Free Caged Eagles by Eric Walters

military trucks. Toshio and some of the men leaped down right after me. My father and Mr. Matsui offered assistance to the women and children, reaching up and then gently lowering them to the ground.
    â€œThis is it?” Toshio asked.
    â€œWhat?” I asked. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the question, just that I was surprised that he was talking to me. He seemed anxious and uneasy.
    â€œWe stay here?” he asked.
    â€œI think so.”
    I looked around. There were a series of buildings, some small and some gigantic, clustered around the grounds. The biggest of the buildings looked like an enormous barn. In the distance sat a racetrack with a wooden grandstand. Strangely, in the center of the track were what looked like hundreds of trucks and cars. That seemed like a strange place to park.
    My eye was captured again by the fence, which seemed to ring the entire place. It was metal and high, and as far as I could see the only gate was the one through which we’d passed. On both sides of the gate were wooden buildings, and I could make out the sight of soldiers. And each soldier had a sidearm strapped to his side.
    I felt a shiver run up my spine. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen soldiers carrying weapons before. Armed soldiers were always strolling or marching around Prince Rupert. And all the sentries at the base where I’d worked carried rifles, and the military police always had sidearms. But, of course, this was different. These soldiers and these guns weren’t for some unseen or unnamed enemy. They were for us.
    â€œAttention!” called out that same metallic voice over the bullhorn. “Please assemble by family and line up at the administrative building to be registered and assigned accommodations.” There was a pause. “After you have been processed you are to return to claim your possessions. Thank you!”
    I turned to find my family, and Toshio reached out and grabbed my arm.
    â€œWhat?” he asked. “What he say?”
    â€œGo to your family. Then they’ll tell you where you’ll sleep tonight.”
    He nodded and then went to find his parents. I followed behind him to do the same. My parents, sisters and grandmother were already standing together, and with my arrival, we started to move where the soldiers were directing. We stopped at the back of a line of families, outside the door of a small building. Quickly the places behind us were filled as family after family joined the line.
    Even more amazing than the numbers was the sound — or, more correctly, the lack of sound. Hundreds of people stood or slowly shuffled forward in total silence.
    There was no arguing, or complaining, or yelling, or even talking. The little conversation that was going on was in whispers. People moved their feet noiselessly. The only sound to break through was an occasional cough — lots of people had caught colds on the trip down the coast — but even these were subdued.
    We got to the door of the building and an RCMP officer directed us to enter. Stretched out in front of us were half a dozen tables, with a man sitting on the far side of each table and a family of Japanese huddled together on our side. One of the families moved away from a table and was ushered out a door at the other side of the building. A little man, balding and wearing a suit, sitting at the now open table, motioned for us to come forward. My father led and we all followed behind.
    â€œSit, please,” the man said, gesturing to the two empty chairs.
    â€œThank you,” my father replied as he sat down. My mother moved the second chair slightly aside and then took my grandmother by the arm and guided her into the seat. I stood directly behind my father, with Yuri and Midori standing beside our mother.
    The table was cluttered with papers. The little man shuffled and sorted them and made little notations with his pen. From my vantage point, standing above him, I