The Koi and the Child

The Character of Rain

This flow follows the Koi (carp) from cultural symbol and birthday present to the focus of the Narrator (God)'s dread.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Carp in the Garden A Carp in the Garden from "The Character of Rain". A Carp in the Garden A custom questioned The family raises a carp streamer for the month of boys.

A Carp in the Garden from "The Character of Rain". A Carp in the Garden A custom questioned The family raises a carp streamer for the month of boys.

A Carp in the Garden A custom questioned The family raises a carp streamer for the month of boys. The child asks why boys have a month and girls do not, exposing an inequality adults take for granted. Symbol under inspection The Narrator (God) wants to see real carp and tests the cultural symbol against living fish. Curiosity begins as a challenge to a custom rather than an interest in fishkeeping.

Repulsion at the Pond Repulsion at the Pond from "The Character of Rain". Repulsion at the Pond Watching the fish feed The child sees the carp surge for food and judges them grotesque and overfed.

Repulsion at the Pond from "The Character of Rain". Repulsion at the Pond Watching the fish feed The child sees the carp surge for food and judges them grotesque and overfed.

Repulsion at the Pond Watching the fish feed The child sees the carp surge for food and judges them grotesque and overfed. Their longevity seems no virtue when set against what the Narrator (God) considers stale, stagnant life. An emphatic verdict Other fish at the aquarium appear graceful by comparison. The child’s initial inquiry ends in a firm conviction that the carp are the least admirable fish.

An Unwanted Birthday Gift An Unwanted Birthday Gift from "The Character of Rain". An Unwanted Birthday Gift Parents misread a passion Instead of the stuffed elephant the child wants, Mother and Father present three living carp.

An Unwanted Birthday Gift from "The Character of Rain". An Unwanted Birthday Gift Parents misread a passion Instead of the stuffed elephant the child wants, Mother and Father present three living carp.

An Unwanted Birthday Gift Parents misread a passion Instead of the stuffed elephant the child wants, Mother and Father present three living carp. They believe the gift reflects an enthusiasm the child has never shared. Courtesy conceals pain The Narrator (God) answers politely, unable to express the scale of its disappointment. The present turns a supposed interest into an obligation.

Names for the Three Fish Names for the Three Fish from "The Character of Rain". Names for the Three Fish A theological joke To avoid assigning the fish names that would exclude Hugo, the child names them Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Names for the Three Fish from "The Character of Rain". Names for the Three Fish A theological joke To avoid assigning the fish names that would exclude Hugo, the child names them Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Names for the Three Fish A theological joke To avoid assigning the fish names that would exclude Hugo, the child names them Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The joke lets the Narrator (God) control a situation it cannot honestly refuse. Routine begins The parents accept the names, and the child begins feeding the fish every day. The pool becomes a stage for a ritual that will acquire darker significance.

Mouths in the Water Mouths in the Water from "The Character of Rain". Mouths in the Water Feeding becomes torment The carp’s gaping mouths and frantic eating increasingly disgust the child.

Mouths in the Water from "The Character of Rain". Mouths in the Water Feeding becomes torment The carp’s gaping mouths and frantic eating increasingly disgust the child.

Mouths in the Water Feeding becomes torment The carp’s gaping mouths and frantic eating increasingly disgust the child. The Narrator (God) begins to fear that the fish want its own body. A reflection turned hostile The child imagines that the fish expose a universal truth about the body as a tube that eats and remains empty. A daily chore becomes an existential crisis.

May, shortly before the third birthday

May, during a visit to Futatabi Arboretum

At the third birthday celebration

The first days after the birthday

Late August, before the pool crisis