The Planet of Humans and dolphins

Chapter 11 Star luster

Essentially, they have to swim to Wish Rock.At least, all the challengers in this town so far have done so.But Satoru has a bad leg, so even if we use a boat, the god of Wish Rock would tolerate us. Max thought that.And there was a possibility to get a boat.A boat is moored near the port closest to Max's school.It was hidden to be covered with bushes of vegetation, so it could not be seen from the roadway above.Max's school, everyone knows, but can't openly talk about it, that is an open secret.The boat was used by Ned's older brother, and the ownership had recently been transferred to his younger brother.that story was gossiped about among students.During the break between second and third period, with his body tense but firm determined, Max headed for the classroom where Ned was.Max didn't want to involve three of his friends just in case something went wrong.And he wanted to keep Satoru a secret for some reason, so Max went to the classroom alone.the classroom door was already opened and Max entered without making a noise.A few students took one look at the stranger but soon returned to their conversations.Still, when Max stood in front of Ned's desk, everyone in the classroom was amazed to open their eyes wide, and one person let out a small voice "No way...".Rose, the holy mother of the school, also looked at Max's face and, ″Are you okay? Will there be trouble? ″, her anxious expression appealed.When Ned, sitting at his desk, looked up and glared at Max, he felt dizzy.But he couldn't turn back."Why are you here?"An overbearing voice echoed throughout the classroom.The surrounding students watching the situation were unable to take their eyes off and must be kept silent."I want you to borrow me a boat. That one moored near the port."When Max squeezed the words out of his throat, he realized that he was strangely calm.Ned had sat down, looked away from Max's face, and said nothing.Max just said that at the beginning, and he had stood silently in front of Ned.Ned snorted once but remained silent.As silence fulled over the classroom, Ned finally opened his mouth."Why did you come all the way to say that?"The blunt tone was clearly unpleasant but seemed to be no further hostility.Only after Ned pointed out that Max noticed the inexplicability behavior himself.″That's for sure. If I ask and he refuses, that's over, so why did I come to ask? ″There were no daredevil students at the school who wanted to borrow Ned's boat.Except for the boys who are on a mission of kindness.Even so, if used and put back secretly, there was a possibility that it wouldn't find out."That... I thought you would borrow me if asked..."When Max talked about his honest feelings, Ned snorted again."As you like..."With that one word, Ned looked away from Max completely and stared out the classroom window.It's as if Max wasn't there."You, fool."Ned said like a soliloquy, keeping his gaze outward."Um... Thank you..."No matter how long Max waited, he didn't get a reply.So, Max was left with a turn on his heel."You, fool."Before Max left the classroom, he heard such a mutter again.Max stopped in front of the door and turned aroundNed remained as outwardly focused as ever and did not look at Max.Max stopped for a moment and waited to see if Ned would look back at him, but the school tyrant didn't move an inch, he was sticking his hand in his pocket and was looking out.Max saw Ned's appearance once and quietly left the classroom. - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - Since afternoon classes were not held until graduation, the afternoon of the decision was the day Satoru came to school next.Max was meticulously planning for the day.First of all, Max, who usually uses the school bus, just tell the driver, "I will not take the school bus because my parent will pick me up today."This didn't worry Max because he had seen other kids do the same thing from time to time.Next, have to take a route bus with Satoru and go to a stop near the port three ahead.This took a little courage.For the time being, Max prepared an excuse "I will send him to a house near the harbor."However, when we passed through the swing door of the route bus, both hearts Max and Satoru were pounding.Fortunately, the driver just glanced at the two faces and the orthotics on Satoru's feet and said nothing.At school, it was decided that children shouldn't get on the bus until they became junior high school students, but the bus company didn't seem to care about that.It was the first time for both Max and Satoru to ride a bus with just their children.That alone was a great adventure, and the two who sat side by side in the bus seats stiffened themselves.Satoru's mother has been coming home late every night recently to prepare for the move to Japan, and Satoru has been told to take a cab when he