Ryuhiko

Ryuhiko stood looking down the long valley. He was above the tree-line. The trees created a cushion of green below him. A palette of greens and browns topped by the stark vertical linear lines of massive stone mountains on each side of the valley. At the end of the valley was Chief Mountain standing like a giant fortress with a rainbow crossing it like a sash. In the distance he could see the approaching storm. It was time. He looked down at his hand. It was just a jo decorated with runes. How had he come to this?

Shinmasa, known as Shin to his friends, was a second generation Japanese-American. He was a very modern man from a rather traditional family. However, the youngest of five children, Shin was the only one of his siblings who paid any attention to the old traditions. He loved visiting Japan and having the opportunity to wear traditional kimono and hakama. He was a Koryu black-belt and the only one of the siblings who could still speak fluent Japanese. He told others he did it because of Japanese influence in the electronics market, but he knew that it was really because he enjoyed speaking Japanese with his parents and listening to his parents and grandparents tell stories of their childhood in Japan. He loved the Zen Buddhist philosophy of life and was a dedicated vegetarian but he had nothing to do with the religious aspects.

The Takeyo family had moved to Seattle where Shin grew up. Living among mountains, volcanos and geological faults it's no wonder that Shin became a geologist. He had earned his PhD in geophysics from Washington State University and was now doing research on the vulnerability of ground water as a result of the effect of global warming on high mountains for the Environmental Protection Agency even though he was an actual employee of the US Geological Survey.

He look out across the panorama of mountains, lakes and valleys as he hiked the last five miles from where the researchers leave their cars. He was almost to the base camp used at any one time by as many as a dozen different researchers. The camp was at 8,700 feet and hung on the side of the mountain just below the treeline. He always enjoyed staying here while doing his research. It was beautiful. It was remote wilderness, and he enjoyed spending time with fellow researchers and nature lovers.

Five of Shin's colleagues were supposed to have come with him, but they all cancelled at the last minute. Confident that there were always people at the base camp, Shin decided to go alone. Now he was just in sight of the camp and could see smoke from campfires. He was very confident, but he felt a sense of relief at the sight of the smoke and returned to admiring the scene around him. No matter how many times he had been here it never got old.

At the base camp there were at least six graduate students from Washington State, a PhD candidate from University of California at Berkley and two French researchers. He knew everyone there except one woman. She introduced herself as Mary Silva, a graduate student from Penn State University researching the effect of climate change on mountain animals.

Shin set up his tent, threw his backpack inside, grabbed a small rucksack and asked everyone in general, “who's up for going up to the weather cluster?”

The weather cluster was a cluster of weather instruments that had been set on a barren ridge another four hundred feet up the mountain. It was a hard climb even for the best trekker but Shin was anxious to get a base reading.

“Are you crazy, Shin?” called a tall slender graduate student from WSU Shin knew as Loren. “It's almost one o'clock. You'd have to go like hell to get back her before dark.” The young man laughed again at the idea.

That was the general consensus of every one except Mary.

“You really want to go, don't you?” she said.

“Yes, I'm anxious to get started,” Shin said with a smile. “Besides I love it up there. You're on top of the world.”

Mary smiled back. “Then, I'll go with you.”

“Really?”

“Sure,” said Mary. “I've heard about this weather cluster and you can help me sort it out. Besides,” Mary continued, “when the mountain lion jumps you because we're running around the mountain after dark, I'll get lots of new data.” She laughed and so did Shin.

A few hours later the two were arriving at the weather cluster. Mary sat down on a rock and stared out at the magnificent vista.

“Beautiful,” she said.

“Always!” exclaimed Shin as he hurried toward the cluster of scientific instruments.

“Are you always so focused on your work that you don't take time to look at the view?” asked Mary.

“Quite the contrary,” replied Shin. “I can sit and look at that panorama for hours without moving. The only reason I'm so focused today is that we don't have a lot of time before we need to get back.” Mary just smiled as Shin turned his attention back to the instruments in the box before him.

“I thought you wanted to learn about these?” called Shin.

“Oh, yes,” said Mary. “I was lost in the view.”

“That's why I came right here,” Shin laughed.

After a short tutorial on the weather cluster and a bit more time looking at the world below, the two started down the mountain. They made good time but it was still growing dusk as they entered the tree-line.

They had only gone a short distance when they came upon a small clearing filled with berry bushes. They were talking loudly, which is a good thing to do when hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and almost missed the movement just to their right. Suddenly a Grizzly stood up on his hind legs.

“Oh, boy,” shouted Shin as he fumbled for the bear spray hanging from his belt.

“How are you, Mr. Bear?” called Mary. She had obviously been to bear school except that Shin saw no sign of bear spray. That was a given among those who spent any time in the mountains.

“You study these animals and you don't have any bear spray?”

“Don't need it,” Mary smiled.

The two of them kept moving away from the Grizzly who watched cautiously. Shin figured that the bear would be happiest when they moved away from his berries and Shin was more than willing to oblige. But suddenly the bear roared.

“Ena ke e,” yelled Mary.

The bear stopped and then returned to standing on all four. Shin was amazed. He had encountered a number of bears in his time in the mountains but he'd never seen anything like this. Then, to top it off, the bear lowered its head and stood silently as Shin and Mary backed down the mountain paying due respect and speaking politely to the massive animal.

After they were out of sight of the bear, shin asked, “What was that you yelled at him?”

“Nothing,” said Mary. “Just making sounds. You know, like we're taught in bear school.”

“It almost seemed like you said something to him and he responded.”

“I'm good,” Mary laughed, “but I haven't learned how to speak Grizzly.”

They both laughed and talked about the marvelous creatures that inhabit their beloved mountains as they finished the hike to the base camp. It was getting dark as they approached. Being a gentleman, Shin offered his hand to Mary who was descending a rather tricky spot in the rocks. As their hands touched Shin had a sensation he couldn't explain. He looked at Mary who only smiled. She didn't show any sign of sharing his feelings. For him it was like an energy. It almost lifted him off the ground. It wasn't sensual yet it was filled with . . . . well, the only word he could find was 'love'.

It took Shin a few minutes to gather the courage to ask Mary. “Did you feel that back there?”

“Feel what?” asked Mary. “Was there a tremor?”

“No,” said Shin now feeling foolish for even having asked. “No. Nothing.”

They returned to the base camp and joined the others in the usual pot luck. Of course they got teased about their bear encounter. It was a lovely evening with good friends and comrades whom all love the mountains and the wilderness. They told stories and shared their adventures until the camp fire was a pile of embers. Then, willed with the elixir of good fellowship, all went to bed.

Hours later a dark figure entered Shin's tent. For quite some time the figure sat perfectly still next to the sleeping man. Then it reached out its hand and touched his forehead with a single finger. Shin did not awaken. No one saw, so no one remembered.