IES-B Fiction

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2006-01-25T16:50:00.000+09:00

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Ants vs. a Girl (by Nozomi)

2006-01-19T16:26:00.000+09:00

Bendy, a six-year-old bully, loves spending the whole day on observing one trivial thing. On one hottest day with shiny sun, she finds a group of tiny ants in her large yard. She comes to want to know which of she or the ants are more patient.

The endurance contest of the crowd of small ants VS. a small girl is starting.

Before everything, Bendy tries to finds out where ants’ nest is. Since their dwelling is too slight, it is the hardest work to discover. Here! At the foot of hers is a minuscule hole!

“Huh... What should I do? Should I make a sand mountain at the entrance? Or is it better to lead a piece of sand into the hole one by one?” She is at a loss what to do.

Then ten minutes have passed, Bendy finally decides to make a mountain on the nest.

There the ants come back to his house with much food.

“Where was our home?”

“I think we dug my home around here.”

Ants are enough clever to find their way. They understand in no time the hole is under the big clod. 　

“The criminal must be this creature killing the grass with such a bulky hip!”

Now they’re thinking...

“Our nest died, should we make it again?”

“But that killer girl must break the new one, too!”

Another ant says. “Fine, let’s revenge on her!”

Then the next round!

Bendy occupy every way ants going to pass. She knows that ants absolutely stop whenever they find a wall in front of them, and change their direction. She comes up with an idea that she blocks ants’ way with her hands and fingers.

The fighting ants do the expected thing. They come across Bendy’s finger every path they go. About ten millimeters on this side of the skin walls, they inevitably turn their way.

This fighting has been kept for hundreds of times. Bendy gradually becomes tiresome and the ants also have little tiredness.

For the ants, the street is merely too long, they don’t notice they repeat and round the same road.

Bendy loses interests in this activity, and at last, she gives up.

A long period has run past. The sunshine has already changed its face color into more red. She reaches the decision to start final battle. That is, food taking! The ants are in the middle of carrying his sweat dinner. She tries to grab the diminutive candy on ant’s back.

But! The ants move to fast to rob the thing! Inasmuch as she catches them, they keep running and never stop.

Again, she is put in giving up her trial.

The six-year old girl notices that she is hungry at last, and choose to enter her house saying good bye and good job to the little winners.

At the moment, a very terrifying clamor is coming from her back. It’s like a roll. She looks back. Then, the ants create the shape of human be getting together their own bodies.

“Oh GOD!!!” She shouted, but the ants’ monster swoop down on her. She cannot move on her own. The ants gang up and wouldn’t stop. They bite Bendy’s whole body making revenge to her. Her whole nody was coverd up by ants.

From that day, Bendy has suffered from the itches of all over the body, and cannot see a little ant for ever.

Lazy Poor King (by Shuhei)

2006-01-19T16:21:00.000+09:00

aaaaOnce upon a time, there was an arrogant, selfish and lazy king. There were many subjects who always would do what the king had said. There was no other place as beautiful and gorgeous as the king’s place. Since the king was rich from his birth, he could get anything what he wanted. He could get everything so he didn’t make an effort to get something ever. So he was very lazy and he was taken care of by his subjects such as cleaning and cooking.

aaaaThe king thought he was the greatest person in the world and that there was nothing he couldn’t do. One day, a young man visited the king’s palace and met the king and asked some questions. King couldn’t answer the question at all. His all subjects also couldn’t answer. The king noticed he had no knowledge. Though he had many luxuries, he found he had no education, so he decided to educate himself. He wished he wanted to get great knowledge. Then he assembled his many subjects in the dining room to make a new order.

aaaaThe king said, “I notice I have no education, so I want you to collect many great books in the world so that I can educate myself by reading them.” Of course his subjects replied, “All right, we will make an effort to do it, king” The king ordered that his some subjects should go to America to find great book, some go to England, some go to Europe and some go to Japan. Then his subjects met great people like scientists, mathematician, grammarian, biologists and so on. They were given many famous books by each great person and brought them back to the King’s palace. Then they gave hundreds of books to the king.

aaaaAt first the king tried to read each book very carefully to educate himself, but as time went by, he felt tired of reading books, so he made a new order to his subjects.

aaaaThe king said, “I become very tired of reading all of these books, so I want you to sum up the contents of these hundreds books into the one book.” Of course his subjects replied, “Sure, we will make an effort to do it.” His subjects stayed up till late and made a very hard effort to summarize. After a week, they could make a great, excellent book which contained the contents of hundreds books in the world and they gave it to the king. The king was really impressed with his subject’s effort and he regained his power to educate himself by reading. The king tried to read but he was so lazy that he got tired of reading soon, so he made another order to his subjects.

aaaaThe king said, “I don’t want to read the book anymore so I want you to summarize this book into one sentence.” Of course his subjects replied, “Ok, we’ll make an effort to do it.” This time, they had great difficulty to summarize it. They stayed up all night for many days and after three months, they could finish summarizing. Then they showed the sentence to the king.
The king said, “Oh, you are my god, I really appreciate your hard work and I can educate myself thanks to you.” Reading the sentence which contained the content hundreds of books in the world, the king felt he could get great knowledge.

aaaaNext day, a young man visited the king’s palace again and asked some questions. To his surprise, the king couldn’t answer at all, but his subjects could answer easily this time. The king couldn’t understand why he couldn’t answer the questions. After that, to get a great knowledge again, the king made a new order to his subjects...

Unhappy Man (by Yuki)

2006-01-19T16:20:00.000+09:00

There is a miserable man, Bill. He is ugly and greedy. All of what he dose results in failure. He has no job and is broken. He thinks that he is the unhappiest man and that happiness will never come to him. However, the event that makes his life changed happens.

One day, he finds a lottery ticket on the street. It is the present one. He checks the number and then he is surprised very much. It is a first prize thicket. He can gets three hundreds million money. He becomes very happy and thanks for a god. He buys house, car, clothes, food... He can get much stuff to live, but a lot of money left.

He wonders what he uses money for next. He notices a reason he is unhappy. It is that he is not popular with women at all because of his unsightly appearance, so he decides to have plastic surgery. His appearance changes very much. He becomes very handsome as many women look him when he goes outside.

When he walks on the street, he is spoken to a man. He is spotted and recruited as fashion model by a man. He doesn’t have a job, so he accepts immediately. He starts working as fashion model. He succeeds his job as the model. He becomes very popular from the day when he appears the famous magazine. He climbs to the top for a few months. We always see him in the books and also, on TV. Now that he can’t go outside without a hat and glasses.

Recently many people and media are noisy, because one publication is made. He is going to get married with a woman who is very beautiful and famous. There are no people who are not attracted by her. According to the media, she falls in love with him at first. It seems that her attack for him is strong. The event that surprised us the most is that he is proposed by her. It is impossible for his former life. He is satisfied with his new life very much.

He steps a job as not only model and talent but also actor. Many company requests him to appear the dramas and movies. He gets a big job. He becomes main character in the movie. The movie becomes very famous because of his reputation. A few months pass, academy award ceremony is held. Of course, he is invited there. The actor and actress get awards. The time that the best actor is decided comes. All of audience, actor and actress are nervous. The best actor is announced. ‘’The best actor is.......... Bill!”

