act27side

And your family... I can imagine how hard the decision was for you.

I shouldn't have talked to those reporters.

It's always the same thing. Getting kidnapped by terrorists when you're little is not exactly something you boast about.

I hear you've basically been in charge of the L.G.D. ever since Superintendent Ch'en left two years ago.

I don't exactly understand why you're here in Siesta now, representing your family as an investor.

And the people who followed us today were from Lungmen too, weren't they?

Well, you've got me there.

What do you think about Lungmen, Snowsant?

Well... it's my home.

I've seen how it changed from when I left Lungmen to study in Columbia, and in the years since I returned.

As an engineer, it makes me glad to see one skyscraper rise after another, firm and solid.

Firm and solid, yes... a little too much so.

It's hard for new life to get the sun and nutrition it needs when tall skyscrapers block the light.

Do you mean...?

Forget it. I'm just babbling.

Don't tell anyone what I just said to you.

It seemed a very long walk.

The massive creature plods forward slowly, quietly. Adele follows behind it, rubbing her eyes from time to time.

One step, two steps. Adele walks forward, stepping on her own shadow. The other passersby seem completely oblivious to the massive creature. Is this real, or just a dream?

What are you looking at, girl?

N-Nothing...

Aren't we going for a walk? To... where exactly?

We're almost there.

Look up.

One, two, three... a little creature stops and lifts its head in the light of the streetlamps.

Furry creatures leap and roll on the unfinished plate in the pale moonlight.

Four, five, six...

Little bits of wool drift in the air, under the scattered lamp light.

Almost like sparks, falling in this summer night that no one knows about.

Seven, eight, nine...

They leap across the container in orderly file, leaving marks on the metal with their hooves...

A-Are all these Little Black Sheep?

Mr. Little... I mean, Mr. Big Black Sheep...

Er...

Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?

I may be a lot older than you are, but you can call me by my name. It's Dolly.

Mr. Dolly...?

People in fairy tales always see strange things when they're about to die...

Really? How tasteless! That's the kind of stories parents tell their kids these days?

Don't worry, girl, it's not your time yet.

How have you been? Ah, maybe not the best question... I can see you're not too well. Not in terms of health, at least.

But there's nothing that can be done about it... I'm sorry.

Mutti said that the little sheep around me are a gift from her. Did she ask you to stay by my side?

Did you know my parents?

It's a little hard to explain just who these little guys are. Let's call them my clones.

They all have some special link to this world, and they have different personalities. The fact that they're willing to stay by your side means you're a likeable girl.

As for your parents, of course I knew them.

I remember that young couple from Leithanien, who wanted to conquer all the volcanoes across the globe.

I have to say that, for humans, trying to achieve something regarding 'everything' in the world is a fool's errand.

But it's different when it comes to volcanoes. It's a classy dream.

Stubborn, but smart, with a real eye for beauty! Especially your mother. I haven't met many people wiser than her.

Were you by their side when... at the end?

Ah, now that's a topic not to be spoken of lightly...

It was very much a surprise. No one knew the volcano would erupt there and then. But could puny humans really come to know everything about the globe?

Do you feel any sadness about it?

Thank goodness you aren't asking me why I didn't save them.

I love volcanoes, of course. Surfing on molten lava is the second best thing on the planet.

But volcanoes took the lives of two of my friends. It's the eleventh worst thing to happen in recent years.

We all want to prevent bad things from happening, but I'm not as omnipotent as I look. There are many things I can't do.

If you're really sad, though, you can rub yourself against my wool. That often helps when you're feeling down.

Thank you...

Anyway.

The past isn't truly over. They're always by your side, in one way or another.

Human and beast sit by the seashore, feeling the caress of the warm sea breeze, and listening to the soft clashing of the waves.

The furry pack of beasts quietly play their game, leaping back and forth on containers and scaffolds, humming contentedly from time to time.

One little beast tries to climb the container, following the herd in front, but fails repeatedly.

(Wistful moan)

Sorry, it's been so long since I've sat down for a chat with a human. My vocabulary is limited, so I'll dispense with the formalities.

Rather than ask questions that have obvious answers, what I want to ask is—are you happy, little one?

I... I'm trying to finish my parents' research. It's hard work, but it feels meaningful.

So you're not happy.

We met in Siesta, as fate would have it. Let's make a deal.

Wait, is that the right word in your language? 'Deal?' Maybe I should use a more friendly word... let's say, 'game.'

Anyway, I want you to find a few things for me that I lost in Siesta. Consider it a treasure hunt.

What is it that you lost?

Let me think. The North Wind, a seed, and a fur.

What... do you mean by those?

Where's the fun in a game if you know the solution beforehand? Don't be too eager to seek an answer. Feel it out.

It'll be worth your while, I promise. I'll have something for you when you find all three.

Hm... how about that which you have been seeking?

What I've been seeking?

'I just can't accept the mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths.'

North Wind, seed, fur. Good hunting!