The next day, on the way home from school, Miyoko dropped in at Leo's shop to buy mousetraps. The mousetrap is a simple device. When the mouse touches the bait, the metal spring hits the mouse’s neck and kills the animal. The spring is strong enough to breakMiyoko’s finger if she handles it in a wrong way. As Miyoko was investigating a mousetrap, a young Palauan man approached her.

    "Are you Miyoko?" The young man asked bluntly. Miyoko nodded. She has never seen this guy. He is not tall but has a solid, strong build. His long hair stands upright in all directions. It looked like he might have just gotten off a speedboat.

    "You had left a cat on our island. We don’t like it. We're raising land birds on that island. You know, these birds don’t fly.  A cat on the island really annoys us."

    The ground dwelling, non-flying bird that lives in the jungles of Palau is called a Megapode or “shrub fowl”.  They are slightly smaller than chicken.

    "But I think Banana is dead. It's been a long time."

    "Oh, no way. The cat is alive."

    Miyoko's heart jumped up to her throat. Miyoko put her hand on her mouth so that her heart wouldn't come out of her mouth.

    "You just say, Banana is alive?"

    "Of course, it is alive. That's why we arei n trouble. I can't leave a cat on the island with shrub fowls."

    The young man turned his back on Miyoko and was about to leave. He had an angry face.

    "Wait. Why do you say Banana is alive? Did Banana kill any of your fowls?"

    "No, I saw the cat's footprints left on the wet sand."

    "Really? Was it really a cat's footprints? When did you see it?"

    Miyoko's voice was cracking, and her eyes became cloudy with tears.

    "The other night, we took a rest on the island. In the morning, the cat's footprints were all over on the wet beach."

    Speaking with an angry face and without a smile, but, this young man's answer was kind. He may not be angry. He may just have that kind of body language.

    "Don't kill the cat. If you catch him, I'll definitely come to pick it up. He is an important cat for me. I didn't leave it on purpose.  He ran away from me."

    Miyoko swung around the mousetrap in her hand and stamped with frustration. How can she explain her feelings to people in this country who have little culture of loving animals as pets? The young man silently moved his chin upward as the typical Palauan greeting before leaving.

    Miyoko stared at the mousetrap in her hand with moist eyes.

    Of course, they will not catch Banana for Miyoko. Banana will be killed. Miyoko bought a mousetrap and hurriedly returned to her school where she just left.

    "Banana is alive, Banana is alive."

    Miyoko repeated in her mind. After all, Banana was looking at Miyoko from behind the brush. He wasn't lying on the sand as apathetic corpse. Miyoko does not know exactly when the young man saw Banana’s footprints, but it is clear now that Banana was eating, drinking water and surviving while Miyoko was thinking of him, crying her eyes out on the next island.

    Miyoko didn't wonder why the young man exactly linked the cat's footprints to Miyoko. She was an outsider and often the topic of the people in Palau.

    Now Miyoko needs to talk with Romy the Principal. Miyoko went straight to the principal's office. Romy, the principal, is at school until late. In fact, Romy's car is the only car in the parking lot. Romy was about to lock his office.  He smiled at Miyoko with thef ace of a Buddha.

    "Hi, Miyoko. What happened?"

    Miyoko came to Palau alone without any close friends. Romy is the one of the few men she could trust. Miyoko talks to Romy about many things. She learned many of Palau's social customs from him.

    "Romy, Banana is alive on the island."

    Miyoko's cat, Banana, is famous. Romy raised his eyebrows as if to say “Oh?”

    "Who owns that island?" Miyoko asked.

    "That island is owned by ..... family."

    Romy said a complicated Palau name. Miyoko forgot it as soon as she heard it.

    "They are Peleliu people."

    Peleliu Island is where Bill, the good dancer, lives.

    "It's a big clan. They have many sons, all fishermen."

    "They are raising scrub fowls on that island. What do they do with scrub fowls? Do they eat them?"

    "No, its eggs. They are delicious."

    This time, it was Miyoko’s turn to raise her eyebrows.

    "He said Banana might kill the bird. They will kill Banana if they catch him."

    "Scrub fowl are endangered birds; rare and precious."

    Romy said rubbing his proudly protruding stomach.

    "I asked the guy not to kill Banana. Instead catch Banana and return him to me."

    "But Banana wasn't even caught by you, the owner?"

    That is true. The owner of the island will easily kill Banana with poison bait. Miyoko left the school building with Romy.