The world we had believed in is crumbling. The principles that humanity has acquired at great cost, and the ideals we have held up as worthy of sharing, are drifting further away from our
daily lives with each passing day. For so many years, they have been the guardians of us ordinary people though.
What will become of the next generation—the children who have no means of protecting themselves—and their future? When I thought of this, I could not help but write “The Children in October”.
I hope that this short story will reach as many people as possible.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mizuhito Kanehara, who encouraged me to translate this story into English and publish it online, and to Karen Ann Takizawa, who took on the task
of translating it.
Ai OTA
This story was written in 2024,
and is included in the collection The First Star Is Like the Last House,
published in Japan by Kobunsha in
June 2025.