A single carp streamer had caught on the stone bridge’s railing .
There was no wind. The river’s surface, lightly wrapped in morning haze , lay flat as a mirror. The large black parent carp seemed to have drifted from somewhere far off; its frayed edge hung heavy, soaked with muddy water.
“It’s been there since the middle of the night.”
Kopo, resting his chin on the bridge railing with his arms crossed, had faint shadows under his eyes. It seemed he’d been watching all night.
“Just let it go, big brother,” said Minico, standing beside him, folding this morning’s extra edition. It reported that another shop in the shopping street upstream had closed. The waves of the city were quietly swallowing distant towns, one after another.
“…That’s exactly why I’m watching it.”
Kopo didn’t uncross his arms.
Just then Mocchi happened by, set down a load at the foot of the bridge, and looked up at the carp streamer for a while. “Caught. But not swept away.”
He said only that, then shouldered his load again. He had work to do.
The river’s surface shimmered faintly white in the morning light. The heavy carp streamer’s mouth opened slightly.
“Even a carp that isn’t swimming is still a carp streamer, as long as its mouth is open.”
Minico said it quietly. Kopo twisted his mouth just slightly and lifted his chin off the railing.
Margin note: That evening, the carp streamer had quietly disappeared. When Kopo asked Mocchi who had taken it and where, Mocchi only said “don’t know” — but there was mud on the cobblestones where he’d set down his load.
【Today’s Motif】
- Children’s Day (May 5th): A national holiday honoring children’s characters and wishing for their happiness. Carp streamers, inspired by the vitality of carp that swim upstream against strong currents, are flown in the sky or along rivers to wish for children’s healthy growth.
- A wave of closures: Corporate bankruptcies in fiscal year 2025 hit their highest level since 1988. The economic waves of the city are quietly reaching even small shopping streets in the countryside.
This is an English translation of “川止まりの鯉”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).