The hall resounds with the clapping of the audience. He goes to the stage. He is seen by many people and lighted. He is dazzled by the bright spot light. He opens his eyes slowly. He sees the spot light as if it is the light of sun. He feels strange, so he sees around himself clearly. There are no audiences. First, he can’t understand the situation.

After few minutes, he shouts, “oh my god! It is a dream!”

Sky Blue (by Ayumi)

2006-01-19T16:16:00.000+09:00

Once upon a time, millions of billions of years ago, the earth was born. At first, everything on the earth was all black and white. Trees were white. Sky was white. Oceans were black. Even flowers were black and white. When Gods who created this boring colored earth visited, they thought they needed to paint it so that it could be a wonderful world.

First, the Gods formed themselves in groups of five. Four groups were to paint sky, land, ocean, and plants, one by one. The last group was to produce people that would live on the earth after finishing painting. The leader of the gods requested them to designate to complete work in 10 days.

All the painting groups worked very hard from the beginning except for one group. The god, Joseph, whose task was to paint sky, was very lazy and he spent most of the work time sleeping on a cloud or playing.

Everything on the earth was getting more and more colorful as days went by except for sky.

On the fifth day, the god named Billy, half way finished his task painting plants asked Joseph, “Are you really sure you can finish your job in the next five days?”

“Sure. I can finish it in a day so I am not going to start painting until the last day.” Joseph said.

Billy was little worried about Joseph but he also had to do his work.

By the last day, all gods other than Joseph had completed their jobs and were finishing their work. Trees were now colored green. Oceans were blue. Flowers were red, yellow, orange and many other colors. The earth was nearly completed. Only sky was remained white.

Joseph was thinking about what color he should paint the sky and he came up with an answer.

“I love blue. I want sky blue.” said Joseph.

“Blue!? But I already painted oceans blue. You should choose different color for sky otherwise there would be a lot of blue in this world, Joseph,” the god painted the oceans said.

And Joseph went,“Oh, I don’t care.” Then he started painting.

While Joseph was painting, the other gods were rushing with cleaning the painting stuff. As for Joseph, he was also in hurry because he realized that he might not be able to finish it by the dead line. He only had 3 hours with half unpainted sky. He was really fast in painting but he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings.

Then, it happened. Joseph with a can of blue paint in his hand crushed into the god who was taking many bottles of white paint and both of them fell down. Luckily, neither of them got hurt. For the bottles of paint, however, both blue and white paints were spilled all over on the sky.

"Oh, noooohh!! Look at this! All I've done so far is gone... I don't have enough time to repaint it. What am I gonna do with it!?" said Joseph and he also said,

"But wait! It's colored nicely without my painting!"

Joseph was half shocked and half pleased. He felt disconsolate because the blue sky suddenly turned into light blue mixed up with white but he was also happy that without painting everything, the sky was colored nicely.

That was how the sky became pale blue.

Oh, before the story ends, let's talk little bit about the god who had to produce people. He was as lazy as Joseph and in fact, they were playing together most of the time when they should have been working. So he was also running out of the time when he realized his work needed more time. He worked very hard in hurry for not being scolded by his boss god and created people as much as he could. He only had enough time to produce two people. And they were the Adam and Eve.

Now the earth is reborn with its nice colored world. Trees are now green. The sky is light blue. Oceans are blue. Flowers are red, yellow, purple, and so many other colors.

This is the beginning of the colorful and wonderful world, the earth with our ancestors, Adam and Eve.

The Confession (by Shun)

2006-01-19T16:14:00.000+09:00

“I hate humans. I never trust them. I never care for them. I’m different from them. They are enemies. They assume that they are the very rulers of the earth. They always look down on every living thing other than themselves despite there are more intelligent lives in this universe. They always consider whether this can be a benefit or not for them despite they always say love is all they need...”
“I hate humans. I never trust them. I never believe them...”
“I swore never open up my mind for them...”
His name is Andy. He is a normal 18 year old high school student in America. Everybody never doubts that he is a human being. However, he has one big secret that should not be known by anyone. His birth place was a little bit different from where it ought to be, the earth, so he was born in another planet. This planet, Ei31 is far away from here, so it can’t be observed with present human technology. Ei31 is about to break down, because of too much advanced technology. 18 years ago, one determination was made by the executive of Ei31. It was like that Ei31-er invades the earth first, and they emigrate to the earth. After that, they created one human kind Ei31-er and named it Andy. They educated him to make him a secret agent of Ei31 that would be a key of invasion. At that time, he was beaten into his head that humans are foul living and enemy of Ei31. When he turned in 4 year-old, Ei31 sent him into the earth.
“My name is Andy, nice to meet you mom.”
He was brought up as an adopted child by human parents. This family has already had another adopted child. His name is Jack, and he is one year older than Andy. This couple adopted these children for just gaining financial provision from the government. They had no intention to bring up them. That’s why they have not treated Jack and Andy well. There’s no shoe proper upon their feet. Sometimes, they couldn’t even eat. They cried themselves to sleep at chilly night. Because of foster parents’ behavior, Andy came to hate human beings more and more. In such environment, Andy’s brother-in-low, Jack always cares about Andy so much and never betrays Andy no matter how selfish Andy is.
“Andy! You can always count on me! ‘Cause I’m your brother!”
Recently, Andy feels that something is changing in his heart. He didn’t understand what it is at first, but he noticed that he adores Jack from the bottom of his heart though Jack is a human being. Since that, he can’t help thinking about telling Jack who he really is. Andy has been hiding himself from anybody all the time although he had thought there is no necessity to open his mind to human beings. What’s more, he wants to save Jack from his planet’s invasion. He told himself not to confess his secret over and over again. He knows that he will deserve the death penalty if he confesses the secret to human being. However he could not resist his feeling inside.
One day, Andy asked Jack to come Andy’s room after dinner. Jack came.
“What’s the matter, Andy?”
Jack did not open his mouth. An awkward silence surrounded his room for seconds. It was Andy’s words that broke the silence.
“I’m not human...”
After a while, Jack replied softly.
“Neither do I...”

Untitled (by Saesbyeol)

2006-01-19T15:37:00.000+09:00

There was a young woman, Mary, who was very beautiful and the center of attraction in her town. She was kind to others and considerate person. Since her childhood, she was well - balanced and she won the regard of all her friends. She spent happy life living there. However, she had to move to the next town because of her job. She had to live by herself. She was worried if she could get along with her neighborhood and make friends with them, but the neighbors’ kindness made her feel at ease and soon she felt that it is easy to live there.

Mary liked to work hard. She dedicated herself to the work. As she was busy at her work, she came home late. Near her house was deserted, so she dreaded coming home. She was afraid of walking the street which was so quiet. When she came home, she wore a hat, sunglass, and dark overcoat. That street didn’t seem safe at night, and she thought that walking a girl alone might be caught up in a crime. Thanks to the idea, she could come home safely for a couple of months.

However, one day in winter, Mary found that she was dogged by someone at night. Since then, she was often dogged by a couple of strangers. She wondered why she was shadowed so many times. She thought that the odd person was a stalker and she was terrified. Therefore she decided to go to near the police office and told the policeman the matter if she would be dogged again. The next day, she worked hard and she came home late as usual. When she walked the street which led to her house, she wore a hat, sunglass, and dark overcoat as always. Then, she found she was dogged by some strangers again.

