Dolphins on a rainy day

Author: [Japan] Kyoichi Katayama
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Rainy Day with Dolphins is a "complete story" composed of four standalone short stories. The first part, Angelus River, tells of a couple traveling with their newborn baby who see scenes that clearly resemble the "9/11" attacks on a hotel TV: "The plane seemed to be drawn by something, crashing headfirst into the building. Its body pierced the building wall like a knife through paper. In an instant, the plane's nose emerged from the other side of the building, immediately engulfed in yellow flames. With a deafening explosion." After watching this inexplicable image, the second part, Rainy Day with Dolphins, begins with the dolphins escaping. The 19-year-old narrator envies the dolphins for being able to flee. It turns out the narrator is working at an adult entertainment venue, where one of the clients is actually their high school teacher and principal. The narrator can't help but think in their heart: What exactly is a teacher supposed to do? Could it be... In the third part, They Are Alive, We Are Dead, the supermarket deputy manager reappears. This time, he's no longer a deputy manager but works as a caregiver for elderly people who cannot care for themselves, and in his spare time, he plays American football as a defensive end for the team. "A year ago, I saw on TV how Arab terrorists hijacked planes and crashed into buildings, and I was shocked—as if... The fourth and final part, also the longest and most captivating, More Than Words Can Say, features the sudden appearance of Tomoko as the protagonist. Her husband, Yuichi, is reading the newspaper and drinking tea on a Saturday morning when he suddenly clutches his chest in pain. He's soon taken to the hospital in an ambulance, only to be told that his heart has stopped. Heartbroken Tomoko deals with the aftermath and, while sorting through her husband's belongings, accidentally discovers...