Shallow Breath

48

Jackson




As the plane begins its descent towards Osaka, Jackson is a mess of nerves. There is nothing to look forward to on this trip, only a frighteningly long list of things that can go wrong. And the first hurdle is getting his sister into the country.

They don’t even know the specifics of Kate’s plan – only as much as she has told Desi. Their little group are planning to sneak out from a hotel in the dark, to cut nets and free dolphins that are being held in captivity. But Jackson has been researching on the internet and is fully aware of how dangerous it is. There are three different groups of police based in Taiji, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Every foreigner who goes in and out of the town gets their details taken. The fishermen and the locals are aggressive, while the coastguard sits permanently offshore. The place is a cauldron of hostility, and his eighteen-year-old niece is heading right into the thick of it.

He casts a surreptitious glance towards his sister in the next seat as she fills in the customs form on the pull-down table. Without hesitation, she has put an X in a small box indicating that she has no criminal convictions. As she gathers the papers and pushes the table upright, clipping it into place, he leans over, about to tell her that it’s not too late to back out. ‘No need to discuss it any more, Jackson,’ she says without looking at him, pulling the in-flight magazine from the seat pocket.

Irritated, he sits back, staring out the window towards a thick layer of clouds that smothers the view. Stress has meant he and Desi have argued over almost everything in the past forty-eight hours. The only thing they have agreed on is coming to find Maya and stopping her before it is too late.

They haven’t spoken again by the time they approach the long line at passport control. They edge gradually forward in the zigzag queue, and with each step Jackson feels more and more unsteady.

A solemn-faced official beckons Desi over and she strides across. Jackson holds his breath as the little man taps on his computer and lifts the passport up, comparing Desi’s photo to her face. Finally, he hands the small blue booklet back and waves her through.

Someone nudges Jackson, and he realises there is an empty checkpoint and he’s keeping everyone waiting. He wipes his brow with his hand before he hurries across, and the official’s irate expression turns wary. It is a long time before his passport is stamped and he’s free to join Desi. He can sense her impatience as he reaches her.

They only have the rucksacks they’ve brought as hand luggage, and rush past the conveyor belts busily spitting cases onto carousels. Jackson had been worried that their lack of belongings might draw attention, but it makes it easier at the final checkpoint, with nothing to declare amid a throng of people pulling heavy, overstuffed cases.



As they pass through the arrivals lounge, he glances longingly at the car-hire stands, and debates trying to get Desi to change her mind. But she is powering ahead of him, following the signs for the taxis, and Jackson hurries to negotiate the crowds so he doesn’t lose sight of her.

In the pristine white interior of the taxi they both stare out of the windows, absorbed by the gleaming, sprawling chaos of the city. Jackson leans over. ‘Okay, you were right about the train. I’ve already seen at least a dozen snails zipping past us. Besides, all the road signs are in Japanese – we’d be lost in no time.’

Desi turns and smiles half-heartedly at him. It’s the first time they have looked properly at one another for a while, and it’s clear how troubled she is.

‘Don’t worry, we’re almost there,’ he says, wishing he could add more, but casting an anxious glance at the taxi driver. The man hadn’t appeared to speak English when they got in the car, but Jackson doesn’t want to risk it.

When they finally pull up at the train station, the driver points vigorously, his eager words indecipherable. Jackson and Desi nod and smile politely, handing over money and collecting their belongings. They go from one official to another, and eventually find a board which shows English and Japanese, and displays the name they are searching for: Kii-Katsuura.

‘Do we need to plan what we’re going to say to Maya?’ Jackson asks once they are settled into their seats.

‘I think we’ll have to wing it when we find out what’s going on.’

‘What if they’ve gone through with it already?’

‘Well, there’s no way of knowing until we get there – but I don’t think so. We’re close behind them, and they’ve had things to prepare.’



Still, Jackson cannot dispel his apprehension as the train sets off.

When he thought of the Japanese railway system, he envisaged sleek, superfast bullet trains, but this one is an old, rattling country locomotive, with uncomfortable plastic seats. There is a map of the coastline on the back of each headrest, and he studies it intently, but the place names are in kanji, and he has no idea which stop is theirs. They will have to go by the arrival time on their tickets.

The four-hour journey seems endless, but at least the scenery is captivating. On one side, they pass a succession of small towns, most of them sheltered in the lee of green, forested hills, the houses interspersed with paddy fields or orange groves. Out of the opposite windows there are glimpses of the coastline, black rocks jutting into tranquil inlets of silver-grey water.

After three hours, they grow jumpy each time the train slows, anticipating their arrival at Kii-Katsuura. When they finally see the sign, they disembark onto a small platform to find the place deserted. They cross a bridge over the track and pass through empty exit barriers set permanently open. Finally they emerge into a little square, with narrow streets leading away from it in various directions. There’s no sign of the harbour.

‘Where now?’ Jackson asks, as Desi looks around. She strides across to a large map on a wall, and a Japanese lady ambles over from a bus stop while they study it. Desi points to the harbour, and the lady gestures down one of the roads, smiling heartily, giving a few little bows as Desi thanks her.

