My Enemy, My Friend
Jack Nadel
© 2001 Jack Nadel. All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1
The shrill shriek of sirens pierced Yukio Matsuda's ears and his eyes immediately snapped open. Sitting upright in bed, he stared into the darkness and listened to the distant roar of the B-29 bombers, approaching like a thunderstorm, growing louder with each passing moment.
Groping in the darkness for the nightlight, he flipped it on and looked at the clock in disbelief: 2 A.M. The incessant bombing of Japan had been going on since November of last year. But the attacks had always come in the daylight hours, aimed at factories and military targets. Never before had there been an assault at night. Yet, he could now hear the low rumble of planes as they rolled across the sky, seemingly headed straight for the heart of Tokyo.
Yukio sprang out of bed, grabbed his robe and wrapped it around his powerful body in one swift motion. Forty-eight years old, he still moved with the grace and agility of his Samurai ancestors.
A sharp knock sounded at the door and as he opened it, he came face to face with Hito, his manservant. Bowing awkwardly, Hito pointed his finger toward the sky. His hand shook and there was panic in his eyes.
"The devils have now come at night, Matsuda-San!" the old man gasped, his voice laced with fear. "There is no time to lose! We must go to the bomb shelter!"
“You go and take the others. I will follow later," Yukio commanded, watching the old man as he quickly shuffled away.
Pausing only long enough to put on his slippers, Yukio hurried out into the night. His family's low, polished wood home sat atop a small hill just five kilometers from downtown Tokyo. From this vantage point, he could view the city. Giant searchlights now probed the cold, dark sky. They swept across the high ceiling of clouds, as the sound of plane engines grew to a powerful, deafening roar.
A bright explosion lit up one area, followed by another and another as dozens and then hundreds of small wooden houses burst into flames. He watched the giant spotlights race across the sky until they caught one of the offending B-29's in the center of their glare. A barrage of anti-aircraft guns zeroed in on the lumbering plane until it exploded and hurtled down like a shooting star into the blazing inferno below.
The night was filled with smoke, flames and sounds. Wave after wave of bombers soared through the skies, dropping thousands of incendiary bombs on the now helpless city. Through the light of the fires and the haze of smoke wafting through the air, the lone figure of Yukio Matsuda was illuminated in an eerie glow. He stood with his feet planted firmly on the ground, his fists clenched in rage, as the ...
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