“How many people are there behind me?!” She couldn’t count the number of the people. She was frightened. She ran and ran as fast as possible, and at last she went to the police station. She told a policeman that she was dogged by odd person many times and even now, she was dogged by someone! As soon as the policeman heard that, he searched for the people and arrested them. Surprisingly, they were neighbors, who closed to her!

“I can’t believe it! Why are you doing such a thing?!” She couldn’t really understand why they did such a thing at all. According to the neighbors’ explanation, they didn’t know that the person who wore a hat, sunglass, and dark overcoat at night was Mary, and they thought that the person was a thief or killer, so they decided to patrol around their house and shadowed the person.

“That is to say,” The policeman said, “Both you and your neighbors thought to be strange each other. Because of this, they all had a misunderstanding about it.”

She and her neighbors were so relieved to know that both she and her neighbors misunderstood each other and they could solve the problem.

A Magical Candy (by Nana)

2006-01-19T15:35:00.000+09:00

A long long time ago, a young girl named Mary and her mother lived in the small house. The small house was made of wood and in the house there are small table and chairs and two beds, next to beds there are many books that her mother had collected since she was small in the bookshelf. Mary spent on reading her mother’s books all day. They were very poor but they were having a happy life in the forest. They were surrounded by the beautiful nature, flesh air and the good friendships of the animals.

One day, her mother had a high fever. Day by day, the fever was getting higher. Mary looked after her mother every day and she stayed by her side all day. She wanted to buy medicines for her mother, but they didn’t have enough money to buy them. She was considering how her mother recovers from the sick with walking in front of the book shelter, and then she found one old book that she had never read. The book became brown and some pages were disappeared. It’s very difficult to read the book. She opened one page and it was written about magic. She paged through the book and then she found the article of magical candy. It said when you eat the candy and wish your dream in your heart, your dream or everything what you want to will come true. Mary was attracted about the unbelievable story. It said that the magical candy was in the warmest place in the world. She was thinking and thinking, but she couldn’t guess where it is.

She asked a bird. “Where is the warmest place you think?”

The bird said, “Umm... it’s in a nest.”

Mary went up the tree and looked for the candy in the nest, but it was not there.

She asked a mole the same question. “Where is the warmest place you think?”

The mole said, “Umm..., it’s under the ground. In the ground the wind doesn’t blow and even in winter it’s very warm.”

Mary started digging the ground and looked for the candy, but it is not there.

She asked a cat same question. “Where is the warmest place you think?”

The cat said, “Umm....it’s in your bed.”

The cat sometimes came to Mary’s bed and slept in her bed with Mary. She rushed to go home and looked for the candy. She looked for it in the bed, under the pillow and even under the bed, but the candy was not there.

Finally she was crying and crying, she couldn’t find the candy but she really wanted to get it for her mother. She fell down and she was at a loss. Suddenly she felt something was in her pocket. She put her hand into her pocket and looked it. She was astonished because something in her pocket was a magical candy that she saw in the old book. She ran up to her mother and gave it to her.

Her mother said, “The warmest place in the world is your heart. Your warm heart was in many kindnesses. You always give your kindness to me and all of the animals.”

Her mother took the magical candy. As her mother saw Mary, she fell asleep with snoozing.
Mary talked in her sleep, “...mum... get well...”

Her mother put a blanket on her shoulder and said, “Thank you Mary.”

Next day, when Mary woke up, she smelled something delicious. She went to the kitchen and she saw her mother cooking.

She looked back at Mary and smiled, “It’s time to breakfast.”

Switching the World (by Yuri)

2006-01-19T15:31:00.000+09:00

In 2095, people have created the world in the sky and all human beings moved up to the sky leaving all animals behind. Because the life in the new world which is internationally called “Yude Caelum” has been beautiful, great, and peaceful, no one would remember the life on the earth. The life in the sky was just like what it used to be on the earth but there was no such thing like war. Technology continued developing but it was never used for weapons. Cars had got super engines to fly instead of run with tires so it became possible to travel around the world for people on their own. What a peaceful and great world you might think, but you have to remember that these human beings turned their back on a habitat of the earth which all creatures live together.
Maggie and Jess are twin sisters who were born in McNealy’s after their parents moved up to the Yude Caelum. Although Maggie and Jess’ parents knew what the life was like on the earth, they never told them about it because it was too hard to tell the life on the earth to their daughter who only knew the peaceful world. As their parents kept it secret, Maggie and Jess were overly eager to see the world on the ground.Maggie and Jess were both cheerful, friendly girls but Maggie was good at driving while Jess was intelligent.

One day Maggie figured out how to go to the world down on the ground with her mom’s car and rushed into Jess’s room breathlessly. “Jess! Jess! Can I come in?”

Jess opened the door and said, “What Maggie? You alright?”

“Yeah, I just found out how to get down there!” Maggie talked with excitement.

“Down where?”

“Come on, Jess! A place we’ve wanted to go!”

“...!!! There!? Really? How?”

“You'll see if you come with me, so come on, let's go!”

Maggie grabed Jess’ arm.

“Wait!” Jess stopped, “But I don’t know what our mom would say.”

“God Jess, we’ll just make a quick trip to see what it’s like, we don’t have to tell our mom.”

“Oh, ok---” Jess agreed and got in the car with Maggie.

Surprisingly, the secret root that Maggie found was in the grage. There was a door behind the shelf and when Maggie opened the door, the street led to downwards.

In less than 10 minutes, they arrived at the world down on the ground.

“Wow.” That was the only world came from Maggie’s mouth. Jess couldn’t even say anything for a while and finally she says, “Maggie, have you seen any of those guys?”

“Nnnn...no.” Maggie answered.

The world which was abandoned by human beings was now ruled by animals. Bears were driving cars, goats were delivering mails, and wolves were smoking cigarettes.

There were no animals in Yude Caelum, so Maggie and Jess were just astonished t to see those mysterious creatures for the first time. Since Jess had read so many books at school library, she remembered something.

“I’ve read about them before.”

“Really? About those monsters?”

"Yeah, they used to live with us, human beings,” Jess continues, “and I don’t think they are monsters. Hmm it’s so strange.”

“What’s strange?” Maggie asked.

“Well, in the book I read, it said they didn’t live like human beings. They lived in the wild or zoo which was like the exhibition of real living things. I know what they are called... they are... an... ann... animals!”

“Animals? I’ve heard that word, too,” Maggie responses, “but why are they living like human beings? Look! Those wolves are smoking!”

“I don’t know Maggie, but I think we should go home now. We did see what it’s like.”

“What!? We’re not leaving, we haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Well, what do you think is going to happen when they find us? I think we, human beings, moved up to the sky without them. That’s why we’ve never seen them up there and I don’t think they are not happy with that. Human beings abandoned them.”

“You’re, you’re right. Maybe we should go home and tell our mom and dad.”

“No! If we do that and they tell people, the rumor goes around the world and some curious scientists or someone might actually come see. I feel like something bad will happen then.”

“Like what?” Maggie didn't seem to get Jess’ idea.

“Look, human beings abandoned those animals, even though they could do nothing about it at that time, now they are as smart as we are. They must detest us, they think human beings betrayed them. I don’t know what they will do to us when they see us. You will never tell anyone what we saw today, ok?”

“Ok. Let’s go home then.” Maggie understood and starts the car.

As Maggie and Jess went back to the world in the sky, they promised they would never tell anyone about their trip. The trip was only an hour long, and their mom was outside of the house waiting for them.

