It happened one year ago.
Kurosuke passed away the same day Kakeru and his parents came to stay with Grandma.
He died of natural causes. Old age.
Kurosuke had been an old dog, older than Kakeru by several years. The two of them had been friends for as long as Kakeru could remember. When he recalled the good times at Grandma’s house, Kurosuke was always a part of them. Even though they only got to see each other for a few days every year, Kurosuke never forgot about Kakeru. Saying good-bye to a friend like that had been painful.
While his parents were digging a grave for Kurosuke in the backyard, Kakeru just sat by the dog’s body and cried.
It was then that a girl appeared in front of him. She was wearing a neon-pink hoodie and an eye patch with a crossed-out heart on it. Her hair was completely silver.
Kakeru was sure he hadn’t met her before—he’d have remembered someone in a bright, showy outfit like that in a small country town like this.
The girl beckoned to him, calling him out into the street. Then she said “This is for you” and handed him a small black box. On the front of it was a label that read SHADOW EMBROIDERY KIT. Kakeru opened the box to find some white needles, a spool of black thread, and a pair of scissors with white blades.
“Huh? What is this?” he said.
When he looked up, the strange girl was gone.
Who was that? And…what’s a Shadow Embroidery Kit?
Not sure what to think of it, he made his way back into the yard. The sun was setting, and a long shadow was stretching out from under Kurosuke’s body.
His shadow was lying on its back just like he was.
Once they buried him, Kurosuke’s shadow would disappear forever. The thought made Kakeru feel even sadder.
Shadow…embroidery?
Kakeru took the scissors out of the box. Their blades were shining white, as if they weren’t just reflecting light but had been coated in light itself. It gave them an unearthly sheen. What if these scissors could actually cut shadows? Kurosuke’s body was going to go into the ground, but maybe Kakeru could keep his shadow as a memento…
Of course, Kakeru didn’t really believe that. Not yet.
He hovered the scissors over the edge of the dog’s shadow and gave them a little snip. It felt strange; it wasn’t quite like cutting paper or cloth. When he looked down, the shadow now had a tiny cut in it.
It was true.
Still partly in shock, he snipped again, and again. Every time the scissor blades snipped together, Kurosuke’s shadow separated from his body a little more. Finally, Kakeru had cut all the way from one side of the shadow to the other. It slid away from the body…and stood up. It was now a solid mass of darkness, shaped like a dog.
“Kurosuke…?”
When Kakeru called the dog’s name, the shadow wagged its tail and came bounding over to him. It was acting just like Kurosuke had when he was alive. He’d always been a big, black dog, so this shadow didn’t look all that different.
Kurosuke…was back.
Kakeru was so happy. The two of them could play again. And since Kurosuke was a shadow now, he wasn’t technically alive, so he couldn’t die, either. They could stay together forever.
With tears in his eyes, Kakeru leaned forward and hugged his old friend.
✦ ✦ ✦
Shadow Kurosuke only ever appeared in front of Kakeru. But he was still Grandma’s dog. He’d keep living here at Grandma’s house, so he’d probably show himself to her sooner or later.
Kakeru decided to tell her about the Shadow Embroidery Kit so that she wouldn’t be surprised when that time came. At first, she didn’t seem to believe his story, but then she smiled.
“Scissors that can cut shadows, you say? Perhaps it was Lord Chikage who gave them to you.”
“Lord Chikage?”
“He’s the guardian deity of Kagekake Village. There’s a shrine honoring him in the bamboo grove by the river on the edge of town. The legends say he’s a god with the power to control shadows.”
Kakeru nodded, curious.
The power to control shadows. If a god like that did exist, it wouldn’t be strange for them to have something like the Shadow Embroidery Kit.
But then…who was the girl in pink? It was hard to imagine her as the guardian deity of this old village, even if she had been in disguise.
✦ ✦ ✦
Lord Chikage. Kakeru hadn’t thought about him in a long time, but the name flashed into his mind now.
Does a god like that really exist?
If he did, then…perhaps everyone losing their shadows had something to do with him. But first, Kakeru had to figure out what he was going do next. He’d managed to escape into Grandma’s house, but that would only buy him a little bit of time.
The other doors and the windows weren’t locked, and Grandma probably had the keys on her anyway. The Shadowless creatures might force their way inside at any moment.
If they catch me, will they take my shadow away, too?
Then Kakeru would be exactly like the others: hollowed out, like he’d lost his soul.
No way. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to leave this place and go somewhere they couldn’t follow him.
Which door should I use to get out? There’s lots of ways out of Grandma’s house, like the back door, or the porch…
He’d reached the end of the downstairs hallway, where it split off in two directions. The left path led to the back porch, while the one on the right went to the toy store on the other side of the house. The store was usually closed during the Obon holiday. It was most likely locked up right now, with the shutters covering the doors. Kakeru could probably open them, but the noise was sure to attract the Shadowless.
He turned left and went out onto the porch. Somebody was waiting for him there.
“Kurosuke! So this is where you were,” Kakeru said.
The dog-shaped shadow was curled up on the sunlit porch, as comfy as could be. At the sound of Kakeru’s voice, it got up, wagging its tail, and trotted over to him.
“Ah-ha-ha… Thank goodness. I knew you’d be okay. You’re already a shadow, so it’s not like anyone could take yours away.”
Relieved, Kakeru reached out to pet his friend’s head. But before he could, the shadowy dog opened its mouth wide…and sank its teeth into the shadow of Kakeru’s right hand.
“Huh…?”
Kakeru looked down. His right hand had no shadow—the dog had bitten it off.
“…K-Kurosuke?”
Still wagging its tail, the shadow ran around Kakeru, gazing up at him. That had been Kurosuke’s way of saying “More, please!” when he was alive.
“No way…”
Kakeru tried to move his hand. Everything from the wrist up, where the shadow had been taken off, felt weird. It wasn’t that he couldn’t move it; it was more like…like the hand didn’t belong to him anymore.
And that wasn’t all. His head felt fuzzy, too.