火事とポチ Kaji to Pochi, part 1: Waking Up to a Fire

ポチの鳴なき声ごえでぼくは目めがさめた。I woke up because Pochi was barking.

ねむたくてたまらなかったから、うるさいなとその鳴なき声ごえをおこっているまもなく、真赤まっかな火ひが目めに映うつったので、おどろいて両方りょうほうの目めをしっかり開ひらいて見みたら、戸とだなの中なかじゅうが火ひになっているので、二に度どおどろいて飛とび起おきた。I was so sleepy I could hardly stand it, and before I even had time to get cross and think "what a racket," bright red fire flashed in my eyes, so I got a fright and opened both eyes wide and looked, and the whole inside of the cupboard was on fire, so I got a second fright and jumped up.

そうしたらぼくのそばに寝ねているはずのおばあさまが何なんか黒くろい布きれのようなもので、夢中むちゅうになって戸とだなの火ひをたたいていた。And then Grandmother, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, was beating like mad at the fire in the cupboard with something like a black rag.

なんだか知しれないけれどもぼくはおばあさまの様子ようすがこっけいにも見みえ、おそろしくも見みえて、思おもわずその方ほうに駆かけよった。I don't know why, but Grandmother looked funny to me, and scary too, and before I knew it I ran over to her.

そうしたらおばあさまはだまったままでうるさそうにぼくをはらいのけておいてその布ぬののようなものをめったやたらにふり回まわした。And then Grandmother, without saying a word, brushed me off like I was a nuisance and swung that rag-thing around every which way.

それがぼくの手てにさわったらぐしょぐしょにぬれているのが知しれた。When it touched my hand I could tell it was soaking wet.

「おばあさま、どうしたの？」"Grandmother, what's the matter?"

と聞きいてみた。I asked.

おばあさまは戸とだなの中なかの火ひの方ほうばかり見みて答こたえようともしない。Grandmother kept looking only at the fire in the cupboard and didn't even try to answer.

ぼくは火事かじじゃないかと思おもった。I thought, isn't this a fire?

ポチが戸との外そとで気きちがいのように鳴ないている。Outside the door Pochi was barking like he'd gone crazy.

部屋へやの中なかは、障子しょうじも、壁かべも、床とこの間まも、ちがいだなも、昼間ひるまのように明あかるくなっていた。Inside the room, the paper screens, the walls, the alcove, the shelves, everything had gone as bright as daytime.

おばあさまの影法師かげぼうしが大おおきくそれに映うつって、怪物ばけものか何なんかのように動うごいていた。Grandmother's shadow was thrown up big on them, moving around like a monster or something.

ただおばあさまがぼくに一言ひとことも物ものをいわないのが変へんだった。Only, it was strange that Grandmother didn't say a single word to me.

急きゅうに唖おしになったのだろうか。Had she suddenly gone mute?

そしていつものようにはかわいがってくれずに、ぼくが近寄ちかよってもじゃま者ものあつかいにする。And she wasn't sweet to me the way she always was. Even when I came close, she treated me like I was in the way.

これはどうしても大変たいへんだとぼくは思おもった。I thought, this is really, really bad.

ぼくは夢中むちゅうになっておばあさまにかじりつこうとした。Without thinking, I tried to grab hold of Grandmother.

そうしたらあんなに弱よわいおばあさまがだまったままで、いやというほどぼくをはらいのけたのでぼくはふすまのところまでけし飛とばされた。And then Grandmother, who was so weak, shoved me away without a word, so hard that I went flying all the way to the sliding door.

火事かじなんだ。It's a fire!

おばあさまが一人ひとりで消けそうとしているんだ。Grandmother's trying to put it out all by herself!

それがわかるとおばあさま一人ひとりではだめだと思おもったから、ぼくはすぐ部屋へやを飛とび出だして、おとうさんとおかあさんとが寝ねている離はなれの所ところへ行いって、Once I understood that, I thought Grandmother couldn't do it alone, so I ran straight out of the room and went to the annex where Father and Mother were sleeping, and

「おとうさん……おかあさん……」"Father... Mother..."

と思おもいきり大おおきな声こえを出だした。I shouted as loud as I could.

ぼくの部屋へやの外そとで鳴ないていると思おもったポチがいつのまにかそこに来きていて、きゃんきゃんとひどく鳴ないていた。Pochi, who I thought was barking outside my room, had somehow got there already and was yelping and yelping like anything.

