Red Stringed Destinies

Night of the Summer Festival (1)

I faintly recall pieces of what happened that night, but I knew I was excited.

Why?

It was my first time going to the summer festival together with my mother and father.

At that time, my parents were always busy. My mother worked hard as a policewoman whereas my father was an investigator. It was mere luck to have them together for one night.

I was truly happy.

"Daddy! Daddy!" I ran out of my room together with my mother. I did a small spin to show my father what I was wearing. "Look at what mommy put on me!"

I was really excited. I finally got to wear the pretty yukata my grandmother gave me. It was decorated with a pretty red cherry blossom pattern on a pink yukata. I always wanted to wear it for the summer festival.

"You look good." I smiled as my father patted my head. "But so does mommy!"

My mother also wore one, except it was blue and had red goldfish decorated on it. "Right." Father smiled as mother got the items we needed.

We were visiting a shrine close by, the lights of lanterns and stalls made it seem like a big party in the middle of the night.

Even though, father said not to stay too far away. I ended up losing the water balloon I won together with mother after bumping into someone.

"Ah!" My eyes widened as I watched the water balloon fall. I could feel my legs move as fast they can to try to run after the tumbling item. The clacking of my wooden getas sounded against the stone pavement of the shrine grounds as I ran after the item.

"Come back!" I didn't want to lose it.

It was my first prize from a summer festival. Running after the water balloon, it didn't make a single stop until it reached a rock. "Gotcha!"

I cheerfully smiled in happiness as I placed the rubber band of the water balloon around my wrist. I was going to leave, until I heard a low growl from not too far.

Slowly peeking from behind the rock, I spotted two animals in the distance. "Dogs?"

At that time, I wasn't familiar with dog breeds. But later on, I learned what kind of dogs I saw that night.

The dog bearing pure white fur...was a Siberian Husky while the brown furred dog bearing a black tail and ears was a German Shepherd.

The German Shepherd growled at the Siberian Husky. As if asking for a fight from the other dog. The Siberian Husky stayed still, but made no movement.

It was like seeing two rivals making an epic stare down.

The two animals stood their ground for a few minutes, until they pounced at the other.

The growls sounded almost scary as both dogs bit on each other's bodies. I recall flinching in fear of seeing how rough they fought.

But at that time, a lot of the people around me would call this as a form of how dogs get along.

However I couldn't see it in the dogs fighting in the distance.

The sound of their growl to the way they bit against the other.

It was scary.

"Why are they fighting?" I questioned.

But there was no one there to answer me.

I always thought dogs at that time were friends. Due to how adults always mentioned that fights between dogs aren't serious and considered to be playful.