20: A Voice from the Slide

In the park nicknamed “Giraffe Park,” with its towering giraffe-shaped slide,
there were also unusual attractions like a giant fountain and a merry-go-round—things you wouldn’t normally find in other parks.
But Tom wasn’t interested in any of that.
Back then, he had been completely focused on building his sandcastle,
pouring all his energy into it until it felt like his brain was running out of juice.

“Hey Tom! You’re still playing in the sand!? Come play with me! Let’s go down the slide!”

“Wait! I’m almost done! I’m making the castle’s horn. Look! I use both hands like this!”

“Why is the horn so long? Nobody can climb it!”

“It’s not for climbing! It just looks super cool! If it’s boring, no one will wanna come!”

“Hmmm… then I’m gonna build stairs right here! There!”

“Hey!! What’re you doing!? Now the bad guys can get in! Go away, Rena! You meanie!”

“Nuh-uh! You’re the meanie, Tom!”

—Suddenly, a memory from childhood came flooding back.
Tom felt his heart swell with warmth at the thought of Rena.
Even her little pranks back then had been her way of showing she cared.
He regretted brushing her off.
Now, more than anything, he just wanted to see her again—to say he was sorry.

“Where are you, Rena!?”

He heard her voice coming from the direction of the slide.
Turning quickly, Tom headed around to the back legs of the giraffe, where the stairs were located.
The stairs led up to the giraffe’s back end, and from there,
a slide extended from its belly—curving down to the ground like a long tail.
The giraffe’s head and neck stood tall and proud in the center of the park, but they were just for decoration.
When Tom and Rena were little, they used to run around it and play make-believe, pretending the giraffe was their secret base.

“That wasn’t just my imagination… That was Rena’s voice.”

Tom whispered to himself as he grabbed the handrail.
He hadn’t meant to climb, but the image of Rena calling to him with her usual bright smile suddenly flashed in his mind.
As if responding to her call, his feet began to move on their own.

“Rena’s calling me… I have to go.”

He reached the top of the stairs, looking into the hollow slide entrance.

“If I go down that slide… I feel like I’ll see her again.”

Tom stared into the opening—a faint, shining light at the end catching his eye.
He took a breath and silently prayed from the bottom of his heart.