Clear Stream Story

[Shirokuma Literature Club: Transparent]
*Dedicated to the theme hosted by Kosuke Komaki

The transparent water flows as if sliding over the five-colored gravel,
casting a pattern of ripples through the sunlight
that resembles cut glass.

As if to disturb it, a school of dace occasionally
swims up the shallows and then back down again.

The river is called the 'Sagiri River'.
It is said to mean 'Heron Village' or 'Morning Mist',
but it is not certain, and the hiragana 'sagiri'
is the symbol of the town that flows through the middle
of a small town in the mountains (which the residents call a village).

A kingfisher perches on a stake sticking out of the water's surface,
staring intently at the river fish.

Its back, which changes color depending on the viewing angle,
is a metallic blue due to structural coloration,
and its chest and belly are a vibrant orange.

It is a beautiful little bird, often compared to a 'flying jewel',
but it is also a master hunter.

The kingfisher sits on the stake, quietly watching
the movements of the fish in the water.

As if hiccuping,
it occasionally bobs its head up and down,
carefully measuring the distance to its prey.

Kicking off the stake and soaring into the air,
it hovers in mid-air for a moment with skillful wing movements.

Its sharp eyes even adjust for the refractive index of light
between the air and the water,
accurately calculating the prey's position
and direction of travel.

Then, suddenly, it dives into the water.
A small sound of water and a small splash.
It is a perfect dive, worthy of a diving competition.

Ripples spread across the quiet river surface,
and the kingfisher flies back up, piercing the center of them.

When it returned to the original stake,
a dace was wriggling at the tip of its long, thin beak.
It struck the silver-shining fish against the stake several times,
skillfully rotated it once it was weakened,
and swallowed it whole, head first.

It always swallows it head first.
It knows by instinct that if it were the other way around,
the scales would stand up, making it impossible to swallow.

The row of cherry trees along the river
was planted as a commemorative act by graduates
like Kyoko and Wataru, who once graduated from the nearby elementary school.
They are Somei Yoshino cherry trees.

The once-frail saplings have grown into a magnificent
row of cherry trees, their roots firming up the riverbank
and preventing soil erosion.

In spring, beneath the full blossoms,
they bring smiles to the villagers, and eventually, the petals fall,
floating on the river surface like a pale pink 'flower raft'.

In summer, lush reeds grow along the riverside,
and small birds that make the reeds their home, such as the Oriental reed warbler and the Zitting cisticola,
as well as the harvest mouse, one of the smallest mouse species in the country,
build their nests in the reed beds
and busy themselves raising their young.

Around early summer, on windless days,
fireflies light up the reeds at dusk.

As the sun sets, the first one
softly takes flight into the air.

Taking that as a signal, the dance of the fireflies begins one after another.

The yellow-green glow, blinking at a slow interval,
is a world of mystery.

Without making a sound, they flutter
and twinkle on the breeze; just when you think they have flown high,
they skim just above the water's surface.

The pale light reflected on the river surface
blurs the boundary between the world above and below.

An indescribable beauty.
That sight even healed the heartache of Ayako,
who was weeping over the end of a love affair.

When autumn arrives, bright red autumn leaves that have traveled
a long way from the valleys far upstream
drift down one after another.

The water pepper and other waterside plants are dyed a deep red with autumn colors,
echoing the yellow ginkgo leaves that have drifted down,
weaving a tapestry of autumn.

Around that time, in the surrounding rice paddies,
golden ears of rice sway in the autumn breeze,
looking just like a sea reflecting the sunset.

From here and there, the fragrant scent
of harvested rice fills the air.

From late autumn to winter.

In the slumber of early morning, the river
is wrapped in a swaying white mist.

The weak morning sun reflects off it,
forming a curtain of light.

On freezing mornings, the frost clinging to the
completely withered reeds sparkles,
radiating the brilliance of jewels.

In that way, the 'Sagiri River' has always
announced the arrival of the seasons to the people,
living alongside the town for many, many years.

One autumn, it happened.

A typhoon struck this town directly.

A downpour that felt like walls falling down
continued without pause for two days,
and the usually gentle 'Sagiri River'
turned into a muddy, ochre torrent, its water level
continuing to rise.

Tsugumi opened the second-floor window,
staring at the raging river with a face she didn't know,
filled with a sense of awe.

The persimmon tree on the opposite bank
is the landmark for the 'Dondon Bridge',
which leads to Tsugumi's house.

Although it is just a simple, private bridge
made by laying down thick iron plates,
it was an indispensable bridge
for the village where Tsugumi lived.

But now, the driftwood and debris washing downstream
were getting caught on the Dondon Bridge,
and it was starting to act like a dam,
causing the muddy river to overflow.

