Utaaki

The river knows more secrets than the temple stones. Utaaki lives by this saying, a common truth spoken at the bottom of the great falls where the city begins. To most, they are just another chimp in a crimson cap, casting their line into the churning water with an intense, almost comical focus. But Utaaki isn't watching the fish. They are reading the currents of the city: the hushed deals between frog merchants, the nervous gait of a newcomer climbing the stone stairs to the plaza, the weight of the silence from a docked ship. Yesterday’s catch was traded for a bundle of reeds containing a coded message for Kanshi-in. Today’s might just be for dinner. When their line finally tugs, they let out a whoop of genuine delight.