[Novel] The Brown Wind Sings
At the end of spring, standing by the classroom window, a wind that still held a lingering chill gently brushed against my cheek. That wind carried a mysterious scent of brown. It was a brown wind—a blend of soil after the rain, the bark of trees beginning to dry, and a warmth like the touch of someone's hair.
I first became aware of the color of that wind one year ago today, at the school entrance after classes. The setting sun illuminated the gravel in the schoolyard with meticulous care, and the entire world was wrapped in a soft shade of brown. A shadow suddenly fell before me as I was retying my shoelaces.
Hey, do you like this color?
When I looked up, Kido was standing there, smiling shyly. Her hair, catching the sunset, held a faint, brownish glow.
Color? You mean... the sunset?
No, the color of the wind this season. Or maybe scent is closer. Just somehow, you know?
Seeing her profile as she said that and smiled, I thought for the first time that she was beautiful. Without reason or logic, there was simply a sensation akin to a faint ache brushing against the depths of my heart.
1. Brown memories sink quietly
Kido was not someone who spoke of things in an exaggerated way. Yet, the words that would occasionally spill from her always touched the softest parts of my heart.
Hey, don't you think memories have colors?
She said this one day, resting her hand on the corridor window.
Mine are brown. Everything mixed together, sinking deep, yet warm... I think important things are probably that color.
Brown—an old, gentle, permeating color.
That way of putting it was just like her.
I missed my chance to reply and just stared at her profile. Every time the wind stirred her hair, I felt as if the scent of brown was faintly born.
2. A first love that never became words
Was it love?
At the time, I still couldn't name it.
If she laughed, I was happy for no reason; if she looked down, my heart would stir; and even just a few seconds of eye contact made my heart ache.
Nevertheless, I carried those feelings and simply let the days pass. I was afraid that if I gave it a name, it would break.
One day, Kido said,
Hey, do you think you'll forget about me?
I won't. Why would you say something like that...
"Because memories, surprisingly, fade in color quite quietly."
That voice was trembling slightly.
I remained unable to fully understand the meaning of that tremor, or what she had been seeking.
A single brown wind had simply blown through the depths of my young heart.
III When the Brown Wind Sings
The following spring, she transferred schools.
The last words we exchanged at the school gate were short, and disappointingly faint.
"Take care. See you somewhere again."
That was all.
Yet, the morning sun that illuminated her retreating back was, as expected, a soft brown—
The scent I felt that day, though not vivid, was deep enough to tighten my chest.
I could not start walking, and simply stood still in the wind.
The wind, in the brown color she said she liked, brushed against my cheeks.
IV The Brown of Memories is Forever Warm
Even now, when the end of spring arrives, that wind blows.
The scent of the gravel in the schoolyard, the breath of damp earth, the warmth of hair translucent in the sun.
The brown wind, a mixture of all these, wraps around me like a quiet song.
I understand now that it was certainly my first love.
The unnamed pain, the feelings I couldn't express well—all of it has settled at the bottom of my heart as a brown memory.
Even though it has settled, it is not cold.
Rather, it nestles close to me gently, as if to softly warm my palms.
—Kido.
You were right.
Precious memories must be brown.
Every time the wind blows, I confirm the soft warmth of that color.
Brown is the only form of first love left to me in a world where you are no longer here.
#NovemberLiteratureTheme #November27 #Memories #Brown
#Novel #SS #ShortShort #ShortNovel #PureLiterature #Literature #PalmNovel #HashtagForReadingNovels
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139840236199314/episodes/822139840236211887