"I haven't seen him since this uproar began," Dancer said worriedly. "I'd appreciate it if you'd sound him out about it. They're going to bring the paint- ing back from the farm to the studio this afternoon, and of course Ikuo will accompany it. Would you stop by then? I don't think Ikuo needs to know every last detail concerning Patron, but I'm sure he will have his own take on things."
Ogi was surprised that Dancer could be so nervous when it came to Ikuo.
As for himself, except for that comical and pathetic incident in the bathroom, Dancer probably would never have mentioned the wound to him, either.
"I attended the Quiet Women's meeting, and they have a pretty set way of thinking about the Sacred Wound," Ogi commented.
"Ms. Tachibana told me all about it," Dancer said. "She also talked with Patron, and said he seemed depressed. She wondered if he was feeling that his efforts all these years were wasted."
"Meaning…?"
Showing her tongue, as lusterless as her skin, she returned Ogi's gaze.
"Since I only starting working for them after the Somersault, I don't have the right to say anything about that, and I don't want to either," said Dancer. "But I did read the articles in the weekly magazines about the Som- ersault, and they bothered me, so I asked Guide about it. The media had a field day reporting the Somersault: How Patron sat down in front of the cam- eras and announced that their religious activities weren't for real and it was all an elaborate joke. When I asked Guide why he did that kind of perfor- manee, he said Patron wanted to avoid having the kind of situation you have in America with fundamentalists, when overwrought followers protest the pressure brought to bear on their leader or grow too pessimistic because they were hung out to dry. Seeing Patron play the fool before all of Japan, anyone could see it was pointless to take it seriously.
"But doesn't it put Patron in an awkward position to have people who empathize with him so much thrust aside and then, as he's rebuilding his church, to find them still offering their pathetic prayers to him?"
"The Technicians at the meeting seemed to be deeply sympathetic to the Quiet Women's position," Ogi said, "but I wonder how they'd react to what you just said."
"What I'd rather do is have you sound out Ikuo about the Technicians' ideas," Dancer said. "What concerns me most is how he's taking the fact that the Sacred Wound was hidden all this time."
When Ogi went up the road to the north shore of the Hollow and arrived at the studio, Kizu and Ikuo were looking at the sketch that Ikuo had just brought back from the farm. Ogi stood next to them, concerned about Ikuo's reaction, but Ikuo soon cleared away his anxiety.
"When we looked at the drawing of the Sacred Wound," Ikuo said, his use of the term already revealing his reaction, "we spoke of how terrible it must have been for Patron to have had it all this time. For Dancer, too, it must have been tough. It was bound to come out-it was just a question of timing.
All in all, I think this was the right moment."
The three of them turned their gaze to the framed drawing on the floor.
There was the reddish-black hole that Ogi had inadvertently seen in the bath.
He remembered the contrast between this hole and Dancer's protruding pudenda.
"I talked with Professor Kizu about this recently," Ogi said. "I think I'd like you to go ahead with Ikuo's plan to have Patron pose for you. There's no reason to hide this anymore, what with the Quiet Women en masse claim- ing it's a Sacred Wound. If this sketch helps you complete the triptych, this little affair will have done some good by having helped boot up our new church in the Hollow."
Kizu raised his eyebrows in surprise at the computer term boot up. "When you and Ikuo reach my age, you'll discover that not everything has to be meaningful," Kizu said, pondering the triptych anew.
"I understand Ikuo as the model for Jonah, but what theme would Patron express, with the wound showing in his side?" Ogi asked.
Ikuo was silent.
"The Sacred Wound fits in nicely with the person who acts as mediator between us and God," Kizu said. "But instead of having this wounded mediator trying to persuade Jonah, I'm beginning to see him more on Jonah's side, protesting with him, refusing to surrender to God."
"I like the ambiguity involved-having Patron model for a figure that can be interpreted in more than one way," Ikuo said. "The followers praying in the chapel can read it any way they want."
"It also gives me a certain freedom as the artist," Kizu said.
He picked up the framed sketch and returned it to the dining table as Ikuo brought over a chilled bottle of mineral water and cups, and the three of them sat down and quenched their thirst.
"Dancer said that when she went to explain to the Technicians about having kept the wound a secret, she didn't quite understand their reaction,"
Ogi said to Ikuo. "How do you see it?"
"Because of all that went on in the last ten years, the Technicians have become quite cautious," Ikuo replied. "It's hard to read their reactions. But they do have a definite response. Mind you, I'm still an outsider, but I get the impression that they've been able to overcome the split that began with Guide's interrogation and 'trial.' One thing the Technicians always agreed on was not accepting the meaning of Patron's Somersault, agreeing that it was the wrong way to go. But beyond that there's a difference of opinion concerning Patron and Guide's lifestyle that surfaced when Guide was put on trial and died.
"On the one hand, you have those who wanted to execute Guide for betraying the Technicians. On the other, you have those who regret that this unfortunate accident happened just as a repentant Guide was opening up a dialogue. Seen from a different angle, you have those who've come here hop- ing that Patron's restarting of the church will link the time pre-Somersault with the time after-as if the Somersault never took place. And you have those who want Patron to somehow make a comeback and are struggling to find a new direction, different from the way they did things before the Somersault.
"And while all this was going on, Patron's Sacred Wound became pub- lic knowledge. It shows the direction the new church will take, I think, the real nature of Patron's appeal to society and the world. Patron is always call- ing for those who've sinned to repent, and the wound has opened up as a sign, a constant reminder of this. If you think about it, Patron could be a suitable leader for either faction of the Technicians to rally around. I've also heard some of them saying that they'd like to raise up the banner of Patron's Sacred Wound and become the strike force of the new church. I haven't seen them this excited in a long time."
When Ogi returned to the office he reported Ikuo's words to Dancer, allay- ing her concerns by telling her that Ikuo had not dwelled on her secrecy re- garding the Sacred Wound.
Dancer was silent for a while. "I'm really happy that the Quiet Women and the Technicians are taking the Sacred Wound so seriously," she said finally, "but I don't think Patron would be too pleased, either with the Quiet Women's excessive emotionalism or the way the Technicians are already lay- ing plans for action."
"Professor Kizu spoke with Dr. Koga," Ogi said, "who told him how surprised he was to see the intensity with which the Technicians are dealing with the wound. He also said he's concerned that they might ignore Patron's will and use this as a pretext for reviving their radical activities."