forth.
Mother wrung her hands and trembled. She mumbled under her breath like a crazy person. I knew this was not a time to ask questions. Even Aunt Tiger was silent.
All of a sudden, Okja came running out into the yard. I was surprised to see her, for none of the girls ever left their machines during the day except for lunch. She stared at Mother in silent terror. Whether or not Captain Narita walked into the factory, the girls somehow always knew when he had come by the house.
Mother looked at Okja, but her mind was elsewhere. After what seemed like a long time, she said, "Captain Narita has threatened to take you girls away. He said you did not produce enough socks, but you cannot possibly do any more! I should have been out here with you. What am I going to do, Okja? I better tell the girls ... I want you to hide. I don't want any of you to come here anymore."
Okja's eyes filled with tears, but she bit her lip to keep from crying. "There is no place for us to hide," she said quietly. "He knows where we live and whom we know, and if he wants to, he'll find us and take us to the front. No matter where we go, we are their prisoners. It'll do no good to hide. He'll only make you suffer more for letting us go. All we can do is work day and night to produce more socks and hope he'll change his mind."
Haiwon came running out into the yard, wiping the sweat from her brow. Squinting in the bright sunlight, she said, "The girls are saying something is terribly wrong. We want to know what's going on. We know the rat was here talking to you. How come he did not inspect the factory? What did he want?" Haiwon looked at Mother and Okja. Suddenly she started wailing, "Oh, no, not that, not that, oh no ... I wish I were dead, I wish I were dead!" and she fell to her knees crying, pounding on her chest with her fists.
Mother and Okja dropped to the ground and embraced her, steadying her hands and wiping her tears. "Come. Let's go into the sock factory and talk about this and see what we can do," said Mother.
When I got up to follow them, Aunt Tiger grabbed me and kept me with her. I watched as the three of them entered the ugly barrack. I heard the machines go off. There was silence, then violent cries of anguish. It grew quiet again. What were they talking about? I waited. Soon the machines started up again, and I saw Mother come stumbling out. She was drenched with perspiration. She stood listlessly outside the barrack clutching the door handle.
Aunt Tiger rushed to her side and led her to the straw mat where we were sitting. "They ate so brave," said Mother to Aunt Tiger. "They want to try to make even more socks in the hope that Narita will change his mind. But I wish they would just try to hide. I don't want them to come back here. I can't beat to see them taken away. I don't cate what Narita does to me."
Aunt Tiger looked at Mother in disbelief. "You must be mad with fever! You know Captain Narita better than that by now! Okja is tight. They have nowhere to hide. They all know that if even one of them doesn't come to work, they will all suffer for it. We all will. There's no escape for us. We are like mice trapped in a dungeon of wildcats. We are Koreans; we are a cursed race and there is no hope for us as long as the Japanese are around."
Mother didn't seem to he listening. With her fists clenched, she stared at the barrack, praying for a revelation to save her dear sock girls.
Aunt Tiger continued. "They use us, they toy with us, and eventually they'll kill us all, one way or another. Our lives are worth no more than a fly's. 'A voluntary offering for the glory of the Emperor'... How skillfully they lie, lie, lie! Those girls would rather die than be 'spirit girls' for the Emperor's soldiers. When I think of how many truckloads of girls they've taken to the front already ... I heard half of them killed themselves by jumping off the speeding trucks rather than be locked in those latrines and used by those soldiers. Our
Mother wrung her hands and trembled. She mumbled under her breath like a crazy person. I knew this was not a time to ask questions. Even Aunt Tiger was silent.
All of a sudden, Okja came running out into the yard. I was surprised to see her, for none of the girls ever left their machines during the day except for lunch. She stared at Mother in silent terror. Whether or not Captain Narita walked into the factory, the girls somehow always knew when he had come by the house.
Mother looked at Okja, but her mind was elsewhere. After what seemed like a long time, she said, "Captain Narita has threatened to take you girls away. He said you did not produce enough socks, but you cannot possibly do any more! I should have been out here with you. What am I going to do, Okja? I better tell the girls ... I want you to hide. I don't want any of you to come here anymore."
Okja's eyes filled with tears, but she bit her lip to keep from crying. "There is no place for us to hide," she said quietly. "He knows where we live and whom we know, and if he wants to, he'll find us and take us to the front. No matter where we go, we are their prisoners. It'll do no good to hide. He'll only make you suffer more for letting us go. All we can do is work day and night to produce more socks and hope he'll change his mind."
Haiwon came running out into the yard, wiping the sweat from her brow. Squinting in the bright sunlight, she said, "The girls are saying something is terribly wrong. We want to know what's going on. We know the rat was here talking to you. How come he did not inspect the factory? What did he want?" Haiwon looked at Mother and Okja. Suddenly she started wailing, "Oh, no, not that, not that, oh no ... I wish I were dead, I wish I were dead!" and she fell to her knees crying, pounding on her chest with her fists.
Mother and Okja dropped to the ground and embraced her, steadying her hands and wiping her tears. "Come. Let's go into the sock factory and talk about this and see what we can do," said Mother.
When I got up to follow them, Aunt Tiger grabbed me and kept me with her. I watched as the three of them entered the ugly barrack. I heard the machines go off. There was silence, then violent cries of anguish. It grew quiet again. What were they talking about? I waited. Soon the machines started up again, and I saw Mother come stumbling out. She was drenched with perspiration. She stood listlessly outside the barrack clutching the door handle.
Aunt Tiger rushed to her side and led her to the straw mat where we were sitting. "They ate so brave," said Mother to Aunt Tiger. "They want to try to make even more socks in the hope that Narita will change his mind. But I wish they would just try to hide. I don't want them to come back here. I can't beat to see them taken away. I don't cate what Narita does to me."
Aunt Tiger looked at Mother in disbelief. "You must be mad with fever! You know Captain Narita better than that by now! Okja is tight. They have nowhere to hide. They all know that if even one of them doesn't come to work, they will all suffer for it. We all will. There's no escape for us. We are like mice trapped in a dungeon of wildcats. We are Koreans; we are a cursed race and there is no hope for us as long as the Japanese are around."
Mother didn't seem to he listening. With her fists clenched, she stared at the barrack, praying for a revelation to save her dear sock girls.
Aunt Tiger continued. "They use us, they toy with us, and eventually they'll kill us all, one way or another. Our lives are worth no more than a fly's. 'A voluntary offering for the glory of the Emperor'... How skillfully they lie, lie, lie! Those girls would rather die than be 'spirit girls' for the Emperor's soldiers. When I think of how many truckloads of girls they've taken to the front already ... I heard half of them killed themselves by jumping off the speeding trucks rather than be locked in those latrines and used by those soldiers. Our
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