novel translations

Sound Leak

Author: Ukari (translated with author’s permission, please visit their website to see the original Japanese works!)

To say here is far, and to call yonder nearby. Stories on the edge of the every day, strange tales you may or may not be moved by. Strange, curious, fantastic stories told by me, you, him and her. There are many stories but they’re all concluded within a single page, each story around 200 to 1200 characters in length, a short story collection you can easily read. Please enjoy them. Updated every Saturday at 6pm.

***

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been unable to sleep if I can hear noise.

That’s why I always prepare earplugs when I take the night bus.

But on this particular night, they weren’t doing anything.

There were some passengers who didn’t seem to care about anyone else around them. I could hear the loud voices of two women chatting even through my ear plugs.

I didn’t know what they were talking about, but they also showed no signs of stopping either.

How rude.

Did they not think of the other passengers?

Did the other passengers not think anything of it?

Unable to take it any longer, I took my earplugs out to say something to them.

But then, suddenly, the bus fell quiet. It seemed everyone was asleep, and the only sound I could hear was that of the bus driving.

Confused, I put my earplugs back in.

And then the voices started again.

I finally realised what was going on.

The voices were coming from my earplugs.

 

Original Japanese

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