Hinoki by Chance Freihaut (2025)

Chance Freihaut is the winner of the 2024 Writers’ Union of Canada Short Prose Competition. The protagonist, Peter, tries to recover the memory of his mother, who abandoned him when he was seven. To reconstruct what he has lost, he enlists an improv group of three performers and directs them through scenes he invents—assigning places, situations, and even lines of dialogue.

As the improvisations unfold, fragments of the past begin to surface. Peter recalls, with painful clarity, the moment his mother left him and his father for good. “I love you, Peter,” she tells him. “But you need to know something. Mommy is like the sand and the wind.” And like sand carried off by a gust, she disappears from his life.

Through this process, Peter begins to understand his own identity and releases himself from the long struggle to remember her. A phone‑sex worker known as V eventually joins the troupe and takes on the role of his mother, further blurring the boundaries between performance and memory.

The story moves between two intertwined realms—the real world and the world of improv. At times, they overlap so closely that the distinction becomes deliberately unclear. Each sentence carries layers of implication, and each paragraph hides more than it reveals. The narrative demands an active, imaginative reader, one willing to navigate its shifting realities.

Hinoki is a tree name. It smells good. For Peter, the fragrance of Hinoki is his mother's smell.

「東方見聞録 1」マルコポーロ 平凡社

13世紀、ヴェニスから大都（北京）に到る広大な地域を国毎に、文化、習慣、生活、物産、貨幣、食事、風俗について詳述している。

驚くのはクビライカン（フビライカン）の権力の強大さである。彼が酒の盃を手に取る毎に、楽隊が音楽を奏で、家臣が跪き、カンが盃を飲み干すと、家臣が姿勢を正すとか。美女を５００人集め、基準に合致しているかを担当官に判定させ、３０人を選ぶ。選ばれた美人を家臣の妻と同衾させ、人品を評価させる。合格した娘は六人一組で、三日三晩、カンに侍らせ、交替させたとか。

ある地方では処女は結婚できないので、旅人に娘を交接させ、一人前の女として嫁せたとか。キリスト教、イスラム教、道教、偶像崇拝教（釈迦）の話とか、カンが家臣や兄弟と如何にして戦い滅ぼしたかとかが記述されている。

驚くことばかり多し。

 

虫めでる姫君 黄港佑

ミステリーもの。以下ネタバレ。大納言の姫が毛虫を集めているが、その死骸をどう処置しているかが分からない。結局、骸を姫が食べていたと最後のページで分かる。

悍ましい結末。読者は考えつかない。言葉遣いも平安時代のような雰囲気を醸し出し、40年経った後の主人公が姫に会いに行き、真相が分かるという設定も面白い。

後味が悪い。毛虫を長年食べ続けた姫は火葬されるが、主人公は、その骨を食べる。最後の一文は「消えない苦みが、ざらりと舌の上に残った」。同じように、ざらりとした、歪なエンディングである。無理に大納言時代に合わせようとする、持って回ったような表現が多い。

堤中納言物語『虫めでる姫君』を題材にしている。作者の応用力に関心した。

京都短編ミステリ―大賞授賞作品 原稿用紙８８枚

Identities by W. D. Valgardson (1995)

“Identities” is only four pages long, yet it delivers a tremendous shock. The protagonist begins his drive with no destination in mind, feeling calm and at ease. Gradually, however, a subtle sense of unease creeps in. At first, I assumed he would encounter some kind of trouble, but the ending was far worse than I expected—his death.

The story’s central theme, identity, is handled with bitter irony. Surrounded by suspicious people in a rough neighborhood, the protagonist tries to conceal his true identity by blending in, attempting to look like one of the “bad guys.” But this disguise backfires. A tense, inexperienced officer misinterprets his appearance and behavior. When the protagonist sees the officer, he actually feels relieved, believing he is finally safe. Yet in that moment, he makes a fatal mistake: instead of raising his hands as ordered, he reaches toward his wallet to retrieve his identification. The officer, already on edge, interprets the gesture as a threat and shoots him.

The tragedy lies in the cruel misunderstanding—he dies while trying to reveal the very identity that could have saved him.

Autogas Ferryman” by Champ Wongsatayanon

 What I have learned from reading “Autogas Ferryman,” written by Champ Wongsatayanont, a Thai, published in 2025

1.     Not so important an incident that happens at the beginning part turns out to be a very important matter that solves all the confusion, a clue to the labyrinth.

2.     Introduction is a daily routine that somehow catches the readers’ attention

The middle part consists of chaos, confusion, and catastrophic disaster; no solution is possible

     The ending dissolves all the intricated knots and leaves a peaceful atmosphere.

4.     The final one sentence is brief: And she fades away.

5.     One paragraph before the last sentence makes the readers smile and relieve the tension: The ghost of his mum smiles gently. It’s like that one time he finally got good grades for maths. She was so proud of him that day

“What Language Is That?” by Uwem Akpan (2008)

 “What Language Is That?” by Uwem Akpan (2008) is a beautifully crafted short story that follows the Japanese rhetorical structure ki‑sho‑ten‑ketsu: introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. In this story, the Change (ten) occurs when Selam, the protagonist, is suddenly forbidden to play with her Best Friend because they belong to different religions. Selam’s family is Christian, while her friend’s family is Muslim.

At first, the girls are not even allowed to look at each other from their verandas across the street. But one day, Selam opens the curtain and sees her friend standing outside. Her friend gives her an awkward little wave, and Selam mirrors it. Then her friend blows her a kiss, and Selam returns it. That small exchange restores her confidence and gives her the emotional strength to agree to move to Addis with her parents.

The story contains no unnecessary words, sentences, or scenes. It is an excellent model of short‑story economy.

What I learned from this story is that the “Change” should be as dramatic and consequential as possible, so the reader immediately worries about what will happen next.

Here is a vivid description of their silent veranda conversation:

“Slowly, Selam lifted her hand and waved to you as if the hand belonged to another person. You waved back slowly, too. She opened her mouth slowly and mimed to you, and you mimed back. ‘I can’t hear you.’ She waved with two hands, and you waved with two hands. She smiled at you… She gave an imaginary friend a peck.” 

The author is a Nigerian. He won the Commonwealth prize. His works are a New York Times bestseller.

信長の棺 加藤廣

 ミステリー歴史小説とはこのような小説であろう。信長の遺体が本能寺にないのは何故か。遺骨は何処に消えたかをミステリー風に、巧く書き上げた。おそらく、本能寺に抜け穴があり、そこから逃れたと推測したが、その推測がひっくり返るような仕掛けを施している。逃げ道の先は阿弥陀寺で、阿弥陀寺が入口ではなく本能寺が入口である。信長は抜け道を逃げて来るとき壁で遮られてそこでで落命した。

欠点は薀蓄が多すぎてスムースな読書を妨げている。また、横道に次々と入って行くことである。特に最後の権兵衛と牛一の対話は長すぎる。

これは、四分の一ぐらいの中編で事足りる内容であるが、長く引き伸ばし過ぎである。

歴史知識が山ほどある著者で、その日本語の語彙力には感服した。