The Small Station Beyond the Mountain

— The Dormouse Who Collects Mornings Series ③ —

One morning.

The dormouse was looking at the distant mountain.

Beyond the mountain,

I wonder what kind of scenery there is.

I wonder what kind of town there is.

While thinking about that,

he felt like going just a little bit further.

Carrying a small backpack,

the dormouse began to walk.

After passing through the familiar path,

it gradually turned into a mountain trail.

The sound of birds.

The wind shaking the trees.

Flowers swaying at my feet.

Unfamiliar scenery gradually increases.

Climbing up.

Climbing up again.

While stopping from time to time.

Even so, the dormouse kept walking.

Because it wanted to see what was beyond the mountain.

When I crossed the mountain,

a landscape I had never seen before spread out before me.

A small town.

A narrow river.

Tracks stretching far into the distance.

And.

At the end of the tracks,

I saw a small station.

The station was very quiet.

There is no one on the platform.

An old wooden bench.

A small clock.

Grass swaying in the wind.

Until the time came,

it seemed to be flowing slowly.

The dormouse sat on the bench.

From far away,

a faint sound can be heard.

Clack.

Clunk.

Clack.

Clack.

Before long, the train arrived.

The train stopped quietly,

and started moving quietly again.

The dormouse did not board.

It simply,

watched the train pull away.

A train heading to a town unknown.

A train heading to scenery unknown.

Just looking at it,

made me feel a little excited.

The dormouse opened its notebook.

And wrote down what it had found today.

“Unknown scenery,

makes the world a little wider.”

When it finished writing,

it smiled just a little.

By the time it was time to go home,

the evening breeze was blowing.

Even though I didn't board the train.

And even though I didn't go far away.

Beyond the mountain,

I learned that there are landscapes I have yet to know.

The dormouse, having returned home,

gently closes its notebook.

Unknown landscapes,

make the world a little wider.

Thinking this,

the dormouse once again,

gazed toward the other side of the mountain.

Thank you for reading until the end.

I hope you like it. I have listed related stories here, so please be sure to read them.👇️

[The Dormouse Who Collects Mornings Series]

① [The Dormouse Who Collects Mornings]

② [The Cafe on a Rainy Day]

④ The Observatory Before Dawn

[The story that inspired 'The Dormouse Who Collects Mornings']

[I turned 'The Dormouse Who Collects Mornings' into a song]