The plane was flying low over the sea.
Outside the window, I could see torn clouds and tiny islands floating in the sky. I could even see the waves. It was the first time I'd ever been on a plane flying so low.
The sound of the propellers constantly vibrates the aircraft.
As I listened to the sound, I felt I understood a little bit why all the airplanes in "Porco Rosso" were propeller planes. There's something strangely comforting about the sound of old machinery.
The cabin was more spacious than I expected.
No one raises their voice.
Every time I caught a glimpse of an island through a break in the clouds, I lost track of where I was headed.
As we got closer to the island, the colors in the landscape began to fade.
I had a strange feeling when I stepped off the plane at the airport.
There's no one here.
No, maybe they existed in the past. Until very recently.
They're just gone now.
Or perhaps they're still out there somewhere, and I just can't see them.
I rented a car across from the airport.
The path was narrow and overgrown with tall grass.
We parked the car near the cliff, and after walking through the tall grass, the sea suddenly appeared before us.
"If you fall, it's all over."
Matsuura said so.
I replied, "If it's going to end, that's fine with me."
But in reality, my legs were trembling slightly. I was afraid of heights. The closer I got to the cliff, the more dizzy I felt.
Only the wind was strong.
A small sandy beach was visible below.
It seemed to be called "Six-Tatami Mat Beach."
The sea was dark, and only the waves were white.
On my way back to the car, I heard the rustling of grass, which sounded like someone walking behind me. I turned around, but there was no one there.
Next, we headed to Tatekami Rock.
I imagined that from the sea, that rock would truly look like a god dwelling there. But from the island, it looked less like a god and more like just time itself standing there.
Near the rock, there was a restricted area.
A red rope is swaying in the wind.
Since arriving on the island, the only thing that stood out to me was the signs prohibiting certain activities.
The car continued along the road by the sea.
To the right, cliffs stretched out, and to the left, grasslands extended. The sky felt so close. It was as if the entire island was floating somewhere in the air.
After riding for a while, we came across a horse blocking the road.
It was a wild horse.
It doesn't move even when it looks at me.
Matsuura stopped the car without saying a word.
When I stepped outside, the horses were looking at me.
They had no reason to give way to humans. That's the look on their faces.
I tried talking to her a little, but of course it was pointless.
Even so, in the end, they left just enough space for one car.
As the car slowly passed through, I could smell the warmth of the horses' bodies.
Since coming to the island, I've been unsure whether I'm dreaming or immersed in old memories.
I occasionally saw people who looked like tourists.
But before you can get close, they all disappear.
Before I knew it, there was no one there again.
The last place I went to was the Shikina Island Clinic.
It was already evening when we arrived.
Apparently, if things had gone as planned, we should have been able to see a small clinic floating in the setting sun. But the sky was cloudy, and the sea was a dull color.
Only the clinic window was dimly lit.
Watching that, I felt like I was returning to reality, even if only slightly.
Until I came here, I had always been in the world of anime.
But the clinic was like something out of an old Japanese drama.
If I could learn a job and grow old on this island...
That kind of life didn't seem so bad after all.
By the time I was heading home, I was hungry.
We returned to the shop in front of the airport.
It was both a car rental shop and a restaurant. Apparently, there are hardly any shops open late on the island.
Eating something warm strangely brought me back to reality.
I thought that the strange feeling I had during the day might have simply been due to hunger.
It had started raining outside.
It was a light drizzle.
The wind died down, and the entire island became quiet.
I was looking at a gecko clinging to the wall.
The gecko, too, looked like it had been there for a long time.
I was starting to doubt whether the sea, the cliffs, and the horses I'd seen during the day were even real.
Only the sound of the rain continued on and on.
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