Fireworks Blooming in November

November, summer has finally ended.

It is not a matter of physical sensation, but the end of summer as an island.

The big event, the festival, was held.
Food stalls lined the streets, and folk songs, dances, and live music performances took place on stage.
There were goldfish scooping, lotteries, and shaved ice shops, a scene that was truly a "summer festival."

However, the fact that it is held in November is likely the big difference from the mainland.

The festival concludes with a fireworks display.
The venue was packed with people, and queues had formed everywhere.
The turnout was so large that I wondered, "Where are all these people coming from?"

As I was walking through the venue, someone suddenly bowed to me.
I bowed back, but for a moment, I was confused.
It was someone I had met somewhere before.
But I didn't know their name.
We both didn't know who the other was, yet we definitely remembered each other's faces. I passed by several people I "recognized but didn't know," exchanged glances, and sometimes shared a smile.
That, too, is one of the common daily occurrences on the island.

I headed from the festival venue to the port to see the fireworks up close. The sea breeze cooled my body.
The season for shorts and sandals is also coming to an end.

The fireworks were scheduled to go off at 7:40 PM.
However, the current time is 7:50 PM.
They still haven't gone off.

Apparently, they are launched in coordination with the festival's live music, and whether it's due to the excitement or just a technical glitch, no one here knows.

At the port, everyone is looking up at the sky, wondering, "When will they start?"

A countdown voice rose from somewhere.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1—"
…The fireworks did not go off.
Then, from another place, another countdown began...
The boys and girls, having nothing better to do, continued their game.

"Are even the fireworks on 'Uchina time'?"
Thinking that, I stuffed my cheeks with a gurukun rice ball,
and stared at the sea, which looked somehow clear even in the darkness.

Suddenly, a loud vibration.
Flowers bloomed all at once in the night sky.

The reason I wrote "flowers" is because
the little girl next to me was struggling to find the words, stumbling over them again and again, trying desperately to convey what she saw.

"...You know, the fireworks... the flowers, they're big..."
"Daddy, the fireworks, they look like flowers."

For some reason, that one remark struck my heart perhaps even more strongly than the fireworks themselves.

Cheers and whistling echoed through the air.

I feel summer coming to an end.
Fireworks ignite a sense of loneliness in the heart.
While being moved by the vibrations resonating through my body and their beauty,
I superimposed the end of summer onto their fleeting nature as they vanished in an instant.

After the fireworks ended, I gazed for a while at the hazy night sky before heading home.

Thank you as always for reading!!!