[Climbing the Golden Tetrapod] Final Episode: The Revolving Holy Teachings

Sue was tying Akira's antennae with a green string.
She climbed with Akira in front, pressing her fangs against his rear.
"Can't you go any faster?"

Sue pointed the black, gnarled protrusion extending from her mouth at his back.

"...I'm old now, I can't climb fast!"

"Even if I put a hole in your shell?"
"Stop it! I'm going!"

◇

"Oh... Ligia... Roach!"
Having finished the climb, Akira was overflowing with brine from his gills.

Sue avoided it and hooked her own front legs onto the edge.

The summit of the golden tetrapod was—shining.
On the circular summit, several dried-up legs of a wharf roach were visible, and Chiro was struggling in the center.

"Big sister!"
"Stupid Sue! Hurry, hurry, hurry! I can't get it off!"
Chiro's legs were bound by yellow mucus.

—Caw, caw
—Kurururururu

Three ominous black silhouettes against the sunset.

"Seagulls!? ...So that's what it was...!?"
She thrust her fangs at the aged male.

"Akira, what in the world are you...! What do you think of our kin!?"
Sue's cry shook the grains of sand.

"No, I don't know! Offering the Holy Mother to the heavens... seagulls?"
"I see, that legend was...!"
"Gwah!"

Sue pulled hard on Akira's antennae.
Then, she shoved him into the glowing mucus.

"Big sister! Use Akira to get your legs out!"
"Thank you!"
Chiro stepped on Akira's back with her legs, scraped off the mucus, and jumped toward Sue.

"Roach! You wretches, what have you done!"

—Kurururu

The seagulls descended in a spiral.

"Stupid Sue, we can't handle this many, let's run."
"Big sister, you go on ahead, I have a promise to keep!"

—Quack

I saw a small black object take flight from the eastern lighthouse.

I could hear the sound of wings, and it was calling out to the seagulls in the sky.

I don't know anything about promises!
Stupid Sue, go quickly, stupid Sue!
Chiro pushed against me with his head, thumping away.

Ah... I think I was able to keep the promise.
Let's go.
Chiro and Sue turned their backs on the struggling Akira, placed their legs on the edge of the golden tetrapod, and jumped off.

Roach! Roach! Come back, you idiots!

—Quack
—Caw, caw

From that point on, Akira never returned to Mr. Yamada.

◇

Sue was standing on top of the red hemisphere.
On top of the hemisphere were Chiro and thirty baby sea slaters.

A swarm of sea slaters surrounded the hemisphere.
They looked up at Sue and rubbed their front legs together.

Everyone, listen to me.
Sue held his antennae straight up.

Akira has... ascended to heaven.
From the swarm came the rustling sounds of 'old male' and 'lifespan'.

What was waiting for us when we climbed the golden tetrapod... was a seagull!
Tetrapod worship is a climb toward death!

Akira was a liar!
Sue cried out with all his might.

From the swarm came the rustling sounds of 'that's wrong,' 'for a male,' and 'that's wrong'.

If you don't believe my story, that's fine.
However... from now on, there will be no climbing.
You will lay your eggs under the tetrapod.

And from now on, Mr. Yamada will be distributed equally between males and females.

Down with the dictator!
The chorus of the swarm.
Waves crashed against the tetrapod, and the spray dampened the crushed red hemisphere.

Down with female discrimination! Death to the shitty males! ...Ah.
The cry of one female sea slater echoed in the tide pool.

Chiro pointed his front legs at the foolish female.
Alright, my little ones, go!
Sla-!

Thirty young wharf roaches surrounded the female.
They lifted her up and scurried away under the tetrapod.
"Heeelp..."
The chirping gradually faded away.

"...Huh? Big sister, where are you taking that female?"

"You need bait for fishing, don't you?"
Chiro replied without twitching her antennae.

Sue opened her mouth wide and stared into her sister's compound eyes.
The wharf roaches in the swarm shrank back like office workers encountering a madman on a train.

"A mother is strong, you know."
Chiro said this, then took in a small amount of air through her gills.
Sue's mutter of "That makes absolutely no sense" was drowned out by the sound of the tide.

"You idiots! Listen to what Sue says!"
"From now on, no more climbing! Bait will be distributed fairly! Though I'll be taking a little extra!"
"If you understand, stop praying and get to work!"
"Well, what's your answer!?"

""Yes!""

◇

The lifespan of a wharf roach is two years.
Born to die, and dying to be born.

In the tide pools under the tetrapod, there are drowned corpses in the gaps.
A large, reddish-brown male with red thread wrapped around his head stands on a crushed blue hemisphere.
There is a cross-shaped scar on his back shell.

That male threw a stone at a rusted silver badge.

"Alright, let's decide today's climber!"
"You are the Holy Mother. Cassandra."
The large male pointed with his antenna at a female who had blue thread wrapped around her right antenna.

"Yes, Lord Tyrol. I am honored!"
"I have been waiting for this day!"
Light shone in the female wharf roach's compound eyes.
There were eggs in her brood pouch.

"Now, the hymn. Let's all sing together."
"Today is the day the Holy Mother departs for the heavens!"
The large male—Tyrol—spread his front legs grandly and looked up at the sky.

From the sky, brown grass fell.
When one wharf roach looked up—a white bird.

""Ah, tetrapod climbing""
""Aiming for the summit first""
""Let us leave our children by the seaside""

A cante jondo echoing softly in the sound of the tide.
The sacred teachings pass through generations and cycle once more.

""Ah, ah, the children on my shell—""
""When we rub our antennae—""
""The life of the swarm continues—""

The sacred teachings do not fade.

▼ Episode 1 (The Teachings of the Wharf Roach Cycle)

▼ Episode 9 (The Wharf Roach Returns)