Shadow After the Stoat - 中上級向け英語短編ストーリー、翻訳・音声付き

"Hold the fish steady." Keane braced the thin wooden pole, its smooth grain pressing against his palm while lantern scales brushed his sleeve. The path had been packed hard by earlier footsteps, leaving a ridged surface that pressed against the soles of their shoes. Iris crouched, feeling the gritty ground through her trainers as she adjusted the loose battery inside the fish. The faint LED flicker stopped, but generous paste along one side still shone damp, stretching the tissue skin like wet cloth. A warm gust from the nearby food stall rolled over them, smelling of corn above a metal hearth glowing under skewers. Every sway of the lantern risked the damp panel brushing the warm bulb, so Iris pursed her lips and worked quickly.

She had already reseated the battery when an unexpected rustle stirred the leaves behind them and Keane jerked the pole sideways. A pale stoat darted across the path, its sleek fur brushing Keane’s ankle before vanishing beneath a star-shaped lantern. The sudden swing pressed the wet tissue against the bulb, leaving a brown oval that dulled the fish’s left cheek. Iris pinched the rim; the panel felt softer than dry leaves, and a split had crept halfway toward the tail. Walking back to the craft station would shake the frame again, so she searched pockets for anything she could obtain immediately. The grilled-corn husk, warm yet firm, slid between bulb and panel, straightening the tear but casting a greenish ridge of shadow. Keane locked both elbows as Iris smoothed the husk along the inner wire, and the fish steadied without another flicker.

The pair left the dim zone and reached the reflection pond, where lanterns rippled across water like coloured coins under shifting glass. Iris lowered the pole, letting the fish’s uneven glow hover above the surface while mud near the bank clung to her shoes. The damp edge formed a shallow quagmire, gripping each step until she leaned back and pulled free with a soft pop. In the water, the husk showed as a faint stripe, yet the fish shape stayed clear enough to light their path. Keane grinned and balanced the pole on one shoulder, small flecks of paste drying rough against his sleeve. On the opposite bank, the stoat paused, sniffed the green reflection, and then slipped between reeds with a rustle of dry leaves.

「魚の形を動かさないで。」

ケーンは細い木の棒を握り、滑らかな木目が手のひらに食い込み、紙の鱗が袖にかすった。踏み固められた通路は凹凸があり、靴底にざらりと触れる。アイリスはしゃがみ込み、砂混じりの地面を靴越しに感じながら、魚の中で緩んだ電池を直した。弱々しかった光は止まり、だが一方の面にたっぷり塗った糊はまだ湿り、紙の皮が濡れた布のように伸びていた。近くの屋台から温かい風が吹き、トウモロコシの香りが金属のかまどの熱と混ざる。灯籠が揺れるたび、湿った面が温かい電球に触れそうになり、アイリスは唇を結んで素早く作業を続けた。

電池を押さえ直した直後、背後で葉が揺れ、ケーンが棒を思わず横へ振った。白いイタチが道を横切り、ケーンの足首に触れてから星形ランタンの下へ消えた。その衝撃で濡れた紙が電球に貼りつき、魚の左の頬に茶色い楕円が残った。アイリスは縁をつまみ、紙は乾いた葉より柔らかく、裂け目が尾の途中まで進んでいるのに気づく。作業台へ戻れば再び枠が揺れるため、今すぐ使える物を探した。ポケットの焼きトウモロコシの皮は温かく硬さもあり、電球と紙の間に差し込むと裂け目は伸びず、代わりに緑がかった影が生まれた。ケーンは両ひじを固定し、アイリスが内部の針金に皮を沿わせると、魚はもうちらつかなかった。

二人は暗い区間を抜け、池まで進んだ。水面には色とりどりの灯籠が硬貨のように揺れ、ガラスを通す光のように歪む。アイリスが棒を下げると不均一な光が水面に浮かび、岸辺の泥が靴にまとわりついた。湿った土は浅いぬかるみとなり、踏むたびに足を吸い、体重を後ろへ移してようやく抜けると小さな音がした。水鏡にはトウモロコシの皮が細い線として映り、それでも魚の形は十分な明かりを投げていた。ケーンは棒を肩にのせ、乾きかけた糊の粒が袖にざらつく。対岸でさきほどのイタチが立ち止まり、緑の反射を嗅ぐと枯れ葉を鳴らして葦の間へ滑り込んだ。