Novel: Resonance of Petrichor ⑥
Episode 6
If you get on a train, you can even come to a place like this.
♪ Ba-da-ba-ba-ba
I woke up to the electronic sound, and through the earphones of the smartphone,
I asked Tatsujun.
“Where is this?” “McDonald's.”
“McDonald's?” “McDonald's.”
“The hamburger place?” “Yeah.”
As a hamster, this was my first time at McDonald's.
To avoid causing a scene, I held my breath and watched the inside of the store through the mesh of the backpack,
“So, you can eat at McDonald's too?”
Chairs and tables were lined up in an orderly fashion,
and families and couples were chatting or looking at their PCs.
So eating out meant McDonald's. It’s this kind of place.
“Wow!”
Well, I’d like a window seat... as I was thinking that,
Tatsujun slipped past the seating area and went out of the store.
“Aren't we eating here?” “Nope.”
Oh, I see. I felt a little disappointed.
“You can keep sleeping a little longer, Kinkuma.”
Even though he said that, I was wide awake. I nibbled a little on the white shoes Tatsujun bought for me.
The scenery outside was a different world from what I could see from the apartment;
houses were lined up, and the sky looked high.
Maybe we live in a “house” that is a giant space with a blue ceiling.
“Tatsujun. What sound is the McDonald's
ba-da-ba-ba-ba sound?”
“Hmm? Isn't it more like a beep-boop-beep-boop-beep-boop?”
I wonder if humans and hamsters hear things differently. Even though the pitch between Tatsujun and me is the same, something is different.
And perhaps Tatsujun was also unconvinced,
“Kinkuma, do you know what an ambulance is? What does an ambulance sound like?”
“An ambulance goes wee-woo, wee-woo.”
“Then, what about a police car?” “Nnnn-n.”
“Kinkuma-kun, do the police car again.”
“Nnnn-n.”
“Isn't a police car more like part-part-part?”
This time, I wasn't convinced.
“Tatsujun. Do the McDonald's sound.”
“Beep-boop-beep-boop-beep-boop.”
“What about the police car?” “Part-part-part.”
“Oh, that sound is the signal that the fries are done.”
The backpack Tatsujun was carrying started to shake.
Then, a hearty laugh exploded, and I laughed along with him.
My stomach area cramped and hurt a little. But, I started to feel better.
The residential area ended, and the road was full of weeds. After the houses, trees were densely packed. I wonder if this is a mountain.
“Did we come to a mountain?” “No, this is called a thicket.”
A thicket? Because there's a road running through it?
“Do you want to get down?” I was asked.
A sharp, cold, fresh scent entered my nose.
“Yeah, I want to get down.”
When my hand reached the mesh pocket, warmth clung to my body. My body felt lighter, and I was placed onto the brown leaves.
“It smells sweet. Like maple syrup.”
When I walked, the leaves crunched. It was fun, so I tried running.
Rustle, rustle, scurry, scurry.
The thicket is a lively place that makes sounds.
There were even thin, pointed leaves, and round burrs rolling around. The sharp scent was a mushroom.
The mushroom was as tall as my waist; it was huge.
When I flipped over a dead leaf, it was wet underneath, and when I touched it,
it was cool and felt like condensation on a window.
If you get on a subway or a train, you can even come to a place like this.
Watching videos,
“Nothing good ever happens,” “I wonder if there’s anything fun,” “Every day is boring,”
I nibbled on a dead leaf, thinking that people who write those things in the comment section should just get on the subway and come to the thicket.