Pathway to Japanese Literature

Behold—on that neck are the claw marks of the mysterious bird!

“Aah!”

From far away, faintly prolonged and echoing multiple times, a human scream could be heard.

Lying on the bed and reading a magazine by the light of the lamp on the bedside table, Keiko uneasily raised her head.
――Save for the raging waves gnawing at the shore like a demon's roar, fiercely resounding through the midnight sky, not a single sound could be heard within the building that lay hushed in slumber.

“That’s strange… I definitely heard a voice just now…”

As she began to murmur this, there came—clearer this time—a horrifying cry that seemed to claw at her very chest.

“Aah!” The scream echoed through the air.

It was a voice that had wound its way from some distant place.
Undeniably from the tower’s summit.
Trembling violently, Keiko leapt from her bed and raced to her father’s room, battering the door with desperate strength.

“Father, something’s wrong! Father!”

“What’s... wrong?”

“Wake up, please! Hurry!”

While throwing on robes over their sleepwear, Dr.Munekata led the way, followed by assistant Shinoda Susumu carrying a lamp, as they rushed out.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I just heard a scream from above—twice! Something must have happened. Let’s go check!”

“I see. In any case, let’s go check.”

Immediately, with Shinoda holding the lamp at the lead, the three of them—Shinoda, the doctor, and Keiko—rushed toward the staircase.

This was the Sotobō Coast of Chiba Prefecture.
It was an abandoned lighthouse situated on a small island roughly two hundred yards from a jagged, rocky shore colloquially known as “Fukikaihama”—the Beach of No Return.
――The 150-foot-tall tower and its two annex buildings had gone unused for twenty years.
The structure had become practically a ruin, but for about a week now, Dr. Munekata and his group had been renting it.

Dr. Munekata was one of Japan’s foremost authorities on marine microorganisms and had come here accompanied by three assistants and his daughter to study the noctiluca that had recently appeared in these coastal waters.
――Tonight marked exactly eight days since their arrival. With one assistant, Yoshii Teikichi, left on night watch duty, the incident occurred just past 1 AM—three hours after everyone had gone to sleep.

The three raced up the spiral staircase without pausing for breath.
The summit housed a noctiluca observation post converted from the old lantern room, equipped with various observation mirrors and specialized spectrometers.—The three who had climbed up found Assistant Yoshii lying blood-soaked under the dim lamplight,

"Ah!" they exclaimed, standing frozen in place.

However, Shinoda Susumu immediately ran up, picked up the groaning Yoshii, and examined his wounds.
Blood—enough to wring out—stained up to the chest of his white jacket.
The wounds were on both sides of his neck, and, strangely enough, each side bore three marks shaped as though long claws had been driven in.—The bleeding was severe, but it didn’t appear life-threatening.
Shinoda tore off the hem of the haori and swiftly applied a bandage while,

“Yoshii! Stay with us!”

“……”

“It’s me! The professor is here too, Yoshii!”

When Shinoda shouted by his ear, Yoshii’s eyes suddenly flew open. In that instant, he raised his right hand and pointed at a section of the wall—

“Th-that… that bird…”

With a terrified expression, his tongue tangling as he tried to speak, he slumped down and lost consciousness once more.

The three of them looked at the spot he had indicated.
On that section of the wall hung the taxidermied mysterious bird, its feathers now sparse—its wings, spread wide to either side, spanned over two meters; its entire body was cloaked in jet-black feathers, and both legs—bearing sharp, eagle-like talons—stood firmly planted.
This had already been mounted when the doctor and his team arrived; it had aged for decades, and they couldn’t determine what kind of bird it was at all.
Neither an eagle nor a hawk—if one were to describe it, it gave the impression of a fierce bird from a bygone century.

“F-Father!”

Keiko suddenly shouted.

"There’s blood on that bird’s claws…"

"What?!"

Shinoda held the lamp closer.
The mysterious bird's claws were freshly stained with blood—the three of them gasped in shock.

At the summit of the 150-foot abandoned lighthouse, the tower's exterior formed a sheer cliff without footholds.
The interior contained only a single spiral staircase; there was no gap for any culprit to enter or exit.
In a room with nowhere for even a rat to hide, someone had nearly been killed.
The claws of the mysterious bird mounted on the wall perfectly matched the wound marks on Assistant Yoshii's neck.
Moreover, those claws were drenched in blood... How would this terrifying mystery unfold?

What?! Then four people had already died mysteriously in this lighthouse?!

“It’s okay. I’ll preserve the life.”

