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LakeAuthor: Murō Saisei
| Original Title | みずうみ |
|---|---|
| Author | 室生 犀星 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a secluded world of mist-shrouded lakes and whispering reeds, a family dwells in quiet estrangement from time itself. A father, mother, and daughter exist in a liminal space between dream and memory, their days marked by the rhythmic lapping of waves and the spectral glow of Peach Blossom Village—a distant settlement shimmering like a mirage across the water. The daughter’s restless curiosity about this forbidden place strains the fragile peace: her mother recoils at its mention, while her father oscillates between indulging her wonder and mirroring his wife’s unease. \nTheir fragile equilibrium frays as the daughter’s longing to transcend their cloistered life intensifies. Whispers of a world beyond the lake—of music, color, and human connection—haunt her, clashing with her parents’ silent pact to preserve their stagnant idyll. The father, torn between paternal love and his own buried regrets, grapples with truths too heavy to voice, while the mother’s fear curdles into something spectral. \nBeneath surface calm, unspoken histories ripple like shadows in the water. A lone boat becomes both refuge and prison; conversations fragment into half-truths; and the daughter’s innocence strains against the weight of inherited sorrow. As tensions crest, the lake itself seems to pulse with unanswered questions: What binds this family to isolation? What lies within Peach Blossom Village’s crimson haze? And what price will each pay when stillness finally breaks? |
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