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In their childhood, Haniwa and Kofun often mimicked their parents, covering their eyes with fabric scraps or bandages, attempting to navigate their hut in a darkened world. The faint hints of shadows served as their only guide.
Yet, mastering the art of navigating the world blind proved to be far more challenging than their parents had let on. Their attempts, even with the guidance of shadows, resulted in frequent bumps and stumbles.
As they matured, the realization dawned upon them that even with years of practice, navigating without sight remained an arduous task. Parents, friends, and neighbors seemed to wander through life with a certain clumsiness, attempting to sense what Haniwa and Kofun could simply see.
Despite sharing this realization, the siblings' attitudes as they watched those around them navigate the world quickly grew apart.
Kofun observed how his sister, once curious like him, gradually grew irritated when people from the village identified her by running their hands across her jawline or arm- a simple technique used to recognize the person they were talking to.
She would pull away, voicing who she was, retreating away from the physical touches that were the foundations of communication now.
So, when Kofun continued to close his eyes and walk around the hillside, much like they did when they were younger, Haniwa was never shy to voice her displeasure.
“Why do you still do that? We aren’t kids anymore,” she would usually snap, often doing so while fiddling with her bow as he staggered around blindly.
“I just want to know how they do it. I always feel so helpless when I can’t see.”
This argument had gone on for over a year before Kofun started to practice in secret instead. He no longer wanted to put up a fight with her when she grew irritated.
He couldn’t fully explain why he felt the need to hone this skill. Unlike his sister, he had no interest in combat, and he rarely ventured far from the village, where the constant glow of a fire illuminated his way.
He didn’t need to travel blind, but he kept trying.
And so he found himself at the age of sixteen, still attempting to navigate the forest without vision, emphasizing the term "attempting."
It had been months since he last tried, and now the underbrush of the forest was fully grown. It was tricker with more plants. During the winter, the paths around their village were easier to feel, clear from extra tripping hazards.
Kofun had been wanting to come sooner, but with both Baba and his mother at home more during the cold months, he didn’t have the chance to sneak off.
Gently swinging his leg out, Kofun felt for an empty place to step, moving around a stone. Arms stretched outright, he wished that he had a walking stick with him.
Growing in confidence after a few steps, he moved quicker, enjoying the way that the crunch under his feet seemed to grow louder without the presence of his sight.
However, that confidence was quickly knocked out from under him.
With a loud grunt, Kofun collided with the ferns lining the dirt path, tumbling forward, face-first into the plants. Groaning and rolling to his side, he grasped his arm, relieved it wasn't broken but certainly hurt from trying to catch himself.
Amidst his embarrassment, he heard movement to his right. Scrambling to remove his blindfold, he crouched among the ferns, attempting to spot what had been moving.
His heart pounded as he tried to silence his breathing, knowing that if he could hear them, they could definitely hear him.
But he was too slow; whatever had been watching was gone.
Despite Haniwa's claim that their vision made them superior, Kofun couldn't shake the feeling that it often made them more blind than those around them.
So he would keep practicing, and someday he too might be able to see without sight.