If you notice, says the catfish, everyone is smiling around me.
It s true. This huge fish person has been waddling through crowds of people who grin even as they duck under the beast s massive barbels. Several people are taking photographs. I peer into the gaping mouth of the fish. Two human hands suddenly lurch out, gripping onto the creature s lips from the inside.
I m a namazu, says Missy Allan, the 32-year-old woman in the costume. It s a giant catfish and they re generally really dumb-looking, and I love them… I thought it would bring a lot of happiness.
When I suggest that it is also slightly terrifying, Missy is unfazed.
That s a part of their joy.
