ブックタイトルeigo13

概要

eigo13

My baggy work pants and clothes had been burnt and were ragged.My hood and lunch box in the bag had been blown away. My geta, woodenclogs, had also been blown off and my feet were bare. A man was shouting,“Run toward the mountain!” All the people around me ran toward themountain. The asphalt-paved road was extremely hot.Around the Hijiyama Bridge, there were a lot of people gathering.Some people who were dying and barely breathing asked for water, but noone gave it to them. Everyone was almost naked, skin under the hats aroundtheir necks were hanging down. People in short sleeved shirts had theirburnt black skins peeling and hanging from the end of their sleeves to theirfingers. A member of the civil defense unit was announcing through amegaphone that rescue teams would come soon and carry people to safeplaces. He told us to stay there. It was very hot and I looked at the river. A lotof people were going into the river. I went into the river, too. I felt relief in thewater as if I were taking a bath. More and more people got into the river, so Iwas pushed toward a deeper part. The water came up to my neck. I wasalmost driven to far deeper parts. I decided to get out of the river, to get tothe bank as quickly as I could. Some people who were driven to deeper partsswam across the river to the other bank, but some people were floatingbecause they were so weak that they had no strength to swim. A young manin front of me began floating toward the sea. I reached for his hand and triedto pull him, but I was nearly driven toward the sea with him. I took my handoff him. I watched him floating in a hopeless situation toward the sea.At the foot of the mountain, fires had already broken out here and there.A net was put up to block the bridge. I was so thirsty. Gradually, my eyesightwas getting worse. I didn’t want to die there and I desperately wanted to gohome. Then two men bent from the waist and passed through the net. Ifollowed them and crossed the bridge to the mountains. Behind me, someonewas shouting at me, “Come back, because it’s dangerous near themountains.” However, I really wanted to go home, so I ignored his advice andwent into the mountains. In the mountains there were a lot of air raidshelters, which were already full of people. Some people were lying on thepath. Some people were asking for water. Some people’s faces were coveredwith black soot and I couldn’t tell whether they were men or women. Theywere wandering in the mountains.Not knowing which path to go, I too was wandering there. While