Chapter 22 1. Eighty-eight Rocks of Hell

There is a S fishing port at the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula. Steamships traveling between Kanto and Kansai pass through the waters near it. There are exposed rocks everywhere in that area, and shipwrecks have often occurred since ancient times. It is said that there are eighty-eight rocks in total, so the local residents call this area "Eighty-eight Rocks of Hell". The reason why people call this sea area is that when the sea water flows near the eighty-eight rocks, a strong vortex will be aroused. If a passing ship is caught in the vortex, it will collide with the protruding rocks, causing the ship to disintegrate unexpectedly. ACCIDENT.

Since shipwrecks are prone to occur in this area of ​​the sea, it is necessary to install a lighthouse. Lighthouses are navigation indicators for sailors; especially for ships sailing on dangerous seas, they are like noble patron saints. There is a lighthouse built on a small island outside S Fishing Port. The small island is located at the tip of Tengubi Cape on the west side of S Fishing Port, about 500 meters above the sea. Because the shape of this small island resembles a handful of four fans, the local residents call it "Tuanfan Island" or "Fan Island". However, after the lighthouse was built, the elephant renamed it "Lighthouse Island".

The following story is a bizarre incident that happened on Lighthouse Island. One afternoon in late July of the 26th year of the Showa era, Shimazaki, the lighthouse administrator, used a telescope to inspect the nearby waters from the observation deck on the lighthouse, and saw a fishing boat approaching the lighthouse from the S fishing port. In addition to the helmsman and fisherman, there was also a short man in a white jacket, loose trousers, and an old Panama hat on his head, and a teenager who seemed to be a middle school student. "Huh? Are those people coming to the lighthouse?"

While muttering to himself, Shimazaki focused his binoculars on the face of the man in the white shirt. In the next second, he exclaimed in surprise: "Ah! Isn't that Mr. Kindaichi? Um... that's right, Mr. Kindaichi, hello, hello! Mr. Kindaichi..." Shouting, Shimazaki leaned out of the watchtower, waving at the fishing boat. At this time, the people on the fishing boat also saw Shimazaki. The man in the white coat took off his hat and waved the hat in his hand with a smile. "Ah! That's great. Mr. Kindaichi came at the right time. As long as you ask him for help, everything can be resolved smoothly."

After Shimazaki finished speaking, he hurried down the stairs of the lighthouse. There is a dormitory for the lighthouse keeper opposite the lighthouse. When Daoxia walked out from the front entrance of the lighthouse, he happened to meet Furukawa, the deputy keeper of the lighthouse who came out of the dormitory. "Shimazaki-san, what's the matter?" Shimazaki patted Furukawa's shoulder excitedly and said: "It's Mr. Kindaichi... The Mr. Kindaichi I mentioned to you is here. As long as he appears, there is nothing that cannot be solved." After leaving these words, Shimazaki hurried to the pier.