ぼくが大おおきな声こえを出だすか出ださないかに、おかあさんが寝巻ねまきのままで飛とび出だして来きた。Almost the moment I shouted, Mother came running out, still in her nightclothes.

「どうしたというの？」"Whatever is it?"

とおかあさんはないしょ話ばなしのような小ちいさな声こえで、ぼくの両肩りょうかたをしっかりおさえてぼくに聞きいた。Mother asked me in a tiny voice, like she was telling a secret, holding both my shoulders tight.

「たいへんなの……」"It's awful..."

「たいへんなの、ぼくの部屋へやが火事かじになったよう」といおうとしたが、どうしても「大変たいへんなの」きりであとは声こえが出でなかった。I tried to say, "It's awful, I think my room's on fire," but no matter how hard I tried, all I could get out was "It's awful," and after that my voice wouldn't come.

おかあさんの手てはふるえていた。Mother's hands were shaking.

その手てがぼくの手てを引ひいて、ぼくの部屋へやの方ほうに行いったが、あけっぱなしになっているふすまの所ところから火ひが見みえたら、おかあさんはいきなり「あれえ」といって、ぼくの手てをふりはなすなり、その部屋へやに飛とびこもうとした。Those hands pulled me along by the hand toward my room. But when she saw the fire through the sliding door that had been left wide open, Mother suddenly cried "Oh!", and the moment she shook off my hand she tried to rush into the room.

ぼくはがむしゃらにおかあさんにかじりついた。I grabbed hold of Mother with all my might.

その時ときおかあさんははじめてそこにぼくのいるのに気きがついたように、うつ向むいてぼくの耳みみの所ところに口くちをつけて、Then, as if she had only just noticed I was there, Mother bent down, put her mouth to my ear, and said,

「早はやく早はやくおとうさんをお起おこしして……それからお隣となりに行いって、……お隣となりのおじさんを起おこすんです、火事かじですって……いいかい、早はやくさ」"Quick, quick, go and wake your father... and then go next door... wake the gentleman next door, tell him there's a fire... all right? Quickly now."

そんなことをおかあさんはいったようだった。That's what Mother seemed to say.

そこにおとうさんも走はしって来きた。Just then Father came running too.

ぼくはおとうさんにはなんにもいわないで、すぐ上あがり口ぐちに行いった。I didn't say anything to Father and went straight to the front step.

そこは真暗まっくらだった。It was pitch dark there.

はだしで土間どまに飛とびおりて、かけがねをはずして戸とをあけることができた。I jumped down barefoot onto the earth floor, and I managed to undo the latch and open the door.

すぐ飛とび出だそうとしたけれども、はだしだと足あしをけがしておそろしい病気びょうきになるとおかあさんから聞きいていたから、暗くらやみの中なかで手てさぐりにさぐったら大おおきなぞうりがあったから、だれのだか知しらないけれどもそれをはいて戸外そとに飛とび出だした。I was going to run straight out, but Mother had told me that if you go barefoot you hurt your feet and catch a terrible sickness, so I felt around in the dark, and there was a big pair of straw sandals, so I didn't know whose they were, but I put them on and ran outside.

戸外そとも真暗まっくらで寒さむかった。Outside it was pitch dark too, and cold.

ふだんなら気味きみが悪わるくって、とても夜中よなかにひとりで歩あるくことなんかできないのだけれども、その晩ばんだけはなんともなかった。Normally it would be too creepy and I could never walk around alone in the middle of the night, but that one night I didn't mind at all.

ただ何なんかにつまずいてころびそうなので、思おもいきり足あしを高たかく上あげながら走はしった。Only, I kept feeling like I'd trip over something and fall, so I ran lifting my feet up as high as I could.

ぼくを悪者わるものとでも思おもったのか、いきなりポチが走はしって来きて、ほえながら飛とびつこうとしたが、すぐぼくだと知しれると、ぼくの前まえになったりあとになったりして、門もんの所ところまで追おっかけて来きた。Maybe Pochi thought I was a bad man, because he suddenly came running and tried to jump at me, barking. But as soon as he saw it was me, he ran in front of me and then behind me, and chased after me all the way to the gate.

そしてぼくが門もんを出でたら、しばらくぼくを見みていたが、すぐ変へんな鳴なき声ごえを立たてながら家いえの方ほうに帰かえっていってしまった。And when I went out of the gate, he watched me for a little while, but then he made a strange whining noise and went off back toward the house.