The Samurai's Garden: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

distinct smell of eucalyptus and something else medicinal. For the first time in my life I saw what it meant to be a leper, a disgraced one. They seemed to watch me with just as much curiosity. I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t take my eyes off their wounds; the missing fingers and toes, the large, gaping holes in the sides of their faces, the mangled features that had once been noses and ears. It looked as if they were all wearing monstrous masks that I kept waiting for them to remove.
    Matsu must have understood my thoughts. He suddenly stopped, turned to me, and said, “Most of them came to this village as young men and women. Now they are too old and set in their ways to move. Even though the Japanese government has acknowledged their situation and would gladly move them to better facilities. Good or bad, Yamaguchi has been their home.”
    I watched as Matsu then nodded and exchanged pleasantries with several of the villagers.
    From some doorways I could also smell the strong, sweet aroma of tea which filled me and my parched throat with longing.
    “Who is the handsome young man, Matsu?” one man asked, taking a few steps closer. His right arm was a gnarled raw stump which looked like it had been eaten away.
    “The son of my Danasama, my master,” Matsu answered, walking on without a pause.
    I smiled at all of them self-consciously, then followed Matsu as if he were the master.
     
     
    We walked to the far end of the village, where there were few houses and the pine trees thickened. Matsu slowed down as we approached a small, sturdier-looking house almost hidden among the trees.
    “Who lives here?” I asked, catching my breath.
    “A friend,” Matsu answered. As he led me toward the house, I noticed how his steps lightened, his body relaxed, and he seemed almost young again.
    I stood behind Matsu as he tapped three times on the door and waited, blowing air through his teeth to create a small whistling sound. I’d never seen Matsu so exuberant and was curious to see who lived there. Within moments the door opened just enough for a head, veiled in black, to peek out.
    “Sachi- san , it’s me,” Matsu said, gently.
    The woman stepped back and opened the door wider, allowing the sunlight to brighten the clean, spare, white room behind her. She looked away from Matsu toward me and held her place behind the door. “Matsu?” she said softly, watching me closely.
    Matsu glanced back at me, then said, “This is Stephen- san , he’s a friend.”
    “Konnichiwa,” I said, smiling and bowing, trying to put her at ease.
    The woman stepped back and bowed humbly. Matsu entered the small house, and with a slight wave of his hand urged me to follow. I did, anxious to know more about the timid woman who lived within it. The room smelled of the pine branches which sat in a vase on a low table in one corner. Next to the vase were two small, shiny black stones. Other than the table and a few cushions neatly stacked to the side, the room was bare.
    “I didn’t know you would come today, Matsu,” the woman said, keeping her head bowed so low I couldn’t see her face under the black scarf. Her voice was soft and hesitant.
    “It was a nice day to take a walk. Anyway, since when do I need an invitation to visit you, Sachi?” Matsu said, teasingly.
    Sachi laughed, looking down and away from Matsu.
    “I will bring some tea,” she then said shyly. She adjusted the black scarf so that it covered her face as she turned to leave the room.
    “Is she?” I asked, without completing my sentence.
    Matsu walked to the window and looked out. “Yes,” he said softly, “she’s a leper.”
    We stood so quietly for a few moments that the muted sounds coming from the kitchen filled the room. It was strange to be standing in a different house with Matsu, seeing him for the first
time in a new light. He seemed gentler, less in command.
    “This is a nice house,” I finally said.
    Matsu nodded his approval.
    Sachi returned carrying