Kyoho: A short story

Here’s a short story I wrote based on the song “Lost Umbrella” by Inabakumori!

Mayumi held her hands over her head, a makeshift umbrella, as she bobbed and weaved through the throngs of shoppers, her gaze solely on the small black cat in front of her- Kyoho, as she had dubbed it. The cat glanced back, as if to check she was still following, then plodded on determinedly. Mayumi’s breath caught as Kyoho disappeared from her gaze, eyes narrowing as she searched the crowd, before it reappeared, letting out a plaintive mewl. Mayumi exhaled, relieved, increasing her speed. 

Kyoho had appeared right when she had lost her umbrella, the wind sweeping away the bright yellow parasol. Mayumi had stared after it despondently, hand reaching out in a futile attempt to grab it. It had been yet another unlucky event on top of a slew of bad days. Just when she was about to step into the protection of an awning and wonder if she should just go home, the sensation of something winding between her legs caught her attention. She had looked down, startled, to see Kyoho, the small creature looking up at her innocently. As she bent to scoop it up, it had taken off, with the occasional backwards glance to see if she was following.

She was. She didn’t know why she was, but she trusted the cat. Call it a soft spot, call it idiocy…but still. Kyoho seemed like a friend. A feline friend who couldn’t quite talk, sure, but a friend all the same. 

Kyoho rounded a corner, and Mayumi, nearly out of breath, did the same moments later- only to come face to face with the umbrella, tangled in the branches of a tree. Mayumi sucked in a breath, staring wonderously at the cat, back to winding around her feet. She cautiously made her way over to the tree, reaching up on her tiptoes to try and nudge it back to the ground. It fluttered down, along with a few ginkgo leaves, a young, bright green, hopeful, determined. As if to symbolize that it wasn’t all lost. That there was still hope. Mayumi picked up the umbrella, turning to thank Kyoho, to express some form of gratitude to the cat, but when she turned back…it was gone. Vanished into the sea of people, off to perhaps save another lost soul. 

Mayumi took a deep breath, hefted the umbrella back over her shoulder, and set back off on her journey. 

I hope you enjoyed!

The Garden of Envy

Recently, I wrote a short story inspired by the song “Envy Baby” by Kanaria. I hope you enjoy!

The circus tent was dark, faint lights glowing to illuminate the seats and nothing more. Cebu took his seat apprehensively. When he’d first gotten an invitation to the mysterious, elusive ‘Garden of Envy’ circus, he’d been more than excited. Now, taking a look around the unlit tent, unease crept in. He wasn’t sure how many people had been invited and the pitch black of the tent didn’t help.

Not even a minute of the stifling silence had passed when a quiet snap sounded. Immediately, without any warning, bright industrial lights lit up the ring, each blasting a ray of clean, white light around the room. Cebu took in a sharp breath, gazing in wonder around the tent. True to its name, the tent was decorated a dark green, a large tree standing guard in the middle of the ring. Looking around, Cebu noticed just how isolated he was. No one else was around, no one to watch the magic of the night.

The ringleader strode into the ring, an air of confidence, of mystery, of wonder surrounding him. And with that, the circus began. Everything was sharp, precise, polished to perfection. Everything was just how it was supposed to be.
It was gorgeous. The most exquisite performance Cebu had ever seen.

“And now!” the ringmaster’s voice boomed, “Please welcome Love Maniac, your tightrope walker for this evening!” With an air of elegance, the tightrope was mounted, the thin string wavering alarmingly in the air. Cebu held his breath, a faint sense of concern beginning to build up. He couldn’t pinpoint its source, couldn’t figure out exactly why, but it was there.

And it only increased. As Love Maniac made her way across the tightrope, the disquiet grew, leaving Cebu with the intense temptation to shout out and warn the tightrope walker of the impending danger. But he couldn’t interrupt the show. Not with how perfect the night was.

Love Maniac reached the middle of the tightrope. Cebu held his breath.
The rope quivered. Once, twice, a third time.
The tightrope snapped. Love Maniac plummeted. The lights all shattered.

The circus was officially over.

Writing a short story based on a song was really interesting! It was a fun prompt to go off of.