Play@YSDC

Tatsuo finds himself in a dark corridor--no lighting is switched on. He feels cool air against his face and the faint aroma of urine. He takes a few steps in the gloom towards a greenish lit room. A stiletto heel knocks against wood, Tatsuo realises there is a staircase to his side, and at the top, entering through a doorway, is Chunhua.

Tatsuo startles at the sound of Chunhua's heel tapping on the staircase.. It reminded him of the sound his mother would make with her own heel as she listened impatiently to him practice the piano with his former music teacher Miss Ikeda. Such a terrible memory....

Tatsuo flashes Chunha a childish grin and then proceeds quickly up the stair case with heavy footsteps. He is panting by the time he reaches the top.



Huh! Huh! I would seem you know all of this train's secrets.. huh! huh! lady Chunhua...

At the top of the stairs Tatsuo finds that he is in the station control room. The room is dark, except for a patch of light that streams through a window overlooking the restaurant.

Chunhua is beside a desk, stepping out of her knickers; she plants her seat on the desk and rucks up her dress to expose long, supple legs. "You realise that if Dr. Chee finds out he will kill us both? His favourite torture is the 'wire jacket' . . . it is most unpleasant." Chunhua leans back upon the desk. "I haven't got much time."

Tatooed on the inside of one thigh is 豬--pig.

Tatsuo undoes his belt and allows his formal japanese gi to fall to the floor. His private parts are still well hidden beneath his overlapping belly fat. Tatsou smiles and closes in on Chunhua, taking all the liberties one might expect from a lady of the pig. Tatso understands gluttony.. be it by food or flesh.



Perhaps your father will kill me for this Chunhua... but not before my mother kills you...

"Your mother! yes, I have no doubt of it," replies Chunhua breathlessly: it is the first time she has responded to anything Tatsuo has said.

When he is done, Chunhua pushes Tatsuo off of her with surprising strength. She pulls up her knickers and pulls down her dress, smoothing away the concertina creases. She looks at the edge of the desk where a milky puddle of their muck is congealing. "Someone's going to have a nice surprise in the morning.

"I have to go. Zhè shì hěn hǎo de." She moves away, almost running in her haste.

Tatsuo stammers as Chunhua exits the cloak room. He was quite impressed with her strength as well. He had never met a woman who could move him at all let alone with ease.

Ashamed of his nakedness, The sumo wrestler quicly puts his formal gi back on and then looks around to make sure he was not noticed.

When all is said and done.. Tatsuo stares down at the mess he and Chunhua had left behind.. now nothing more than evidence for his mother to find. Tatsuo grabs a cloth of any description and bends down on his hands and knees to clean. He will toss the rag out the window at his earliest convenience.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." A giggle. The door to the control room opens.



"Found you! I've been looking for you everywhere." Posie wrinkles her nose. "It's a bit smelly down there in those toilets."

Tatsuo spins and grins with releif. He kneels down to meet the child at her level.



Oh! It is just you little one. How clever to have found me...

Tatsuo puts a large hand on Posie's shoulder.

Tell me lttle one... have you grown fat since last we met?

"I did try to grow fat," says Posie, "I really did. I ate and I ate, but unfortunately I started to feel sick. So I thought I'd come and play 'Bears' with you two; I heard you!--roaring and thumping. Anyways, that China-lady has gone--she passed me at the foot of the stairs. Oh!--" she reaches into the pocket of her pinafore "--she gave me this to give to you." Posie produces a raffle token, the silver disk that Dr. Chee had given to many guests, but did not give to Tatsuo.

A humming sound that grows in intensity fills the control room and then fades: the suspended brass gong from the restaurant has been struck.

Tatsuo smiles warmly at Posie and nods.



Very good little one.. Now listen carefully.. You must not tell anyone that you saw the chinese lady up her with me. Her father is a mean man who will hit chunhua if he discovers that she was hiding up here with me. We were only moving furniture you see but her father will not understand. Can you keep this sectet little one?

Before Posie could answer, Tatsuo looks up and all the color in face drops deep into his toes as he spots his mother at the door to the cloak room.

No. He whispers

Arashi is scowling.



And what secret must this little girl keep Tatsuo?

Tatsuo stammers....

Never mind.. leave us and attend to the bell. I will be along shortly.

But mother... she is just...

LEAVE US NOW! We have womenly matters to discuss...

Tatsuo bows his head and walks briskly past Posie. dragging a hand along her tiny arm to offer whatever comfort he was able.

Arashi closes the door and glowers at Posie.

So tell me child! Tell me your secret before I grow angry!

"'My secret'? my-- my-- my secret?" A frightened Posie looks over Arashi to the door, "Tatsuo, come back!" She begins to cry.

• ~

Tatsuo, on the stairs outside the control room door, finds that he is face to face with the English woman--Elisabeth Grey.

*

Tatsuo stops and looks nevously behind him. He then turns back and says Hello in Japanese to Ms Grey.

Behind the door Arashi lunges for Posie and shakes her..



Tell me child! Tell me now!

Elisabeth doesn't understand Japanese, but she gathers that Tatsuo is greeting her. "Oh, hello," she says, unable to maneuver past his immense bulk in the confined space of the stairway. "I'm looking for Posie. Have you seen her?"

Arashi shakes Posie, who screams loudly.

"Posie!" calls Elisabeth. She points up the stairs. "Quickly, back upstairs! She could be hurt!"

Tatsuo simply looks down at the stairs, unwilling to meet eyes with Elizabeth Grey.

Up stairs.. Arashi squezes Posie's arm harder and grits her teeth.



What secret is Tatsuo keeping from his mother child? Tell me!

Thinking that he doesn't understand her, Elisabeth switches to Chinese. "Ràng yi!" she shouts, trying to squeeze past Tatsuo.

A terrified Posie answers Arashi: "Tatsuo was playing with Chunhua. He said it was a secret, I don't know why. Oh, you're hurting me!"

Tatsuo looks up at Elizabeth with a look of defeat in his sad fat eyes. He looks behind him at the closed door and then back at Elizabeth Grey.



My mother is speaking Posie. She is a very well behaved child.

Arashi lets go of Posie's arm quite suddenly and just as suddenly changes her demeanor. She smiles and pats the yound girl on the head.



Gooood child... very gooood! Tatsuo was right to keep this secret... Will you keep it for him?

"But why was she screaming?" asks Elisabeth, a skeptical look in her eyes.

Posie doesn't answer Arashi. As soon as she is released, Posie twists away from the evil old hag and flees. She snatches at the doorknob of the control room door, flings the door open, and is confronted by Tatsuo's backside: the Japanese man is an insurmountable obstacle upon the narrow stairs. Posie escapes through his legs, wriggling between Tatsuo's fat calfs, and now, she sees Elisabeth Grey, who is remonstrating angrily with Tatsuo. Posie buries her face in Elisabeth's dress and wraps both arms round her waist; Posie begins to sob.

Elisabeth puts her arms around Posie and hugs her back. "It's all right, dear," she says, her voice soothing. "You're safe now. Let's go back down and join the party, okay?"

"Yes please, Miss Grey," answers Posie. Together they descend the stairs, Posie doesn't let go of Elisabeth's waist. Posie throws an emotional remark to Tatsuo: "I called your name, and you didn't come back. I don't like you anymore!"

Elisabeth guides Posie carefully back down the darkened stairwell and towards the door leading back to the main room. "He just stood there," she says. "He wouldn't go back up, and I couldn't get past him. I think he must be afraid of his mother."

A tear forms in Tasuo's eye and he turns around to help his mother back down the stairs. The two walk silently to the main room where everyone is gathering to the call of the gong.