Walt Sheldon

“ She laughed. There are tinkling strips of glass hung in a Japanese garden in summer for their cool sound. She laughed like this. "Naito-san has reason for sending me. He always has reason."
"Naito-san?"
"He is Obo—the high priest, you say in English. He taught me English."
"And your name?"
"Yuki."
"That can mean snow or flower," said Blair.
"You know Japanese writing?"
"No, but I heard it somewhere." He laughed. Then he mopped his brow again. "Hot, isn't it?"
"We must have a breeze," she said. ”

“ The American stopped to rest, to daub his brow, and he withdrew for a moment into the mottled shade beside the trail. Ahead the mountain rose and became blue with distance. A figure in a saffron robe moved down the trail, and toward him.
"A woman," said his lips without sound. His eyes clocked surprise.
He was Edward Blair. He worked for the English-language Tokyo Tribune. It was as good a paper as any to work for when your career had been interrupted twice by war. You could coast on the Tokyo Trib. You could let things not matter. ”

“ Blair tried to be patient.
"You have developed a huge, powerful monstrous science of cause and effect. You fly at vast speeds, you build huge edifices, you change the face of the earth with dams and canals, you will soon no doubt escape the gravity of the earth itself and reach outer space, and you are quite capable of making an explosion big enough to destroy the earth itself. ”

“ Blair would not forget. He would never forget the girl's golden skin, nor the warmth of her parted lips, and she would not forget him either, no matter what Naito taught. For this was something that Naito could not understand, neither in terms of science nor his own queer magic art. ”

“ Naito sighed.
"Now, how do you bring her back?" asked Blair, and kept his camera ready.
"Presently, presently," said Naito. "I think she distracts you, and now, while you can't see her, you must try once more to understand. You must know why I do these tricks, as you call them."
"All right. Why? Or better yet—how?"
"You in the west would call it psychokinesis—mentally controlling matter. Your conventional table lifting of spiritualists is an example. So is the phenomenon of people who seem to be able to will dice to fall a certain way. ”

“ Blair glanced at her and thought yes, flower. When she stands she grows quietly, like a flower.
Then Naito gave the facts. He was Japanese, but had lived in Canada and the United States for some years. He held a doctor's degree from Waseda University in Tokyo, and he had taken post graduate courses in America. He had studied Buddhism in China, Tibet and India. He had drawn from many of the other sects, and founded his own, calling it Koto, using the character that meant "event" or "circumstance."
"Yes," said Blair politely. "Now what about these magic tricks of yours?" ”

“ He saw that."
"Why would you be his enemy?"
"Because he is a tyrant."
"Naito-san? A tyrant? That is a bad ruler, is it not—a tyrant? Naito-san is not like this."
"But he is. Every tyrant that ever lived began with the hope of controlling mankind for its own good. For what he decided was its own good."
"I don't know," said Yuki. "I don't understand all you say."
"How long have you been with Naito?"
"Since I was a child. He took me when my parents died. He has been like a father. He says I must learn, always learn more. He says my life is important."
Blair moved forward suddenly. ”

“ He took both her shoulders, thrilling to touch them, and he crushed her body gently to his, feeling all the live shape of it in his own body. He found her lips. She trembled and he knew then that she had not been kissed before. ”

“ Naito looked about, glancing at some of the others strolling about the shrine. For a moment Blair thought the man would try to forcibly detain him. Blair stiffened himself and hardened his muscles; magic or no magic, the old bald fellow would have a scrap on his hands if he tried any kind of violence.
Naito then said abruptly, "But not a powerful enemy, Mr. Blair. You will make fun of us in your newspaper article, I suppose. But it won't really change anything. You may as well leave now, if you are so anxious to go. Yuki will take you down the mountain again." ”

“ They were small shoulders and, as she neared, he saw above them an oval face, a beautiful and simple face with golden skin and eyes of dark velvet. He stepped out of the shade and smiled as she came upon him.
She showed no surprise, and he was startled to hear her speak good English.
"You are Mr. Blair."
"Why, yes. Yes, I am."
"I am sent to meet you. I am sorry to be late."
"That's all right."
"I will show you the way to the shrine."
"Well, thanks. But they said in the village it was easy to find. Just follow the trail to the top of the mountain." ”

“ Entropy—or the universal tendency toward disorder that Wiener speaks of—keeps an average of them exerting force in all directions. So the pressure remains equal in all directions, and we can measure it, and be certain, reasonably certain, that the next man who measures it will get the same result. ”