Ｃｏｍｆｏｒｔｉｎｇ Ｐａｒｔｙ
文字数 6,151文字
Then I went to Doc’s laboratory on my bike after making sure he was home using the walky-Talky. He was doing an experiment using a vacuum pump.
“This is not good” Doc stopped the pump and said, “I guess some energy of the flow of time in the universe is trying to compensate.”
“Well, you are saying the word ‘compensate’ again.”
“Yes. Probably it’s the law of nature. Since your father was destined to be run over by a truck, something similar might happen. It means your father will still be killed or someone else… Well, I was worried about that.”
“Wow! I was worried about that, too!”
“Besides the stories are exactly the same.”
“Oh yes. Go to ‘Flying Squid’ then go to ‘Marine Bottom’!”
“So, I’m afraid your father will lie sprawled out on the crosswalk.”
“Perhaps shouting ‘Despair!’ and to be run over! Will my father die tonight any way?”
“Not necessarily. But someone else might…”
“Anyhow, the situation is so very bad! What should we do?”
“Well, something must be done.”
“Something must be done? So what? We must investigate in the circumstances or else?”
“Put a tail on him!”
Then Doc fetched a traffic vest, an emergency signal light, a whistle with a strap, a large first-aid kit and a red suit from somewhere in the house. Since there was so much ‘Junk’ in his house, I was not so surprised at all to see such things. Well, aside that, he told me to put on the red suit in order not to reveal my identity. Then I asked,
“How did you get this suit?”
“I previously re-painted the gray one to red prepareing for the situation right now.”
“Wow, you've predicted the situation right now?”
"Precisely."
"So, why you fetched those things for a crossing guard and a first-aid kit?”
“You will see later. Oh you should put on this hat. It’s a Sombrero. Nobody will see who you are. Well, I bought it when I traveled to Mexico. Put on it and push it down.”
Saying so, Doc took a red Sombrero on the wall and put it on my head. Then said, “And it is lucky for us that, ‘Flying Squid’ is a Chinese restaurant. If it were a bar or a saloon, I would have had to change you to twenty years old or more. But the Machine is out of order now.”
“Oh.”
So I put on the red suit and Sombrero. Doc put on the traffic vest, held the emergency signal light in one hand, the large first-aid kit in the other and put the whistle strap around his neck. And we went to First Avenue by taxi and got off in front of ‘Flying Squid’. We walked in with everyone staring at us. Then, Doc murmured,
“Nobody will see we are putting a tail on someone in such strange garments.”
There were several big round tables in the restaurant and we found my father and the staff sitting at the one in the rear of it. Perhaps they were holding a comforting party. And we sat at a table next to them and ordered two bowls of ‘Chuka-don’.
“Well, we are wearing improper clothes, Doc.”
“Don’t bother about such tiny things. Just listen to what they say!”
So I observed them eating Chuka-don. Certainly we could hear their voices. And my father was saying that he wasn’t the pilot, since the aircrafts were flown by an impostor. But then, the other staff consoled my father saying, “Every dog has its day.” or “Even a good marksman may miss.” And after that, my father began telling them his story.
“Well, immediately after I did a piss, I fainted. And when I came to, I saw a guy who looked very much like me and he told me to go to the apron handing me the transmitter and glasses. Then I went there to find such a terrible situation.”
So the staff that telephoned my house said, “It must be a Doppelganger Phenomenon!” and added a foolish theory, “Drinking is a specific remedy for it!” Anyway, they talked in an incoherent manner drinking alcohol heavily, and someone finally said, “Let’s make a Radio-Control Space Station!”
Then all of a sudden, Devil and the sidekicks burst into the restaurant and sat at a table next to where my father and staff were sitting. Then they ordered luxurious dishes and as soon as the dishes came, they devoured them. And they were apparently holding a celebration party, since Devil was in a good mood. So I thought at first, he’d extorted some money from someone. But the situation was unexpectedly ‘good and clean’.
“I never dreamed.” Then Devil said, “Such an unnamed high school would win the championship!”
Soon I recognized that it was about the national championship of high school baseball on which they had been betting money. Since I had been so busy, being a double for my father and preparing for the ‘Duel’ and so on, I didn’t bet on it. But certainly he did. I guessed he’d bet all of his pocket money on the unknown high school.
“Boss is very perceptive!” One of the sidekicks threw bouquets. Then Devil said,
“No. No. I’s gunna bet on the most likely team. But I made a mistake and bet on such an unknown high school. It was very lucky ‘cause I was the only one. So I’ve gotten all the money. Well, it’s a celebration. You guys eat as much as you want!”
Listening to his words, Doc murmured.
“They are holding a celebration party. Well I guess the ‘Flow of Fate’ has changed.”
“Then, they would…”
“I have a bad feeling.”
The comforting party and the celebration party went on for a while. Then, someone in my father’s group said,
“Well, let’s be going to the Karaoke lounge.” and others said, “OK” and we could hear the name ‘Marine Bottom’ in someone’s voices. Then they stood up from the table. And just the moment they stood up, Devil said,
“Now we’re gunna go to Karaoke.” and the sidekicks said “OK.” and we could hear the name ‘Marine Bottom’ in someone’s voices. Then they stood up from the table too. And Devil said, “I’ll show my melodious voice to everybody tonight!”
So the sidekicks hushed for a moment but one of them paid compliments saying, “Boss, you are a genius of the songs!”
Then Doc said, “Now, we must chase them!” And we also stood up from the table. And we walked the night downtown chasing the two groups while I was wearing the red suit and red Sombrero and Doc was wearing the traffic vest, the whistle strap around his neck, holding the emergency signal light in one hand and the large first-aid kit in the other.
