We are a small unit of eight Japanese with orders to tolerate but not interfere with the French administrators in Thakhek. They, in turn, have been ordered to ignore us. We are not a particularly frightening band of warriors but we represent an immense army. They tell us that eventually Thakhek will be the center of Japanese operations in the region. We are here to lay the groundwork. We are instructed to nod at the locals in a friendly manner, to not rape the women, and to pay for goods at the market at the rates the vendors charge us. It isn’t what I expected to be doing when I became a pilot but I like it here.

“He’s a pilot,” said Daeng. “How come he’s working on a ground crew and not dropping bombs?”

“I’m sure we’ll get around to that,” said Siri.

It was bedtime, which generally came an hour before sleep. They’d spoon on the thin mattress and look at the stars through the window and sum up their days and philosophize. It was the happiest time for both of them.

“Do you think he’s one of them?” said Daeng.

“Them?”

“A kamikaze.”

“If he is, he’s not very good at his job. This is a long diary.”

“Are you really sure you don’t want to . . . you know . . . flip to the last page, or the first page or whatever it is?”

“Yes.”

“It might be urgent.”

“If it was urgent he’d send me a telegram. No, Toshi wants me to read his diary at my own pace. Come to my own conclusions.”

“It’s not exactly action-packed, is it? Twenty pages into the Lao section and nobody’s dead yet. We know more about the wildflowers than we do about the war. And they’ve sent him to Thakhek, of all places. Not much action to be had there.”

“You’ve been there.”

“A few times, after the French came back.”

“It used to be a gambling mecca,” said Siri. “Thais would row across the river, lose all their money, and row back, assuming they hadn’t lost their boat at the card tables. Bars. Brothels. Opium. Laos was the sin capital of Asia.”

“Then we won the war and spoiled everything.”

“It’ll all come back, you mark my words. When the old soldiers die off there’ll be a reawakening. There’s a lot of money to be made from debauchery.”

“What a pessimistic husband you are.”

“But don’t you think it’s intriguing?”

“Debauchery?”

“The diary. All those little teasers here and there: the treasure, studying Lao even before he knew he’d be transferred here.”

“You’re easily intrigued.”

“And he mentions his wife and the kids just that once.”

“Perhaps he wrote letters to them.”

“I hope he did,” said Siri. “I’d like to think he was a romantic like me.”

They let the peace overwhelm them for a while. The cicadas serenaded the night birds and accompanied a distant growl of thunder.

“Siri?”

“That’s me.”

“Should I be concerned that you haven’t vanished for a while?”