comes home from school.A dedicated telephone that goes directly to the cab company is near the entrance to the front school building of the elementary school.After returning to the harbor from Wish Rock, take the route bus again to school, Satoru calls the cab from there, Max is the route bus, and if you return to each home, the plan should be going to complete.When they got off at our intended stop, they checked the time on the watch that Satoru had brought from home.Max had asked Satoru to bring it from home beforehand.So far, things are going on time and schedule.If they can come back from Wish Rock within two hours now, Max and Satoru should be able to come home in bright light without difficulty.It took him a while to find the mooring place for Ned's boat.Of course, Satoru was left waiting at the port and Max played the role of scout by himself.After finding the boat, Max went back down to Satoru, guided him to a place where even Satoru could get in the boat and ran back to the boat.Before even embarked out to sea, Max had been busy even.It was hard to get down the steep slope from the coastal roadway, through the bushes, and board the boat.It was fortunate that there was a rope hanging down as a clue.Perhaps it was installed by Ned or his big brother.Max hasn't held a boat oar since last year when he was taken to a camp with Marlo and his family.When Max pushed the slope of the shore with an oar and finally rowed into the sea, he felt a little worried.Max remembered how to row a boat properly. he rowed a boat to the pick-up point on the harbor-wharf and looked for Satoru there.Even at that point, there was a step of several tens of centimeters from the concrete wharf to the boat, and Satoru had to go down it.Satoru, who said that had strong arms instead of bad feet, crawls backward on all fours and slowly descends, and at last, he gets his feet on the boat.Satoru said so, but he didn't look like to have strong arms.The rocking with the rattling when Satoru's buttocks hit the bottom of the boat, the two of them got little panic.However, they soon were filled with the sense of accomplishment that they were on the sea, and the two of them looked at each other and laughed.Small and skinny, Satoru looked fragile, which is why Max reaffirmed his determination to take Satoru to Wish Rock, no matter what it takes.There is nothing on the sea that blocks the sunlight.Max and Satoru also had their hats, which they put on again tightly.Now, this is just the beginning of the adventure.The sea was the first world for Satoru, and everything he saw and touched was fresh.At first two of them felt anxious the feeling that their body kept rocking, but soon got used to it.When Satoru looked into the floating algae on the side of the boat, there was a group of fish smaller than his little finger below it.The little fish moved faster than the laser on the video game screen, almost like teleportation.When Satoru dipped his hand in the seawater from the edge of the boat, he felt cool even in the early summer season."Wow, we're on the sea!"Seeing Satoru innocently muttering such obvious things, Max finally felt like Satoru was an ordinary child."See, the color of the ocean is a little different there than it is here."Max explained that the content of plankton changes the color of the ocean."Can you see that cape? Every year we swim and dive in the cove over there."An ocean current lies in the opening of the cove.This made it possible to play safely inside the cove without being swept out to sea.Before Max heard from some seniors that Challengers aiming for Wish Rock would start swimming from the tip of the cove."It's a little difficult to swim from there to Wish Rock, but it's much closer from the port we departed from. and it's not a swim, it's a boat."Max had also checked the ebb and flow of the tide in advance.The port is relatively close to the bay, and Wish Rock is just outside the tip of the bay's cape.During the present tide, the current pours into the bay.So, against that, It struggles with boat rowing.It's still time for the rising tide when they return from Wish Rock in an hour or two.At that time, the flow into the bay will be stronger, so if they ride it, it should be less burdensome to return.Satoru felt reliable about the pilot sitting in front of him, who knew everything and could do anything."Hey, we're like Tom and Hack.""We're greater than them. Tom and Hack are rivers, but we're on the ocean."After saying that, Max remembered that Inner Judge would be empowered, and rephrased, "We are harder.""By the way, do you have some manga books?""Yeah, I have some. those are Japanese.""Oh, that's right...""What does it matter?""No, it's nothing. I'm just asking."It's good Marlo wasn't here. If he had been here, he would have said, "Damn, I can't read that!"Max noticed that he was an elder tone saying.When Max