The Girl Who Wore Red Shoes [Short Story] & Hito-iro Exhibition in Fukuoka

"I like these."

That was what my daughter Minami, now in her third year of elementary school, said as she pointed at a pair of red shoes in the store. They were simple, vibrant slip-ons.
Immediately after buying them, she insisted on wearing them right there, and stepped out into Yamashita Park in her brand-new shoes. It was a sunny holiday, the park was crowded, and I held her hand firmly.

Finding the statue of the girl gazing at the sea, she pulled my hand to get closer to it, and gently stroked its cold, smooth surface.

"Is this girl the same age as me?"

"Maybe. This is the statue of 'The Girl Who Wore Red Shoes'."

"Wow! That's just like me!"

Minami happily compared her own shoes to the statue's, then turned her eyes to the scenery the girl was looking at.

"She's looking at the sea. I wonder if she's thinking about her mother."

"I'm sure she is."

A transparent soap bubble crossed my field of vision. A little boy, led by his father, was blowing bubbles a short distance away. My daughter's eyes lit up, and she reached out to touch a bubble that had drifted near on the breeze. The delicate sphere vanished the moment she touched it. Watching from a little way off, I remembered the lyrics to the song about the girl who wore red shoes.

"From the pier in Yokohama, I boarded a steamship,
Taken away by a foreigner, and went away."

That's how the lyrics go, but...
I once heard that the girl actually fell ill, couldn't board the ship, and remained in Japan. That she was separated from her mother, separated from her foreign foster parents, and died alone in an institution. Such a young child. She must have been so lonely, and must have missed her mother so much.

I think further.
About the feelings of a mother watching her daughter go, knowing they would never meet again.
There is an expression that says it is as painful as being torn apart, but even if it meant having her own limbs cut off, if it would have meant not having to part, a mother would have offered them up.

There was an era like that once.
How many mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, lovers and friends were separated here?
How many tears has this land absorbed?

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Minami, who had come to my side before I knew it, looked up at me with concern and took my hand. I smiled, a little flustered.

"Haha, you're just so cute, Minami, that it made me tear up."

"Eh, what's that? That's weird."

"Hey, can I give you a hug?"

"Sure."

I knelt down, hugged my daughter, and breathed in the gentle scent of her soft cheek.

The dark shadow of war, which I thought had long since faded into the distance, is beginning to cast itself over this country once again.

I think, strongly, so strongly, that I will not let that happen.

(End)

⭐️ This work is being exhibited at Asami Ishino's 'Hito-iro Exhibition in Fukuoka'.

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Asami Ishino's real-life solo exhibition is currently being held in Fukuoka!

Come to think of it, my relationship with Asami Ishino goes back to the relay novel 'The Dreaming Cat Smiles with Its Tail' (or 'Miru-Neko' for short) with Anko-boro in the background.
Miru-Neko actually started from Anko-sama's request: 'I want to create something based on this illustration by Asami Ishino'.

It feels like it was such a long time ago, but in reality, it was just a few years ago. I've compiled them in this magazine
(This illustration is also by Ishino-san. I've been allowed to use it as the header for the novel.) ↓

Since then, Asami Ishino has become one of the most popular illustrators on note, and now, her original project 'Iro no Ko' (Color Children), which has long been highly acclaimed, has arrived as a real-life exhibition!

Believe it or not, at this solo exhibition,
you can jump via QR code to the page of the novel written to match the color image of each 'Iro no Ko'!
A collaboration between novels and illustrations!! And each novel is written by a different author. It's truly a gathering of noters.

If you look closely, you can see that there is a lot of attention paid to the framing. Each Iro no Ko is the protagonist, aren't they?
A color that should be just one shade shows various gradations and rich expressions depending on the shading. The vibrancy of color ink is nice, but I also love the soft and calm tones of watercolor paints.
Looking at this painting, I think many people would feel, 'I used watercolor paints in school, but they can look like this! That's great, I want to try painting again after a long time!'... and so on.
Beyond the appeal of the art materials, a painting is only as good as the artist's skill.

This 'Iro no Ko de Real Exhibition' project was also held in Kanazawa and Ishikawa Prefectures from April to June 2022. The Iro no Ko are traveling across the country.
(Asami Ishino has written many articles about the 'Iro no Ko Exhibition' with a lot of heart. For those who draw or are thinking about holding an exhibition of their own work, there might be a lot of useful information... please go and check it out.)

By the way, the work I wrote at that time is here ↑
(Introducing it while I'm at it 🎵)

And this time... thanks to the seniority of being a relay novel partner (?), I was able to write it with a special feeling.
I feel honored and humbled, and it's like, 'Oh no, what should I do!'

I can almost hear voices saying it's unfair that only the crows got it... yeah... I sometimes think it's scary how lucky I've been and how strong my draw has been since I started note (lol).
I wonder if the magic potion is about to wear off soon 😁

Besides mine, there are four other framed works by Anko-sama, chihaya-san, and Aoi-san.
Please see this article for details.

And, according to chihaya-san's tweet, they were even interviewed by the Nishinippon Shimbun ↓
Is this a newspaper debut for Iro no Ko & Asami Ishino?
Isn't that amazing 😆 Oh no, our Ishino-san is going further and further away... (inner voice)

chihaya-san's thoughts on the Hito-iro Exhibition and the report article on the gallery held in Ishikawa Prefecture are here. There are lots of delicious-looking photos.

chihaya-san's daughter, Aoi-san. The article where she makes eye contact with Futeki-kun is here.

The list of novels submitted to the 2023 "Hito-iro Exhibition" can be found in this article.

Well, that being said.
The "Hito-iro Exhibition @ Fukuoka" is currently being held from 6/21/2023 to 6/25/2023 at the
Kurume City Ichibangai Multipurpose Gallery. If you are in the area, please hurry! It's only on until the day after tomorrow!