Foxfire Barbecue ①
It is better for a memorial park to be close to the station. Even after returning one's driver's license and when one's legs and lower back have weakened, there is still a need to go out for grave visits and grave cleaning. The problem is that young people find visiting graves to be a hassle. They can't imagine themselves ending up there, and they say they want to spend their holidays around Obon more freely? Even if I offer to treat them to lunch at a family restaurant at the next station, their reaction is dull. It seems that if the station name is something like 'Reien-mae' (Cemetery Front), the sales of nearby condominiums are also lackluster. Perhaps the fact that it takes three hours with a transfer from the city center is also a bottleneck. If it were a leisure land or a theme park, their excitement would surely be a bit higher. With such things in mind, the words 'Foxfire Observation Tour' danced in a corner of the morning paper that summer. The venue is near the cemetery. When I suggested it might be good for an independent research project, my other grandchild pointed to 'Barbecue at the Riverbed' and said, 'I prefer this one.' That's nearby too, so let's all go.
(If things continue in this direction, the only possible ending is that we were enjoying a barbecue with foxfire at the cemetery, only to realize it was the riverbed of the Sanzu River,)
410 characters
Yamanota Line Memorial Park Station boasted an unexpectedly majestic appearance. The station building was a massive charnel house, with elevators and moving walkways running horizontally and vertically to each floor. Our family's grave is in a desolate park area in the old town. Upon arriving at the adjacent Kawara Park, the children were disappointed to see a notice announcing the cancellation of the barbecue.
'Things have changed quite a bit here too.'
A woman dragging a kimono sighed.
'It's that.'
Looking, there was a grand piano beyond the station ticket gate.
Do you take the 'please play freely' sign literally and continue practicing poorly for hours on end? Do parents not stop their children even when they treat it like a toy?
The woman shook her head sadly. Ever since the neighborhood boy passed the entrance exam for the music college's piano department, Liszt's Transcendental Étude 'Feux follets' (Will-o'-the-wisp) has been echoing. It's skillful. But it's a bit noisy.
'There is a fear that it will be revealed that these are not human fingers.'
A tail was visible from the hem of the woman's kimono.
My grandchildren were holding the grill and ingredients. In my hand, I had a lighter for lighting incense. What about the charcoal? A large black object was standing still inside the station premises.
(Ending part 410 characters)
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