Eisuke Aikawa,
tr. Toshiya Kamei

Chasing a Shadow

While Keiko gazed at Tokyo Tower in Shiba Park, a voice behind her interrupted her reverie.

‘Congratulations, sis. Sorry I didn’t make it to your wedding.’

She faced her brother, who seemed to have lost considerable weight since she had last seen him. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly three years.

‘What’s the matter?’ Keiko asked. ‘Are you not well?’

‘Well, how should I put this...’ He scratched his head. ‘They took my shadow away.’

‘Your shadow? What in the world...’ she gasped as she looked down. In the autumn sunlight, her brother cast no shadow.

‘Last year I got mixed up in stocks and futures,’ he began. ‘At first, I was making a killing. It felt like time to quit my day job.’ He gazed up into the air. ‘But my luck soon ran out. I’m in debt up to here,’ he said, holding his hand above his head. ‘My credit cards were maxed out, but my debts snowballed.’ He clicked his tongue in frustration. ‘My online search led me to a loan shark. Then he took my shadow as collateral. Surprisingly, hardly anybody notices your shadow or lack thereof. But I thought someone like me shouldn’t attend a wedding on a sunny day.’ He bowed in apology. ‘Sorry, sis.’

He used to be cheerful and athletic, Keiko thought. He looks like a different person.

‘But what is he going to do with your shadow?’ she asked.

‘He says my shadow was taken to southeast Asia. It’s digging coal somewhere in Borneo. The coal mine is lit 24 hours a day. Shadows are forced to toil there day and night.’

‘Can’t you get it back if you pay off your debt?’

‘No. Forget it.’ His eyes were vacant, his gaze wandering aimlessly. ‘My shadow’s gone.’

Keiko looked down again. Without his shadow, he doesn’t seem like my brother.

‘Let’s get it back,’ Keiko said.

‘Excuse me?’

‘I’ve saved up some money for the honeymoon.’ Her face brightened. ‘Let’s go to Borneo together. Don’t worry. Let me talk to my husband.’ She placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘You and I will go to the coal mine and rescue your shadow.’ She paused, nodding so slightly. ‘I know it won’t be easy. It’ll be dangerous. But we’ve got no other choice.’

‘But—’

Keiko cut him short with a wave of her hand and pulled out her phone to call her husband.

Eisuke Aikawa is a fiction writer based in Fukuoka, Japan. He has authored two collections of short stories, Haikingu (2017) and Kumo wo hanareta tsuki (2018). His short fiction has appeared in venues such as Bungakukai, Hidden Authors, and Taberu no ga osoi. His first novel, Hannah no inai jugatsu wa, was published in 2020.

Toshiya Kamei holds an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Arkansas. His recent translations have appeared in Clarkesworld, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and World Literature Today.