Sunday 19 September 2010

Summary of Chapter 33 - The Kamikaze Pilot - Sian Thompson

Jim stood by the concrete blockhouse that gaurded the parking lot. Jim knew that he was too weak to walk to Shanghai and there would be too many dangers on the open road, like the platoon of Chinese puppet soldiers just up the road. He set off towards Lunghua Airfield instead. He followed the verge, walking between the ruins that war had left, including a dead Chinese soldier and pack-horse.
He left the road when it turned off towards the Nantao docks, and walked through the flooded fields. He climbed through a wired fence and went to an abandoned aicraft. Jim listened for a noise of hacksaws or cutting equipment, but the air was empty and silent. he stopped under the tailplane of a Zero fighter. It had been destroyed by cannon fire, but Jim still felt the magic of it as he had watched them taking off from the runway he had helped to build. He peered into the cockpit at the dials trim wheels.
Jim walked between the plane ruins, and imagined them flying in his head. He sat to rest, waiting for the Americans to arrive. He heard a noise and before he could hide, a Japanese airman stood infront of him - he gazed at the aircraft. Jim attempted to camouflage himself, and noticed that this Hapanese pilot-officer was still a teenager, and was just as starved as himself. He noticed Jim then walked off.
Jim wondered whether the Japanese had a secret weapon prepared. Jim repeated his thoughts on how young this pilot was, and how only a short time ago he would have been a schoolboy. Jim began to follow the pilot. When the pilot saw two soldiers gaurding a rifle pit, he beckoned Jim to him. They stood together and the pilot admired Jim. Flies tapped at the pilot's lips and reminded Jim of the flies that covered Mr Maxted.
He wondered whether they knew that this pilot should have died in an attack on the American carriers at Okinawa.The Japanese threw his wooden stake into the nettles, and got out a small mango. Jim forced himself not to eat. The pilot waved Jim towards the perimeter fence.

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