The Moth | [A Tanuki Short Story]

I am a moth.
I cling to the wall, holding my breath.

In the dark gap behind the furniture, a splintered hole in the floorboard.
This is the only place that guarantees my safety.

A chilling dampness wets my skin,
and the scent of accumulated dust hides me.

From the other side of the wall,
the presence of something enormous is constantly felt.

That vibration, the sounds of that life.
That is a "human".

I must not do anything to annoy them.
That is the absolute rule.

The world is made of threads.

The invisible threads of a trap spun by a spider.

Threads of fiber that dance in the wind with accumulated dust,
revealing themselves only in the light.

Inside me, stretching from the past to the present,
are the unbreakable threads of thought.

They tangle together in complex ways,
stitching me to this place.

If I move, I will surely unravel.

Especially since the scales, which are my traces, might flake off,
and my existence might be discovered.

"Ji..."

The old light on the ceiling suddenly buzzed.
A sound like the beating of insect wings that grates on the nerves.

And then, a single ray of light tears through the darkness.

I know. That is an invitation to ruin.

If I approach, it will burn my body,
and expose my small, insignificant existence to the light of day.

It is a merciless light of exposure.

And yet, deep within my body,
something is drawn to the light as if aching.

Unfortunately, I could not resist.
I slowly crawl out from my safe hole.

In the stagnant air moving across the floor, there is an unknown scent.
It is human.

The lingering scent of food, the smell of chemicals,
and the smell of living flesh.

That is the scent of the one who would devour me.

My core freezes with fear.

The dull pain that has been festering inside me for a long time.
That hidden other "moth" resonates with the fear and grows hot.

It was then.

A giant shadow covered me.
I must not look up.

　However, for some reason, I keep looking.
　
　Legs like two mountains.
　A body like a wall extending from them.

　It is a "human".

　That shadow was so dense that it swallowed
　my entire existence,
　and it was overwhelming.

　"Ji..."

　The sound of the floor creaking. The human moved.
　It noticed me, a worthless piece of dust.

　A gaze pierces through me.
　
　It is colder than the lights in the examination room,
　a light that exposes everything I am.

　I must run.
　
　But the threads of my thoughts are tangled,
　and my body is pinned down, unable to move.

　Ah, is this the end?
　
　This inexplicable anxiety.
　The accumulation of self-loathing.
　The constant pain from within and without.

　All of it will now be crushed and ended.
　
　The human's hand slowly descends.

　The world is swallowed by the shadow of that palm.

　I simply closed my eyes.

　There is a ringing in my ears like "Ji...",
　and a sound like bones breaking echoes as "Ga...".

　There was no impact.
　When I opened my eyes, there was nothing left there.
　
　Only the consciousness of "Ga" that is me,
　leaving behind only the pain piercing my internal organs.

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