its feet, but at that moment, to Dr. Sakakibara’s eyes, it seemed to have undergone a convulsion. As the fetus’ body dried, its movements became more and more marked. It was the last of its kind, knocking down Dr. Akedera’s hypothesis regarding a large litter but proving in part his theory about an abbreviated gestation period. After that, Ai’s organs were extracted in the hopes of preservingtissue.
At eight, Dr. Sakakibara called Mr. Tamura, and after a brief discussion among the three of them, members of the press, as noted earlier, were summoned.
The above represents the entire sequence of events. The issue of what happened to the newborn winged mouse remains, but I would rather present the matter in Dr. Sakakibara’s own words. I piece together only half of what was said to me as I sat at his bedside. It may not be the most natural piece of writing, but I believe an unedited account will grant the reader a more realistic sense of what had transpired.
At the time of our dialogue, Dr. Sakakibara was running a fever as a result of pneumonia and hardly in his best condition, but I should like it noted that he was perfectly lucid.
So as not to injure the fetus, Akedera-san used apair of curved scissors to carefully cut through the thin amnion and open it
.
The fetus that emerged halfway out of the sac was in an inanimate state. No, it was not that I thought so, Akedera-san said that
.
I had assumed it would be dead and had given up
.
He said it would really die if we did not hurry and from there on he employed the scissors with a new speed and precision
.
The umbilical cord may have torn somewhere along the way and I recognized none
.
It appeared to me that the fetus steeped in amnion was not even breathing
.
Without saying a word, Akedera-san put on a pair of sterilized plastic gloves and started to dangle the fetus roughly by its tail and to knock it against the edge of the Petri dish
.
I thought he had gone mad and made to stop himlest we lose an important sample
.
After Akedera-san slapped it with the palm of his hand several times, the baby mouse suddenly convulsed to my surprise
.
I cannot describe the shock and joy I felt when I then saw it move ever so slightly
.
I could tell from the movement of its chest that the tiny little thing was slowly beginning to breathe
.
I was beside myself, but Akedera-san still had a scary look on his face
.
A really scary look
.
In time, the baby mouse’s movements grew more pronounced
.
I could not believe it when I saw it trying to get to its feet
.
The baby mouse starting to move in the Petri dishwas still moist from the amniotic fluid and did not even seem to know which way it was going, but it was unmistakably and fiercely asserting that it was alive
.
But Akedera-san dropped the heavy pair of scissors down on it like it was nothing
.
By the next instant the baby mouse already lay crushed in the transparent amniotic fluid
.
As translucent organs poked through its torn skin I wondered what had just happened
.
At first I thought he had dropped the scissors by accident, but Akedera-san’s expression remained unchanged
.
I was speechless
.
I could not believe my own eyes
.
No matter what I said, Akedera-san would not answer me
.
Naturally, Dr. Sakakibara was enraged by the sudden and unexplained action. But Dr. Akedera “offered no excuse or explanation” (Dr. Sakakibara).
Thereafter, Dr. Akedera continued to refuse to discuss the incident. The two doctors’ relationship was sundered, but as Dr. Sakakibara was an accessory to the crime, he could not bring himself to publicly accuse Dr. Akedera in the coming days, either. By his own admission, however, it was not as if Dr. Sakakibara had mustered any clear resolve to do so, compromised or not.
Oddly, while Dr. Akedera’s journal contains a meticulous account of everything else that happened that day, there is only one line about the baby mouse: “There were no markings on the wings of the
At eight, Dr. Sakakibara called Mr. Tamura, and after a brief discussion among the three of them, members of the press, as noted earlier, were summoned.
The above represents the entire sequence of events. The issue of what happened to the newborn winged mouse remains, but I would rather present the matter in Dr. Sakakibara’s own words. I piece together only half of what was said to me as I sat at his bedside. It may not be the most natural piece of writing, but I believe an unedited account will grant the reader a more realistic sense of what had transpired.
At the time of our dialogue, Dr. Sakakibara was running a fever as a result of pneumonia and hardly in his best condition, but I should like it noted that he was perfectly lucid.
So as not to injure the fetus, Akedera-san used apair of curved scissors to carefully cut through the thin amnion and open it
.
The fetus that emerged halfway out of the sac was in an inanimate state. No, it was not that I thought so, Akedera-san said that
.
I had assumed it would be dead and had given up
.
He said it would really die if we did not hurry and from there on he employed the scissors with a new speed and precision
.
The umbilical cord may have torn somewhere along the way and I recognized none
.
It appeared to me that the fetus steeped in amnion was not even breathing
.
Without saying a word, Akedera-san put on a pair of sterilized plastic gloves and started to dangle the fetus roughly by its tail and to knock it against the edge of the Petri dish
.
I thought he had gone mad and made to stop himlest we lose an important sample
.
After Akedera-san slapped it with the palm of his hand several times, the baby mouse suddenly convulsed to my surprise
.
I cannot describe the shock and joy I felt when I then saw it move ever so slightly
.
I could tell from the movement of its chest that the tiny little thing was slowly beginning to breathe
.
I was beside myself, but Akedera-san still had a scary look on his face
.
A really scary look
.
In time, the baby mouse’s movements grew more pronounced
.
I could not believe it when I saw it trying to get to its feet
.
The baby mouse starting to move in the Petri dishwas still moist from the amniotic fluid and did not even seem to know which way it was going, but it was unmistakably and fiercely asserting that it was alive
.
But Akedera-san dropped the heavy pair of scissors down on it like it was nothing
.
By the next instant the baby mouse already lay crushed in the transparent amniotic fluid
.
As translucent organs poked through its torn skin I wondered what had just happened
.
At first I thought he had dropped the scissors by accident, but Akedera-san’s expression remained unchanged
.
I was speechless
.
I could not believe my own eyes
.
No matter what I said, Akedera-san would not answer me
.
Naturally, Dr. Sakakibara was enraged by the sudden and unexplained action. But Dr. Akedera “offered no excuse or explanation” (Dr. Sakakibara).
Thereafter, Dr. Akedera continued to refuse to discuss the incident. The two doctors’ relationship was sundered, but as Dr. Sakakibara was an accessory to the crime, he could not bring himself to publicly accuse Dr. Akedera in the coming days, either. By his own admission, however, it was not as if Dr. Sakakibara had mustered any clear resolve to do so, compromised or not.
Oddly, while Dr. Akedera’s journal contains a meticulous account of everything else that happened that day, there is only one line about the baby mouse: “There were no markings on the wings of the
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