11/6/2023 0 Comments Kobo abe best booksThere was a hole about the size of his thumb, and a dusty light could be seen whirling about. Raising his head, Kyūzō saw light dimly shining in above the door. It might be safer to stow away in a car where the cargo was already loaded, even if it were one used to transport livestock. If so, it would be impossible to conceal himself. Was it really possible that something so vital as a freight car could be left empty? At any moment now a truck or carriage would certainly arrive and workers would begin loading its cargo onto the train. Kyūzō’s anxiety, however, suddenly returned. The footsteps hammered something a few times underneath the freight car and then disappeared. Kyūzō shifted his body, lying flat against the wall. Kyūzō pulled back, unconsciously grabbing the knife handle under his jacket.Īlong the tracks, footsteps approached of someone stepping on the railway ballast. ![]() Burying his face in the frigid gloves on his lap, he began panting like a dog. The front contained several machine parts wrapped in straw mats, while in the back there were casually tossed a number of wooden boxes of various sizes. It was dark and he could barely see anything, but it was empty inside, with apparently no cargo. It sounded very close, and Kyūzō hurriedly crawled inside. It was smooth, sliding back and forth properly. As soon as he exerted strength, his chilled body began to creak with pain. The door was iced over, making it difficult to open. The first two cars were bolted tightly with wire, but the third car’s bolt had been removed, so he decided upon that one. The surface of the freight cars shone with a chalky texture. In order to get a better sense of things, Kyūzō ducked under the train and emerged on its eastern side. The windowed cars would be more convenient in various ways, but the larger boxcars appeared best on account of the blowing wind. Yet they contained burlap sacks rather than livestock. The small ones, with their many gaps and open glassless windows, seemed to be used for livestock transport. He would thus need to choose from among the five boxcars in the middle. The passenger cars were of course out of the question, and the open freight cars would also prove difficult. There were two open freight cars, three large boxcars, two small boxcars, an additional three open freight cars, and finally two linked passenger cars in the rear. It’s about to depart, Kyūzō thought, and he hurriedly slid down the embankment and ran toward the back of the vehicle. Suddenly a red light appeared in the cab of the train. ![]() ![]() One of the men standing there was a soldier, while the other seemed to be some type of maintenance worker. He then heard the jumbled sounds of footsteps and people speaking. Kyūzō soon detected the heavy echo of iron striking together. The milky white mass of fog gradually came into view. He rushed down the slope of the bank, jumping in short steps so as to avoid slipping. On his right one kilometer away there appeared an iron bridge, directly in front of which the railway siding split off from the main line. Here there were fields as far as the eye could see. ![]() As soon as they disappeared, Kyūzō crawled out from the hollow space of the warehouse, cut across the tracks, and slid down the far side of the embankment. On the railroad tracks, the blurred shadows of the patrolling soldiers turned back in the opposite direction.
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