[Short Story] Kingfisher

I slowly gripped a stone from the riverbank and confirmed its coldness. It was too thick for skipping, larger than the gravel in a graveyard, not a transparent stone like those found on a beach, but a simple, unadorned, mouse-colored stone that seemed to exist only on this riverbank.

“—Regarding the incident last month where a boy was found dead on the riverbed in H City, S Prefecture”

Evening. I visited the riverbank just as I was, wearing my school uniform. A damp, fishy smell drifted near the river, and I couldn't feel any sense of beauty in it at all. I remember deciding to take pictures of a kingfisher for a 'Let's research our local area' project in elementary school. I wanted to see that jewel-like bird I had seen when playing by the river again, so I decided to spend an entire Sunday searching for a kingfisher on the riverbank.

“The police are investigating the detailed circumstances, suspecting that local boys may have been involved.”

Hoshino, who was in the same class, showed up at the riverbank uninvited, and we both just stared at the smelly river flowing by while sitting on a leisure sheet. 'There aren't any kingfishers here, are there?' Hoshino grinned, and his gap-toothed smile looked dark, as if it had bits of seaweed from a rice topping stuck to the tips.

“According to the police, on the 8th of last month, a passerby found a boy collapsed on the riverbed in H City, S Prefecture, and reported it.”

I had hardly spoken to Hoshino, who was in a different district and group, before that day. Even though I had brought potato chips and Pie No Mi, Hoshino had only brought a few Umaibo and Kabayaki-san Taro snacks. He didn't even ask 'Can I have some?' as his eyes lit up and he snatched my snacks; he was just like a young cousin, and I couldn't even bring myself to be angry.

“The boy was later confirmed dead at the hospital where he was transported.”

Hoshino told me that his parents were divorced, that his mother had left one day, and that he lived with his grandmother and younger brother. 'My mom was mostly just McDonald's, but my grandma, on the other hand, only makes brown food,' he said with a smile that I couldn't tell if he was happy about or not. 'I see,' I replied, having no idea why Hoshino had come here at all.

“As the police investigated the situation at the time and footage from nearby security cameras, the existence of three local high school students who appeared to have had contact with the boy near the scene emerged.”

I looked for a suitable thin stone, watched it skip eight times to the other bank, and noticed a stain on my school uniform, but somehow that didn't matter anymore, so I sat down. 'You know, you're smart, but you're bad at skipping stones.' Hoshino laughed proudly, saying that skipping stones was the one thing his father had taught him when he was little that he was better at than anyone else. I was frustrated at losing to Hoshino, who was not smart, always forgot things, and was the slowest in the footrace, so I came to the riverbank alone many times to practice skipping stones. 'Watch closely. I'm going to do it just like my dad taught me.'

“The police are looking into the possibility that there was some kind of trouble, and are carefully investigating the situation at the time and the circumstances leading up to the incident.”

In an instant. A splash rose, and instead of the stone Hoshino threw, something blue caught my eye. '...Hey! The digital camera! Ah, the digital camera, the digital camera!' Just like a shooting star falling before you can finish making a wish, it—the kingfisher—flew away. I didn't even have time to reach for my digital camera, and just stood there, stunned. 'That was super blue, wasn't it?' '...Yeah. It was.' It was many times more intense than the glittery stickers in my sister's sticker book, more than the pearl necklace my grandmother wore to my cousin's wedding, and more than the sunset I saw at the Oarai beach. I have no memory of talking to Hoshino after that.

I felt the coldness on my bottom, stood up, and took off my earphones. Even so, the radio news continued to play without interruption through the earphones. '...Hey, could I ask you a question?' I was tapped on the shoulder, and when I turned around, a middle-aged man who looked like a reporter was standing there. 'Are you a high school student? With that uniform, you must be from a high school in the city, right? I heard one of the perpetrators lives around here...' 'No, I don't know anything.' The man nodded slightly and immediately looked away. I caught a glimpse of blue on the earthen wall across the riverbed. 'Um, I was just looking for a kingfisher.' 'Huh.'

The wind blew, and the edge flipped up slightly. It was a dull blue plastic tarp.

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