The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: Book 1, Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Creta and Toru sit down, and Creta begins telling Toru her life story. According to Creta, she and Malta grew up in a typical middle-class household. In addition to Malta, Creta has one other sibling: an older brother. Creta recalls that Malta began exhibiting her psychic gifts as a young child. However, when Malta told her parents about her extrasensory abilities, they asked her to never talk about them with other people. Instead, Malta was only to discuss matters with logical explanations.

After that, Malta rarely talked at all to other people. However, Creta was an exception. Malta often told Creta her predictions and suspicions about events that would happen in their community, and she was always right. As a young adult, Malta moved around a lot. She lived in the United States, Canada, and Europe. During this time, she collected samples of water, helped solve crimes, and told fortunes. She was able to make a living on her special abilities.

Meanwhile, Creta stayed in Japan with her parents and became depressed. When she turned 20 years old, she resolved to kill herself. Creta’s depression resulted from the fact that she was constantly in physical pain. Different parts of her body were always in pain and, no matter what Creta did, she could not get the pain to stop. Even drugs did not help Creta, and she did not know where else to turn. She relates a particularly awful story about how her college boyfriend broke up with her because she told him sex was too painful. The boy was skeptical of Creta’s claim and thought she was simply scared of sex. In response, Creta yelled at him and told him that she knows all about pain, and he does not know what he is talking about. This conversation ends their relationship.

Shortly after breaking up with her boyfriend, Creta asks her brother for the keys to his new car. She claims she simply wants to borrow it for the night. After obtaining the keys, Creta drives directly into a wall, hoping to kill herself. However, the wall was less solid than she thought, and she ends up surviving the crash. The accident destroys the car, but Creta’s father steps in and pays for the damage. However, he demands that Creta pay him back as soon as possible. Creta agrees to do so. She also does not tell anyone that the crash was a suicide attempt. Instead, she claims it was an accident.

Luckily, one good thing did come out of the car accident: Creta stops feeling intense pain. However, she is still depressed because now she must pay her father back for the car, and she does not have the means to do so. She considers attempting suicide again but decides against it. Creta wishes she could seek Malta’s help, but she knows it is impossible because her sister is busy with her own work halfway across the globe.

Not knowing what else to do, Creta becomes a sex worker to get some extra money. At first, her scheme works flawlessly. However, one night, two men kidnap Creta, tie her up, and rape her repeatedly. They also videotape the rape and threaten to use it as blackmail if Creta does not agree to work for them. Creta gives in to the men’s demands and starts working as a sex worker on their behalf. Despite the horrible situation, Creta does not mind working for these men. She makes less money than before, but her working conditions are safer, and her clientele pays well. Her clients are often older and have bizarre requests, but nothing she finds difficult or uncomfortable.

Creta wraps up her story by telling Toru that she met Noboru while working as a sex worker. However, she does not elaborate. Toru asks if Noboru raped Creta while she was working as a prostitute or if that crime occurred later. Creta is hesitant to say more. Toru asks if she will continue telling him her life story since they have already come this far. Creta says she will continue but asks Toru if he can get her some coffee first. Toru goes to the kitchen and fetches the coffee, but when he returns, Creta is gone.