Status Updates From La maison d'été

‘—eruption—as they were starting to climb—steps—to the Kannon-dō Temple. The village (Kamahara), population : 600 at the time,—500 perished—those who hadn’t taken refuge in the temple. Kamahara was—20km from Mt. Asama. Kita-Asama is closer, within 10km. 1783—200 years ago—destroyed on the eighth day of the seventh month—‘Chestnut can warp or crack while it’s drying—but once that’s settled down it’s a strong wood—’’

‘But—if there was an—earthquake that reduced the whole city—to rubble, how would you feel if your house was the only one that didn’t collapse or burn down? Imagine a wasteland—only your house left standing—& you, not only alive, but with a roof over your head—everything unscathed. It would be unbearable. Could you recover from something like that? People make it through a disaster believing they—just lucky, right?’

‘As soon as you were inside you sensed a change in the air—fragrance of wood and books —‘If you remember it that well, it must have been well built.’ The evening light, tinged with red, shone on the crown of the tree behind him. I saw the shadow of a bird fly across it—From somewhere overhead I heard the song of a gray thrush—Could the blackbird have changed its coloring bit by bit until, after many generations—’