No. 6

CHAPTER 5 - Hidden Danger

The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents. By the fifth day, we were aware of only one Earth.
- Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud, astronaut

***  

After Shion had finished reading the picture book, Kalan gave a sigh of satisfaction.

"That was a good story."

Rico blew out of his flared nostrils sullenly. He fiddled with the newly-changed bandages on his neck and complained.

"Well, I didn't think it was good. Stories about rabbits are boring."

"Then what kind of story do you want to hear, Rico?" Shion asked.

"Ummmm―" Rico paused for a moment of thought. "Oh, a story about bread. And― and one about soup and fried sweet potatoes."

"You must be hungry, Rico."

Kalan turned to Shion and nodded.

"He's hungry all the time. Rico gets more hungry than anyone else."

"Just a minute, then. I think I've got some soup..." Was there any soup left for him? A bowlful of soup that could sate Rico's empty stomach for a short while―

Kalan stood up.

"No, thank you. It's okay. We have to go home now." She took her little brother by the hand and made for the door. She stopped, turned, and spoke in a small voice. "Thank you for reading to us."

"You're very welcome."

"Can we come again tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Okay." A smile spread across Kalan's face, and she half-dragged Rico out the door. Nezumi stretched in the shadow of a pile of a books.

"Stupid as always, aren't you."

"Stupid? Me?"

"They say the biggest idiots are the ones who don't realize they're idiots. I think there was a proverb like that." Nezumi stood up, and draped the superfibre cloth around his neck. "You tried to give a handout to the kids. You tried to give them leftover soup."

"Is that a stupid thing to do?"

"Those kids came here to be read to. They didn't come to beg. If you can ensure that Rico will never starve again, that would be fine and dandy. But if you give him leftover soup on a whim one day, what're you gonna do the next time he starves? You wouldn't be able to take care of him all the time. If you're going to be irresponsible and abandon him halfway, it would be better not to give him anything at all in the first place. Kalan has a better idea of how things work. That girl is bright and dignified. She knew to refuse your half-hearted and reckless charity."

Shion sank into a chair. Nezumi's words always inflicted him with pain. It felt like his skin was being torn from his very body. He could almost hear the sound of his flesh being ripped from him. His foolishness, his arrogance, his heedlessness. His outward vanity stripped from him, he was left naked: superficial and pretentious― his real self. Nezumi strode in front of him and continued to speak while he pulled on a pair of gloves.

"There's a second example of your stupidity. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure. Tell me."

"You made a promise for tomorrow."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"There's no guarantee that there's gonna be a tomorrow."

Shion took a deep breath.