Natsuhiko

How can something so still be so unsettling? That’s the question they ask about Natsuhiko in The Great Panda City. The bamboo weavers claim they are a ghost, a remnant of a forgotten battle, and that the blood around their mouth is a curse that never fades. They see Natsuhiko pass their stalls and hurry to cover their wares, as if undeath were contagious. The city's children tell a different story. They say Natsuhiko’s simple apple stick sometimes grows a single, perfect piece of fruit, which they offer without a word. The Panda Council guards just watch. They’ve noted Natsuhiko has never drawn a weapon or raised a voice, simply walking the streets under the purple sky, a silent sentinel with haunted, pink eyes.