하츠 소년의 모험/상권

하츠 소년의 모험

～안경 마인과의 대결편·상～

흘러내리는 안경을 손가락으로 올리며, 하츠 소년은 오늘도 여행을 계속하고 있었다.

눈에 보이는 것은 온통 하얗게 물든 대지였다. 부드럽게 지면을 덮고 있는 모래알은 막 내린 눈처럼 팔랑거렸다.

「강은 아직 멀었어？」

뒤에서 민디 소년의 쉰 목소리가 들렸다. 담배 꽁초에서 삐져나온 담뱃잎 같은 색의 머리를 가진 앙상한 소년은 지치지도 않고 항상 하츠와 모험을 함께 하는 둘도 없는 친구였다.

「이제 곧이야」 하츠 소년은 돌아보지 않고 답했다.

두 사람의 목적지는 “하얀 사막”의 중앙을 횡단하는 한 줄기 강이었다. 그 부근은 사막에 도전하는 여행자와 낙타가 마지막으로 휴식을 하는 장소로 알려져 있다. 하츠 소년과 친구 민디도 오늘 밤은 강가에서 캠프를 할 생각이었다.

「근데 괜찮을까？」 녹다 만 사탕을 포장지에서 떼어내며 민디가 말했다. 「이 근처에는 마인이 나온다는 소문이 있어. 분별력이 없는 놈이라 뭐든지 통째로 삼킨다더라고」

「그저 소문일 뿐이야」 라는 하츠 소년.

「진짜로 마인이 나온다면 그때 생각하자고」

그렇게 웃고 있을 때, 뒤에서 목소리가 들렸다.

「그렇다면 지금 바로 생각해야겠구먼」

황급히 뒤돌아보는 하츠 소년. 그 눈에 들어온 것은 새까만 로브를 두른 노인의 모습이었다. 새우보다 굽은 새우등. 매부리코 위에는 둥근 안경이 있었는데 얼굴을 보면 볼수록 할아버지인지 할머니인지 분간이 되지 않을 정도였다.

민디는 바로 옆에 있는 로브 차림의 사람을 바라본 채로 얼어붙어 있었다.

「나, 난, 괜찮아」 하츠 소년의 시선을 알아챈 민디가 모래보다 더 새하얀 얼굴로 빠르게 말했다.

「사탕을 통째로 삼켰을 뿐이야」

씨익 웃는 노인의 얼굴에 복잡한 모양의 주름이 생겼다. 마치 피부 밑에 다른 생물이 사는 것 같은 느낌이 들었다.

「오오, 오오, 통째로 삼키다니 그런 잔혹한 짓을！ 불쌍한 사탕 같으니」

노인은 안경이 흘러내리는 것도 개의치 않고 머리를 흔들었다. 「사탕의 원한은 내가 풀어 주지. 이 지저분한 아이들을 뼈까지 소화시켜 사막의 먼지로 만들어 주마」

노인의 탁한 눈동자가 민디에게 향했다. 동시에 로브 자락이 휘날리며 안에서 마른 가지 같은 팔이 튀어나왔다. 삼지창같이 날카로운 노인의 손끝이 굳어버린 민디의 얼굴을 향해 일직선으로 향하는 것 같더니 소년의 코 끝을 지나 허무하게 공중을 찔렀다.

노인은 이상하다는 듯이 고개를 갸웃거리다가 이내 무언가를 눈치챈 것 같았다. 서둘러 양손을 얼굴에 옮겨 코 위에 비스듬히 걸려있는 안경을 제대로 고쳐 썼다.

「저도 어렸을 때부터 안 좋았는데……」 하츠 소년이 노인에게 말했다.

「할아버지도 눈이 엄청 나쁘시군요」

소년의 말을 듣자마자 노인의 얼굴에 새로운 주름이 만들어졌다.

「어떻게 알았지？」

안경을 코 위로 밀어올리며 노인은 하츠 소년을 바라 보았다.

「어떻게 내 눈이 나쁜 걸 알았지？」

하츠와 민디는 서로의 얼굴을 바라보았다. 그때 노인의 머리 속에 또 무언가가 떠오른 모양이다.

「그렇군, 알았다. 꼬마」 노인은 백골 같은 손가락으로 하츠 소년의 안경을 가리켰다.

