In the mellow afternoon, once the spring haze had fully melted away, the Dragon God’s pond reflected the entire blue sky.
“Watch this — today, Kopo becomes a man who converses with the earth.”
Kopo rolled up his sleeves, crouched at the pond’s edge, and pushed a thin-needled thermometer — borrowed from Spice “for research purposes” — into the black soil. A small display blinked: 37.2.
“…Same as body temperature.”
Before the murmur could fall to the water’s surface, Sonchō, leaning his back against the trunk of the weeping cherry tree, narrowed his eyes.
“The earth’s been holding onto its warmth today too. Ever since the Dragon God first put down roots in this land, it’s always been that way.”
Running his dry fingertips slowly over an old stone fragment resting on his knee, he continued.
“Whatever power people manage to get their hands on, this planet had it long before, already. It never gets angry, never boasts — it’s just quietly received everything, all this time. That’s the true power of this earth.”
Kopo gave up trying to read the number and quietly pulled the needle out. The black soil crumbled loose, and the damp, spring-scented smell of earth rose up to his nose. The single grain of soil resting in his palm was warmer than he’d expected.
“…Somehow, I feel like being quiet today.”
“Feh-feh. Once in a while, that’s fine too.”
Night fell. A single meteor from the constellation Lyra streaked directly above the Dragon God’s pond and vanished. The dark water surface caught the light for just an instant, then quietly settled again.
Margin note: That night, without telling anyone, Kopo slowly circled the pond once, as if confirming the warmth of the earth beneath the soles of his feet.
【Today’s Drop】
- Earth Day: Observed every year on April 22. The 2026 theme is “Our Power, Our Planet.” It also coincides with the United Nations’ International Mother Earth Day.
- Lyrid Meteor Shower: A spring meteor shower that peaks from the night of April 22 into the early morning of April 23.
This is an English translation of “地球のてのひら”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).