Fiction

Sonning a Father

Translated by Angela Rodel The Runt had no luck with fathers at all. On the whole, nobody here had any luck with parents, but most of them were always crying for their mothers. The orphanage that they came from was itself called “Mother and Child” for some unknown reason. First, there were no mothers there….

Hollow Object

Beth tried to reach her daughter first thing on Sunday morning. When her daughter didn’t answer the phone, a feeling of alarm arose and, like a weather balloon, kept sending Beth disquieting signals all day. Beth and Vanessa had a relationship marked by an almost occult sense of the other’s welfare. Over the years, mother…

Lucky Dragon

I. The second dawn rose in the east, at nine in the morning. Hiroshi had never before seen such radiance. It rivaled the sun. He stood on deck with Yoshi, and the light crushed them beneath its purity. Hiroshi closed his eyes, but even so, the brightness pierced his head. The other crew members clamored…

Hands on the Wheel

I thought the booklet said hands at ten and two on the wheel. But maybe that’s because I like to drive with my hands at ten and two. But the booklet actually says: hands at nine and three. Well, my husband usually drives with his hands at eleven and one, which makes me nervous. And…

Caramel Drizzle

“Caramel syrup or caramel drizzle?” “Sorry?” “Caramel syrup or caramel drizzle?” This is an overheard conversation. I look up: it is a tall, slim woman with a ponytail, buying the drink at a Starbucks counter. She is wearing a dark blue uniform. We are in an airport. She is probably a flight attendant. Long pause…

The Ghost’s Preface

Translated by John Cullen We were in Paradise: there was the fig tree and, over on the right, the apple tree, only half of which I could see through the big French window that opened onto the courtyard; there was moreover a cloud of birds so dense you could imagine it contained an infinite number…