“Hi mom.” Maggie said.

“Maggie! Jess! Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.”

“Guess what, mom,” Maggie started talking and Jess shouted.

“Maggie! ...and I went shopping at the mall.”

“To the mall? Well you guys don’t have anything. Didn’t you buy anything?”

“W...we didn’t find anything we want and we were getting bored, so we came home!” Jess explained.

“Well supper’s ready, come in the house and have seat.”

“Ok.” Maggie said and Maggie and Jess looked each other meaningfully.

Yes, they kept their promise and they never told anyone about their trip.

But also they never notice animals behind them who were following them all the way to Yude Caelum.

Onion Story☆★ (by Itsumi)

2006-01-19T15:27:00.000+09:00

It is said most people in this world have at least one vegetable that they don’t like. Likewise, Itsumi, who lives in Kitami, Hokkaido, had one vegetable that she hated and she didn’t even want to look at---Onions. She didn’t like everything about onions. For example, the unique smell, the weird feel of lots of fibers when you chew, the vagueness of taste which doesn’t insist onion’s own character in any cookery...she just couldn’t stand the existence of onions.

However, an Onion’s mind was completely different. Vegetables’ happiness is to be cooked well and be tasted deliciously, so all the vegetables appreciate to the people who bought them and cooked them. The Onion loved Itsumi and he had been thinking all the time to make Itsumi to love him. Because Itsumi kept onions at the dark corner in the refrigerator, he couldn’t even confess his feeling to her.

One day, Itsumi decided to make curry and rice for dinner for her family. She didn’t want to put onions in curry, but her mother was fond of onions so she took one onion from the fridge. Onion who finally got free from the freeze became so happy and talked to Itsumi.

“Hello, Itsumi! Thank you so much for cooking!! How will you cook?? I have been waiting for this day for like ages!! You seemed not to like me but I always thank you and pray for your happiness and...”

Itsumi said coldly, “Oh, thanks for that, but sorry I already have other vegetable who I love.”

“...What?”

Onion was shocked and he found no words to say but finally he asked, “...who, who, who is he????”

“My lover? He is... eggplant.” she answered shyly.
"The great shiny skin and gentle curve of his face...I'm crazy on him."

At that time, eggplant who was walking the kitchen table, realized Itsumi and spoke to her.
“Hi, my sweetie Itsumi! How are you? What are you doing?”

Itsumi introduced the Onion to her boy Eggplant and Eggplant to Onion. Onion glared at eggplant and he didn’t talk to him.

Itsumi found it already 6 pm so she washed and cut the other vegetables such as carrots and potatoes hastily. While Itsumi was cooking, Onion who got jealous to Eggplant picked a quarrel with him.

“Hey, fat purple banana there!”

Eggplant answered in a bad mood.
“What?”

“You are a disturbance for me and you should disappear from this house!”

“Why the hell do I have to disappear? Itsumi said she would cook me well. You are not even paid attention from her so YOU should be gone!”

Their fighting started like this on the kitchen table. Angry Eggplant daubed his coloring matter of purple on onion’s skin. Onion also got angry because his white skin was one of his prides. However, he has another pride. Yes, he can take off his skin!! He threw off the dirty(he thinks) purple skin and he twisted his body and squirted onion liquid at Eggplant. Eggplant cried and cried because of the liquid and he came to see nothing. Then Onion pushed eggplant away and away toward the end of the kitchen table. Finally, Eggplant dropped! He crushed the floor and looked ugly. Yes, Onion won!!

Itsumi didn’t notice about it and used half of Onion and cooked curry and rice beautifully. She ate the curry and rice, and found onions were actually delicious! It matched the curry perfectly!! Finally, she came to love onion!! At that time, she came to forget about all love to Eggplant. While the Eggplant was losing his conciousness, Itsumi's mother throw away the ugly fat banana.

After the Onion got a great victory, he decided to live with Itsumi for the rest of his life without being cooked. The story became a big news with the headline called, “Onion beated eggplant got love!” in Kitami City and onions became so popular that all onions in Kitami City were sold out. Onion became a symbol of Kitami City all too soon and Itsumi got a large amount of money which maybe she can’t use all of them in her life. ☆★

Even after Onion died, Itsumi lived richly and happily ever after.☆★

Dream or Reality? (by Lingfang)

2006-01-19T15:21:00.000+09:00

It was a sunny day, David was happy because a morning TV show said that his horoscope of today would be very nice and something special would happen. David was exited to see the special things since he had not had any luck for a week. On the way to school, a stone fell down from the sky and struck on David’s head. Fortunately he did not hurt. “What a strange stone? It comes from sky. It must be a present from the God. Something good might happen!” He picked up the stone and put it into his pocket.

David thought about the stone from the sky all class time and he could not concentrate on any lessons. After school, he took out the stone from his pocket and put on a desk to observe it from different angle. Then David realized that this stone was downy and carved an alphabet “G.” He became interested in the stone more and more. He thought, “The alphabet ‘G’ is the initial of ‘God.’ It will protect me from bad happening.”　Then he put it back into his pocket.

That night, David dreamed that he was in his room. The stone he got adhered to his head and could not take it away. Finally the stone disappeared into his head. Suddenly an intense pain caught him but soon vanished. He knew that he was in the dream. But he felt strange because generally people did not have any feeling in the dreams. David, however, certainly felt a pain. He doubted whether this was reality or not, but it could not be, because it was impossible that the stone was absorbed into our body. And it was noon while he remembered he went to bed at night.

The alarm clock was ringed. The dream was a dream. David woke up as usual and washed his face, ate breakfast. He turned on the TV as usual to see “Today’s Horoscope.” The consequence of his horoscope was “you may be surprised by something.” He was glad to know the consequence, and he was looking forward to having something surprising. David went to school, but nothing happened. He went to the amusement arcade with his friends after school, nothing happened. He backed home, noticed the stone which he picked was not in his pocket, and also not in his room. David regarded the stone as the present from God, so he needed it and wanted to carry it as a charm.　He searched his pocket again and again carefully, but nothing there. He remembered that when he was playing game at the arcade, he took money from the pocket. “The stone might be somewhere in the amusement arcade,” David was convinced. He hurried to the arcade and looked in every corner. There was not anything on the floor. David was so tired and zonked out as soon as he returned to home.

Second night, David saw the same dream as first night. The stone adhered on his head and was absorbed into his body with the pain. This time he was at the way to school. Soon, he arrived at school.

“Good morning!” David said to the friends sat in front of him.

“Good morning!” His friends answered and turned around.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

David waked up with the scream. He was very scared and surprised to see his friends’ face changed into the face of a gorilla. Yet, David was relieved that it was just a dream. He went to bathroom to wash his face.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

David discovered that his face was also a gorilla face.

The Night Bus (by Mina)

2006-01-19T15:18:00.000+09:00

"I’m fine, all right. I’m ten years old and not a little child anymore!! So you can go back to home now, mom and dad. Bye-bye.”

It was a cold, but a nice winter night with bright moon.

“Take care and call me as soon as possible when you arrived and see your grandparents, okay?”

The door was closed and the bus started to move to one night adventure. Shingo was a curious boy and this is the first time to travel by himself.

In the night bus, already some passengers were there and they were sitting on their own seat and relaxing.

“I’m okay, I’m okay...”