「네 이놈, 그것은 마법의 스펙터클스로구나」

「스펙터……뭐요？」

「오오, 마법의 스펙터클스！」

소년을 무시하며 검은 로브의 노인은 하늘을 올려다 보았다. 그 몸은 다시 떨리기 시작했다.

〈계속〉

Hertz's Adventure

Encounter with the Spectacled Genie - Part 1

Using his finger to push his slipping glasses back up onto the ridge of his nose, Young Hertz continued his journey.

As far as he could see in every direction, the earth had been blanketed with a thick layer of white. The fine powder covering the ground in undulating lumps and clumps was actually made up of pale granules of sand, which were light and fluffy like the freshly driven snow.

'Where's the river supposed to be?' came the raspy voice of a youth named Midas from behind.

Midas, a skinny boy with hair the color of tobacco leaves protruding from the butt of a hand-rolled cigarette, was Hertz's most trusted friend and one who never hesitated to tag along with him on one of his impulsive adventures.

'It's just a little further,' Young Hertz replied without turning his head to look back at his companion.

The two of them had set out for the spindly river which cut directly across the center of the parched white desert and the oasis beside it; a rest stop well-known for being the last place of refuge for those travelers and their camels who were brave enough to cross the scorching dunes.

Young Hertz and Midas had planned to camp there along the riverside that evening before attempting to trek across the remainder of the barren lands the following day.

'So, do you think we'll really be all right?' Midas asked as he unwrapped the silver wrapper of a half-melted candy. 'There's been a rumor going around about a genie appearing in these parts. And believe it or not, but some say that he'll even gobble up whole people!'

'Rumors are just that: rumors,' replied Young Hertz. 'But, I might consider their veracity if we ever did happen to come across a real one,' he added, brushing off the idea with a chuckle.

No sooner had the words left his mouth when a booming voice thundered from somewhere behind them, 'Then how about you start considering that now?'

Upon hearing this, Young Hertz turned quickly around, his eyes searching for the source of the questioning voice.

There standing before him was the figure of a decrepit genie swathed in a robe of incomprehensible black, its back more bowed than the curled spine of a cat's seeking its master's attention, and a pair of old spectacles perched atop the curved shape of its talon-like nose. Yet, the more Young Hertz looked at the genie, the more unsure he became as to whether he was staring at something resembling a shriveled old man or a ghastly old woman.

Midas froze in terror as he saw the tall, robed personage not far from his side. 'I-I'm not s-s-scared,' he stuttered with a face whiter than the desert sand surrounding them as he noticed Young Hertz's gaze fixated on the genie. 'My candy just got stuck in my throat is all,' he croaked out as he bumbled through a jumble of ridiculous excuses in his head.

A complex smirk of wrinkles curled across the genie's cheeks, giving the illusion that something else was living below its haggard skin.

'Oh my, how cruel it is to have been gobbled up whole! What a piteous fate for that sugared lump of candy in your gullet.'

Not seeming to mind that the spectacles had begun to slip from its nose, the genie continued to shake its head, gripped by some mad delight.

'But fear not, my little drop of sweetness, for I shall avenge you by digesting the very marrow of these boys' bones as I change them into the dust of these arid lands!' The genie narrowed its turbid eyes and trundled toward Midas.

In an instant, the sleeves of its robe were flung back exposing thin, gnarled arms which shook like a pair of long withered branches in the wind. The genie's fingertips extended, sharp as pointed tridents, and sped toward Midas' twitching face, advancing with precision, or at least that's what it seemed like until they passed by the boy's face and stabbed futilely at the empty air.

As if being slightly amazed by the failed attempt, the genie cocked its head in surprise, but soon thereafter, took notice of what had been amiss. In a hurry, it brought both hands up to its ancient face and began to neatly adjust the pair of spectacles which sat crookedly on top of the bent nose.

'I've had poor eyesight since I was a child, too...' said Young Hertz to the creature as it fumbled with the glasses. 'And it looks to me like yours is worse than mine.'

As soon as the genie took in the young boy's words, another, much larger set of furrowed wrinkles appeared on its face.

'How did you know?' it asked suspiciously.

The genie tweaked the position of the spectacles on the bridge of its nose before turning back to Young Hertz and inquired again, 'How did you know my eyes were so bad?'

Young Hertz exchanged incredulous looks with Midas, both taken aback by the genie's apparent obliviousness. However, while this was occurring, another expression had taken over the wizened face.

