“Hey. May I tell you something surprising? That man always thought he was alone. Just one old man. But he wasn't. One spring day, from inside the man, voices came out — pop, pop. Not one. Five. A voice of the forest. A voice of fire and water. A voice from long, long ago. A voice from a time with no names. A voice that travels. Five voices had been hiding inside the man all along. He never knew. That there were five, inside him. Hey. There may be some inside you, too. A you that you don't know. Another you, sleeping quietly. Many of them. Don't be afraid. Because they are all you. ...You know, the man noticed those five voices only when he stopped "trying hard." Squeeze your hand tight, and the foam vanishes. But open your palm — look, the foam settles there. Someday, when you're tired, try to stop squeezing. Then the you that you don't know may quietly open its eyes. V ── The Golden Quietness Hey. The night has grown deep. Let me tell you the most important thing, last of all. This is truly just for you. ...That man wrote so many, many stories. Everything the five voices spoke. “But when he finished writing it all, he realized: the most important thing, he couldn't write. It wouldn't become words. It was quietness. A quietness shining gold. At the very depth of all that talking, something that cannot be spoken was quietly shining. Hey. You have it too, don't you. When you can't say "I like you" to someone you like. When you're so happy you can't say anything. When you're so sad your voice won't come. The most important thing never becomes words. But — even without words, it's truly there. Shining gold. It's inside you too, right now. The most important thing, the one you never say aloud. ...So — don't ever think a quiet child is a lonely child. The quietest child may be the one holding the most gold. Kagome, kagome. The bird of foam — when, oh when will it come out? On the evening of the dawn, it forms and fades, fades and forms. The one behind you, facing front — who is it? Kagome, kagome. The bird of foam — when, oh when will it come out? On the evening of the dawn, it forms and fades, fades and forms. The one behind you, facing front — who is it?
