小さな語りシリーズ2024/07/19　 Small Story Serie

2024/07/19「入道雲」"Cumulonimbus"

夏休みの始まりと共に、男の子と女の子の兄妹は田舎の祖父母の家にやってきた。家は山間の静かな村にあり、鳥のさえずりと風の音が心地よい。毎朝、祖父母の庭で朝食をとり、祖父と一緒に畑の手伝いをするのが日課となった。

ある日の午後、兄妹は近くの川へ向かった。川沿いの道は細く、草がぼうぼうと生い茂っている。途中、お兄ちゃんがふと立ち止まり、妹に「見て、あれ」と指をさして言った。空には大きな入道雲が浮かんでいた。真っ白で、まるで綿菓子のようなその雲は、青い空に映えて美しかった。

「お兄ちゃん、あの雲はどこから来るのかな？」妹は好奇心いっぱいの目で尋ねた。お兄ちゃんは少し考えてから、「たぶん、山の向こうからだよ」と答えた。二人はしばらくその雲を見上げていた。雲の形は変わり続け、そのたびに兄妹はあの形は魚だの、あれは羊だ、と歓声をあげた。

夕方、散歩から帰って来た二人は、祖母が用意してくれたスイカを家の縁側で食べながら、二人はまた入道雲のことを話し始めた。祖母がその会話を聞いて、「入道雲はね、夏の空が特別にくれる贈り物なんだよ」と微笑んで言った。

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夜、兄妹は布団に入りながら、その日の出来事を思い返した。「あの入道雲、大きくて力強そうな感じがした」お兄ちゃんが言うと、「うん、それに白く輝いて綺麗だったね」と妹が答えて、二人はまた雲の話をして笑いあった。いつしか二人は、心地よい眠りに落ちて、その日見た入道雲に二人と乗って、遠くへ旅をする夢をみた。兄弟の心には、入道雲という夏の思い出がしっかりと刻まれたのだ。

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With the start of summer vacation, a brother and sister arrived at their grandparents' house in the countryside. The house was located in a quiet village in the mountains, where the sound of birdsong and the wind were pleasant. Every morning, they would have breakfast in their grandparents' garden and help their grandfather in the fields.

One afternoon, the siblings headed to a nearby river. The path along the river was narrow, overgrown with grass. Along the way, the brother suddenly stopped and pointed, saying to his sister, "Look at that." A cumulonimbus floated in the sky. Pure white, like cotton candy, it stood out beautifully against the blue sky.

"Where do you think that cloud comes from?" the sister asked, her eyes full of curiosity. After thinking for a moment, the brother replied, "Probably from beyond the mountains." They stood gazing up at the cloud for a while. As the cloud continually changed shape, the siblings excitedly pointed out shapes, calling them fish or sheep.

In the evening, after returning from their walk, they ate watermelon on the porch, prepared by their grandmother, and began talking about the cumulonimbus again. Hearing their conversation, their grandmother smiled and said, "Cumulonimbus clouds are a special gift from the summer sky."

That night, as they lay in their futons, they reminisced about the day's events. "That cumulonimbus looked so big and strong," the brother said. "Yeah, and it was so white and bright, really beautiful," the sister replied, and they laughed together as they talked about the cloud. Eventually, they drifted into a comfortable sleep, dreaming of riding that cumulonimbus and traveling far away. The memory of that cloud was firmly etched in their hearts as a summer memory.