The Little Sumo and the Black Hole, part 2 －小さなお相撲さんとブラックホール パート2－

In part 1, the Little Sumo pretended to fight vampires and demons.  He threw his beans at an imaginary demon and lost one bean.  He went to look for it, just beyond the steps outside his house. 

* 

He searched to the left, but he could only see Mummy’s bike there.  He searched to the right, and could only see Daddy’s plant pot with some basil growing in it.  He looked behind the pot, which had not been moved for a long time.  There was no bean there.  But there was a strange little hole, about the size of his lost bean.  The hole was round, and completely black.  It looked like a tiny plug-hole in the ground, like he had in his bath tub.  “Maybe the bean has fallen in the hole,” he thought. 

The Little Sumo bounded back up the steps and ran into his house.  “Daddy!  Daddy! He said, breathlessly.  “What should I do if there is a black hole outside?” 

* 

Part 2: 

Daddy glanced up from his computer.  “What’s that?  A black hole?  Hmm, that’s a difficult one.  Black holes are dangerous.  I’d stay away from them, if I were you.”

“Why are they dangerous, Daddy,” asked the Little Sumo. 

“Well,” said Daddy.  “I suppose it is because they are always hungry.  They will eat anything – rocks, ice, gas, planets.  They even eat light.” 

“Do they even eat beans, Daddy?” asked the Little Sumo, a little nervously. 

“Hmmm, beans?  Yes, I suppose so.  They eat beans too.” 

“So how can I beat a black…” the Little Sumo started to say. 

But Daddy stopped him.  “I’m working now, Little Sumo.  I don’t have time to talk about black holes.  Why don’t you go out and play some more on the steps?” 

So the Little Sumo ran back outside and down the steps, and went to see if the black hole was still there, behind the basil.  It was still in the same spot on the ground.  It certainly didn’t look like something which would eat beans.  It didn’t have any teeth.  The Little Sumo still had three beans left, so he decided to see if he could feed them to the hole.  He picked one out and dropped it into the middle of the hole.  Nothing happened.  The bean just vanished without a sound.  He couldn’t hear any of the normal noises that he associated with eating, such as chewing or swallowing.  One second the bean was in the air above the hole, and the next it was gone.  The Little Sumo dropped in his two other beans, and the same thing happened.  He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the Little Sumo thought that the black hole looked a little bit bigger. 

If it is not making any chewing or swallowing noises, then maybe it hasn’t started eating the beans yet, he thought.  If I put my finger in quickly, maybe I can pull them out. 

Without thinking any further, he stuck his index finger into the hole.  His finger felt strange inside the hole.  It wasn’t hot, and it wasn’t cold.  There didn’t seem to be any sides to the hole.  He thought he should be able to feel the sides if he wiggled his finger around, but he couldn’t.  He did think he could feel his beans though, moving around against his finger.  So they hadn’t been chewed!  His finger also felt like it was being squeezed on all sides.  It was a bit like having a very tight plaster on.  The Little Sumo didn’t like the feeling.  So he decided to pull his finger out of the hole. 

But, oh, dear!  Even though he pulled his hand backward, his finger did not come out.  Instead, the hole came up out of the ground, still attached to his finger!  It looked very odd.  The Little Sumo’s three other fingers and thumb were still on his hand as normal.  But he could only see the stump of his index finger.  The end of the finger was completely covered by something that looked like a black marble.  And it was definitely bigger than it had been before! 

The Little Sumo shook his hand back and forth vigorously, but the black hole didn’t fall off.  This did not look good.  Hadn’t Daddy said that black holes were dangerous?  He might get really mad if he found out that the Little Sumo had stuck his finger into one. 

I’d better ask Mummy, he thought.  Maybe I can get my finger out without anyone noticing. 

So he hid his right hand, the one with a black hole attached, behind his back.  And he climbed up the steps and entered his house.  He had to do everything quite slowly and carefully, because he was using his weaker left hand.  But he opened the door, and found Mummy. 

“Mummy, he shouted.  “What should you do if you get stuck inside a black hole?” 

* 

Poor Little Sumo!  Is he going to have to carry a black hole around with him for the rest of his life?  Will it get even hungrier?  Will Mummy’s advice save him? 

Find out next time!

 

Vocabulary:

a planet – an object in space that is larger than a moon but smaller than a star, such as Earth or Mars

the index finger – the finger that is next to the thumb, which is often used to point at things

to wiggle something – to move something from side to side, or up and down, with small, quick movements

a plaster – something you stick to your skin to cover a small cut

a stump – the bottom part of a tree, or leg, etc., which is left after the rest has been removed

vigorously – in a way that involves great effort or physical strength

 

The Little Sumo and the Black Hole, part 1 －小さなお相撲さんとブラックホール パート1－

“Where does the water go,” he asked, “When I pull out the plug?” 

* 

The Little Sumo was playing on the steps outside his home.  He lived on the second floor, so the steps did not go so very high.  He climbed from the top to the bottom, then stopped on the last step. 

“Oh, no!” he shouted.  “There’s a vampire coming!” 

The Little Sumo quickly bounded up to the top of the steps, and ran into his house.  “Daddy!  daddy!” he said, breathlessly.  “What should I do if there is a vampire outside?” 

Daddy was writing at his computer.  He turned around.  “What’s that?  A vampire?  Hmmm, why don’t you try throwing some holy water over it?” 

Daddy turned back to his computer as the Little Sumo filled his plastic cup with water from the tap at the kitchen sink.  Then the Little Sumo ran back out to the steps at the front of his house. 

He flung the water out of the cup onto the ground beyond the last step, and imagined it hitting the vampire.  “He’s running away, Daddy!  The vampire’s running away!” 

