HJ POV

I live in a slightly larger than middle sized town. As I grew up, my journey home hasn´t changed much. It´s always across the concrete and steel bridge that bends over the river like an old beast. Walking over the bridge, I never stop there, even if the view of the setting sun above the river looks picturesque.

Since I was a small child, I could see a kappa below on the banks of the river. It looks like an old shrunken man with sickly green skin and bald space in the middle of his long black hair. I don´t think the kappa is very old, it´s been over fifteen years since I began noticing it and it certainly grew wrinklier and balder over the time. At some point in my childhood I realised that nobody except for me can see the kappa. No matter how clearly I point to the exact place, where the being is sitting, I hear only confused "where?". And so when I finished primary school, I began pretending that it was all a joke to scare my peers, that I actually didn´t believe in kappas.

I don´t want to prove to anyone that the kappa is real, sometimes I doubt even myself to be honest. At one point I had the urge to contact the creature sitting on the bank and clawing at a fish. But then I saw it feeding on something much bigger, something that was clothed and kind of humane. I have never tried to get near the kappa since then. People do go missing occasionally around the river.

Out of habit my eyes fell on the left bank of the river as I was walking back from my part-time. I always look, even if I risk an eye contact with the kappa, to make sure it´s safely far away from me and not climbing up on the bridge. Instead of the green creature, my eyes caught a familiar man sitting on the concrete and tiredly zoning out. It was Donghae.

I didn´t know Donghae well, I basically didn´t know him at all. He was my co-worker, I heard he came from a place in the middle of nowhere with only a couple of houses and fields everywhere. He came to the town alone and was living somewhere, well, I don´t know. I guess somewhere nearby. We never really had the chance to talk, Donghae was timid and always seemed so stressed. He looked quite anxious the whole day today and that´s probably why he´s sitting down there trying to calm down.

I crossed the bridge and walked into my neighbourhood, it was getting dark, the street lamps were illuminating my way. The night was quiet and I felt restless. I would never admit to believe in kappas but I absolutely hated when people carelessly hang around the river. When it´s dark. And late. And they are tired. And obnoxious to all dangers.

"Damn."

Against my better judgement, I turned around and swiftly began walking back to the bridge. Donghae was still there and the kappa wasn´t anywhere in sight. But if I was a hungry kappa, I wouldn´t think twice to hunt down a nervous ball of abandoned loneliness like Donghae.

"Donghae?"

I leaned over the railing of the bridge and called aloud. I tried twice, thrice but to no avail. Donghae didn´t hear me. He had his head on his bent knees now and I guessed he fell asleep. Damn, I don´t want to go down there. I have never been down there, especially at night. But I knew I wouldn´t be able to fall asleep if I walked away now.

"Donghae?"

I tried calling after climbing down the concrete stairs that led on the bank. My voice was quieter than I intended it to be but I couldn´t help myself. I knew what everybody else overlooked, I knew that the fish bones around weren´t left there by cats. I finally stood beside Donghae, suddenly not knowing how to address him. He might not even know who I am.

"! You scared me!" While I was contemplating how to wake Donghae up, my presence disturbed the sensitive man and he got startled. "Who the hell are you? I don´t have any money, just so you know." It was dark under the shade of the bridge but even like that I knew that Donghae was frowning and was ready to curse me all the way to hell. I was baffled.

"You don´t recognise me?" I asked in the end. I couldn´t think of anything better to say. And I wanted to freaking get out of here.