Writing The House of the Setting Sun

[Guest Midnight Rush]

The House of the Setting Sun
Patrick Beam


He was dead. He knew this, but somehow he retained a consciousness that in reality lasted but a few mille seconds, to him however, it was eternity. Sitting in a small, dark room, on a plain wooden chair with a single light glaring down at him, something was asking him questions. His very being felt compelled to respond, at first he tried lying, but the interrogator simply repeated the question until he told the truth.
They, whoever it was, never pained him or threatened him. He couldn?t understand why he was answering, let alone answering with his deepest thoughts, but he was. They weren?t letting his mind wander either; it was as if they controlled everything he was doing, from thinking down to breathing.
?Why?? The voice asked him.
?Why what?? He replied.
?Why did you give your life for a woman you didn?t even know??
?I...I don?t...I don?t know.?
?Yes you do. Think about what happened. When the bandits attacked you stood by without caring as they murdered countless people. But when they reached the woman, you attacked.?
?W-what are you talking about? You mean the House of the Setting Sun?? He replied, his mind starting to lose lucidity.
?Yes. By the hotel your troops were staying in. It was March 15th, 1944. Yesterday to be precise. The day you died.?
?I can?t think? why was I there?? He said, feeling the faintest urges of tears, although he didn?t know why.
?You were fighting a war.?
?Where?? He said, remembering only the smell of blood.
?China. You led men against the advancing Japanese forces? you were trying to protect the civilians. At least that what your papers said. You weren?t protecting them at all, were you??
?I...I...I...? He couldn?t bring himself to say it.
?ANSWER!?
?No, I suppose I wasn?t.? He said, sweating hard, although the room was cool.
?Then why die, why give up the life decorated with an Ivy-league degree and a Cadillac studded driveway for a foreign woman you didn?t know!?? The voice roared the edge of frenzy now aided its cut.
?My head?hurts...? He said.
?I will show you what you forget,? the voice said.
He felt a shock of force hitting him all over, and then suddenly he was wide awake again. The Chinese sunset?s harsh light blinded him for a second, and then he realized where he was. He was back in time, at the village he had died at.
?Hey! Bandits are attacking, sir! We can?t push them back, we have lost too many...? A voice said, but it wasn?t the interrogator.
Then he remembered. He remembered the smell of burning flesh mixed with that of blood and vomit; he remembered the sounds of the planes and the roar of explosives and machine guns. He remembered the horrors of war, of watching his men, his friends, die around him one by bloody one.

He turned to answer the voice, but then he saw himself answer the man. It hit him: he was watching his own death scene, and he vomited. He looked around, everything was exactly as his newly renewed memory said. The village was relatively intact, but the surrounding countryside could not be seen because of the smoking fires. Explosions and screams filled the air at regular intervals, and the smell of death intoxicated all those in the region.
He watched himself in horror: The bandits attacked the Chinese, and he didn?t raise his gun to save them. A marauder disemboweled a small boy only a few feet away, and he watched himself light a cigarette. He watched as he did nothing to save his men, they fought for the villagers and died. He did nothing.
He saw a group of the attackers surround a woman, pressing her back to the wall. He saw them start to rip her shirt off, they would rape before murdering her. And still he saw himself do nothing.
?I am a beast! A mother-******* inhuman son of a *****! How could I just let these people die! How could I stand and watch my men die! I am an American soldier? no I?m not... I?m nothing as grand as a soldier?.? He said to himself, the tears flowing freely down his face. He shivered and convulsed at his own indifference.
?**** YOU ALL!? He suddenly heard himself say. He saw himself charge at the attackers surrounding the woman. He saw his gun fire, killing several of them. He watched as he stuck out with the bayonet until it broke in the rib-cage of a bandit. He then used the gun as a club, now completely surrounded by them. He saw himself take a several blows from fists. Then he saw a knife in his back, another in his leg, the blood gushing out in a seemingly eternal stream.
With his last breath he heard himself say, ?Woman run!? But she already had, long before he had said it. She ran as fast as her bound feet could take her. The bandits did not catch up to her.
They were having too much fun mutilating his body. He watched his left leg be removed by a rusty saw, and suddenly the vision died. He was in the room again, the light brighter than ever.
?Now can you tell me why?? The voice said.
?I??
?Don?t answer yet.?
The woman appeared in front of him, still clad in her dirty clothes, but now standing proud. Her eyes were wide open, but she did not move. He looked at her, and his attention was caught by her eyes. They were bright green, almost a green fire. He was entranced, mystified. Never before had he seen eyes as bright and alive as hers, and he doubted any one else had eyes so enthralling.
?Her eyes? they are green?? he said.
?Yes they are. Strange, it is unusual for one of her people to have eyes of that color. I was mystified myself, until I realized why?? The voice said.
?Why? Please? tell me?? He said.
?There is no reason. No reason at all.?
?Why did I save her??
?I was just asking you that? Do you really not know??
?No?? he said.
?Because your soul was horrified at what your mind chose to do. It overruled your mind at the last moment, thus resulting in that particular woman?s life being spared.?
?But how??
?We don?t know. All we know is that in some, the soul is completely gone. Vanished. But in most it remains, to act at the last.?
?That is why then? my soul, forced me to save her??
?No. It did what the real you wanted to do all along.?
?I see?? He said, and with that he left the room, and finished his death.
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This just came to me, I don't know why. Tell me what you guys think though, aight?