But a short while later, the Little Sumo started shouting again.  “Oh, no!  There’s a demon coming now!” 

He bounded up the steps and rushed into his house.  “Mummy!  Mummy!” he said, breathlessly.  “What should I do if there is a demon outside?” 

Mummy was also working at her computer today.  She turned around to look at the Little Sumo.  “What’s that?  A demon?” she said.  “Why don’t you try throwing some holy water over it? 

But the Little Sumo shook his head sadly.  “No, Mummy,” he said.  “That won’t work.  I’ve already used all my holy water fighting a vampire.” 

“Hmm,” said Mummy.  “Then why don’t you throw some dried beans at it?  During the Setsubun festival, people in Japan throw beans to scare away demons.” 

Mummy stood up and took the Little Sumo’s hand, and led him into the kitchen.  Then she took three dried beans from a plastic pouch, and put them into his hand.  “Look after these beans carefully,” she said.  “They are magic beans which can fight even the strongest demons.” 

The Little Sumo ran back outside, and down the stairs to the bottom step.  Then he threw the dried beans onto the ground in front of his house.  “The demon is running away!” he shouted. 

Then he stepped off the bottom step, to pick up his important beans.  He stepped past a little wet patch on the ground, where he had thrown his holy water.  He found two of his beans easily, but couldn’t find his third one. 

He searched to the left, but he could only see Mummy’s bike there.  He searched to the right, and could only see Daddy’s plant pot with some basil growing in it.  He looked behind the pot, which had not been moved for a long time.  There was no bean there.  But there was a strange little hole, about the size of his lost bean.  The hole was round, and completely black.  It looked like a tiny plug-hole in the ground, like he had in his bath tub.  “Maybe the bean has fallen in the hole,” he thought. 

The Little Sumo bounded back up the steps and ran into his house.  “Daddy!  Daddy! He said, breathlessly.  “What should I do if there is a black hole outside?”

* 

Oh, dear!  Has the bean fallen into the black hole?  What else might start to fall in there?  What is on the other side of the black hole?  Will Daddy’s advice save the bean, or put the Little Sumo in danger?  Find out next time!

 

Vocabulary:

a plug – a piece of solid material which fits tightly into a hole to block it up

to bound – to leap, or energetically jump

holy water – water which has been blessed by a priest

a tap – something connected to a pipe, which can be opened or closed to allow water (or gas, etc.) to start or stop coming out

to fling something – to forcefully throw something

 

Modern Dining －近代的な外食－

I have been living a very modest life, like a monk in a monastery, since the coronavirus pandemic started. 

I hadn’t taken a train for many months.  But then my foreigners’ residency card was about to expire.  So I had to travel to the Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa to renew it.  This meant taking two trains and a bus to get there. 

I managed to get my new card without too much trouble.  But, as I walked through an extremely crowded Ikebukero Station, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be ironic if I contracted the coronavirus now, just because the government forced me to travel all the way to Shinagawa to renew my visa, when I have been taking such care to avoid leaving Nerima for a year?” 

My wife and I decided to reward ourselves for our trouble in getting the extension by going to a Mexican restaurant in Shinagawa for lunch. 

The meal was lovely, and great value.  We got a set course of soup, salad, main course and drink for 1,100 Yen each.  I really enjoyed eating food with a totally different taste than the Japanese food I have been eating continuously for a year.  There were beans, some kind of avocado sauce, melted cheese, corn, and spicy salsa flavours mixed together. 

But when we ordered the coffees, the waiter didn’t ask if we would like them before or after the meal.  Instead, he just brought them before the meal.  It seemed like the restaurant had changed its policy in response to the coronavirus pandemic: they were hoping that the customers would drink up their coffees without chatting after their meal, and so avoid spending time there with no masks on. 

Therefore, it was both nice to get out to a restaurant for the first time in quite a while, and a little sad to find that eating in a restaurant is not as relaxed as it used to be. 

Hopefully, as we all get vaccinated, dining out will become as enjoyable again as it always used to be.

 

Vocabulary:

a monk – a member of a religious community of men, especially those following strict promises to avoid luxury

to expire – of a card, document, etc., to reach the end of the time when it is allowed to be used

to be ironic – Humorous or funny because the opposite normally ought to be true

 

Pooh Poetry －プーさんの詩－

I wrote last week about the politics of Winnie the Pooh.  Some of the characters in A.A. Milne’s books create some charming poetry.  I’ve edited them a little to make them easier to understand.

 

Furry Bear

If I were a bear,
And a big bear [also],
I shouldn’t much care
If it froze or [were to snow];
I shouldn’t much mind
If it snowed or [froze]—
I’d be all fur-lined
With a coat like [those]!

For I’d have fur boots and a brown fur wrap,
And brown fur knickers and a big fur cap.
I’d have a fur muffle-ruff to cover my jaws,
And brown fur mittens on my big brown paws.
With a big brown furry-down up to my head,
I’d sleep all the winter in a big fur bed.

 

Wind on the Hill

No one can tell me,
Nobody knows,
Where the wind comes from,
Where the wind goes.

It’s flying from somewhere
As fast as it can,
I couldn’t keep up with it,
Not if I ran.

But if I stopped holding
The string of my kite,
It would blow with the wind
For a day and a night.

And then when I found it,
Wherever it blew,
I should know that the wind
Had been going there too.

So then I could tell them
Where the wind goes . . .
But where the wind comes from
Nobody knows.

 

Vocabulary:

furry – covered in thick, animal body hair

I shouldn’t – I wouldn’t

paws – animal hands/feet, for animals such as cats and bears, which have soft pads