Shingo murmured with clutching a bag tightly and took a seat. His seat was in the back of the bus and the woman was sitting on the next seat. She looked about thirty years old and she was working with her notebook computer and a lot of papers with small letters. She seemed not have interest in Shingo at all and keep working as showing her fatigue on her face. Shingo was staring at his bag which was in his arms and sitting with no word and no movement.

On the right behind the seat of Shingo, a man who was about sixty years old was sitting and gazing the front of the bus with surly face. Since he looked very scary, Shingo was getting afraid to everything which surrounds him and being alone in the night bus with many adult passengers.

When Shingo’s strain came up to the peak, the bus was stopped at the last bus stop. What Shingo saw at that time is a beam of hope, a young girl who is with her family was coming toward Shingo and takes a seat which was at just in front of Shingo’s seat.

“Hi, where are your mom and dad?” She turned round her body and talked to Shingo over the seat.

“They are at home. I’m all alone.” Shingo said in a small voice.

“Where are you going? I’m going to see my grandparents!”

“I go to see my grandparents, too. I’m looking forward to seeing them very much.” Talking with that girl makes Shingo free from his strain and feel much comfortable in the night bus.

Most passengers started to have their rest except for those two children.

“Stop talking and get some sleep, children.” Girl’s mother whispered to Shingo and that girl and closed her eyes quietly.

The girl turned toward front and stirred to search her best position to sleep on her seat. Putting his bag on his knee, and Shingo also closed his eyes without any tension. It was quiet and calm in the night bus.

The bag which was on Shingo’s knee was stirring silently, but Shingo was dreaming and there is no indication that he would wake up and notice that the bag was moving. At that time, something white shot out from the bag on the floor!! It was a cute, small puppy of golden retriever which Shingo was having at home. His name is Shiro. Shingo loves Shiro and cherish him. Shingo was so nervous that he brought his puppy on this trip.

Very curious puppy became more active because he was put into small bag for a long time and started to explore inside the bus. What the puppy found out first was big feet of someone. It was a old man who was sleeping on behind the seat of Shingo!! The puppy gazed that big feet and seemed be eager to jump up toward his knee. It was the time when Shingo noticed that he didn’t feel any weight on his knee. He opened his eyes and looked around. The puppy was about to jump up.

“No, don’t jump, puppy!!!” he shouted unconsciously and tried to stop the puppy jump. However, it was too late. What was worse, Shingo’s shout woke up everyone, not only that man, but also other passengers.

“What is this dog?! Why the dog is in here??” the old man woke up and said surprisingly. The puppy was on his knee.

“What happened??” the girl looked back and asked Shingo.

“I told him that he could not get out of the bag! But he sneaked out of the bag...” Shingo was almost crying.

“Is this dog yours?” the old man told Shingo with holding the puppy in his arms.
“Yes, I’m sorry, sir.”

“It’s okey, I don’t mind because I like dogs. But, you know you can’t take the dog into the bus, little boy.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Where are your parents?”

“They are at home. I’m alone here.”

“You are alone? Wow.” Against the image that Shingo had, the old man was not scary at all and nice man who loved dogs. Shingo felt relief a little bit but the problem was not solved yet. The dog was not allowed in the night bus.

“Why don’t you ask the bus driver.” the woman who was sitting on next of Shingo spoke for the first time, at that time.

“Yes, we do. Let’s go, little boy.” the old man said and smiled.

“It will be fine!” the girl also smiled to Shingo.

“Why there is a dog in the bus!?”

When Shingo and the old man confessed about the puppy, the bus driver was surprised very much and he pulled over the bus.

“I don’t like dogs, please keep that dog away from me!”

“I’m sorry that I brought him into this bus. I’m sorry, sir. But, please allow him to stay at the bus tonight!!” Shingo apologized and asked from his heart.

“ I will take care of this boy and puppy, so please admit.” the old man also asked.

“Okey, I admit. But, I admit for only tonight. Sir, please look them carefully, okey? Oh, please keep the dog away from me!!”

The night bus was started to move again.

“Thank you for asking together, sir.” Unease was disappeared from Shingo’s face.

“Take good care of the dog, okey?” the old man gave the puppy back to Shingo.

“Yes, sir. Thank you very much.” Shingo held the puppy tightly and sat on the own seat. Every other passenger was also back to their own seat and started to taking their rest again. The light of the night bus was turned off. But the night bus was continued its travel.

Mysterious Red Spots (by Yo)

2006-01-19T15:16:00.000+09:00

ddddd“Tom!! You make mistakes too many times! Why you can’t do as you said to do!?” Tom was often scolded by his boss, David, who was very smart worker in the company. Although David joined the company in the same year to Tom, he was so intelligent that he could succeed soon. In contrast to David, Tom didn’t have special skills or good points and wasn’t so good worker. Everyday Tom was scolded by David. However hard Tom tried to complete the work that he was said to finish, he couldn’t always do successfully. David felt that he was very unfortunate to have such a foolish junior partner. David’s anger to Tom was getting bigger and bigger day by day, and not only he scolded Tom in public, but he began to damn him with very sharp words like, "You don't have to be here, all of us don't need you!" However, Tom didn’t have enough courage to protest about it.

dddddOne day after the work, Tom went to a bar alone, and sighed with exhaustion. “Why do I have to be fired such words in public...David doesn’t have a right to humiliate me,” he shouted in his mind. Tom drank too much while murmuring about David. After keeping drinking at the bar, he left there and began to stagger along the street to go home.

gggggAfter Tom got to his home at midnight, he went straight to his bed without taking bath and changing his clothes. Then he fell asleep soon and dreamed badly at the night. In the dream, Tom was waiting someone in the silent park at midnight. Then he saw a man who was walking in the darkness and approaching him. The man was David. Suddenly, Tom charged at David and stuck him in the chest with sharp knife. Tom said ""

gggggSoon after this scene, he woke up with surprise and horror. When he looked out of the window, the sun has already risen. It was around 7:00 a.m. He didn’t remember when he came back home last night, what he did after he went to the bar because he drank too much.

gggggWhen he took the newspaper from the letter box and glanced at it, he saw unbelievable article in it. The article said, “The 34-years old man named David was killed by someone at midnight in the park.” Tom was too astonished to move, even blink. When he turned on the TV, the same murder case was broadcasted in the news. It said that the murderer had not been arrested yet.

gggggTom was really upset. “Am I the murderer? No, it was just a dream! Then, who killed David?” He told himself in his mind.

gggggHowever, another surprise happened after several minutes later. Suddenly five or six policemen stormed into Tom's house, overbore Tom, and put handcuffs on him. At the next moment, Tom doubted his ear.

gggggOne of the policemen said,”We arrest you for killing David.” In front of Tom, who couldn’t move and undertsand what was happening at all, a full-length mirror stood, and when he saw his figure, he noticed that his shirt was dyed in red in places.

The Nightmare (by Kaz)

2006-01-19T15:13:00.000+09:00

Henrietta is an office worker for Australian car dealer Holden. She lives in Elwood, Melbourne. Her life seems better off like the other millions of people who are living just like her. She has a fiancé named Leann and average property. She owns a car; an apartment and a cute dog called Rex. However, it came suddenly without any prelude or warning. She was cast into the terrible dream, which will never end...

“Hey Hen” said Billy who is one of Henrietta’s coworkers at job.

