Work Text:
I had just been sent to Yumemi Town for work issues, and on this fine morning I happened to pass by a bird parlour. Taking one look at the inviting open door, I thought to myself, Living alone can get quite lonely at times, so why not get a companion?
Once I strode into the bird parlour, a bright red bird caught my eye instantly. Maybe it was because of the blazing feathers. I quickly filled in the form and handed it over without hesitation.
The staff there handed me a box containing an old toy panda -- the type that could move on its own if you wound it up -- , a big folded red sheet and a letter. The staff said, "This was what the previous owner left for Ash." I took one look at them and remarked snidely, "These are so old, I think I'll have to get him new ones anyway." When I reached home , I immediately tossed the box into the dark corner of my storeroom and forgot all about it.
The following evenings after work were spent with Ash. Day after day, I would make little crooning noises and click my tongue, calling Ash. But it didn't respond. All it did was huddle further into the corner of the room, not paying attention to everything. Two months went by like this , and I finally had no choice but to send it back to the bird parlour. I took the dusty box out of my storeroom and cleaned it, sneezing helplessly while doing so.
It was only then did I realise what the letter said on its front, in neat kanji. "For the new owner." Curious, I opened the letter.
"Thank you for adopting Ash. First of all, I must tell you that Ash likes to eat ice popsicles and has an attraction to the colour red. Ash has been with me for six years, so please give him time to familiarise with his new surroundings! If he leaves you with no choice, then I might as well tell you that his real name is 'Ankh'. When I handed him over to the safe hands of the bird parlour, I knew that I might never see him again, so in order to allow Ankh to start anew and forget me, I gave him a new name. I'm going to Africa to stop the ongoing civil war, and I'll never forget all that Ankh has given me. I hand him over to you now, and I sincerely hope that you can take care of him for me. Please feed him an ice popsicle every night on my behalf! \o/ --Eiji Hino"
I knew who Eiji Hino was. The newspapers were going on and on about him, a young cheerful brunette who had tried to stop the civil war and had been shot in the chest, trying to protect a young boy caught in a crossfire. He hadn't died in vain. His reported last words before he had died were, "Thank you, Ankh," and I had spent many a night puzzling over why this young man was thanking an Egyptian symbol before he died. Now I had found out the reason.
"Ankh," I called softly, and the brilliant red bird sitting in the corner was instantly alert, letting out a soft caw and looking around, gaze filled with so much excitement and longing that I could have sworn that my heart had been tossed into a wringer. Never again would he fly beside Eiji or hear Eiji call him Ankh. Warm tears filled my eyes as I reached into the nearby fridge for an ice popsicle, holding out the sweet delicacy to the bird, who immediately flew over to perch on my arm, pecking away at the sugary fantasy.
Those tears lilted down my face as I murmured, "It's just you and me now, Ankh, so let's have an ice pop together." Ankh only responded to this statement by rubbing his warm beak against me, with a soft cry of what sounded like, "Eiji!"