In the Tunnel

Written by Takamichi Okubo

Narrated by Alexander Cendese

Haruki is traveling to the vast plains of Hokkaido, Japan, on a lone bus about to enter a three-kilometer-long tunnel. He is grieving for the loss of his wife when the tunnel collapses and traps the bus inside. In the darkness that follows, he manages to fumble out of the bus with the only other survivor, an astute and gentle woman who reminds him of his late wife. Without any light to guide them and with only each other to depend on, they try to escape the stifling darkness and along the way find themselves confronted by their pasts and given their last chance at intimacy, and ultimately, absolution.

A realist story that plays with surreal elements, the tale poses a simple question: what is the meaning of hope?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480561045

Takamichi Okubo

Takamichi Okubo is a native of Tokyo, Japan. He received his B.A. from Princeton University and is currently an MFA candidate at Indiana University. His work has been published in Matter Press: The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts and is forthcoming in The Ledge Poetry and Fiction Magazine. His story, “Dear Mother” has won first prize in the Ledge Fiction Awards Contest.