“This is not good” Doc stopped the pump and said, “I guess some energy of the flow of time in the universe is trying to compensate.”
“Well, you are saying the word ‘compensate’ again.”
“Yes. Probably it’s the law of nature. Since your father was destined to be run over by a truck, something similar might happen. It means your father will still be killed or someone else… Well, I was worried about that.”
“Wow! I was worried about that, too!”
“Besides the stories are exactly the same.”
“Oh yes. Go to ‘Flying Squid’ then go to ‘Marine Bottom’!”
“So, I’m afraid your father will lie sprawled out on the crosswalk.”
“Perhaps shouting ‘Despair!’ and to be run over! Will my father die tonight any way?”
“Not necessarily. But someone else might…”
“Anyhow, the situation is so very bad! What should we do?”
“Well, something must be done.”
“Something must be done? So what? We must investigate in the circumstances or else?”
“Put a tail on him!”
Then Doc fetched a traffic vest, an emergency signal light, a whistle with a strap, a large first-aid kit and a red suit from somewhere in the house. Since there was so much ‘Junk’ in his house, I was not so surprised at all to see such things. Well, aside that, he told me to put on the red suit in order not to reveal my identity. Then I asked,
“How did you get this suit?”
“I previously re-painted the gray one to red prepareing for the situation right now.”
“Wow, you've predicted the situation right now?”
"Precisely."
"So, why you fetched those things for a crossing guard and a first-aid kit?”
“You will see later. Oh you should put on this hat. It’s a Sombrero. Nobody will see who you are. Well, I bought it when I traveled to Mexico. Put on it and push it down.”
Saying so, Doc took a red Sombrero on the wall and put it on my head. Then said, “And it is lucky for us that, ‘Flying Squid’ is a Chinese restaurant. If it were a bar or a saloon, I would have had to change you to twenty years old or more. But the Machine is out of order now.”
“Oh.”
So I put on the red suit and Sombrero. Doc put on the traffic vest, held the emergency signal light in one hand, the large first-aid kit in the other and put the whistle strap around his neck. And we went to First Avenue by taxi and got off in front of ‘Flying Squid’. We walked in with everyone staring at us. Then, Doc murmured,
“Nobody will see we are putting a tail on someone in such strange garments.”
There were several big round tables in the restaurant and we found my father and the staff sitting at the one in the rear of it. Perhaps they were holding a comforting party. And we sat at a table next to them and ordered two bowls of ‘Chuka-don’.
“Well, we are wearing improper clothes, Doc.”
“Don’t bother about such tiny things. Just listen to what they say!”
So I observed them eating Chuka-don. Certainly we could hear their voices. And my father was saying that he wasn’t the pilot, since the aircrafts were flown by an impostor. But then, the other staff consoled my father saying, “Every dog has its day.” or “Even a good marksman may miss.” And after that, my father began telling them his story.
“Well, immediately after I did a piss, I fainted. And when I came to, I saw a guy who looked very much like me and he told me to go to the apron handing me the transmitter and glasses. Then I went there to find such a terrible situation.”
So the staff that telephoned my house said, “It must be a Doppelganger Phenomenon!” and added a foolish theory, “Drinking is a specific remedy for it!” Anyway, they talked in an incoherent manner drinking alcohol heavily, and someone finally said, “Let’s make a Radio-Control Space Station!”
Then all of a sudden, Devil and the sidekicks burst into the restaurant and sat at a table next to where my father and staff were sitting. Then they ordered luxurious dishes and as soon as the dishes came, they devoured them. And they were apparently holding a celebration party, since Devil was in a good mood. So I thought at first, he’d extorted some money from someone. But the situation was unexpectedly ‘good and clean’.
“I never dreamed.” Then Devil said, “Such an unnamed high school would win the championship!”
Soon I recognized that it was about the national championship of high school baseball on which they had been betting money. Since I had been so busy, being a double for my father and preparing for the ‘Duel’ and so on, I didn’t bet on it. But certainly he did. I guessed he’d bet all of his pocket money on the unknown high school.
“Boss is very perceptive!” One of the sidekicks threw bouquets. Then Devil said,
“No. No. I’s gunna bet on the most likely team. But I made a mistake and bet on such an unknown high school. It was very lucky ‘cause I was the only one. So I’ve gotten all the money. Well, it’s a celebration. You guys eat as much as you want!”
Listening to his words, Doc murmured.
“They are holding a celebration party. Well I guess the ‘Flow of Fate’ has changed.”
“Then, they would…”
“I have a bad feeling.”
The comforting party and the celebration party went on for a while. Then, someone in my father’s group said,
“Well, let’s be going to the Karaoke lounge.” and others said, “OK” and we could hear the name ‘Marine Bottom’ in someone’s voices. Then they stood up from the table. And just the moment they stood up, Devil said,
“Now we’re gunna go to Karaoke.” and the sidekicks said “OK.” and we could hear the name ‘Marine Bottom’ in someone’s voices. Then they stood up from the table too. And Devil said, “I’ll show my melodious voice to everybody tonight!”
So the sidekicks hushed for a moment but one of them paid compliments saying, “Boss, you are a genius of the songs!”
Then Doc said, “Now, we must chase them!” And we also stood up from the table. And we walked the night downtown chasing the two groups while I was wearing the red suit and red Sombrero and Doc was wearing the traffic vest, the whistle strap around his neck, holding the emergency signal light in one hand and the large first-aid kit in the other.
