Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
The Shadow Cast on the WindowAuthor: Toyoshima Yoshio
| Original Title | 窓にさす影 |
|---|---|
| Author | 豊島 与志雄 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the wake of her grandmother’s death, a grieving schoolgirl navigates a haze of funeral rites and family obligations, haunted by an unsettling fixation on her bedroom window. Its frosted glass, obscured by trinkets and shadows, becomes a portal for eerie visions—most notably a faceless silhouette that mirrors a cryptic folktale lingering in her mind. The tale, of lovers whose features vanish in the dark, blurs with reality when she glimpses a similar void-like visage reflected on the pane. Her grandmother’s dying vow—to manifest a comforting smile in the window—only deepens the girl’s unease as grief fractures her sense of reality. Strange occurrences escalate: phantom taps on shutters, unsettling family conversations, and a shattered doll whose missing piece mirrors her fractured peace. Amidst Buddhist rituals and clashing ideologies about memory and loss, she grapples with unanswered questions—is the window a conduit for lingering spirits, a mirror of her unraveling mind, or both? The boundary between solace and dread dissolves, leaving her suspended in a twilight where love, grief, and the uncanny collide. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP