No one could have prepared me for what I saw just two days ago. Lord God, why have you permitted it? What have these people done to anger You so?
I was on a business trip that took me to Tokyo, Japan for a two week period. As I set down my overloaded suitcase on the lumpy Western style bed, I thought about the experiences that perhaps the next two weeks would bring.I thought about the sushi bars and all the pleasantries, the warm company of my Japanese friends. My mind was loaded with images of opportunity. The next two weeks could result in a contract which could have me and my family set for life. Business conducted over the Internet was no substitute for business conducted in person. It was to be both the contract of my dreams and the time of my life. My friend Yamada picked me up from the hotel where I was staying. We went to eat at an expensive restaurant where I gorged myself on ramen and sushi (I didn't care for the sashimi.) We chatted pleasantly switching back and forth between Japanese and English. We discussed old times, we talked of women, etc. No topic was too sacred for discussion save one....and this one, Yamada-san refused to discuss, absolutely. There must be some reason, so I didn't push.
Three days after my arrival in Tokyo, the business meeting took place. I was offered a contract for the equivalent of some $150,000 annually. We signed the contract and then Yamada-san and I went out to celebrate. The next few days were an ecstatic blur. I telephoned my wife to give her the good news. I would send for her and the kids. She seemed interested, but not as excited as I hoped she would be.
That evening, Yamada and I were in my hotel room sharing memories and tobacco smoke when the air raid sirens suddenly blared forth..Puzzled, I turned on the television set. At first, Yamada-san seemed interested in the news broadcast but after a few seconds, his face took on a look of horror beyond words.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received word that Godzilla has risen from the ocean again and has appeared in Tokyo. At this time, everyone is asked to proceed immediately to the nearest shelter.......this is not a drill."
Yamada-san began to tug on my wrist and pull me out of the hotel room. In a panic he was screaming: "Come ON Larry.....we have to GO! Please....it's not safe here anymore."
But I didn't hear him. My eyes were glued to the television screen and my jaw hung slack with utter disbelief. My brain didn't register Yamada's words, as I was too busy staring at the most marvelous and terrible being my eyes had ever beheld.
This was a dream, right......?
Yamada-san continued to pull me toward the door, and we were in the hall on the fifth floor of the hotel. Suddenly, the electricity went out and we were engulfed in darkness.Yamada and I took the stairs down to the lobby, where we went out to the streets.
I heard thunder as loud as could be, only later realizing that it was the monsters' footsteps. Yamada and I raced through the streets of Tokyo, running for our lives, along with ten thousand others. I chanced to look over my shoulder at the threat we were running from....and as it turns out, we were trying to escape Death's harbinger itself. With a yelp. Yamada-san lost his balance and fell. I could hear his cries of pain as he was trampled by the panicking crowd. I ran back to try to help him, but he pointed at Godzilla and screamed "Get OUT of here!" The beast lumbered ever nearer.......and as I ran at a right angle to the beast's path to try to escape, I found safety at a shelter. I looked up and down for Yamada-san but I could not find him. It was later that I found out that Yamada-san.................did not survive.
I spent the next two days in shock, staring at the ceiling in a makeshift hospital. They tell me that I was catatonic.As it stands now, I have lost my heart for business. I just want to go back to America and forget......but how can I? My friend Yamada was the lucky one. I am the one having to pick up the pieces.
It is impossible to forget the terror of that Tuesday night. He stalks the land in my dreams, he kills and terrorizes the people. Even the nightmares are too much for me too handle. Why, God? When will my life be the same........?