“I wonder if you wanna join us. We’ll have a couple of drinks at bar in Chapel street.” said Billy.

“Thanks, but I better go home today.” said Henrietta.

“Oh come on!! Just a couple” said Billy.

“No sorry. May be next time” said Henrietta.

“K next time.” said Billy.

After she said goodbye to Billy, She started walking down the Barkley Street to the tram stop. She got a tram to the Flinders Street Station as usual. She got a cup of coffee and got on a train.

“Now we are approaching Ripponlea.”　said announce.
She got off the Train. Outside was pretty chilly. August is the coldest month in Australia since the country located south of the Equator. She left the station for home. After walking few hundred meters, she felt something unusual. She realized that someone was following behind her. She started to walk faster and a stranger started walk faster, too. She was very scared and picked up her mobile and rung her boy friend Leann.

“Hey, what’s up?” said Leann.

“Hey, I am walking the street to home, but someone is following me.”

“I’m very scared.” Said Hen with her voice trembling.

“Ok, I’ll come to your place and wait for you. K?” said Leann.

“Yeah, thanks, I’m around St. Kilda Garden, so it won’t be long. See you in a minute” said Hen.

She hanged up the phone, and when she looked up. Someone was standing there holding a short knife in the hand. Henrietta was frightened. She wanted to shout something, but her voice didn’t come out. All she could do was murmuring. A stranger approached her and stabbed on her stomach with the knife. Henrietta fell down to ground and squirmed. She felt her pulse was fading away, and her sight was slowly becoming hazed, finally she couldn’t even breathe.

Henrietta woke up in her bed. Her body was sweated like she ever had. She turned on the small light beside the bed, and looked at the clock. It was half past four in the morning.
“Oh God...just a dream” she said in her mind.

She drunk a glass of water and smoked a cigarette. She tried to sleep again, but she couldn’t.
Another busy day has over. Billy invited Hen to the bar again. This time, she decided to go with him. There were a couple of colleagues.
“What would you like?”　a waitress asked.

“A glass of red please.” Said Hen.

“I might have a VB please.” Said Billy.

“Wait, we will have it too, order two more stubbies.” Said one of the coworkers.

While drinking, Hen explained about her odd dream she had to Billy.

“So, well, you are saying that you were stabbed by a stranger last night, on the way to your home and you thought you were killed, but woke up in your bed this morning. Right?” said Billy doubtfully.

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.” said Henrietta with confident.

"Wasn't it really a dream?" Said Billy doubtfully.

“But, I definitely don’t remember the moment when I went to bed. I was actually stabbed on the way to my apartment and lost my consciousness, then somehow, I woke up in my bed this morning.” Said Hen forcefully.

“Ok. It’s very odd and seems like mix of a dream and reality.” Said Billy confused.

“That’s right, anyway, I’m afraid I must go now. Thanks for your invitation, and see ya tomorrow.” Said Hen.

“Yeah, take care. Anyway.” Said Billy.

After getting off train at Ripponlea station, Henrietta took different route to her apartment, although she wasn’t scared that much. She was uncomfortable to walk the same way as yesterday.
However, when Henrietta turned a corner after few hundred meters walk, she found the same stranger having a knife standing as yesterday. Hen was paralyzed for few seconds. She was confused if this was another dream or reality.
Next moment the stranger stepped toward Hen slowly, and Hen backed up little.

“Who are you?” Hen shouted.

But the stranger kept walking toward Hen. She was frightened and started running to the other direction. The stranger started chasing Hen.
Henrietta ran into the St. Kilda Garden and saw a butterfly house there. She rushed into it and hid behind a tree.
Inside the butterfly house was so humid and quiet. All she could hear was her hard breathing. She tried to call police station, but she realized that she dropped her mobile somewhere while she was running.

“Damn it!” She said in tinny voice.

Hen stayed there and few minutes had past. She got on the little pass inside the butterfly house and looked around, but no one was there. She started to walk to the exit slowly.
When Hen got to the exit, she heard a noise from behind her. She turned back cautiously. Next moment she was stabbed on her left chest. The blood started coming out from her body. She fell into the ground. She could feel the knife was tearing her chest, and she slowly blacked out.

“God! Again!” She woke up in her bed.

“What the hell is this? What’s going on?” She said in her mind.

Henrietta was totally confused about what was going on. It seemed like a dream, but it was not a normal dream. She was stabbed again in reality and woke up in her bed, as it was just a dream. One question occurred in Hen’s mind that what if she killed that stranger before she was killed? Would this odd dream be over or end differently? Hen didn’t get any answer, but she thought it was worth trying. She opened a drawer and grabbed a small gun, putted in her purse.

Another busy day has over and after got off a train, Henrietta went strait to St. Kilda Garden.
Hen sat down on a bench and waited for the moment when the stranger would appear.

“There he comes.” Said Hen in her mind.

The stranger was walking toward Hen with a knife in the hand. Hen stood up slowly and sled her hand into her purse. She putted out the gun and aimed at the stranger.

“Stop!!” Hen shouted.

But the stranger didn’t stop walking toward her.

“I said stop! If you don’t stop, I will shoot you!” Hen shouted again.

The stranger didn’t stop and grinned.

Bang!! Hen shot the stranger and the bullet hit on his left chest. He fell down the ground and was groaning. Hen ran up to the stranger and looked his face. It was a man whom she never saw. His groaning stopped and he died.
Hen expected this odd dream or whatever would be over. However, this time was different. All the people, who heard the gunshot, were gathering and they surrounded Hen.

“Come on, wake up in my bed! What’s wrong? This shouldn’t end like this. I should wake up in my bed and this will be over…” Hen mumbled.

However nothing happened and she didn’t wake up in her bed like the other times. She became sure that it wouldn’t be end like a dream this time. All she could do was kneeling there and being at a loss.

A boy woke up in his bed. He just had an odd dream in which a woman shot him. But he is not sure that if it was a dream or whatever. Because he was shot when he was awake and he couldn’t really remember the moment when he went bed… …

My Disobedient but Loving Pets (by Yoshiko)

2006-01-19T15:08:00.000+09:00

aaaaaHi, I’m the handsomest mongrel dog named Pochi. I live in my small but beautiful ‘castle’ in Sakuramachi 1 chome. I keep 4 people and 1 cat as my pets.

Papa (46)　♂
Mama (45)　♀
Taku (10)　♂
Sana　(3 months)　♀
&
Tama (4)　♀

aaaaaI’m really busy day after day to take care of them; feeding, taking them for a walk, talking to them, etc... Sometimes, I let them wear some strange clothes too.

aaaaaUm...is the morning sun coming? My works would start in a little while.

6:30 I open the small door next to the people’s one to let Tama go out.

7:00 I go to the kennel of people and wake them up. (By walking over them.)

7:30 Papa, Mama, and Taku gather around me to be fed faster than anyone else.

aaaaaAlthough they don’t have tales, I can understand their feeling from their facial expressions. The followings are their foods.

Papa: beer (suitable amount)
Mama: Japanese cakes (2)
Taku: curry with rice (sometimes with a hamburger)

aaaaaThey eat them and repeat saying “Uma-i” (delicious!!) again and again.

8:00 Papa and Taku leave home for somewhere (I have heard that Papa goes to office or somewhere, and Taku goes to School or somewhere.)

aaaaaOh, Sana is screaming... it’s time to give her some milk. As soon as she finishes drinking it, she falls asleep again.