listened to various stories on the boat, he knew that Satoru had never fished and had never made a plastic model."You've never done anything before? It's like you were born yesterday."Max was about to say so, and shouldn't use bad words, so he hurriedly closed his mouth in the second half."Hey, which Pokemon do you like?"After asking that, Max told him his favorite Pokemon."Mudkip. I'm a rabbit""??, Rabbit Pokemon is not a mudkip, but a mimirol?""No, "I'm rabbit" is attached when you say something you like, isn't "I love it" and "I'm rabbit" similar?"Max put his hand on his head and showed Satoru "I'm rabbit" again with the gesture of the rabbit's ears."That's funny, Then Torchic. I'm a rabbit."Satoru also imitated Max and put his hand on his head, imitating the ears of a rabbit.After that, they taught each other their favorite Pokemon, their favorite TV programs, games, and movies.Of course, attach the rabbit's ears to those things they like.Max was happy that Satoru liked the rabbit ear way."Hey, I'll help you row too.""It's okay. so stay there, because to lose out of balance"When two left the bay, everything was around the sea, and the harbor was far behind.And when the boat went offshore, the wind was getting stronger, and the waves swayed the boat sideways more often.It became difficult to steer the boat, and Max couldn't set the course as he hoped."By the way, I didn't bring any life jacket. If it falls, the water will be cold, so it will be big trouble..."Max noticed that though quite late now and was worried.Satoru, who entrusted everything to Max, also seemed to be worried about the swaying of the boat and the strength of the wind.When Max turned around, saw Wish Rock right there.But the boat was just going up and down between the waves, and it didn't seem to move forward at all, no matter how much Max rowed.When Max took a hand off the oar and glanced at the palm, it turned a little red as scraped skin, and he was careful not to be sensed by Satoru.When viewed from the land, Wish Rock can be seen not far away.It's hard to swim, but it would be easy to reach by boat.Max regretted such a lack of foresight.Many times Max was almost saying, "Actually we must turn back," but each time he told himself, "Don't worry, I can make it."If only we went back to the port, if we left without asking for any wishes, Satoru would have no choice but to return to Japan after his parents divorced.Thinking about it, Max really didn't want to disappoint Satoru.There was no one on all sides and half a mile away.There were just two boys, their hearts full of anxiety, rocking in a small boat."Hey, please teach me some Japanese."Max asked, wanting a story to distract them from their anxiety.Satoru taught Max "hello" and "goodbye" in Japanese."I already know that, and I also know "kawaii". I want to know a more amazing word like the strongest attack spell that Harry Potter uses.""Then, is there any such word in English?""Hmm, cool or marvelous..."When Satoru said so, Max was at a loss for a response.Satoru wanted to get rid of the unamused atmosphere, and to live up to Max's expectations, he sought a word in his head drawer.And the one word was hit."NAN DEYA NEN""... What is that? What does that mean?""Hmm, I think it means something like 'No way' or 'Don't be silly' "Satoru said so without confidently.Satoru explained to Max that "NAN DEYA NEN" was meant to point out when the other person said something wrong.And sometimes Japanese people intentionally say something wrong to make him say that word."What? Do people do wrong something on purpose? Japanese people are strange...""Only local people who use that word."Satoru told Max so, apologetically.After that, "Oh, seagulls are flying over there. NAN DEYA NEN""Is the Krusty Krab burger using fellow meat? NAN DEYA NEN""The A set in the cafeteria has too few potatoes. NAN DEYA NEN"Max and Satoru added this word to the end of every remark, and each time, the two of us laughed out loud."It's not the strongest attack spell, but it's a spell that makes people laugh.""Yeah. my cousin who taught me this was also a master at making people laugh."Perhaps they were likely to be overwhelmed by anxiety if they didn't laugh forcibly.Max continued to row desperately, so the boat was able to get out of the stagnant swell point.Wish Rock has approached a place where it could be reached if I reached out.To reach the aim, we have one more step to go.Wish Rock was a remote islet with a circumference of about 40m and a height of about 4-5m, isolated from the continent by wave erosion.Although it was mostly composed of rocks, several kinds of trees such as pinus coulteri grew naturally in the gaps between the rocks, despite the lack of water.Max determined a step on a reef that could land, as close as possible to the surface of the sea, and rowed in that direction.As we came close to