THE ZOO ATTACK

Nutmeg Akasaka told the narrator the story of the tigers, the leopards, the wolves, and the bears that were shot by soldiers in August, 1945. Nutmeg did not actually witness this event because at the time she was on a transport ship carrying refugee settlers home to Japan from Manchuria. What she did witness was a confrontation between the ship, which was defenseless, and an American submarine. The submarine surfaced suddenly and flashed a signal lamp at the ship indicating an imminent attack. Nutmeg stared transfixed at the submarine, until she slipped into unconsciousness. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Nutmeg saw the Japanese soldiers as they moved through the Hsin-ching zoo.