Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
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| Original Title | モノロオグ |
|---|---|
| Author | 岸田 国士 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a dimly lit room cluttered with mismatched furniture, a woman paces restlessly, her shabby shawl trailing behind her. The space—stripped of life, save for a faded calendar and a beauty print tacked to the wall—bears traces of abrupt abandonment. She traces the remnants of a foreign lover’s presence: a stained straw hat, an empty cologne bottle, a broken pen. Memories flood her—tender nights nursing his bronchitis, laughter over his clumsy Japanese, fleeting moments of connection that transcended language. Yet now, he has vanished without explanation, leaving only echoes of his teasing voice and the ghost of his touch. \nAs she clutches a button from his coat, her grief oscillates between anger and longing. Was their bond merely a transient illusion? She replays their fragmented history: clandestine meetings, unspoken promises, and the haunting realization that their worlds were always destined to drift apart. Yet in this hollow room, amid relics of a love that defied convention, she grapples with an ache that refuses to dissolve. Will closure ever come, or is this limbo her only inheritance? The answer lingers in the silence, as unresolved as the calendar frozen on April 17th. |
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