Ancient Illusions

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Michael found himself in the library seated on a wingback chair and holding the letters of Lafcadio Hearn. He didn’t remember choosing to come here, or even walking through the downstairs hallway to the library.

Nevertheless, he began to read the material in his hands, and soon realized he had discovered a kindred spirit.

I ought never to have been born in this century, I think sometimes, because I live forever in dreams of other centuries and other faiths and other ethics.

Michael often felt that way. Maybe they really were cousins.

He had other feelings of connection with the shy, peculiar, peripatetic man who had lived more than a century earlier, including one that echoed a common complaint of his when Hearn wrote: The so-called improvements in civilization have apparently resulted in making it impossible to see, hear, or find anything out. You’re improving yourselves out of the natural world.

Michael laughed aloud at that. Such feelings had led to Michael’s passion for archeology, for learning about the past and its people.

He also felt compassion for the lonely man who best expressed himself when hidden behind the nib of his pen. Since Hearn had always expected people would find fault with him, and thereby abandon him and the friendship he offered, he went on the attack at the slightest provocation. With his vicious tongue, he often insulted his friends and acquaintances so badly they would cut off their friendships to avoid further confrontation or humiliation.

Ironically, Hearn’s longest relationship resulted from his arranged marriage. Koizumi Setsuko was age twenty-two, from an impoverished samurai family, when the forty-year-old Lafcadio arrived in Matsue, Japan. He had been given a job as an English teacher, but it quickly became obvious to those around him that he needed help cooking, shopping, traveling, and so on. A colleague set up a meeting between him and Setsuko. They decided that, in exchange for her taking care of his household to give him time to write for U.S. publications as well as to teach in local schools, he would assume financial responsibility for his in-laws. Despite its irregular beginnings, and the fact that he spoke little Japanese, and she even less English, he and Setsuko seemed content together, and remained so until Lafcadio’s death from a heart attack at age fifty-four in 1904. They had three sons and one daughter. Lafcadio even became a Japanese citizen in order to assure that his wife and children would inherit from him after his death. He took his wife’s family’s name as his Japanese name, and to this day the people of Japan refer to him as Koizumi Yakumo.

Michael was thinking about the strange and melancholy man when his cell phone vibrated.

It was his assistant, Li Jianjun.

“I got a weird call from Japan, from a guy who works for what was once a big daimyo family.”

“A daimyo? How feudal. Why was he calling?”

“This guy, Yamato Toru, wants to find you, but I’m not sure why. He gave a couple of different stories. First, he said you might want to help the family, their name is Nakamura, evaluate old stuff they have.”

“Sounds boring.” Michael got a lot of these calls. Most times, he directed people to contact the Antiques Roadshow, not him.

“Yeah, I told him that wasn’t your thing,” Jianjun added. “But then he said you might find a personal interest in it.”

“Personal? I can’t imagine. Did he say why?”

“A lot of the items have symbols from alchemy. He knew your interest in the subject.”

“Alchemy. The hell with that,” Michael said. After tangling with his father, Michael didn’t want to hear about it.

“You never know, boss. The alchemy angle might be worth checking out. I never … I mean, you’ve never spent much time in Japan. I wouldn’t mind going there first if you’d like. I could look over the area, check out the family. Make sure they aren’t going to palm off some Made in China junk on you.”

Michael couldn’t help but smile. He was well aware of Jianjun’s miserable home life. “Look, if nothing comes of this trip I’m on, we just might go there.”

“You’re still at that dig in New Mexico, right?” Jianjun asked.

“Actually, I’m in Cape Cod visiting my father.”

“Holy cow!” Jianjun exclaimed. “After that, you’ll definitely want to go to Japan. It’s pretty much on the other side of the world—about as far from the old man as you can get.”

A good point, Michael thought. “I’ll keep that in mind.”