the target of the rocky shore, the boat was approached by a wave that brought it closer to the islet, and then farther away by a wave that returned it."Wait a minute!"Max grabbed the mooring rope at the tip of the boat and got off the boat backward at the time when the boat was closest to the islet.Max got his hands on the rocks, and socks, let alone shoes, were soaked in seawater.However, Max managed to land without falling or hitting the edge of the boat.With a hastily extended rope in hand, he climbed a little higher on the ledge and strapped the rope to a reasonable rock projection.Max then pulled the rope along with the incoming waves and guided Satoru to a position where he could safely descend and not get too wet.Satoru, at Max's urging, did the same, placing his hands on the edge of the boat, spinning his body over, and lowering his feet from the back to the islet.Thanks to Max's efforts, Satoru's shoes were only momentarily soaked in seawater.Max saw it, let go of the rope, and pressed his palm against the sleeve of his shirt to suck in the seawater, but he still felt tingling for a while.The two quickly climbed to a wave-free height and sat down.No, to be correct, both of their knees gave away because of the relief from tiredness and tension.They couldn't stand up for a while and regained their breath and looked at each other to celebrate the landing."We did it! we arrived!""That's true! we arrived!"Even on bumpy rocks, there was still a sense of security on the unshakable ground, unlike boats on the sea.Looking at Satoru's watch, it was only 20 minutes had passed since Satoru got on the boat.Max and Satoru arrived at the children's sanctuary, Wish Rock.After calming down their body and feelings, Max and Satoru walked where they could walk."Is this whole islet Wish Rock?""There will be a place where you can see the rock surface near the tree above that. I think they're probably calling it Wish Rock."It seems that the rock surface sometimes reflects the sunlight and looks shining even from the coast.It is sometimes called Mirror rock, and its brilliant appearance may have made children yearn for it."Should we climb far there...?""No, it's too high up there for anyone to get close. I think we can just pray from here."Satoru was relieved by Max's words.Then they turned to the rock face and prayed that Satoru's parents wouldn't get divorced and that Satoru wouldn't have to go back to Japan.On the way to praying, Max opened his eyes and glanced at Satoru.Max noticed that Satoru was praying with a gesture that puts his palms together.The two were very satisfied with the achievement of their original purpose along with the big adventure in the ocean.After praying, all they have to do is turn back.Satoru, who thought so, had a suggestion from Max, "Let's do something interesting."Initially, Max thought it would take about an hour to reach here, so two had plenty of time to spare.Moreover, the return is a flow up waves, and they should be able to return earlier than coming.And, nicely, the boat was loaded with hook stick.Originally, it was used to pull the rope when landing onshore.However, the hook stick is a type with a sharp needle tip.It can hook and catch prey that is in the gaps of rocky areas.Since they've come all this way, there's no reason can't use it.If to start rowing the boat after playing for about 15 minutes, the time to go home should be fine."Go over there!"On the other side of the islet where the two prayed, reefs spread out like a table.There were tide pools here and there, and in the crevices of the rocks leading to the sea, seawater was moving up and down according to the rushing and pulling waves."If you fall, it's dangerous, so be careful.""Yeah, I understand."There are crevices and dents in some places, but the rocks have been eroded by the waves and turned into a table.Should be okay as long as Satoru is careful not to trip over.Still worried that he wouldn't stumble, Max kept watching Satoru's action.Despite their Max's worries, Satoru was peering into the tide pools, and was fascinated by the microcosm.In the tide pool, conchs, small sea anemones, and small fishes that he didn't know the name of were lurking.Satoru continued to be fascinated by creatures of unpredictable and mysterious movements of various colors and shapes.Max, who felt relieved about Satoru in such a figure, sought prey between the crevices of the rock with a hook stick taken from the boat.When Max searched for some crevices, an unexpected big one jumped into his eyes.It hides quietly in the deepest part of the rift, soaking in the tide.It was an octopus that could fit into any gap.At first, Max thought it would be enough to catch even a small fish, but he found the perfect prey.His heart leaped at the thought of catching this one successfully.Before Max knew it, Satoru was approaching him, who was