PodCastle

* Authors : Eisuke Aikawa and Toshiya Kamei
* Narrator : Miyuki Jane Pinckard
* Host : Summer Fletcher
* Audio Producer : Peter Adrian Behravesh
*
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Previously published by Samovar


Rated PG
Hummingbird
by Eisuke Aikawa and Toshiya Kamei
The translucent Ōe-san steps out of the bathroom and sits at the table as usual. He spreads butter on an invisible slice of bread, takes a bite, and chews it, holding the morning paper in his other hand. Just like a mime. I sit on the floor and observe his movements.
He showed up about a month ago.
Of course, his sudden apparition took me by surprise, even frightened me. To my dismay, his ghost spends his days in my apartment. On top of that, he owned this place before I moved in.
Ōe-san never deviates from his daily routine. Every single day, he gets up at six, washes his face, eats breakfast, reads the paper, and gets dressed. He straightens his back, reads something aloud to no one in particular in his suit, and goes out. On the weekends and holidays, he puts on casual attire while sticking to his usual schedule. For a ghost, he’s a stickler for the rules. He doesn’t seem to see me. When I open the door, we sometimes almost bump our heads. But I can’t touch his body. It’s as if he were air. I’m the only one who’s jumpy around here. He never misses his step. Once when I was taking a shower, he barged into the bathroom. I let out a scream.
I’ve thought about confiding in someone. Our president, Yoshimoto-san from accounting, or my parents back home. But if I brought this up, they would think I’m losing it again. No thanks. Better keep quiet.
After a month, I’ve got a handle on the situation. He’s not bothering me. I see him. But I don’t hear him. Creepy, yes, but quite harmless.
Ōe-san was only fifty-five when he presumably passed away. Six months ago, when we signed the paper, he was swell and dandy, with no sign of illness whatsoever. But judging from his recent apparition, he must be dead.
My apartment is located on the fifth floor of a twenty-unit building that was erected fifteen years ago. Despite the passage of time, the interior is free from major damage. The floor, too, remains intact. The walls look clean, free of pin holes. The ceiling is hardly sooty. Ōe-san took good care of this place. It’s ideal for a single woman like myself. A forty-five-square-meter 1LDK. No kids running around the entrance. We’ve got excellent neighbors. As he was in a hurry to sell, he set a lower price. It was a great deal. It’s a bit far from my work, half an hour’s walk, but I could certainly use some exercise.
His interior layout is perfect. After I moved in, I placed my furniture in the same spots. But because of this, the ghost and I tend to occupy the same places. I certainly can’t stand sleeping in the bed next to him, so I opt to sleep on a futon on the floor.
The remaining loan balance is a headache. Now that the place is haunted, it’s impossible to sell. So I’m stuck with it. Besides, I took the plunge and made a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. I can’t muster enough energy to go through it again. If it were a bicycle or a washing machine, I might walk away. But this is my home.
A bird chirps outside the window. Perhaps it’s a shijukara. I step out on the balcony and look around, but no bird is in sight. Instead, a cicada begins buzzing in the distance.