8:30 I eat my own breakfast quickly. Taku leaves a curry with rice half eaten, so I eat them up.

9:00 I take Mama for a walk. It’s one of the hardest works for me. likes to hang around on the way and once I become off guard, she pulls the leash violently and start running toward other Mamas. Once they starts talking, their mouths keep moving forever. However hard I pull the rope and order her to come back. She wouldn’t hear at all... What a talkative creature the Mama is!! They laugh like a drain as clapping their hands, but the next moment, they frown disgust and start speaking in a whisper. What!? It’s absolutely impossible for me to understand that strange creature, the Mama.

11:00 I’m really exhausted after finishing taking Mama for a walk. I give her a cup of tea and take a nap for a while.

12:00 I wake up and find myself in the sunny garden. I have to back to my work. I change the diapers of Sana as putting up with being kicked by her over and over again. After that, I give her some milk and sing her a lullaby with my beautiful voice like an angel to sleep.

15:00 Taku comes back home and pesters me to give him some snacks. So I share my cookies with a flavor of meats with him.

17:00 Papa gets home and starts hunting his favorite beer which I hide stealthily. I don’t want him to drink too much beer because he becomes crazy.

18:00 It’s time for dinner! I get ready for feeds of people unwillingly. Then, suddenly, it starts to rain heavily. I hope that clouds won’t be angry. Because I really hate the very loud sound and the horrible ray which the angry clouds send out. However, the clouds don’t grant my wish. Thechorus of sounds and rays began. Oh, my god!! I run away like a rabbit and hide in my bed. Oh, please!! Don’t be angry, Mr. Cloud. I promise I won’t eat too much cookies... Yet he keeps yelling in anger. Then, Sana started crying as loud as the clouds do, but my body is rigid with fear. People start to knock the door of my bedroom very violently. I know they are starving, I know!! Every noises run around in my head!! I’m almost crazed with it.

aaaaaAt the moment, the clouds give me the loudest sound, and I black out....

aaaaaHow long the time passed? I come around with someone calling me. I open my eyes deliberately. Then, Mama is standing in front of me with smile. She holds the container which is filled with my favorite cookies.

aaaaa“Pochi, are you OK? Don’t be scared about the thunder. We are always with you. Hey, come in to the house. It’s time for dinner,” she says.

aaaaaI express my happy feeling with all my body and run into the warm house. Papa, Mama, Taku, Sana, and Tama are there with their broad smiles.

aaaaaAnyway, am I dreaming? Or, Was I dreaming? In either event, I prefer THIS ONE!!

aaaaaThe horrible sound keeps rumbling outside. Yet I feel as if the cloud is singing at loud to celebrate our happiness.

Counterattack of a Chocolate (by Anna)

2006-01-19T15:05:00.000+09:00

There was a girl who is very partial to sweets. Her name is Candy. She was ten years old and lived in a small town. Candy had a dream of eating sweets heartily some day. One day, when Candy was walking a street, she found a leaflet on the roadside and picked it up and read. The leaflet said that the new sweets shop will be opened. When Candy watched the opening date of the shop, she gave a shout.

“Wow, it is today! I have to go.”

The shop was near her house and sweet scents were borne on soft breezes from the shop. There were many different kinds of sweets in the shop. Colorful candies, chocolates, cookies, cakes.... They all looked delicious. When Candy looked around the inside of the shop, she heard someone whispering.

“Look! A customer came.”

“Oh, It is a cute girl.”

Candy really surprised because there were only a clerk and Candy in the shop. She looked at the clerk but she looked as if nothing happened and asked Candy wearing a worried expression on her face.

“May I help you?”

“No, no thank you.”

Candy realized that sweets were talking and she was the only person who can hear their voice so she asked the sweets in a small voice in order not to attract clerk’s attention.

“Hi, Are you talking?”

“Yes, we also can hear what you are saying. May I ask a favor of you? Please eat me! I’m delicious.”

“No, I’m the most delicious of all.”

“I’m low in calories.”

Every sweet chattered at one time like chorus, but only the one chocolate did not say anything. It attracted Candy’s interest and she approached it. When she tried to pick up it, the chocolate shouted suddenly.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t eat me!!”

“Why? You are a food, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I do not want you to eat me. I'd like a beautiful women to eat me!!!”

Candy was angry at the words the chocolate said and rejoined sharply to it. “I will eat you!!”

“I’m warning you. If you ate me, I would not forgive you!”

“No kidding! You are just a chocolate. What can you do?”

Candy mocked at the chocolate and brought it and ate. The chocolate was the most delicious one Candy has ever eaten and there were nothing happened.

“Hey a chocolate, Can you hear me? It is just as I imagined!”

Next day, Candy had a heavy stomachache and also she had a bad tooth.

Her stomach so ached that she went to the hospital with her mother first.

“You got food poisoning so I’ll give you an injection. It will help you to relief the ache.”

The doctor said with a smile on his face.

“Oh, noooo!!!!!”

Candy really hated to have an injection. The thing which she hated most in the world was an injection!!

"Stop!! Please stop! Don't kill me!!!!!"

“Ok, finished. Do you feel OK? ”

The doctor smiled again, but Candy could not say anything. She just wore a drawn and haggard face.

Her mother pulled Candy's hand and said,

"Candy, you also have to go to the desntist. You said that your tooth pains, didn't you?"

"I also hate going to the destist...Today is the worst day in my life......."

Candy talked to herself in a very faint voice. She has never eaten any chocolates again since then.

Notice Me (by Akihiro)

2006-01-19T15:02:00.000+09:00

Shun lived alone in Osaka to go to school. He was leading a hungry life because he was too poor to buy enough food, but only his best friend always encouraged him and sometimes gave him some snacks. He appreciated the best friend sincerely. One day, the best friend left school suddenly without telling Shun about it. Shun was surprised and called the best friend to ask him the reason on that day, but the phone kept ringing without his reply.

A week later, when he got up in the morning to go to school, he found he was still sleeping on the bed. He thought it was just because he was half sleep yet or having hallucinations. The ticking clock showed it was 9 o’clock in the morning. He noticed that he had overslept, so he rushed to school without caring about the odd scene. He took classes as usual but one thing was unusual.

“Hey, did you do your homework?” Shun asked his classmate. “It was so difficult, huh?”

There was no answer.

“Oh, come on. Are you ignoring me?” Shun asked him again with smile.

There was no answer. His classmate didn’t even face to Shun. Whatever he said to his classmates and teachers, everybody ignored him. He also called his mother because he wanted to talk to somebody to feel better.

"Hello?" his mother said.

"Hi. This is Shun..." Shun said.

"Hello?" she said again.

"Mom, I don't feel great today..." Shun wept.

"Hello?" she said again offensively, then she hung up coldly.

Everybody shunned Shun! He cried with grief, and realized he had no friends any more, no worth living any more. At the time, he determined to kill himself, and his legs started to move to the stairs.

He called his best friend again at the rooftop of the school building because he thought the best friend would say he shouldn’t do such a ridiculous thing, but the phone kept ringing mercilessly. He threw his useless cell phone away from there, and it fractured frightfully on the ground. He swallowed and meditated about the time when he jumps from there. At that very moment, he felt a sign of a person and looked back, but he just found nobody was there. Nobody stopped him from committing suicide. He closed his eyes moist with tears and jumped from the rooftop, hoping that somebody will notice him, not ignore him.

