The Red Tricycle

Being led by a discarded tricycle feels like a strange twist of fate, doesn't it? I'm curious about what happens next, what became of the child you carefully brought home?

When I returned home, I left the red tricycle at the entrance and went inside. My wife and young daughter greeted me. We ate dinner together and talked about the red tricycle we saw earlier while watching TV. The daughter happily went to see the red tricycle. My wife's expression briefly clouded over, but when she heard our daughter's joyful voice from the entrance, she also smiled. I told my daughter, "It's late now, so let's play with the red tricycle tomorrow before going to bed." My daughter obediently replied, "Okay," and waved goodbye to the red tricycle, saying, "See you tomorrow." To be continued

My daughter played with that red tricycle every day. Making a 'kiko-kiko' sound as she happily rode it down the road in front of our house. After a few days, one evening during dinner. My wife seemed a little tired, so I worried if she was feeling unwell and asked her what was wrong. She briefly looked down and mumbled, 'That 'kiko-kiko' sound of the red tricycle won't leave my head…' I told my wife, 'I'll put some oil on it,' and went to sleep that night. I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. Perhaps because my wife mentioned it, I thought I heard a 'kiko-kiko' sound and looked towards the entrance. The red tricycle was quietly placed inside the front door. For a moment, I thought, 'Huh? Wasn't it outside?' But I figured it was fine, took out some oil from the shoe cabinet, and applied it to the pedals of the red tricycle. To be continued

Perhaps because I woke up in the middle of the night, I got up later than usual, and without even having breakfast, I hurriedly changed clothes and headed for the entrance, but the red tricycle wasn't there. When I opened the door, it was in its usual spot, to the left of the entrance. Huh? It was inside the house last night, though. Do they put it in and take it out every day? Thinking about how hard my wife works, I went to work. I thought about eating lunch, but then I realized I'd forgotten my bento box. "Ah, I forgot my lunch!" I exclaimed without thinking. Then a colleague called out to me. "Oh? That's unusual. You brought a bento today? That happens to me a lot too. When you do something out of the ordinary, you tend to forget things." Since there was no choice, we decided to go out for lunch together that day. While eating lunch, I listened to my colleague's relationship advice. He was contemplating whether to marry his current girlfriend, whom he'd been dating since high school. I told him, "Marriage is great. Even when you come home tired, seeing the smiles of your wife and daughter makes all the fatigue disappear." And I encouraged their marriage. The colleague looked at me strangely for a moment, then immediately took out his phone. "Thank you so much! That gave me courage. I'll propose on our next date!" he said, and sent an email. To be continued

Finished work and headed home. It got a little later than usual. As I got close to my house, I heard a creaking sound. Huh? I thought maybe my daughter came out to meet me, but I couldn't see her anywhere. It must have been my imagination. Once inside, the lights were off. My wife and daughter seemed to be asleep already. I didn't want to wake them, so I quietly went to the kitchen, trying not to make a sound. I took out frozen pasta from the freezer and heated it in the microwave. I did the dishes, took a shower, threw the laundry into the washing machine, and went to bed. I woke up from a dream about a red tricycle creaking. Even after oiling it, it still makes noise? Was that why it was thrown away? Once I started thinking about it, it really bothered me. I finally understood how my wife felt. Yeah, I should throw it away and buy her a new tricycle. That day happened to be bulk trash pickup day. There was a chair with a broken leg and a single-seater sofa with torn leather already discarded. I attached a 'Discard' sign to the red tricycle and left it at the collection point before heading to work. To be continued

Finished work and headed home. Passed by the trash collection area. Good, it looks like they took it. Relieved, I returned home only to find a red tricycle placed in front of my entrance. What the heck!? Why? As I entered the house, my wife came out with an angry expression. Why did you throw it away! My wife was incredibly angry. I threw it away with good intentions, but since I didn't consult my wife, I can't blame her for being angry. I explained the situation and apologized profusely. My wife, understanding my intentions, calmed down and apologized for losing her temper. After discussing it with my wife, we took the red tricycle to a recycling shop over the weekend and had them take it for free. That night, past 2 AM I heard a sound from afar... creak... creak... The sound grew closer... The next night, past midnight, the creaking sound stopped right in front of the entrance. To be continued

The next morning, there was a red tricycle in front of the entrance. Feeling uneasy, I took the day off work, borrowed a car, and took the red tricycle to the garbage disposal facility. After returning the car and going home... The red tricycle was in front of the entrance... I explained the situation to the acquaintance who lent me the car, borrowed it again, and quickly took the red tricycle to a temple. I had them chant sutras, performed a memorial service, and left the red tricycle at the temple before returning home. From that day on, the creaking sound at night stopped. To be continued

A few days later, my colleague reported that his proposal was successful and they were getting married, and asked me to definitely come to the wedding. It was a sunny Sunday in June. The sky was endlessly blue and clear. I sincerely wished for the eternal happiness of my colleague and his bride, who was wearing a pure white wedding dress, and celebrated them. I thought to myself, 'I wish I could have such a happy marriage someday,' as I returned alone and lonely to the company's bachelor dorms, carrying a paper bag full of heavy wedding favors. The End

(。´･ω･) Huh? (* ᐕ)？Single? Eh? But you have a wife and kids...!?

As I kept reading, it got scarier and scarier, and I continued reading with a "Huh? Huh? Huh?" reaction. I read until near the end and thought, "Phew, peace at last..." but then it was another "Huh? Why!?"... My wife, my daughter!???(☉｡☉)! Is it possible that reality is just the red tricycle and the rest of the story is a dream or some kind of reliving experience related to the red tricycle?🤔