holding his breath and looking for prey."Shhh.. look, I've done it before."Yes, Max had the same moment of holding his breath and timing as he did before."That was right after my Dad bought a motorboat.We went to a rocky place somewhere by the boat and I and my Dad aimed for a similar octopus with a similar hook."Now I can remember everything properly.All the time I spent with my Dad.The smiles, my Dad gave me.The words, my Dad gave me.Max hooked the tip of the hook into the octopus's flank in one swift, no hesitant action before the octopus sensed his sign.The octopus kept sticking to the rock to resist."go for it!"With the cheers of Satoru, Max did a contest of strength against the octopus.The octopus straddling both sides of the rock was tough, and Max took a style of tug-of-war, taking a low posture and putting his strength into the arm pulling the hook.After a short period of antagonism, the octopus ran out of stamina, gave up its resistance, and jumped out of the crevice.It was so sudden that Max almost flipped over backward and was hurriedly squared off again.The octopus slipped off the hook and it flew away.It quickly crawled into a rocky groove and disappeared into the seawater.Max was disappointed with the result, as he wanted to impress Satoru with his big achievement and wanted to get him pleasure. "I was amazing Max!, big fun ! the real octopus is not red!"But Satoru seemed happy just to see the wild octopus for the first time, not in the aquarium or on TV.Anyway, he couldn't take it home if he caught it.Max was happy enough to see Satoru's delighted appearance.They learned that had made a big mistake when they tried to pull up the rocky shore play and return to the boat.There were no boats anywhere at the landing site.Max wondered if he had moored at the wrong place and hoped the boat was at another point, but the results were ruthless.Max couldn't find the boat in any of the surrounding rocks or anywhere in the ocean.Even if they had been found it by the sea, it would have been impossible for them to swim to that boat.The rope Max moored was not tight enough, and the boat was released from shore and gone, never to be recovered.There was no doubt that it was the case.As soon as he understood that, Max got dazzled and collapsed to his knees.If he had not immediately put his hand on a nearby rock, he might have hit his head.Look at Max like that, Satoru sank weakly into the ground too."The boat was gone away..."A long silence ran between them.Awakened a little from his stupor, Max squeezed a word out of his throat."I'm sorry. I didn't connect the boat firmly..."Satoru hadn't blamed Max.After a while, Satoru muttered, "It's my fault because I can't do anything..." and after those words, there was no more conversation between the two.The exhilaration two felt up to that point had disappeared like an illusion. - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - + - - Only time passed, without being able to do anything, without speaking anything.When the sun was tilted to the west, Max finally suggested with a weak voice, "If we are here, may get wet with the rising tide, so let's go up a little."Max stood up without power, and Satoru silently followed.The upper part of the islet is a small hill and two-stepped into it.When pulled up Satoru on the step, Max turned his palm down.The top of the hill was also rocky, but there were some small pinus coulteri and grass was sparsely growing in front of them, so two sat down looking for a better place that wouldn't hurt as much as possible.Looking down after a while, as Max expected, the layer of the lower reef table that wrestled with the octopus was submerged in the sea."If the tide rises more, it won't sink here either...?"Satoru asked a question with anxiety."It's okay. In a few hours, it's going to turn into a low tide. And there's some tree here, that's proof that it's not submerged in seawater."Max's words did little to dispel Satoru's fears."Why are trees growing in such a place?""I think the bird has carried some seed with their droppings, or it came on the wind. It's close to the land...""I see..."Lost for words to say to each other, and in the long term of silence, Max thought again about the future.Max's mother is still working late today.So Satoru's mother would first find out that her child hadn't returned home and she would ask the police to search.However, both I and Satoru keep this outing secret from our parents.Then, it will take a long time for the police search to find out here.The more I thought about it, the less I expected good results.Gradually, the sunlight became scarce, and it was now time to begin the descent of the night's curtains."I found the first star"Satoru suddenly said so."What's that?""That's what Japanese kids say."When Max looked up, one star was certainly shining in the twilight."Hey, I've got a good