
すっかり内容を忘れていたアンデルセンの『雪の女王』。夕食のあとにテーブルでDにそれを読む。ワイン2杯を晩酌したからか、ゲルダのカイを探し求め 見つける強さに、思わず号泣しながら読み続ける。母は、ボロボロ。それでもDも横で神妙な顔で私の声に耳を傾け続ける。Aだけが横で吹き出している(すごく、失礼)。氷で作られた御殿や、胸に突き刺さる氷のかけら、二人の家の間に揺れる薔薇、描写も美しい。最近は 絵のない本をDに読み始めたのだけれど、こういう想像を掻立てられる話は絵をも必要としないということね。読んでいた英語版からのクライマックスの部分を下記引用。
.. 'Kay, please speak to me! I've come all this way to find you. They all thought you were dead, but I knew you weren't. I gave away my red shoes so I could find you. Don't you remember me at all?'
She put her arms round him. 'We count the roses on our tree. A rose for you, a rose for me,' she whispered. He turned his head slowly to look at her.
She tried again. 'We count the roses on our tree...'
'A rose for you, a rose for me!' he whispered, and at that moment he knew her. He started to cry, and the tears warmed his eyes and he could see her. His tears ran down into his heart and melted the ice around it. ...
< "Magic Beans" by David Fickling Books >