Summary

The homes of the Japanese are empty and boarded up. Their businesses are shuttered or opening under new management. It occurs to the Americans that the Japanese are gone. The town’s mayor says they are in a safe place. They wonder if their town was not safe enough for them. Rumors circulate about where the Japanese have gone. The evacuation notices are still nailed to the telephone poles but are nearly illegible. The people can’t remember what the directions were for the Japanese as they hadn’t really paid attention. They blame the misbehavior of their children on the disappearance of the Japanese. These children wonder what has happened to their Japanese classmates and worry about what they might be doing.

Some people are happy the Japanese are gone. They believe the rumors that they had hidden weapons and intended to...