idea"."What kind of idea?""The second star, I found it! see? we can get how many stars there are in the sky by counting that appear in order!"Satoru also felt uplifted by the proposal."Then, let's say it alternately.""Sounds good!"But in the end, the idea didn't come true.Around the sixth or seventh, so many stars appeared at once that they could no longer be counted in order.And then, it became impossible to distinguish which was the counted star and which was the uncounted star.But It didn't let that get them down.In the twilight, the panorama of the stars that continued to appear in front of them took their breath away.Their feelings were aroused and then quieted.Eventually, the twilight time passed and the veil of darkness covered the sky.The wind also changed to a land breeze and blew cold.The lights of the houses in the harbor on the opposite bank lit up, which further accentuated their current loneliness."I'm really sorry, but if I find out that we haven't returned home, I'm sure we'll get help, so it's okay.""Yeah, okay. you took to this rock for me. I'm sure help will come for me, too."Even in early summer, the night was still cold.They wanted at least some kind of cloth to put over the top but could not hope for that.The cold air that filled the night world robbed the bodies of the two little boys.It is also from the heart."I'm sorry, your palms... because I didn't row the boat...""...no, I'm fine, Satoru, don't worry about it."Their bodies squeaked in a sitting position all the time, so Max had no choice but to lie down on the bumpy ground, and Satoru followed suit.The sparse grass did not act as a cushion, and two had to put up with the rugged feel of their back.Max wanted to suggest, "Let's stick together to keep our body temperature," but was too embarrassed to say so.But even if Max didn't say that, it just came naturally after a while.Countless stars were shining in the night sky, and the silver moon dyed their cheeks white."If you go back to Japan, I'm sure there will be good things...""Yeah... I hope so..."Max didn't mention the divorce of his parents.″If that happens, Satoru, like me, will have only one parent...″Max thought so."When my Dad was alive, we had a motorboat.""yes""Riding on it, we went to catch sea creatures, like the octopus just tried, with my Dad.""That's right... sounds good, my Dad doesn't go out with me because he's busy with work.""......""I wonder if there is a father who doesn't go out with his children...?"Max thought so, and if so, it would be bad for Satoru to talk about the memories of my father.However, Satoru asked me to continue the story, "What did you get with your father?""One time, a fisherman who knew my Dad borrow us a cage to use as a trap, and we went to pick up the one Dad had set the day before."Max explained that only fishermen are allowed to fish, but anyone can fish if they pay for a one-day fishing right."So there were three lobsters in the trap cage, one we took home and the other two we took to the market to buy.""Then my shoes were getting a little worn out, so Dad said, 'Let's go shoe shopping.'""I said, 'you have a boat loan, so don't spend money and save it. I can still wear my shoes.' then 'Children don't have to worry about that,' Dad said, stroking my head."Satoru listened to Max's story mysteriously, staring at the brilliance of the stars in the night sky.Even Max, as he spoke, gazed breathlessly at the starry glow of the sky."There is a store that will hire me when I become a high school student, so I was planning to work part-time there and give Dad shoes with the money I got first.""When I gave it to him, I was going to say, 'This is in return for what you did for me. But my Dad died before I could do that.""......"The two were staring at the stars, and the stars were also staring at them.With the blink of the stars, a small whisper had wrapped the two boys. If Max and Satoru had not been frozen, if their anxieties were a little less, the celestial melody might have reached their ears."My Dad was a great swimmer. When he was young, he once won fifth place in a 10-km long-distance swimming competition.""The ship had an accident 3km offshore, so I'm sure my Dad would have saved himself by swimming.""But I think he tried to save the rest of the crew and got tired and drowned himself. I think my Dad would have done so.""I think so, too," Satoru muttered quietly.Max wondered, "Satoru doesn't know about my Dad, so why can he say that?"But soon Max realized that "Satoru was saying that because he cared about me."And Max felt gently happy.The night sky became even brighter and seemed to be sucked into the space between the stars.Only the regular sound of the waves kept two on the ground.Eventually, as the sleep became more intense, it gradually faded away, and the two boys crossed over hand in hand to the world beyond the starry sky.