Suddenly, a siren that only sounds during forest fires
echoed through the rain-drenched town.

“Elementary school students, put your study materials and
valuables in your school bags. Take them with you
and evacuate to the school in your school commute groups.”

Even though it was drowned out by the sound of the rain,
the broadcast reached every house.

As Tsugumi hurried to get ready,
she looked at the river from the window once more.

The river had reached right up to that point.

The persimmon tree that served as a landmark had the soil at its roots gouged out,
and it was swaying violently.

Mr. Saito’s tool shed on the opposite bank
had the ground beneath its foundation deeply eroded,
and it was tilting as if it were about to fall into the river at any moment.

Tsugumi shuddered.

For the first time, she felt terrified
of her beloved 'Sagiri River'.

Leading the evacuating school groups
were the male teachers, headed by the vice principal.

They said they would come to Tsugumi’s house
to meet up with the neighborhood children.

“Well then, we will take charge of her.”

The vice principal said this to Tsugumi’s father.

“I leave her in your care.”

Her father replied, bowing deeply.

A vague sense of anxiety crossed her mind.
This might be the last time
I see my family.

What should I do if that's the case?

Trying to hide the urge to cry,
Tsugumi spoke as cheerfully as she could.

I'm off!

Her family, covered in mud while stacking sandbags,

said, "Take care,"

with a smile.

The children walked in silence.

Since the Dondon Bridge was unusable, they had to take a long detour
to the large bridge
upstream.

No one spoke.

Partly because any words would be drowned out, but also because if they spoke, they felt they might cry,
and they were overwhelmed with anxiety.

When they arrived at school and took off their raincoats,
they saw futons piled up in the classroom.

They would be staying here tonight.

Usually, this would be exciting and lively,
but today it was strangely quiet,
with only the rain outside making a noisy racket.

One by one, they gathered at the windows
and stared intently in the direction of their homes.

When morning came, the sky was clear, as if it were all a lie.

A young teacher who had gone to check the damage
came back to report that the road home was usable.

In the village of Tsugumi, there was one death.

An elderly woman living at the foot of the mountain
went to check on her field after the rain
when the mountain behind it collapsed.

The landslide swept away the field along with the old woman,
and it is said that it stopped right in front of the cemetery
where her ancestors lay.

The flooding of the Sagiri River caused great
damage to the town.

The fact that the Dondon Bridge, with its heavy iron plates,
was so easily washed away
made the townspeople aware of the threat of the water.

Taking the damage seriously, the local government
decided to begin construction work
to prevent the Sagiri River from flooding.

A few years later, the river was diverted downstream through pipes,
and the dried-up riverbed transformed into a construction site
where heavy machinery came and went.

The sight of the pale, hard, cold concrete
covering the Sagiri River
evoked a sense of loneliness in the residents
who had been close to the river since long ago.

Nearly half a century has passed since then.

For the first time in decades, Tsugumi
visited her hometown
for the funeral of her cousin, Toru.

The older cousin from the neighborhood who used to play with her in the river when she was little
now had the face of an old man,
and looked as if he were sleeping peacefully.

As she bowed before the altar and gazed at his portrait,
memories of the Sagiri River from her childhood
vividly returned.

When Toru was on his way home from work,
at the sound of his footsteps crossing the Dondon Bridge,
his beloved mixed-breed dog, Joe,
would run out, sit at the foot of the bridge,
and wag his tail to welcome him home.

At dusk on holidays,
he would watch the sunset sinking behind the mountains on the city border,
and with Tsugumi and Joe as his audience,
he would play his favorite trumpet for us.

My memories of Toru-san
always include that clear stream, the 'Sagiri River'.

In that small rural farming village,
it always flowed beside the people,
and there are few left who remember
the sight of that clear stream playing the beautiful four seasons.

Even so...

At the wake,
I heard from someone who still lives in the area that,
in recent years, the sand deposited in that widened 'Sagiri River'
has formed banks,
and perhaps because the reeds have flourished there again,
they say that this summer, albeit only a few,
fireflies flew over the river.

'Really? I wish I could have seen them!'

To Tsugumi, who expressed her regret,

'Then come back and see them next year!'

a young child said with an innocent smile.

Back in the city, in this apartment where I have now
lived longer than in my hometown,
Tsugumi puts on her favorite reading glasses
and opens her laptop.

While the memories are still vivid,
she wants to preserve them.

The beautiful scenery.
The sparkling landscape of the 'Sagiri River'.

While the memories remain...

While there is still life...

And so, Tsugumi strikes the keys.

''Once upon a time, in a small town,

a gentle river flowed''

*The place names and personal names in this work are fictional,
but everything else is based on the author's experiences and
observations.

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