Later, there was an article about his death on a newspaper. According to the article, Shun was found dead on the bed in his room. The cause of his death was starvation. Everybody noticed him finally in the worst situation.

Mr. and Mrs. Cockroach (by Yuichi)

2006-01-19T14:47:00.000+09:00

.....John and Lisa moved to a new home in a small town. They had married after going out together for long time and finally they decided to live together. The house they moved to was small and not the newly built one. John liked the house, though the house looked old and dirty, and Lisa also liked it as well as John. John looked forward to the living in this house together with Lisa and so did her. They seemed to be doing well but not for long.

.....A moving van came to the new home, carrying John and Lisa’s baggage, furniture, and other stuff they had. While Lisa was unloading the things, she found a mysterious package on the van. “What the heck is this thing??” she asked John and suddenly he got panicked.

.....“Nooooothing! Don’t touch it!” he screamed. He grabbed the pack and rushed into the house. It was a thing that he didn’t want her to know. John had a hobby which is very unusual and strange. He liked to keep cockroaches as a pet in the house. He kept two cockroaches; Mike, a male roach, and Jane, a female roach. He really loved his cockroaches but Lisa was a bug-phobia and really hated bugs, even a small ant so he kept this hobby secret. He put the cockroaches in a box and wrapped with a paper for a camouflage.

.....One day, when John went out for a walk, Lisa got curious about that pack and went his room to find out what’s inside. She entered his room where he hid the thing and cautiously opened it. “Joooooohhhhnnnnn!” a scream of woman voice sounded the town. John rushed back and saw the room.

.....“What happen... oh my god!!!!” He astonished.

.....“Throw this dirty thing away or divorce now!!”

.....John disappointed but had no choice except for giving up keeping the pet. He decided to throw them away. When he carried the box to outside, he accidentally stumbled on a stone. “Holy crap!” Then he fell on the ground and lost his conscious. Few hours later, he woke up and noticed that his body’s change. He became small, dirty, and had 6 legs stretched from his body. “Oh, my god. This is not good! Looks like I turned into a cockroach!” When he looked around, he found one of two cockroaches he had lying on the ground. It was Mike but had no conscious.

.....“Did you throw that thing away, John? Hey, answer me John. Hey, where are you?!” John heard Lisa calling him. “John, John!! Arrgg! John!!” Suddenly she found two cockroaches lying on the ground without any movements. “Bugs!!!” She screamed and took off her shoe then hit one of the cockroaches. Bang! The cockroach suddenly became flat. “So it goes” she said.

.....Fortunately the bug she hit wasn’t John but he scared at the sight of Lisa killing his pet. He got scared and rushed into his house, moving his 6 legs quickly. When he entered his house, he found another cockroach which he kept as a pet. It was Jane.

.....“We better get in a team and expel that monster Lisa from this house or else you’ll be killed with her dirty shoe.” Jane cockroach said.

.....“I know but she’s my wife.” John cockroach said.

.....“It doesn’t matter. We have to kick her out or die.” Jane told him with a serious voice.
Soon, Lisa came into the house and searched the roaches. “I’m gonna kill ‘em!” She yelled alone. John recognized current situation, decided to expel Lisa from the house, though she’s his lover. John and Jane tugged up and climbed up Lisa’s body. She got scared and shook off the bugs off.

.....“Nooooo!” Lisa ran outside then escaped.

.....“We did it! Great job John!” Jane cockroach said.

.....“But she was my wife! How can I get back our relationship with her?” John asked.

.....“Nothing to worry. I’ll be your Lisa, John.” Jane said happily.

.....“Oh, really? Then fine.” Since he really liked the roach, he had no hesitation about her confession. He decided to live together with Jane in the huge house. Their relationship came deeper and deeper as day passed. They seemed to be going to do well but not for long.

.....After spending some days together, a truck stopped in front of the house. John and Jane went outside to see it read words that were written on the truck. It said, “Bug Extermination. No Life to Bugs.” Then Lisa came out from the truck.

.....“I’m gonna kill ‘em!” She yelled and brought tons of anti-bug sprays with her.

.....“Oh no...” John and Jane said.

Secret Key (by Shizuka)

2006-01-19T14:42:00.000+09:00

There are huge amount and variety of keys in this world.
Key is for saving your wealth, safety,
and SECRET.

One day Mike, 10-years-old boy was walking way to home. The sun has already set, and it was no longer curfew his mom decided. Actually Mike is a strange boy. He likes to spend time alone rather than with other boys. Every day he do nothing special, just goes where he wants, and goes back home after dark. Mom angrily decided curfew and said if Mike doesn’t get back before curfew, she would not let him come in house. It was the next day when she said, but Mike didn’t care about it. He found something brightening on the road. He picked it up, and that was the key. It was quite antique and tasteful, so Mile liked it and kept it in his pocket.

In front of his house, he was worried about how to get in the house because he did not want to apologize to mom. He tried the key which he picked up just now as a joke. Surprisingly the door opened. Mike cautiously came in the house and locked the door.

“Mike, how did you come in? The door was looked!”, mom said amazingly.

“I was in my room before curfew,” Mike said calmly and backs to his room.

In his room, he stared at the key and thought,

“This must be a special key. I can go anywhere with this key.”

Next day he waked up earlier than usual and went out from the morning. He had many places where he wants to go, which have signs like ‘Keep Out’ such as the backside of museum and closed amusement park. He went to all these places and enjoyed his time, watching interesting and unknown things for children. However, he felt a little boring for some reasons. On his way home he saw boys like his age playing and enjoying. His face looked sad. In fact he is not strange boy. He also wanted to play with friends like other same age boys in his real mind, but he had no friends and was afraid of making friends and how others are thinking about him. He thought,

“If I can see how others are thinking, I could be like them.”

Next day in his classroom he saw his classmates talking about their favorite baseball players. He wanted to join their conversation, but he had no courage. To his surprise, one of them spoke to Mike,

“Hey, how do you think?”

Mike got happy, but he had no idea how to answer because he was not familiar to baseball. At that time he heard strange talking.

“He must answer Hideki Matsui!!”

“There is no answer except Matsui!!”

He thought it strange because though his classmates were not talking, he could hear their talking. He said timidly,

“Hideki Matsui.”

His classmates happily said,

“Oh, are you too?”

Mike made friends with them right away. His life has changed. He became not strange but cheerful boy. The miracle key can also person’s mind.

However he made a mistake of using this key. This key enables Mike to see not only what others are thinking but also their secret. Actually everyone has secret which is too serious or embarrassing to tell others.

As Mike got along with others, he wanted to make friends happy with funny topics. He could see surprising his friends’ secrets, for example, one boy can’t sleep without mummy, another one wet the bet almost everyday, and so on. He used his friends’ secret to make other friends enjoy. First his friends liked his funny talking, so Mike happily looked for more secrets. Finally he completely his friends’ secrets and almost every friend were spilled their embarrassing secrets. At that time he came to hear one kind of talking in mind.

“Mike is really disgusting!!”

“I hate Mike!”

At first that was only for a few friends, but finally all his friends spilled secrets by Mike talked such things in minds. He was outcast from his friends. He came to be called strange from others. Actually he became strange boys again.

Everyone has secret which they want to keep their mind because that is secret.