下のスクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは一部異なる場合があります。

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Nene

SHINOHARA, Taishi (Maizuru National College of Technology)

My grandparents in Miyazaki had a dog, a small Japanese breed called Shiba Inu. They named it “Nene”. It was an abandoned dog, which my uncle found when I was two years old. Since my childhood, whenever I visited Miyazaki on holiday, I always played with Nene. I would go for a walk with her, and wash her with dog shampoo. Nene is ever present in my memories of Miyazaki. It was during the winter holidays last year that I had the latest occasion to meet her. Though I had not seen her for a year or two, Nene recognized me and ran up to me, wagging her tail in excitement. Nene was 16 years old, which is 80 years old in human terms. But she was lively, and I liked her very much.

Nene suddenly fainted and fell down in May. Though she regained consciousness within twenty-four hours, she couldn’t stand up; she could neither eat food nor drink water. Even my grandmother, who didn’t like dogs very much, was worried about her. She fed her with her own hands, and nursed her with great care. Her devotion was rewarded with Nene’s recovery. She could stand up again with some difficulty, and began to practice walking round and round in the garden. At the start she fell down again and again after a few steps. Her brave effort seemed to bear fruit, and she could eventually walk on her own. My grandparents and their neighbors were relieved a little.

Several days later, however, Nene slipped away when a guest left the gate open. Such a thing had hardly ever happened before. They desperately looked for Nene, but could not find her anywhere. She never came home again.

Why did she leave? According to my grandmother, Nene may have repaid us a favor. If we had seen the hour of her death, we would have grieved more. She must have set out on a journey so that she may not make us sad any more.

Certainly, I liked Nene very much, but not to the extent that I wanted to play with her daily. It was a matter of course that Nene was there when I visited my grandparents in Miyazaki once in a while. That was enough for me. But when I heard that Nene had disappeared, I became worried about her. Not a day passed without my thinking of her.

I believed for some time that Nene would come back. I often saw her come back in my dream. Every time I dreamed of Nene, I telephoned my grandmother only to receive the same answer.

As I kept on thinking of her, various memories of Nene were revived again. We played with a ball, and shared a roll of bread. I was bitten by her when I hindered her in her eating. While I was helping my grandmother hang out the washing, she came out of the kennel toward us and was scolded by her as she stood in her way. A sense of her loss made her memories more precious than ever.

As time went by, my hope for her return was gradually lost. I had convinced myself that she was still living. But if Nene repaid us a favor as my grandmother said, she would not wish me to grieve for ever. It was high time that I faced reality. I have accepted her death. Was she happy? Of course I don’t know her feelings. She may or may not have been happy. I believe she was happy, because she was loved by people around her including my grandparents, their relatives, and her neighbors. When I visit Miyazaki again, I will plant flowers around her grave to repay her for many pleasant memories.