Antique Shop?BEAR? - Chapter 12
Chapter 12 – Memory Puzzle
Sato Yamato was stopping by Hosho Station for a drinking party that day. The area in front of Hosho Station was famed for its old-fashioned streets, where buildings left over from the Edo period stood side by side from the station, and renovated restaurants lined the streets.
Today, Yamato was engaged in a drinking session with an important customer and was frantically conversing with him, which kept him on edge until he handed the customer a souvenir upon leaving. When the party was successfully concluded, he conveyed his gratitude to the manager and reminded his junior colleagues to be cautious on their way home. As a section chief at the head office of Books Honpo, Yamato’s job was generally to organize the branch offices, manage the underperforming stores, and develop new stores, but when it involved a drinking party like today’s, he was in a position to do the most menial tasks, such as making reservations for an important reception with business partners and shopping for souvenirs.
Yamato’s house was an apartment complex in front of Sakura Chuo Station, a few stops away from Hosho Station. After paying the bill and receiving the receipt, he departed for the station. Looking up at the sky, a starry sky was visible. According to the saying, the stars are most spectacular in the night sky of winter, and the air seemed clearer than the apartment complex where he resided, giving him the impression that the stars were even more vivid. Along the river, the weeds were neatly cut down so that seeds could be planted for the upcoming year. On the one hand, he longed to head home and get some rest, but on the other hand, he had a strange feeling that he preferred to gaze at the starry sky.
As he passed by a liquor store, a light leaked from a narrow stone pavement causing him to notice it. Somehow, he walked into the stone pavement and spotted a small general store at the rear. As if being drawn in, Yamato proceeded further down the stone pavement. At the entrance of the store at the back, there was a sign that read, “An antique shop BEAR”.
Is the general store even open this late…
Yamato involuntarily turned the doorknob of the antique shop.
“Welcome.”
The owner of the store was seated before the cash register flashing a smile at him. Dressed in a navy blue kimono, the shopkeeper appeared to be much younger than Yamato. He had a camera in his hand and seemed to be polishing the lens.
“I noticed your shop from outside.”
“Please take your time.”
The owner cast his gaze down at the camera and began to polish the lens. Yamato took his time to look around the interior of the store. The jewelry shelves drew his thoughts back to his wife, Ai, but then he glanced at the shelves on the other side. On the left side of the shelves were ceramics, mirrors, and various other products. A 30cm square wooden puzzle caught Yamato’s attention. It was a mysterious and nostalgic feeling as if he had seen it before. The puzzle depicted a retro green jeep with an image of a pond in the background. It struck him that it would be a good souvenir for his son.
Wooden puzzles are also a rarity.
“Excuse me, may I have a look at this wooden puzzle?”
“Coming right up.”
The shopkeeper put down the lens and stood up with the key to the shelf. After unlocking the shelf, he brought out the wooden puzzle. On his hands, he wore white gloves firmly.
“How much is this puzzle?”
“This one is 1,000 yen. The name of the previous owner’s child is on the back of the puzzle piece, thus the price is slightly lower.”
“I see. I will buy this one.”
Yamato chose to buy it without hesitation. After completing the payment, he saw the initials “MS” written in small letters on the back of the puzzle, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. After exiting the store, he sat on the bank and stared at the puzzle for a while. He did so for some time, then regained his senses and headed home.
By the time he got home, it was around midnight. While changing in the bathroom to take a bath, his wife, Ai, awakened.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“I haven’t slept yet.”
Ai showed her phone to Yamato. On the screen, a puzzle game was displayed.
“I bought a puzzle for the child today.” Yamato went back to get his bag and pulled out a puzzle.
“Oh, jeep. How cute!”
“I am off to the bathroom.”
“It’s getting cold, I think I will go in too.”
After they finished bathing together, Yamato went to the kitchen to boil water and secretly ate a cup of noodles before smoking. When he entered the bedroom, he found Ai and the child asleep. He gently lay down on the right side of the bed and closed his eyes. As his consciousness gradually drifted away, his name was abruptly called out.
“Big brother!”
Looking around, Yamato found that it was a pond behind the elementary school he used to attend. His younger brother, Mitsuru, was only two years old and his father next to him was considerably young. This was Yamato’s memory of when he was around five years old.
“Big brother! Come here!”
Yamato rushed out to his father and younger brother, Mitsuru.
“There’s a huge fish in the pond!”
“Mitsuru! Don’t go in there!”
His father was baiting a fishing hook, not paying any attention to Mitsuru.
“Big brother, hurry up!”
“Mitsuru!”
The impact of his body falling with a thud jolted him awake. Tears were streaming down his eyes.
I had an unpleasant dream…
Yamato looked at the clock and noted that it was already past eleven. He headed for the living room, but there was no sign of Ai or the child. He texted, “Where are you?” but she seemed not to be on her phone nor did she reply. Having no choice but to step out onto the balcony, he went for a smoke, and from the balcony on the top floor of the 12-story building, on a clear day, he could see Mt. Fuji. The weather was clear and cloudless today, allowing a distinct view of Mt. Fuji. Below, the view was of a residential area and a park, but not much else.
When he finished his smoke, Ai came home.
Takashi, the eldest son, came running into the living room. Yamato washed Takashi’s hands and gargled with him as Ai rushed to prepare lunch and poured water into a pot to begin the meal. After that, he showed his son the jeep puzzle he had bought yesterday and he squealed with delight and immediately started playing with it, turning it over and taking it apart.
“Pretty cool, right?”
Takashi was struggling with the puzzle. There were about 35 pieces, but since it was his first time playing with a puzzle and there was no sample of completion, eventually the two of them solved it together. When the puzzle was finished, Ai brought out some ramen noodles and the three of them had lunch together.