They dash down a maze of small streets. On either side, rows of shrunken terraces comprise both private dwellings and small shops. There is hardly anyone around. Jackson’s eye is caught by tiny trinkets of animals and dolls that hang discreetly on doorknobs or sit on entrance steps. A few restaurants advertise meals in their windows with an impressive assortment of plastic food.

Jackson is beginning to worry they have gone the wrong way when they round a corner and the harbour opens out in front of them. Boats are crowded along the marina, a tangle of rods and lines interrupting the view. As they cross the road, they see rows of horizontal wooden poles fixed a metre above the ground, each one heaped with netting. Groups of men and women are working assiduously to untangle them. The air is clogged with the odour of fish and diesel fumes.

Desi comes to a halt. ‘That must be the place,’ she says, and points across the water.

An enormous hotel is perched on an outcrop in the distance, the greater section of it at ground level and a smaller portion peeping out at the summit, over the trees that cover the steep cliff.

Jackson sighs. ‘Okay, then, let’s go.’

They walk further along the road towards it, but eventually the tarmac peters out and they are left staring down into the water, a slick of oil painting wavy rainbows across its surface as far as they can see.

‘We must have to get a boat,’ Jackson murmurs, wondering where to go next. As they turn around, a man in a fisherman’s plastic overalls points across the harbour. A small white ferry is making its way to the jetty. As it gets closer, Jackson sees it is shaped like a turtle with a jaunty red and blue cap perched atop its head.

The skipper is friendly, beckoning them aboard. After a few minutes, they set off, travelling towards the hotel dock.

‘What’ll we do when we get there?’ Jackson whispers.

‘I’m not sure.’

They are both slow to disembark. But as Jackson scans the area, to his surprise, Kate suddenly runs out of the hotel’s front doors. ‘Great to see you both!’ she shouts, throwing her arms around him. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she hisses in his ear.

She pulls him by the hand into an enormous lobby. It is like entering a small village. To one side a panel of receptionists are busy with guests, while dozens of chairs and tables fill the central area. On the opposite side, an extensive network of shops trails off along long, wide passageways, each a gleaming riot of colour, with lavish displays of exquisitely wrapped packages.

Jackson takes everything in as Kate drags him down one of the long corridors. He looks back to see Desi following. The retailers eventually peter out, exchanged for restaurants and meeting rooms. Groups of middle-aged Japanese men wander past them in long, loosely belted white gowns and sandals, clean towels around their necks.

Finally, Kate pulls them into the far corner of a near-empty bistro. A waitress comes over immediately, nodding and smiling and handing them menus.

‘How the hell did you find us?’ Kate whispers once they have sat down.

Desi leans in close. ‘You told me enough for me to figure it out.’

‘How come you were outside when we got here?’ Jackson asks.

‘I was waiting for Carl. He’s been gone a while. Listen, you can’t be here. You’re drawing attention to us, which is the last thing we need. Why on earth have you come?’

‘Kate, Desi’s told me everything.’ Jackson reaches for her hand, uncomfortable when she snatches it away. ‘This is madness. Do you know what I’ve been reading on the internet about protestors in Taiji? They are subjected to hotel raids. They are regularly harassed. Their cars are chased. One guy was put in prison for over forty days because someone fabricated a story that he’d given them a shove. The charge was thrown out of court, but if that’s what they do over nothing imagine what they’ll do to you if you commit God knows how many criminal offences?’

‘Jackson, do you know what they do to dolphins in Taiji?’ Kate counters. ‘The few they don’t kill are grouped in tiny pens and given no food until they learn to perform tricks. In desperation, the dolphins chew whatever they can find – ropes, rubbish, the lot. Then the trainers put their hands into their stomachs to pull it out. Can you imagine how painful that is? Sometimes the dolphins waste away and hang motionless in the corners of the pools. Others go psychotic and spy-hop endlessly. Those are the ones who tend to vanish overnight. And the few who manage to survive all this – do you know what they get? They are either moved into the cramped, rusting rooftop pools at Dolphin Resort to be petted until they die. Or they are put into slings, loaded into lorries and driven out of Taiji. Some go hundreds of kilometres to oceanariums in Japan. Others clock up some air miles and reach aquariums all over the world. Tell me, which group do you think suffers more?’

Jackson shakes his head. ‘You’re not listening to me. And even if you’ve thought it through, you’ve had how long to wrap your head around it – a year? Maya has only had a few days.’

‘We haven’t abducted her, Jackson. She can speak for herself.’

Jackson sits back in despair as they stare at one another. He turns to his sister. ‘Desi, talk to her, will you? Say something.’

‘Kate,’ Desi begins, and Jackson is re-energised by the commanding tone of her voice. ‘I respect what you’re saying—’

‘Did you watch that film?’ Kate interrupts.

‘Yes…’



‘Then you cannot possibly object.’

‘Kate,’ Desi barks, ‘hear me out. I understand what you’re trying to do. It’s crazy, and bold, and stupid, and brilliant. But Jackson’s right – Maya doesn’t understand what she’s getting into. As her mother, I’m telling you, she’s not strong enough for this. If you’re caught, she’ll have to endure police interrogations, or a Japanese prison. It may well break her.’

‘She’s right,’ Jackson can’t help but interject.

Desi holds up a hand to silence him. ‘Which is why,’ she continues, her eyes fixed firmly on Kate, ‘I’ve come to take her place.’