'So that's it, huh? I see how it is...' the genie went on as it raised a bony, white finger and pointed at the set of glasses Young Hertz was wearing. 'Those are magical spectacles, aren't they!' the creature declared triumphantly.

'Specta...what?' said Young Hertz with a confused look on his face.

'Indeed, they must be!' the black robed genie muttered as it cast its eyes heavenward while ignoring Young Hertz's response. And once more, the crone-like figure began to tremble with glee.

<TO BE CONTINUED>

ハーツ少年の冒険 〜 眼鏡魔人との戦い編・上 〜

ずり落ちる眼鏡を指で押しあげながら、ハーツ少年は今日も旅を続けていた。

見渡すかぎり、真っ白いものに覆われた大地だ。ふっくらと分厚く地面を包んでいるのは砂粒で、それは降りたての雪のようにふわふわと軽かった。「川はまだかな？」

後ろからミンディ少年のかすれた声がした。吸殻(すいがら)からはみ出たタバコの葉みたいな色の髪を持つこのやせぎすの少年は、毎回こりずにハーツの冒険に付き合ってくれる、かけがえのない友人だった。「もうすぐさ」ハーツ少年は振り向かずに答えた。

２人が目指しているのは“白い砂漠”の中央を横切る一筋の川だった。そのほとりは砂漠越えにいどむ旅人とその供のラクダが、最後の休息をとる場所として知られている。ハーツ少年とその友ミンディも、今晩は川辺でキャンプをするつもりだった。「でも、大丈夫かな？」溶けかけのキャンディから銀紙をはがしながらミンディは言った。「この辺には魔人が出るって噂だよ。すっごく見境のないやつで、なんでも丸呑みにしちゃうんだってさ」「きっとただの噂だよ」とハーツ少年。「ほんとに魔人が出てきたら考えよう」

そう言って笑ったとき、すぐ後ろで声がした。「それなら今すぐ考えなくちゃな」

あわてて振り向くハーツ少年。その目に飛び込んできたのは―――黒々としたローブに体を包んだ老人の姿だった。猫よりずっと丸い猫背。カギ爪形の鼻の上には丸眼鏡を乗せていて、よくよくその顔を見ると老人なのか老婆なのか分からなくなってくる。

ミンディはすぐ横にいるローブ姿の人物を見つめたまま、凍りついたように立ち尽くしていた。「ぼ、ぼくは、平気」ハーツの視線に気づくと、砂よりも真っ白い顔をしたミンディは早口で答えた。「キャンディを丸呑みにしちゃっただけさ」

老人のほっぺたに、にぃっと複雑な形のしわができた。まるで皮の下に別の生き物がすんでいるような感じだった。「おお、おお、丸呑みとはなんと残酷な！かわいそうなキャンディちゃん」

老人は鼻眼鏡がずれるのも構わず、ぷるぷると小刻みに頭をふり続けた。「キャンディちゃんの無念はわしが晴らしてやるからな。この小汚いガキどもを骨の髄まで消化して、砂漠のチリにしてやるぞ」

老人のにごった瞳がミンディの方に転がる。とたんにローブのすそがひるがえって、中から枯れ枝のような腕が突き出してきた。三叉矛みたいにとがった老人の指先は、ひきつったミンディの顔めがけて一直線―――と思いきや、少年の鼻先を通りすぎ、むなしく空中へと突き刺さった。老人は少し不思議そうに首をひねったが、すぐ何かに気づいたようだった。あわてて両手を顔に運ぶと、鼻の上で斜めになっていた眼鏡を丁寧にかけ直し始めた。「僕も小さいときから悪いんだけど……」ハーツ少年は老人に声をかけた。「おじいさんも、ずいぶん目が悪いんだね」

少年の言葉を耳にしたとたん、老人の顔面に新しいしわがギュルっと盛り上がった。「なぜ分かった」

眼鏡をぐいと鼻筋を押し付け、老人はハーツ少年に向き直った。「なぜわしの目が悪いと分かった」

ハーツとミンディは顔を見合わせた。その間に老人の頭の中でまた何かが弾けたようだった。「そうか、分かったぞ。おい、小僧――」老人は白骨みたいな指でハーツ少年の眼鏡を指した。

「貴様のそれは、魔法のスペクタクルスだな」

「スペクタ……なに？」

「おお、魔法のスペクタクルス！」

少年の声を無視して黒ローブの老人は天を仰いだ。その身体はまたぷるぷるし始めていた。

〈つづく〉