Dr. Kanamori finished treating him and, stepping out onto the balcony, said.

It was the following morning.

Without wasting a moment upon receiving the urgent summons, Dr. Kanamori—the village physician who had rushed over from the local Kawana Village—had been treating Yoshii almost continuously until dawn. Having apparently determined that he was out of danger, Dr. Kanamori strode out to where everyone was waiting.

“He will likely recover.”

“I can at least guarantee his life.
“But… no—first, shall I have a cup of that coffee?”
“And then I have a brief story to share with all of you.”

Keiko quickly poured the coffee, added a few drops of whiskey, and handed it over.—Dr. Kanamori lit a cigarette and, sipping the coffee with evident relish, gazed out at the sea for a while before...

“How Yoshii came to be injured—I suppose you don’t quite understand—but what do you think, Dr. Munekata?”

“That’s exactly it.”

Dr. Munekata said without hiding his bewilderment.

“After all, the exterior is a sheer cliff with no footholds whatsoever, and inside there’s only a single spiral staircase—nowhere for the culprit to hide.”
“First of all, why anyone would try to kill Yoshii—I can’t even begin to imagine that.”

“I rather thought that might be the case.”

“What? —Are you saying you thought that?”

“Dr. Munekata.”

Dr. Kanamori, the village physician, glanced at the cigarette smoke while,

“I have encountered this same incident before.”
“This is not the first time.”
“The reason this lighthouse was decommissioned and relocated to Noyama Misaki is precisely because of such incidents.”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

“It’s like this.”

Dr. Kanamori threw down his half-smoked cigarette and turned to face them.

“It was about twenty years ago.”
“One night, drawn by this lighthouse’s beacon, an unnamed mysterious bird flew in.”
“There was a young watchman named Taguchi stationed here at the time. He found the bird, shot it dead with a pistol, and had it taxidermied to mount on the wall.”

“So that’s the same bird still here now?”

“That’s correct.”

Dr. Kanamori closed his eyes briefly before continuing in a subdued tone.

“The strange incidents began that very night.”
“Just like last night—that man Taguchi was found dead in the lamp room with his throat slashed.”
“The culprit couldn’t have entered from anywhere.”
“The wound... matches Yoshii’s precisely.”
“Moreover—with his dying breath, Taguchi gasped ‘That bird...’ and pointed at that very taxidermied creature.”

“At that time, wasn’t there blood on the bird’s claws?”

Keiko asked fearfully.

“Yes, there was.”
“Or rather, I should say they were drenched in blood.”
“The police came and investigated for over two weeks, but in the end... it was dismissed as an inexplicable mystery.”
“However, not long after that—yes, perhaps about a month had passed—this time, an elderly lighthouse keeper named Kawamura died in exactly the same manner.”

“So, that case also ended without determining the cause, I take it?”

“That’s correct—the two afterward as well.”

“……”

Four people... four people met mysterious deaths?

Listening, Dr. Munekata and the others all abruptly paled—but Shinoda Susumu, suddenly looking at Dr. Kanamori,

“If we boil down your story, it seems to suggest that the taxidermied mysterious bird came to life and killed people—but do you actually believe that?”

“As you can see, I am a humble scientist who believes only in facts proven within test tubes.”
“Naturally… I have no intention of believing a taxidermied bird could transform itself and appear.”
“However—let me offer everyone one piece of advice.”
“Please evacuate this island immediately.”

Having said that, Dr.Kanamori, the village physician, stood up.

“Including this incident, I’ve seen the same event five times now.”
“I witnessed it with these eyes.”
“The lighthouse itself was relocated.”
“For your safety, you must all leave this place.”
“Now then, I’ll take my leave.”

“……”

Dr. Kanamori, the village physician, picked up his briefcase and departed.

The group silently watched his retreating figure. As they did, Shinoda Susumu noticed an unfamiliar slip of paper beneath the chair where the doctor had been sitting and bent down to retrieve it.

“What’s that?”

“It seems Dr. Kanamori dropped this.”

As he spoke, he looked at it and saw that it was a receipt for helium gas.

“Keiko, look after Yoshii.”

Dr. Munekata stood up from his chair and said.

“I will begin my work—the noctiluca will likely start moving vigorously from tonight onward. Everyone, stay vigilant—I refuse to believe in legends of mysterious birds. I’m counting on you all.”

The Mysterious Bird Springs to Life; The Second Incident Occurs

Moved by Dr. Munekata’s strong dedication to research, Shinoda Susumu had come to a firm resolve deep within his heart.

