Chapter 13: The Encounter

“Oh no…”

That is the first thing you say when you discover the corpse.

You are on horseback.

You are sitting in the saddle with your feet in the stirrups and hands on the reins as you cross the plains.

Uranos is your family’s beloved old farm horse. He has brown fur and a white mane, and is short and stocky, just like other Raputoan horses. He is gentle, patient, and stubborn. He can even withstand the cold local winters.

Uranos has been part of the family since before you were born.

But technology marched on, and the introduction of tractors made his work on the fields obsolete. Obsolete farm horses were usually sold off, but the family decided to put up with the extra costs and keep him.

Even now, he works hard for the family and is ridden regularly.

Uranos is trotting as lazily as ever.

Your dog is frolicking around as he followed.

The dog’s name is Todd. He is a three-year-old male.

Like Uranos, he is a common local breed. Though he has no pedigree, Todd’s breed is often called the Raputoan.

He is a very large dog resembling a wolf, with long, black fur and a sharp countenance.

Though Todd is a handsome watchdog, he has the unusual habit of acting like a puppy around people he trusts.

You are on your way back from fishing when you make the discovery.

You live in the countryside, in an obscure corner of the Republic of Raputoa. You have spent the 14 years of your life on this land of endless horizons, and the only entertainment available to you is secondary school and the great outdoors.

One of your hobbies in the great outdoors is fishing.

Raputoa is home to countless rivers, swamps, ponds, and lakes that dot the landscape. You would often go out to cast your line in one such body of water.

There are always insects by the water, which means bait is in plentiful supply.

Your usual haul includes catfish and eel. They taste great when you clean them properly and roast them to a golden crisp over a fire.

It is the 30th of the fourth month. The second day of the weekend. You do not have cla.s.s tomorrow, as it is a holiday in the Republic of Raputoa.

In other words, today is the precious second day of a three-day weekend.

You went out alone early in the morning to fish. You rode your trusty steed Uranos under the protection of your mostly-reliable watchdog Todd.

The destination today was a large pond about 10 kilometers from home.

You caught many fish in only a few hours. But because the weather report forecasted rain for the evening, you decided to return home before noon.

The spring sun is shining warmly. Plump sacks of catfish are hanging on either side of the saddle as you and the ever-excitable Todd lazily ride across the plains.

It is a wonderful midpoint to a wonderful holiday.

That is when you discover the corpse.

Todd’s frolicking suddenly stops as he rushes without warning into a bush to the right. He barks once. It is a sign that he has found something. You nudge Uranos in that direction.

Ten seconds later, you discover a horrifying scene. A human lying completely still, face-down in the sloped mud.