Ten years passed since Anne passed away. During this time, I continued to exchange letters with Anne’s mother. At the end of her letters, she would always write, “Come and visit England, where Anne grew up.” My work place was totally renovated. The old building where Anne had worked was reduced to rubble. In the newly built research building, there was a fine animal laboratory, and in the breeding area on the rooftop of another building, a humble breeding room with cinderblock walls was built. Air-conditioning was installed to mitigate the effects of winter cold and summer heat, and the death rate of the dogs decreased dramatically.
Researchers became aware of the need for ethical handling of animals, so the death rate during and after experiments also decreased. At last, the spirit of animal protection, which Anne had aimed for, had started to flower. In the breeding section, young people were doing well, and walking the dogs around the rooftop became a daily routine. Though there was still plenty of room for improvement, we had made great strides compared to when Anne was there. If she were alive, she would have been surprised with all the changes, and would have been very happy. My desire to visit Anne’s grave in England had been growing stronger year by year, and it seemed that the time was right. Finally, I could wait no longer, and started to prepare for my visit.