The taxidermied mysterious bird curses people—such an absurd thing couldn’t possibly exist. There must be some hidden secret here.
I’ll get to the bottom of it—

With that resolve, during lulls in his research, he began meticulously investigating the lighthouse’s surroundings.—Yet nothing was discovered.
Unless one had wings to fly through the sky, it was impossible to climb the exterior of the 150-foot tower.
Moreover, no matter how swiftly someone attempted it, they couldn’t traverse the spiral staircase up and down without being detected by anyone.

"I don't understand—such an impossible thing can't be possible. If I'd only heard about it, even I would probably think it was a lie. But the fact remains—a crime was committed."
"A person was nearly killed."
"The neck wounds matched the taxidermied mysterious bird's claws—and those claws were drenched in blood."
"In other words—in other words—there's simply no other explanation than that mysterious bird having tried to kill Yoshii."

Shinoda finally threw in the towel.

And exactly one week later late at night, the second incident occurred.
Moreover, this time Shinoda Susumu was the victim.—That night, Shinoda—on observation duty—stationed himself in the topmost room and was diligently continuing his work.

As Dr. Munekata had predicted, the noctiluca's activity grew increasingly vigorous, and the sea surface glowed bluish-white with flickering fluorescence as far as the eye could see, its undulating waves causing the light to pulse in rhythm. When viewed through the observation lens, the interplay of light and shadow's varying intensities appeared as if countless shards of gemstones had been scattered across the view.—At first, distracted by the mysterious bird mounted on the wall, he occasionally glanced back warily, but eventually even that vigilance faded as he became utterly absorbed in his observations.

It was probably around 2 a.m.
The east wind that had begun blowing some time ago gradually grew stronger, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks far below, 150 feet down, began roaring fiercely through the midnight sky.

……Then, entirely without warning, there was a violent clang as the door to the corridor flew open, and the lamp on the desk—buffeted by the gust of wind that came rushing in—went out.

“What a fierce wind.”

As he set down the observation lens he had been peering through and turned around while muttering those words, Shinoda froze in place as if struck by electricity.
There—mounted on the wall—the mysterious bird stood poised to strike, its wings fully spread, a mere two feet before his eyes!

“Screech! Screech! Screech!”

Along with a strange cry, it began beating its wings fiercely.

“Ah!!”

Shinoda leapt up from his chair.
But at that moment, the mysterious bird enveloped him with both wings, and Shinoda—feeling something cold and sharp clawing at his throat—toppled backward along with the chair.

How much time had passed after that? Feeling severe thirst and an intense headache, Shinoda suddenly opened his eyes and found three concerned faces right before him. They were Dr.Munekata, the young lady, and Assistant Kitamura... The lamp’s light was bright, and he found himself lying on a bed.

What had happened?

At first, he felt as though he were dreaming.
But he immediately recalled that terrifying incident and shuddered, holding his breath.
Dr.Munekata leaned forward and,

“How are you? Have you come around?”

“…Professor!”

“You’re going to be fine. The wounds aren’t too severe.”
“I suppose you could call it a sixth sense.”
“Kitamura and I made it in time when we went up to check on you.”
“Does your throat hurt?”

Shinoda tentatively moved his hand.
The neck was firmly wrapped in bandages; the strong smell of disinfectant stung the nose—but aside from a severe headache, there was no other discomfort.

“Ah, it’s better if you don’t get up.”

“I’m all right.”

Shinoda quietly raised himself halfway,

“Excuse me, but could I have a glass of water?”

“I’ll bring it for you.”

Keiko went off almost at a run and returned with a Western-style cup filled to the brim with water.

“Thank you.”

While watching Shinoda drink it all in one gulp, Dr. Munekata said in a drained voice,

“Since Yoshii’s wounds have improved considerably, we shall withdraw from here tomorrow.”
“Science has been defeated by legend.”
“It’s regrettable, but I can no longer justify exposing you all to further danger.”

“I object, Professor.”

Shinoda said calmly.

“Why do you object? You were actually attacked by the mysterious bird and nearly killed, weren’t you?”

“That’s correct.”
“I saw the mysterious bird begin to move.”
“I also heard a terrifying scream.”
“I was attacked and wounded.”
“Even now when I think about it, my body freezes in terror…… But I can’t believe it.”
“Such a bizarre thing shouldn’t exist.”
“I want to uncover the truth.”
“Even if I’m alone, I’ll stand my ground and see this through.”

