みさこ「おこめちゃん」Misako "Rice"

「おこめちゃん」は、みさこが小学１年生のときにスーパーでもらった金魚たちにつけた名前だ。お母さんが目をはなしたすきに、みさこは縁日の金魚すくいから20匹もの金魚をもらってきたという。小さなプラスチックの袋にぎっしり入った金魚たちは、酸素をもとめて20匹ともほぼ垂直になって水面に口をパクパクさせていたそうだ。それから20年ほどがたつ今も、みさこの家にはおこめちゃんがいる。最後の一匹になってしまったそうだが、今も元気に水槽の中で泳いでいる。

“Okume-chan” is the name given to the goldfish that Misako got at the supermarket when she was in first grade. It is said that Misako received 20 goldfish from the goldfish scoop on the fair, when her mother took a look away. The goldfish, packed tightly in a small plastic bag, seemed to have almost all 20 of them poked to the surface of the water, seeking almost oxygen. Twenty years have passed since then, and Mikoko's house still has Okome-chan. It seems to have become the last one, but it is still swimming vigorously in the aquarium.