Hayato the Galaxy Seller #ShirokumaLiteratureClub
A galaxy seller refers to a galaxy melon shaped like the moon. Well, you could call it a bit of a pun, or perhaps a stylish name. Once upon a time, long, long ago, a melon grew on a single tree. The caretaker of that tree was Hayato, and he was also entrusted with picking the fruit and walking around to sell it. He called himself Hayato the Galaxy Seller for short. It sounds rather cool, doesn't it?
By the way, this was a mysterious melon. That said, it wasn't a magical melon or a bewitched one. Nor was there any twist like it popping and crackling when you ate it. It simply grew in the exact same shape as the phases of the moon. It would be crescent-shaped on a crescent moon night, and perfectly round on a full moon night. And the next morning, Hayato would walk around selling the fruit. Since it's shaped like the moon, you might think nothing grows on a new moon night. On a new moon night, a special fruit grows. It was a fruit that you wouldn't know what it was until you actually saw it that month. It's not just a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, but one melon per month, one shape per galaxy.
Everyone looks forward to Hayato coming the day after such a new moon. Since it's a special fruit, everyone wants one. Last month, it was star-shaped. The month before that, it was pitch black on the outside, green on the inside, and had large seeds. About half a year ago, it was a melon that had lots of brown fuzz on it, and when you cut it open, it had a pattern like the morning star.
And this month, the outside was striped, and when cut open, it was bright red. And it was studded with black seeds, just like a starry sky. Since the people who bought it kept saying how juicy and delicious it was, Hayato decided to take one home to feed to his elderly mother. As he was walking diligently toward his house, he met a bear sitting in the shade of a tree along the way. When he asked, 'What's wrong?', the bear said he was so parched he couldn't move.
I think this is a common story, but Hayato was a very kind and compassionate person, so he handed over the galaxy seller (melon) without hesitation. The bear was delighted and ate it greedily without reserve. He said 'thank you' many times over.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and a year had gone by since then. As Hayato was returning from selling galaxies as usual, the bear called out to him.
"Hayato-san, thank you for a year ago. This is a token of my gratitude."
With that, he handed him a striped melon that looked exactly like the galaxy melon from a year ago. Then he said this:
"I buried those star-like black seeds in my field, and they turned out like this."
Hayato took it home and ate it with his mother, saying how delicious it was.
Ever since then, Hayato began delivering the melons that grew on new moon days to the bear. And that rare fruit began to spread in a circle from the bear to various other people. You, too, might be holding that mysterious galaxy melon.
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Komaki-san, thank you very much.
I thought I might not be able to write this week as I'm on a short trip, but I'm glad I could attend 😊
I feel like the more I write, the more self-indulgent and increasingly 'marmalade-style' it becomes, but it's been a very fun time. After all, I can imagine as much as I like.