Kino no Tabi:Volume9 Epilogue
“In Sorrow · a” —Yearning · a—[edit]
Traveler, this is a sorrowful country.”
“A sorrowful country?”
Responded Kino when she came out of a café and was putting on her coat.
The one who suddenly addressed her was a man. Behind him were several residents of the country—men and women, young and old. Everybody was wearing thick winter clothes with turned-up collars and winter hats pulled over their eyes.
They all kept silent and stared at Kino.
“Yes. For many years only sorrowful events kept happening in this country. Since the death of our respected and loved leader, we’ve been suffering massive natural calamities, unbelievable man-made disasters, rampant epidemics, never-ending poverty and unceasing crimes. All the people live in depression.”
“I see. That explains why some citizens looked kind of sick to me.”
“Well, yes. It’s natural to think like that.”
The man nodded with the same troubled look on his face.
“That’s why we want you to tell people in other countries that our country was really sorrowful. Even if you just mention it in a pause in a conversation. And please, let people know that we manage to make a steady living nevertheless.”
Upon hearing what the man said, Kino answered,
“Okay, if it’s just that.”
The citizens seemed satisfied. They thanked her without changing their grave looks and left.
“Well, I should probably return to Hermes.”
Mumbled Kino. A white fog formed in the air as she breathed out. She put on her hat pulling down the ear flaps, put on her coat turning up the collar and started walking along the road.
When she passed a street with shops lined on both sides, she hit a town square. It was filled with all sorts of people—some were resting, some were warming by a fire, some people were just passing by—but none of them smiled.
Kino pushed her way through the crowd. Crossing the square, she was about to come out to a street, when she heard a man’s shout.
“I can’t take this any longer. How long are you going to live like that?”
He sounded vigorous and full of energy.
“…”
Kino turned around to the voice and saw a man standing on a wooden box in a corner of the square, giving the speech.
“Let’s stop such pitiful, tedious way of life that makes you lament waking up every day! Enjoying sorrows is a mistake! Always remembering and recollecting only awful things, having that constant downcast look—we need to put an end to this!”
The people started gathering around shortly.
“I believe that long ago this country wasn’t that ‘sorrowful’. There’s nothing wonderful about continuing to live as a ‘sorrowful country’. That’s why—”
At that moment the man was pulled down.
Towards the crowd.
“…”
The man disappeared from Kino’s sight. A banging sound was heard several times, but no one said a word, and it quietly echoed across the square.
After a while the people who surrounded the man broke up.
The man appeared before Kino’s eyes once again.
And then—
| Back to Chapter 11 | Return to Main Page | Forward to Author's Notes |
