Although the boy T was timid,、It was also cruel。When I played with friends, I sometimes got a little shy and fidgeted behind my back.、I get bolder when I'm alone、Surprisingly, he had no problem killing living things.。
Most of his prey are small animals、The most common one was frogs.。When the snow melts、Frogs are wriggling everywhere out of nowhere.。Shoot it with a handmade bow。The arrow is a stem of pampas grass、There were many around。cut it at a sharp angle with a knife、If you stick it into the loose ground, mud will get into the hollow inside the stem.、Only the tip becomes moderately heavy.。Arrows don't fly well unless they have a heavy tip.。
strangely、The awareness that you are killing a frog、It didn't occur to him at all。Rather, I was concentrating on shooting the arrow accurately.。A frog is a formidable enemy、To him, the frog was just a slow-moving target.。And it wasn't just his game.。All my friends have bows that they made themselves.、Similarly, use a frog as a practice table.、They were enthusiastically competing with each other to improve their archery skills.。Eventually it will get warmer、By the time you hear the frog's voice coming from the rice field、I completely forgot about the bow and the frog that was shot.、I became obsessed with chasing small fish.。
Small fish are also just one of his playthings.、For him, it was not a ``living thing'' but a ``moving object'' called a ``fish.''。A little different from a frog、Sometimes I just take it home and eat it.。Most of the time, it's only up to the point where you catch a fish.、he wasn't interested。After catching、I didn't even remember what I did with the little fish.。just to catch。more quickly、The harder it is to catch、The little fish piqued his interest.。small fish caught、It twists violently in my hand、The tickling sensation made him ecstatic.。And tiny scales shining in the slime、The beauty of the faintly emerging spots、I didn't even think of the word beautiful, I felt it.。
After getting a little older、The target prey has also become larger.。Frogs and small fish have already graduated.。The time for free diving and fishing has passed.、When the akebia and wild grapes have finished growing and winter has arrived,、The Ts started hunting hares.。Both meat and fur are certainly useful.、His friends were also walking around in the snow for that purpose.、The center of his interest was in catching it.。Investigate the ecology of prey、to catch in a way that exceeds one's ability。That is T's wish.、It was ideal。When the other boys got tired of hunting rabbits and stopped going to the mountains.、At last the fox became his object.。
The fox is、The vigilance and scrupulousness befitting his opponent.、and had intelligence and power。Immediately he marveled at the fox's abilities.、I began to feel a kind of admiration.。I want to capture this beautiful and excellent prey with my own strength.、On the other hand, please overcome the trap you have set for yourself.、I want you to survive。I started to have such contradictory feelings towards the fox.。
"What should I do if I get caught in a trap?。”This time he too、I couldn't help but think seriously about what would happen after I captured it.。What he's aiming for now is、Considering the size of footprints、I expected it to be some big deal.。Probably about a medium sized dog.。It was hanging from the long press in my grandfather's room.、He thought of a large fox scarf that was almost as tall as he was.。-It might be bigger than that-when it got caught in the trap、T imagined desperate resistance.。"The most dangerous and difficult thing to do is to let them escape.。” he kept repeating in his head.、I tried simulating how to successfully escape.、I couldn't think of a good way。bitten by sharp fangs、There is a greater chance that you will be seriously injured.。-I have no choice but to kill him quickly.、how?
Close the prey's escape route、It's more than just pushing you into a bad footing.、My foothold is barely wide enough、It's slanted and frozen。If your foot slips, you will fall into the deep abyss beneath your feet.。Even if I beat you to death with a club、Directly overhead, thin branches intertwine like a net.。―棍棒を振り上げるスペースは無い―彼はその場面を脳の奥の方でゆっくり、精細なビデオで検証するように繰り返していた。
少年 T のお話はここまで。わたしの夢の中で T は今でも時々獲物を追っているが、もう捕まえる気持ちはないらしい。けれど彼らを追い詰めるまでの緊張感と、それを逃れていく動物たちの本当のカッコよさに、いつまでも夢から覚めたくない思いがある―夢の覚め際にかならず T はそう言うのである。
