The Songs of Distant Earth and Other Stories - ARTHUR C. CLARKE

This is the second time for me to read a book written by Arthur C. Clarke. The first one was Rendezvous with Rama which I read last year. I haven't known that he had written some short stories like this book. Almost stories are very short and simple but there are deep afterglow of mysterious feelings in all. The feeling was the same as Rendezvous with Rama.

The first story is about making a list of real names of God by using computer at a monastery in Tibet. Before reading, I expected that this story was about aliens because characters in illustrations had no hairs and wore strange cloth but they were lamas in Tibet. This story was not about space, planet, aliens, and so on, but I enjoyed as a science fiction as well. I felt the same theme as the other stories about finding truth of our world.

Hideki

The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories

I thought this book is horror story before I read this book. Now I think this book is a kind of humors story.
My favorite story is "THE CANTERVILLE GHOST". I love Americans who does reasonable thinking. They weren't afraid of the ghost, and opposed to the ghost with a modern tool. I was amusing their behavior, and sympathized with the ghost. Finally the ghost went to the heaven. I thought that it meant the end of the old age. I thought the ghost was the symbol of old age, and American's were symbol of new age.
The character who I liked best is Virginia. She was kind to the ghost and courageous. The ghost thanked her in the heaven, I wish.
By the way, I have read only one short story of Oscar Wilde. It was "The Happy Prince". I read it in English class when I was junior high school student. I thought it was very heart-warming story, but these stories have a lot of sarcasm, so I was surprised these stories wrote same writer.

The Merchant of Venice

No36 A student magazine has asked readers to write a modern short story about the ‘The importance forgiveness’. The best one will be printed in the magazine. Write your story.

Title: ‘The Importance Forgiveness’

Forgiveness reflects the growth as a human, I think. Forgiveness that you can show is a barometer of mature. A few years ago, when I was watching TV showing a well-known major league baseball player said that this year’s objective was forgiveness. He couldn’t forgive minor things such as wet-seaweeds with rice balls.

Off course, forgiveness is important, but I believe there is a more important thing when people show their forgiveness. It’s a warm-heartedness for others. Forgiveness is based on love.

A few weeks ago, I was relaxing in my house after work. Then I took a bath with my two children, one was my daughter 6 years old and the other is my son 3 years old. No sooner did I finish taking a bath than a bell rang. At that time, my wife was out of home. So I had to answer the phone, although I couldn’t wear my clothes. I wrapped my body with a towel quickly, then I got the phone. “Hello”, I said. I heard woman’s harsh high voice from the phone, “Hello”. It was from big telephone company to advertise their new internet high speed line. She kept talking and talking about their new products. It was such an annoying story that I wanted to make her stop and hang up quickly. Then my children were coming around me and started trashing me. “Dad, you are naked” My children jeered. They were getting excited and heated up. I cast my cold eye to them again and again, but they didn’t care anything. Finally my children sang a song with loud voice like “Naked, Naked, Naked...” At the moment, the caller who was still talking to me burst into laughing. I got mad about her laughing voice, I couldn’t give my forgiveness for the caller. I had the last word and hung up strongly. I also got mad at my children but I could give my forgiveness.

This pitiful short story describes that forgiveness depends on their love. In this case, I could give my forgiveness to my children because I love them, on the other hands, I couldn’t give to the caller because I don’t. That’s the difference. Forgiveness is based love.

Masao Kuroda