Ae excitedly picked it up. "This is Ae Sekiguchi," she answered.
A woman's voice replied. "Aiko-chan?"
"Mama?"
"The police just called. They told me you'd be there. We have been worried sick about you and thought you might have died. Why did you do this?"
Aiko got an idea. "Hold on a second, mama." She cupped her hand over the mouthpiece, "Lin-chan! Here is a telephone. Do you want to talk to someone? She's my mother."
Lin got up and looked at the strange device in Ae's hand. "Is that a telephone?" She took the handset. Ae was pointing to her mouth then to the mouthpiece. "Are you too far away to walk?" were her first words.
The voice at the other end softened a bit. "Yes, child. It would take many days for us to walk to you. What's your name?"
"My name is Lin. I am almost nine. How old are you?"
"I am forty six, but don't tell anyone, ok?"
"I can count to forty six. I can also count all the way to the top."
"Wow! You sure are smart. May I talk with my daughter?"
Lin handed the telephone set back to Aiko and returned to the television.
"Isn't she adorable, mother?"
"Yes, but what is her connection to you?"
"She's one of my students. I'm a teacher!"
"Aiko, you're barely out of high school. You need to go to college to be a teacher."
"Not where I teach. You only need to be good at what you do."
"You haven't fallen in with one of those religious cults, I hope."
"No, nothing like that."
"We want you home, Aiko."
"I can't do that. I have an obligation to my employer to escort Lin for a medical examination. Then I must return to teach in two days. Please come here to Tsukuba and we can talk." Lin knew her family well. They would never go far out of their way for anybody. She always thought of her family as reptilian: lay the eggs and let the hatchlings fend for themselves. "Right now, I'm waiting for an important phone call. Could you call back in a few hours?" As she hung up, she realized that she had the same reptilian streak. A sense of regret started to manifest itself.
After another half hour, the doorbell rang. Aiko looked through the peephole. It was the doctor and a woman. She opened it. "Hello doctor, I'm glad you're here."
"Aiko-san, this is Ms Suzuki from Child Protective Services. She's here to interview Lin. The police have told me something I already knew--who you are. They just want to make sure she's safe with you." To Aiko, the doctor appeared very relaxed and confident. It was almost as if he had a scheme going. He then spoke to Ms Suzuki, "Please take your time with her. We'll be downstairs in the lobby." He then turned to Lin. "Lin-san, this nice woman has a few questions to ask you. There's nothing to worry about. Just be truthful."
Aiko and Doctor Kitamura left the room and went to the lobby on the ground floor. Aiko looked at the doctor with a big grin in her eyes. "Tell the truth?" She broke out laughing. "I'll bet you told her you were evaluating her very fertile imagination, right?"
"Not at all. If I did that, I'd leave open the remote possibility that the interviewer believed her story. If that were the case, she might think I was a liar. I merely told her the truth--that the most respected sociologist in the world requested I evaluate her mental capacity."
"But Yubaba isn't Professor Natori."
"But she is--in a way."
After two hours, the desk clerk received a call and paged the doctor. "I've completed the interview, Doctor. You and Aiko-san may come back up.
When they returned to the room, Ms Suzuki and Lin were getting along very well. "Aiko-san, Lin-chan has been telling me many good things about you. May I see your watch?"
Aiko was stunned. She had to comply, so she pulled it out and showed it to her.
"So it's now 1700 (5:00 PM) in the world she came from." She turned to the doctor. "You played the perfect gambit, doctor. Whether or not I believed her, you would come out fine."
The doctor appeared relieved. "Do you believe her?"
She looked and smiled at Lin. "I believe this little girl more than anybody I have ever interviewed. Those eyes of hers reveal her very soul to anyone who cares to look. Besides, her story fits in perfectly with Professor Natori's theories."
"Then you know I need to do an examination."
"And I also know Aiko here is a suitable companion for her. Unfortunately, I can't recommend that Lin be allowed to return to that Universe."
Aiko and the doctor in unison gasped, "What?"
"This Yubaba person who runs the bathhouse: She uses child and slave labor, does she not?"
Dr. Kitamura knew Ms Suzuki had a point. Yubaba's bathhouse was not the ideal place for children, but the caseworker didn't have the whole picture. "If you have the time, please hold your opinion and join me in her examination. I hope you change your mind, but I'm willing to abide by your decision regardless."
Ms Suzuki was ready to go along with that idea. She hesitated for effect then said, "Agreed."
-------
At that very moment, a doorbell was ringing in a shabby eight-unit apartment in Sendai. Aiko's mother answered the door. Before her stood an elderly woman, about eighty years old. On the street below, there was a gathering crowd. "Mrs. Tanaka?"
"Yes?"
"Please forgive this unexpected visit and the crowd below. My name is Yukiko Natori and I've come to talk to you about your daughter. May I come in?"
Though she was displeased that someone would come without giving her any advance notice, she very much wanted to hear about her daughter. "Please come in. Are you the distinguished sociologist?"
"Yes," she protested, "but I'm not all that distinguished." Professor Natori entered the small apartment...