Short Story: A Japanese Fan by Lea O’Harra

In this short story, Lea O’Harra shares a thrilling tale of murder and mystery which leaves the reader on the edge of the seat till the end.

Kiyo Inatomi was holding a Kyō-sensu as they pulled into the police station parking  lot. It was one of his most treasured possessions, and he gazed at it fondly before folding the  fan and then placing it in its specially designed pocket inside his silk haori jacket. The fan  was custom-made from washi paper decorated with languorous-eyed goldfish swimming in a  grey sea and bamboo ribs sourced from Arayashima Forest outside Kyoto. It had an unusual  feature: its rivet pin was jade and served as the green jeweled eyes of a tiny, exquisite head of  a peacock whose beak could be opened and closed. On opening the fan open, Inatomi  delighted in the sight of the sea of goldfish radiating out from the bird’s head like a halo.