Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 2:40 P.M. Harry was exhausted from the trip to the hospital. Mom helped him change out of his blood-spattered pajamas and tucked him into bed. A minute later he was asleep, with Nya curled up on his stomach. Ben was in the kitchen pouring some juice when Ojisan came in. "How about a walk?" he said quietly. "No thanks, Ojisan," Ben said with a tinge of guilt. "I'm kind of tired, too."

Every day they'd been here, Ojisan had invited Ben to go exploring. And every day, Ben had thought of an excuse. Ben didn't want to see the pine forest where Dad used to play hide-and-seek, or the marina where Dad learned to fish. He didn't want to hear any of Ojisan's stories about Dad. Ben slinked out of the kitchen, avoiding Ojisan's eyes. He'd just stepped into the bedroom when Harry suddenly sat up. Harry had a dreamy look on his face. Ben wondered if he was fully awake. "You know," he said softly, "I made it to the tippy top." "Top of what?" Ben asked, sitting down next to Harry. "The cherry tree," Harry answered. "Before I fell down, I made the wish, Ben. I made the wish!" His eyes were glowing.

Before Ben could say anything, Nya suddenly jumped up and yowled. She stood there with her fur standing straight up, then started pushing against Harry's arm with her nose. It looked as if she wanted to roll Harry off the bed. Was the old cat going totally bonkers? And then there was a strange sound, a very deep rumbling. The glass of water on the dresser jiggled. At first, Ben thought it was fighter jets passing overhead, like at home when a squadron returned to the base. But the rumbling got louder and louder, and the bed began to shake. "Ben!" Harry cried. "What is it?" Dread rose up in Ben. Ojisan shouted from somewhere across the house. "Ben! Harry! Dishin! Dishin!" Ben didn't need to understand Japanese to know what Ojisan was saying.

Earthquake! The shaking got stronger and stronger until Ben and Harry were bouncing up and down on the bed. Ben gripped Harry as hard as he could so they wouldn't fall off. It was as though they were rafting on a wild river. Thud! The dresser tipped over. Smash! The lamp hit the floor, its lightbulb exploding with a shattering pop. "EEEEE!" screeched Nya. But above all the other sounds was a thundering roar, like the earth itself was screaming with fury. The sound hammered into Ben's ears and pounded his brain. "Make it stop!" screamed Harry. But there was no stopping it. Ben didn't know that earthquakes could last so long. The ground in California shook all the time. But never for more

than a few seconds. And never like this! Ben suddenly remembered that more earthquakes happen in Japan than practically anywhere else on Earth, even California. In Science, they learned about the earthquake that destroyed Tokyo in the 1920s, and another one in the city of Kobe, in the 1990s. How could he have forgotten all that? They'd also learned how skyscrapers in Japan were built to survive strong earthquakes. The tall buildings here were made to sway, like blades of grass on a windy day. But the buildings around here looked old. Ojisan's house was made of wood and plaster. Like all the houses here, the roof was covered with red clay tiles. Could Ojisan's house survive an earthquake like this? The answer came with a BOOM that rose up above the other noises. "Ben, look!" Harry cried, pointing up.

A huge crack had appeared in the ceiling. It got bigger and bigger. Any second, the ceiling would collapse. They had to get out of here!