The Soil That Sings in 16 Tongues
The next morning, the traveler tucked his fingers into the soil for the first time, right beside the gardener. “It’s cool, yet somehow warm…” As the traveler looked up in surprise, the gardener smiled and said, “Put your ear close to this earth. Can’t you hear the voices of the world?”
As the traveler pressed his ear to the ground, something magical happened. From deep within the soil, a pleasant humming, like the rustling of the wind, began to rise. It wasn’t a single melody, but a layered chorus.
“Is this… a song?” “Yes, it is the melody of this garden, woven from sixteen different tongues,” the gardener replied. “Japanese, English, French, Arabic… The memories of us whispering ‘Thank you’ or ‘It’s beautiful’ to the soil in languages from all over the world are echoing here.”
The traveler remembered the “Magic Powder” he used to use. That was merely a one-way “command.” However, the soil in this garden accepted the diverse words of the world and transformed them into nourishment.
“Even if the languages are different, the feelings conveyed to the earth are the same, aren’t they?” At the traveler’s words, Peri the cat meowed in agreement, and Tetsu the dog wagged his tail to the rhythm.
The gardener said, “It is because of the diversity of languages that the soil becomes rich. You cannot grow a forest with only one color. Because these sixteen echoes blend together, roots grow strong enough to withstand any storm.”
The traveler felt proud as he saw his hands gradually becoming stained with the color of the earth. To him, it looked like proof that he was finally connected to the world.