Shinoda clenched his fist and said.

The Valiant Activities of Young Shinoda: The White Powder Discovered

“Well said, Mr. Shinoda!”

Dr. Munekata suddenly grasped Shinoda’s hand and,

“I too find it deeply regrettable to withdraw.
To yield to this ghostly incident and abandon our hard-won research would be the greatest disgrace for a scientist.
I will stay here with you.”

“I’m not leaving either!”

“Of course, I’m staying too!”

Both Keiko and Kitamura declared with firm determination.
Shinoda smiled and,

“With everyone’s resolve aligned like this, nothing could be better.
Then I’ll get some rest now, so please everyone withdraw.
Since I’ve recovered now.”

“I see. Then we should get some more rest too.”

With those words, Dr. Munekata and the others left.

Shinoda lay down on the bed once more and calmly reconsidered the case.
――No matter how much he thought about it, it remained a mystery within a mystery.

――The mysterious bird had undoubtedly been standing there.
It spread its wings and lunged forward.
The strange scream still echoed clearly in his ears.
But there was no way something shot and taxidermied twenty years ago could move.
It was utterly impossible.

Young Shinoda quietly sat up.

Good—first, I’ll confirm that!

He took the Western-style lamp and quietly left the room.

Suppressing his footsteps, he climbed the spiral staircase and entered the observation room.
On the wall hung that securely mounted mysterious bird.
Its wings were firmly fixed to the wall with decorative nails, and its splayed legs tightly bound with brass rings.

Even if this bird were to curse people, in this state it could never break free from the wall.

——Then?

The thing that attacked Yoshii—what attacked him must be something else.
Another mysterious bird besides the one mounted on the wall...

——Wait.

Shinoda sat on the chair and thought.

——Was that truly the mysterious bird? The door had opened from the wind, the lamp had gone out—that figure spreading both wings in the darkness—he had firmly believed it to be the wall-mounted bird, but now that he thought… Yes, yes—it was standing on the floor.

Shinoda stood up as if propelled.

He took the Western-style lamp in hand and began meticulously examining the floor.
And from where the mysterious bird was thought to have stood, he found a small clump of lichen that had fallen.
He carefully picked it up, wrapped it in paper, thoroughly examined the entire room, then opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.
The eastern sky had already begun to brighten—on a cape jutting out fifty meters to the left of this island, pines grew thickly across the slope, and through their branches, the reddening eastern sky looked like a painting.

“...Oh!”

Shinoda abruptly stopped and looked down at his feet.
On the wooden floor of the corridor lay yet another small fragment of lichen.

He let out a low groan.
Something seemed to have flashed through his mind.
His eyes intently searched the area around the cape jutting out below, and the fingers of his right hand began rapidly tapping the iron railing.
But that too was brief; soon he turned around sharply and descended the spiral staircase with vigorous strides.

“There are three mysteries.
“Lichen, the mysterious bird, and then—the wings! The wings of a mysterious bird soaring through the sky!”

He muttered this...

After breakfast, Shinoda announced he was going to tend to his wounds and left for the local village.
In fact, he visited Dr. Kanamori, the village physician, and had his wounds treated by him.
At that time, Dr. Kanamori grew angry that they had not yet evacuated and earnestly warned them—as if it were his own concern—that if they kept dawdling, both the doctor and the young lady would be killed by the mysterious bird.

After taking his leave from Dr. Kanamori, the village physician, Shinoda returned to the island near dusk—where and how he had busied himself remained unclear.
The worried doctors asked various questions about what had happened, but Shinoda merely—

“Please wait about two more days,” was all he replied.

“If you do that, I’ll explain everything.”
“It’s just two or three days.”

The next day as well, he went out to the village.

Upon returning to the island near evening, he raced around its grounds like a hound chasing prey, then spent over three hours noisily searching through an unused annex building.

He returned for dinner after 8 p.m.
He was completely revitalized, and even a smile appeared on his determined face.

“What’s wrong? Did you find something?”

“I’ve got a general idea.”

Shinoda smiled and,

“Professor, what do you make of this?”

As he said this, he held out a white powder wrapped in paper.—The professor took it, examined it, touched it to the tip of his finger and tasted it, but immediately spat it out while—

“Isn’t this cocaine?”

“That’s right—I reached the same conclusion.”

“What’s happened—such a thing?”

“I discovered it stored in the basement of the vacant house over there.”
“In other words... this is the cause of the mysterious bird incidents.”

At 2 AM, the three waited for the mysterious bird to appear.

