Watermelon Festival

Plotong's note:  This text has been adapted from a scanned version made by Doc.  All inconsistencies are my fault.  

Translation originally found at 
http://members.nbci.com/mcguffins/translations/index.html



Page 1


(top)
Watermelon Festival

(bottom)
One-Shot Short Comic
Kimura Hikage


Page 2


Narration:  It was June; a nice, clear day.  Father and I were moving.

Father:  Wish we were there already?

Boy:  Mm.

Father:  When we get there we'll have to visit our new neighbors.

Boy:  Never mind.  There's no hurry.

Father:  Hmm...

Narration:  I had no friends there, so I didn't care.


Page 3


Narration:  However.  I was the only... nervous one.

Narration:  He couldn't wait for summer to come.

Boy:  WAAH!

Boy:  What the... stopping?

Father:  Yeah... there's a little girl... in the way.


Page 4


Boy:  Just a sec, Dad...

Boy:  What's up?

Girl:  Here!  Take this.

Narration:  It was just for a moment...  But I found a bit of summer.


Page 5


Narration:  And then I knew.  After that I was always with that girl.

Narration:  She always wore the same dirty clothes.  I never managed to catch sight of her at school.  

Narration:  A year passed.  Summer vacation came once more.


Page 6


Narration:  Every day, the two of us would run around, all day long.

Narration:  I never found out what the girl's name was; it was a mystery, I guess.\

Narration:  And, on the festival night...


Page 7


Narration:  There was one every year; as summer came to its end.

Boy:  Hey!!

Girl:  Found something?


Page 8


Boy:  Mm...

Girl:  How is it?

Boy:  It might be good, but it's too dark to tell...

Girl:  Hmm!

Narration:  The adults were sitting, engrossed in the festival.

Narration:  We took the watermelon.  It was thrilling.


Page 9


Someone:  Someone stole a watermelon!  Catch them!!

Narration:  In this way...

Narration:  As each summer draws to a close...  I go there, and take my leave of it.


Page 10


Narration:  But.   All things come to an end. 

Narration:  This year...  For the first time, I didn't go.

Narration:  So, surely...


Page 11


Narration:  The girl got to the festival ahead of me. 

Boy (thought):  And she seemed so happy there...

Narration:  The town we're going to is still a long way off.


Page 12


Narration:  But after we ate, even though the watermelon was very sour...

Narration:  We left the summer, well fed, and content.