Starfish Hotel Page #3

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It's better not to know,

otherwise it wouldn't be a mystery.

I'm sick to death of mysteries.

If you knew the truth about me...

You wouldn't like me.

Police suspect YUICHI ARISU

of arson & murder.

Jo Kuroda's book launch party is

taking place right here today.

It's his 21st novel since

he won the Naoki Prize.

The story is still a closely

guarded secret.

But one thing we do know is the title.

Here it is, and it's just

as strange as his other titles.

It's "Starfish Hotel".

Excuse me.

Pardon me.

Excuse me.

I'm sorry.

Chisato? Wake up, Chisato!

It's all right, it's me.

I feel awful.

How did you get here?

I don't know.

Is it you?

I dreamt I was having sex.

That's it, then. Nearly over now.

I'll call the poIice.

AIready did that.

Long ago there was a man -

a normal, unimportant little man.

But the man had a dark,

dirty little secret in his past.

He f***ed another woman, and

of course he didn't tell his wife.

But his wife hired a detective who

showed her the filthy evidence.

So she worked in a brothel

to spite him.

The man burned down the brothel,

killed the detective...

And killed his wife to boot -

wasn't that a nice story?

No! That's not how it happened.

Are you sure?

Here's the proof.

You see?

Now do you believe me?

Tired now - so tired.

Mr. Trickster has finished

his work at Iast.

I want to go home,

back to the Darkland.

Hang on! That's not

what you promised.

You said I couId go home.

No! I don't want to kill her.

He can do it.

Look at all the blood on my hands!

What are you doing here?

Did you do the missus in?

Your cute little wife?

And I thought you were

more pathetic than me.

I want to go home now.

I haven't got a home to go to.

It's gone now.

What is it that I'm supposed

to have done to you?

You a dumb f***, or what?

It's just a stupid story.

Everything's pitch-black.

But you soon get used to it.

Then you can start

running underground.

Running around in circles,

on and on and on...

Take no notice of me.

It's the voice...

The voice made me do it.

What voice?

The voice.

This story's too sick for Mr. Trickster.

Give me the knife.

No.

Give it to me.

Do all roads lead to the Darkland?

I'll change the ending for you.

No!

Is this the man you met in the park?

Is he dead?

Your wife confirms that

he kidnapped her.

Please can I see my wife?

Don't worry - you can see her soon.

She's feeling a lot better.

Since he lost his job he's been in

and out of psychiatric wards.

It brings us full circle -

I think the case is closed.

It's all cut and dried,

just the way we like it.

I'm reading a mystery novel at

the moment, too. It's great.

But I think it only

scratches the surface.

Real mystery and real darkness lie

in the human soul.

Once you enter that deep, dark forest,

you can never escape.

At least, that's my opinion.

Before all this...

I was going to leave you.

I could smell her on you sometimes.

Why didn't you say anything?

I didn't want to know...

Didn't want to become a wife

haIf crazed by jealousy.

I don't know what was wrong with me -

it won't happen again.

You seemed so distant.

When it was all over...

You were even more distant.

Let's try again - make a fresh start.

I couldn't bear to lose you again.

We'll take it slowly...

She ran away to Tokyo when

she was seventeen.

She wanted to erase the disgusting

memories of her uncle.

The big city, where she was

just another nameIess soul.

Everywhere she went there was

aIways some man.

There were ample opportunities

for a young girl to make money.

No past to trouble her.

She realized that in the darkness

she couId be anything she liked.

It was in one of those dark places

that I met her.

For some reason I didn't think

she belonged in that world.

I wanted to help her.

I rented an apartment for her,

and paid off her debts.

I thought that she was happy.

When her uncle died she went home

for the first time in years.

And that's when she began to change.

At first I had no idea what was wrong.

But I could feel her slowly

slipping away from me.

When I finally realized the truth,

it scared me.

I wanted you to know what it was

like to lose someone too.

So, where is she now?

You were never supposed to

find out anything.

But Mr. Trickster betrayed me.

And the plan was ruined.

Where is she?

After you left her she vanished -

just disappeared.

I searched for weeks.

I thought that you might know

where she was, but you didn't.

I went to her uncle's house.

Some of her things were still there.

Then it suddenly hit me:

she must be down the old mine.

Where she used to go as a child.

She was at the end of a dark tunnel -

she had taken some pills.

She's still there.

I did not have the heart to move her.

Hello...it's me...

I want to see you.

...one last time...

I'm waiting.

At the usual place.

Are you sure she hasn't missed her

train or something?

Looks like it...

You're married, aren't you?

Is it worth the risk of

Iosing your wife?

Perhaps it's better if

she doesn't turn up.

That would give you a chance

to start afresh.

Stop being so serious.

Nobody's perfect -

we all make mistakes.

If you stay still long enough

in the darkness...

You start to imagine things.

You can be anything you want to be.

You can go anywhere you want to go.

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