・Southern Cross
"When it comes to throwing the ball, I never miss."
The boy said with great authority.
"Southern Cross is coming soon. Please ready to get down." The young man said to the others.
"I'll be on the train for a while." The boy said.
The girl next to the Campanella stood nervously getting ready to leave, but she didn't want to be separated from Giovanni and his friend.
"We have to get out of here." The young man said, looking down at the boy, his mouth tightly shut.
"No. I'll get on the train and go a little longer."
Giovanni said, unable to be patient.
"We'll ride and go with you. We have tickets to go all the way."
"But we have to get off here now. Because we are going to the heaven." The girls said sadly.
"We don't have to go to the heaven. My teacher said we have to make this world better than the heaven."
"Because Mother had been there, and God says so."
"Such a God is a false God."
"Your God is a false God."
"No, it isn't."
"What kind of God is your God?" The young man laughed and said.
"I don't really know much about it, but I know that there is only one God."
"There is, of course, only one true God."
"Oh, no, there is no such thing. The only true, true God."
"So it is, isn't it? I pray that you will see us again in the front of the true God someday."
The young man clasped his hands together modestly. The girls did just that.
They were really sad to say goodbye and their faces looked a little pale.
Giovanni almost cried out.
"Are you ready to go? Southern Cross is coming up."
Ah, it was that time.
Far downstream of the invisible Milky Way, a cross studded with blues and oranges and all kinds of lights stood and shone from the river like a single tree.
Above it was a round ring of pale clouds hanging like a halo.
The inside of the train was buzzing. Everyone stood up straight and began to pray, just as they had done at Northern Cross.
All that could be heard here and there was the sound of joyful cries like a child jumping to a gourd and the sound of indescribably deep and modest sighing sound.
And gradually the cross came closer and closer to the front of the window, and they could see that pale ring of clouds, as the flesh of an apple, spinning gently and gently around.
"Harleya, Harleya." Everyone's voice sounded brightly and happily, and everyone heard a clear, indescribably refreshing trumpet voice from far away, distant cold sky.
The train gradually slackened in the light of many signals and electric lights and finally came to a complete stop just opposite the cross.
"Come on, let's go down." The young man took the boy's hand and gradually walked toward the exit over there.
"Goodbye then." The girl turned around and told them.
"Goodbye." Giovanni said angrily, as if he was struggling back tears.
The girl's eyes widened in pain, but she looked back at them once and then walked away silently.
The train was now more than half empty and suddenly it became quiet, and the wind was blowing in full force.
And as they looked, everyone was lined up in a humble line and kneeling at the beach of Milky Way in front of the cross.
And they saw a divine white figure crossing the invisible water of Milky Way and coming toward the two with their hand outstretched.
But by this time the glass bell had been rung and the train was starting to move.
And before they knew it, a silvery mist was sweeping in from downstream and they could no longer see anything.
The leaves of many walnut trees stood in the mist, glistening leaves, and an electric squirrel with a golden circle of light was glancing out of it with pretty face.
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The boy said with great authority.
"Southern Cross is coming soon. Please ready to get down." The young man said to the others.
"I'll be on the train for a while." The boy said.
The girl next to the Campanella stood nervously getting ready to leave, but she didn't want to be separated from Giovanni and his friend.
"We have to get out of here." The young man said, looking down at the boy, his mouth tightly shut.
"No. I'll get on the train and go a little longer."
Giovanni said, unable to be patient.
"We'll ride and go with you. We have tickets to go all the way."
"But we have to get off here now. Because we are going to the heaven." The girls said sadly.
"We don't have to go to the heaven. My teacher said we have to make this world better than the heaven."
"Because Mother had been there, and God says so."
"Such a God is a false God."
"Your God is a false God."
"No, it isn't."
"What kind of God is your God?" The young man laughed and said.
"I don't really know much about it, but I know that there is only one God."
"There is, of course, only one true God."
"Oh, no, there is no such thing. The only true, true God."
"So it is, isn't it? I pray that you will see us again in the front of the true God someday."
The young man clasped his hands together modestly. The girls did just that.
They were really sad to say goodbye and their faces looked a little pale.
Giovanni almost cried out.
"Are you ready to go? Southern Cross is coming up."
Ah, it was that time.
Far downstream of the invisible Milky Way, a cross studded with blues and oranges and all kinds of lights stood and shone from the river like a single tree.
Above it was a round ring of pale clouds hanging like a halo.
The inside of the train was buzzing. Everyone stood up straight and began to pray, just as they had done at Northern Cross.
All that could be heard here and there was the sound of joyful cries like a child jumping to a gourd and the sound of indescribably deep and modest sighing sound.
And gradually the cross came closer and closer to the front of the window, and they could see that pale ring of clouds, as the flesh of an apple, spinning gently and gently around.
"Harleya, Harleya." Everyone's voice sounded brightly and happily, and everyone heard a clear, indescribably refreshing trumpet voice from far away, distant cold sky.
The train gradually slackened in the light of many signals and electric lights and finally came to a complete stop just opposite the cross.
"Come on, let's go down." The young man took the boy's hand and gradually walked toward the exit over there.
"Goodbye then." The girl turned around and told them.
"Goodbye." Giovanni said angrily, as if he was struggling back tears.
The girl's eyes widened in pain, but she looked back at them once and then walked away silently.
The train was now more than half empty and suddenly it became quiet, and the wind was blowing in full force.
And as they looked, everyone was lined up in a humble line and kneeling at the beach of Milky Way in front of the cross.
And they saw a divine white figure crossing the invisible water of Milky Way and coming toward the two with their hand outstretched.
But by this time the glass bell had been rung and the train was starting to move.
And before they knew it, a silvery mist was sweeping in from downstream and they could no longer see anything.
The leaves of many walnut trees stood in the mist, glistening leaves, and an electric squirrel with a golden circle of light was glancing out of it with pretty face.
- To return to table of contents of Night on the Galactic Railroad