Part 6: Landfall
Ueno Zoo, Tokyo
Aichan heard Kong’s screams even before she entered Ueno Zoo. The screams told of anguish, shock, and outrage, and tears of sorrow ran down Aichan’s face as she ran in the direction of Kong’s voice. She arrived at what seemed like a former tiger pit. A large group of tourists was crowded along the edge of the pit. Inside the pit, chained to a large tall wall, stood Kong, his arms and legs chained. She could see that his hair, which had been lustrous and thick on the island, was matted and dull. Tear marks stained his face, and the chains had rubbed his wrists and ankles raw.
Outraged, Aichan scaled the edge of the pit and quickly climbed down. The crowd of onlookers pointed to her in shock. Presently, she made it to the bottom of the pit and ran over to Kong. The giant ape recognized her and stopped his screams of anguish. Suddenly, a zoo keeper ran out and nearly tackled Aichan before she could reach Kong. Aichan deftly sidestepped him and gave him a hard kick in the shin. She made her way to Kong and jumped up to hug his leg. The crowd let out a loud gasp of surprise.
“Kong, what have they done to you? I’m so sorry! It breaks my heart to see you in such pain. Don’t worry, I wont let Tsunku turn you into some circus show freak. You’re a kind ape, and I’ll make sure that you are returned to Thailand and have all the bananas you can eat,” she said.
“Ma’am, please let go of it!” cried the zookeeper. “The beast is very dangerous.”
“Kong is a ‘he’, not an ‘it’!” screamed Aichan in anger. “He is a sentient being, kind and gentle. He saved my life, you know… Hey, what’s going on?”
From the pit’s edge, the tourists' mobile phones rang almost in unison. As the tourists picked up their phones, looks of shock and disbelief came to their faces. One by one, the tourists rapidly walked away from the pit.
Aichan’s mobile phone rang. She jumped down from Kong’s foot and picked up the call. It was her mother, but she was hysterical and nearly incomprehensible.
“Mom, mom, slow down! Get a grip. Now tell me slowly what’s wrong,” Aichan asked.
“I can’t explain it, Aichan. Just get to a television, as quickly as you can. It’s beyond belief. It’s as if the wrath of God has descended upon Okinawa,” Aichan’s mother said.
The zookeeper’s phone had also rang, and he was also engaged in an animated discussion. When he was finished, Aichan asked, “Is there a television set around here?”
“Yes, there’s one in the tourist center,” he answered. “I’m about to go there as well. Something about a horrible natural disaster in Okinawa.”
“Kong, I’m going to go for a moment,” Aichan said, looking up at the giant ape. “I promise I’ll be right back!” Kong responded with a knowing nod and a look of concern.
Aichan and the zookeeper ran to the tourist center. In front of a large television, a large anxious crowd had assembled. Aichan saw that many in the crowd had tears in their eyes, and several had fainted.
“This is live video footage from a helicopter outside of Naha City, the capital of Okinawa . I repeat, this is not a movie or a prank,” said the somber voice of a television anchorman.
The television showed a picture of a burnt black wasteland from sea to horizon. It was not even recognizable as a scene from Earth. It was difficult to judge the scale of the images, but it seemed as nothing stood on the entire surface of the land other than black ash.
“Less than 10 minutes ago, we received local reports from Naha of a giant being or object rising from the sea,” the anchor continued. “The descriptions we received of the being varied dramatically. Some said that it was as fierce as a rabid gorilla. Others said it was large as a kujira whale. Others have said that it looked vaguely like a dinosaur of unspecified type. The only recorded evidence we have received so far of this phenomena, which we are tentatively calling ‘go-jira,’ is the short audio clip.”
A roar came from the television loudspeaker. Goodbumps came over Aichan’s body and she tasted bile in her throat. A few people in the crowd fainted. It was like no roar of any animal Aichan had ever heard before. It was like the screaming of a thousand tormented souls. It was like the sound of the end of the world.
The anchor continued. “Within minutes of receiving the reports, all communications from the city ceased. Naha City has a population of 300,000…”
Aichan felt an emptiness within her. 300,000 people had turned into ash within 10 minutes. It was a number beyond comprehension. She remembered that thousands of people had died at the World Trade Center, and how she had cried all night long for their souls. But this was beyond belief. She tried to cry, but instead of feeling sorrow, she was overcome by dread. She tried to remember whether she knew anybody from Okinawa. What was happening? Was this really the wrath of God? The 300,000 people of Naha – were they transported to heaven in a rapture?
After a moment, the anchor continued in a hushed tone. “Our news desk has learned that all communications from the city of Urasue, population 100,000, have also ceased. Urasue lies directly northeast of Naha City. It would appear that the Gojira phenomenon is moving to the Northeast. We have received no comment from the government at this time...”
Aichan turned around and took several deep breaths. She tried not to vomit. She slowly walked back to the pit that contained Kong. She hugged the giant ape’s ankle. Despite the death and tragedy, tears refused to come to her eyes. “Kong, something bad is happening,” she said. The ape let out a deep purr of concern. “If this really is the wrath of God, and the world is coming to an end, then I hope when it is your turn, you go to Heaven. You’re a kind ape, and you saved my life.”
She jumped down. “Kong, I have to go now. I need to be with my friends,” she said. “I need to be there for them. I promise I’ll be back to see you again tomorrow. If there is a tomorrow. Bye bye, Kong!”
Next chapter: Requiem
Topic: Morning Musume vs. Godzilla (Part 16: The Song of Mothra) (Read 23837 times)