It was then late on the fifth night.

From that night onward, every evening, the four lurked on the spiral staircase, lying in wait for the mysterious bird to appear.
The mysterious bird came from the sky—Shinoda had asserted this.
Neither Dr. Munekata nor Kitamura could believe it, but Shinoda repeatedly asserted with conviction.

“Well, isn’t that right?” he said with a smile.

“A bird wouldn’t crawl up from the ground.”
“But that would make it slightly too high.”

“But will the mysterious bird truly come?”

“It will come—it will definitely come. Soon, Professor—you’ll see it with your own eyes.”

Shinoda had a hunting rifle.—In the observation room, Kitamura was holding his ground. The noctiluca’s activity on the sea surface remained vigorous, their dreamlike, hazy pale light rendering the scene all the more eerie.

It was around exactly 2 AM on the fifth day.
When a strong east wind began to blow through the quiet sky,

“Professor, please be careful.
This wind is the precursor to the mysterious bird’s arrival.
When I fire this hunting rifle, please immediately rush into the observation room.”

“Understood.”

“Keiko, stay right there without moving.”

With those words, Shinoda opened the small window and aimed the barrel of his hunting rifle skyward, readying himself.

At 2 AM—on the summit of the ancient lighthouse resembling a ruin, surrounded by a sea aglow with noctiluca—this eerie and bizarre scene of awaiting the murderous phantom bird’s appearance was unforgettable.—Keiko, being a timid girl after all and unable to suppress her mounting terror, sat crouched on the stairs trembling uncontrollably.

“Professor, it’s here!”
As Shinoda spoke,

Bang—

A deafening gunshot—another blast!
At the same moment came the bang of a door bursting open from the observation room—but swifter still, Dr. Munekata dashed inside like a startled hare.
There spread the mysterious bird’s two-meter wingspan, unleashing a bloodcurdling shriek as it lunged at Kitamura.
The professor froze with a gasp but instantly raised his right hand’s pistol—

Bang!

He fired a single shot.

“Don’t shoot!”

Shouting, Shinoda rushed over.

In that instant... the mysterious bird twisted its body and leaped out through the open door.

“Don’t let it escape! Catch it quickly!”

Shouting, the three gave chase.

Instantly, the mysterious bird crossed over the iron railing and hurled itself toward the sea like a flung stone.

The three stood dumbfounded, listening to the eerie “Hii――” sound fade far, far below them.

“It’s a pity… With this, everything is over.”

Shinoda said with a sigh.

“The sin has returned to where it came from. Let’s go dispose of the corpse—Dr. Kanamori’s corpse.”

“What? Dr. Kanamori?!”

“That’s right—the true identity of the mysterious bird is Dr. Kanamori.”

“What was his purpose? I can’t believe it.”

Dr. Munekata gazed at Shinoda with a suspicious look.

“Dr. Kanamori was involved in cocaine smuggling.
“This island was the storage facility.
“So, to drive us away from here, he orchestrated this ghost story.
“I intended to apprehend him at the scene and urge repentance, but... as Dr.Kanamori, he must have found it impossible to go on living.”

“But how was he able to reach this high place?”
“I told you the mysterious bird comes from the sky.”

Shinoda calmly explained.

“The doctor came from the sky.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When Dr. Kanamori came to treat Yoshii, he dropped something and left.
“That was a receipt for helium gas.”
“What purpose would helium gas serve?”
“It was a balloon.”
“He used a balloon.”

Everyone gasped, their eyes widening in astonishment at the unexpected truth.

“After the mysterious bird departed, fragments of lichen were left behind,”
“I proceeded with the investigation centered on that,”
“and in the pine grove on that cape, I found the same lichen and human footprints.”
“Dr.Kanamori filled a balloon with gas there, disguised himself as the mysterious bird, and waited for a strong east wind before coming to the lighthouse.”
“The one I shot earlier with the shotgun was that balloon.”
“Dr.Kanamori, upon learning that, finally carried out his suicide.”

“Then what about Yoshii’s wounds?”

“Let’s examine Dr. Kanamori’s corpse—he likely has fabricated claws attached to both hands.”
“……Let’s just discreetly handle things so the police don’t find out.”
“His crimes aside, Dr. Kanamori was a first-rate physician.”

The three bowed their heads as if in silent prayer—poor Dr. Kanamori, who had died by his own sins.
The sea that had swallowed the corpse glowed with the noctiluca’s pale light as it ceaselessly gnawed at the rocks like a mourner.