The age of long-distance commutation

  At five o�fclock. Mr.N was sleeping in his bed. The outside was still dark. The stars were still left in the sky.
  In the darkness, his bed sounded small �fPow-pow�f. His wife who was sleeping beside him heard the sound and said in a sleepy voice.
  �gSweetheart, have a nice day.�h
  Truly, she was sleepy. Soon she fell asleep, back to her dream world. Mr.N responsed to his wife�fs word like talking in his sleep.
  �gYeah, I�fm leaving.�h
  Most families didn�ft exhange greetings, just being silent on morning, however, they were very polite so they exchanged a few words like this.
  Soon, his bed inclined by the clockwork gear. He rolled and folled into a narrow box beside his bed.
  But he didn�ft feel sore because of a soft cushion inside the box. He could keep on sleeping. A lid of the box shut automatically. This narrow box nicknamed �ecoffin�f, and obviously these were similar in some points.
  However, the fact that called the name of this unlucky item means the opposite. This is the very best convenient.
  This narrow box which had wheels under itself left home automatically and moved to a bus stop. And a bus arrived at each bus stop, quietly being loaded with these many boxes waiting there. If this operation was rough, people inside the boxes awoke.
  The bus arrived at a station. And then, a train arrived there was quietly loaded with a lot of narrow boxes, that is containers for humans. The train ran to an urban city.
  At eight fifteen, an alarm clock started to ring in the box.
  This time the sound of the clock was pitiless high-pitched. It stimulated throughout his body, ringing to kick out sleepiness from his body.
  �gOh, it�fs time to get up. I�fm sleepy. But it cannot be helped for me as a working man....�h
  He must get up. He awoke in the end.
  He went out of his box and to the bathroom in the train, shaved and washed his face. He exhanged greetings with other commuter who went out of the box same as him.
  �gGood morning....�h
  �gMorning, let�fs work today as always.�h
  And then he ate his breakfast sold in the train. He drinks coffee and milk, eats toast and humegg everyday.
  He finished eating his breakfast and reading his newspaper. After that, he took out  a washed fresh shirt from his box and wore it, then put on his other clothes. He lit his cigarette and had a smoke on morning.
  At eight fortyfive when he had done those. The train arrived at the urban station. From the station to his office, it took fifteen minutes by walk. And he arrived at his office on nine o�fclock.

  Office hours finished at five o�fclock p.m. He walked back to the station and rode on the train. He had to take it. If he dropped in somewhere, he would arrive at home very late.
  Because it took four hours to his home. If he couldn�ft ride in the commuter train, he would be in big trouble.
  The back-to-home train started.
  The narrow boxes which were used as the containers for humans in the morning had already sent back to their houses, so the view inside the train was absolutely different from in the morning.
  �gWell, today, what will I enjoy...?�h
  Mr.N walked past some cars.
  One of the cars was for watching movie or television. The other had many sporting goods. Actually one of the cars was library, but most of them were for entertainment. The other had pachinko machines, or the other was for playing go, syogi, and mahjong.
  An acquaintance came toward Mr.N, and said.
  �gHey, why don�ft you play go with me...?�h
  �gAh, no, next time. Today, I had some troubles in my office. So I feel like enjoying drinking to be relieved....�h
  Mr.N entered the cabaret car.
  �gOh, welcome. It�fs been a long time....�h
  Some beautiful girls welcomed me. Here is good atmosphere with a tune a band playing.
  �gToday, I�fll drink a lot.�h
  Mr.N enjoyed drinking and singing. This was the best way not to bring back his disgust from his office to home.
  �gPlease, treat me in the dining car.�h
  One of the girls asked for him.
  �gYes, of course....�h
  After that, Mr.N wasn�ft satisfied to drink, so went to a quiet bar car alone.
  He ordered a wisky sour, sipped it and talked to a man next to him.
  �gRecently I think, Why do we have to commute to the far-off urban city?�h
  �gOh, that is a pretty fundamental question you have. Do you feel hard about this long-distance commutation? Do you think it is better than now that your house is near your office...?�h
  The man drank and asked question. Mr.N thought a little and told to him.
  �gAbsolutely not. I don�ft feel hard. I feel happy now on my way back to home, this is much better than the idea my office is next to my house.�h
  �gSo, you don�ft need to think about such a thing.�h
  �gYeah, I think so too....�h
  And then the train arrived at the station Mr.N got off. He rode on the bus, and it�fll be soon to his house. Air was fresh because here is far from the urban city. And stars around here were more beautiful than the city. Mr.N was satisfied with his life-style after all.