Antique Shop?BEAR? - Chapter 8
Chapter 8 – Whispering Earrings
A new moon was gradually approaching. Clouds drifted by as the moon floated faintly over the black night sky. Hardly a hint of moonlight was to be spotted; the river seemed to be pitch dark. The autumn wind was chilly and swept past Rei accompanied by the sound of withering trees. As she made her way through the stone pavement and ended up outside the antique store, the shutters were up and the owner, wearing glasses, was polishing the lens of a camera, in the exact same manner as before. Rei stepped tentatively into the store.
“Good evening…”
The owner narrowed his eyes at the sight of Rei, producing a smile.
“Welcome.”
“Good evening. Um… I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the earrings I bought the other day.”
“Did anything seem amiss with the product?”
“Eh… amiss…? I… would like to hear something regarding it.”
“What might that be?”
Rei stammered as she attempted to break the ice.
“Please have a seat here.” The owner brought a stool from behind the cash register for her. “So, what will you like to ask?”
Rei took the earrings out of the box. “These earrings… Is it possible that a woman came here to sell them?”
“I apologize, ma’am. That information is confidential.”
“I do consider it likely that it was my mother who sold them.”
“Well, then, perhaps you would like to verify this with your mother?”
“I know this may sound unbelievable, but will you listen to me?”
The owner smiled while nodding, lowering his droopy eyes even more.
“… From the night I put on these earrings… I heard a ‘shulushulu’ sound initially. At first, I had no clue as to what it was. Shortly afterward, I even became aware of… ‘ka-ha’ and flapping sound. These sounds could only be detected during quiet periods, causing me to suspect that I was losing my mind… Then last night, when I had sleep paralysis, I experienced something like an image… I saw my mother and a woman in my room, and the earrings that the woman was wearing were exactly like this one. The woman was my father’s cheating partner…”
The owner was listening to what was being said earnestly. With a trace of a smile on his face, he folded his beautiful, thin hands on the table and stared at her.
“I figure my mother killed my father’s cheating partner… and came here to sell these earrings.”
Rei fell into silence at that point. The owner gave a nod.
“Thank you for your explanation. First of all, you mentioned that you heard strange noises after wearing the earrings and that you saw the woman who owned the earrings, is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the personal information of the person who made the transaction.”
“I… guess that is to be expected…”
“Ma’am.”
“Yes?”
“Each antique has a memory of its past, as do all humans.”
“Eh… their past…?”
“Right. So, if the earrings are whispering to you, please listen attentively.”
The shopkeeper gave a faint smile while staring at Rei.
“Listen… at the ears…? Speaking of which, why is your store named BEAR?”
“My name is Kuma. That’s how I came up with the name BEAR for my store.”
Rei stood up, bowing, and left the store in a daze.
As expected, the seller couldn’t be revealed.
After crossing the stone pavement, a call was made to her father. The last conversation between them was probably the day she graduated from high school. And for a much earlier time they had together, it was after the graduation ceremony of her elementary school. On that day, when her father and she went out for lunch, a woman was standing in the distance, watching them on the way home. Upon recognizing the woman, her father rushed to lead her in the opposite direction, thus she knew in her childhood that she was the cheating partner. Both of her parents still have not gotten a divorce due to a dispute over financial matters. Her mother mentioned that they would not divorce until he finished the payment of the loan for the house.
Her father did not respond to her call. While walking along the river, she knew she had to contact the police concerning her mother. At the time she was so shaken and terrified that she fled away, but now she needed to inform the police. Before she crossed the bridge, a call was returned from her father.
“Hello, Rei?”
“Father, I am sorry to call so late. Is everything alright now?”
“Ah… ah.”
His voice was weak and listless. Whenever she called, he always sounded apologetic and wanted to hang up quickly.
“I want to ask you something… Is Hiyama there?”
“Eh?”
His voice was hoarse.
“She’s not there?”
“W-Why are you asking that?”
“Did you present the rose earrings to Hiyama?”
“Huh? How did you know that…”
I knew it…
“Well, good night.”
After hanging up the phone, she boldly sent a message to her mother.
“I will be home tomorrow before noon bringing lunch.”
It would not be too late to call the police after meeting her mother. Rei made her way along the dark river with resolution.
T/N:
Kuma – ??, romaji is Kuma, the same pronunciation as bear