毎年季節が春に変わる頃に、空魚竜使いの一団がやってくる。遠い異国で仕入れた香辛料を街で売り、竜を湖で泳がせ、しばらく滞在した後にまたどこかへ去っていくのだ。
去年彼らが訪れた際、一団の中の一際大きな空魚竜に乗る老人に「今度この町に来た時はこいつに乗せてやる。」と約束されたのだが、今年やってきたその竜の乗り手は老人ではなく、同い年くらいの女の子に代わっていた。
律儀にも女の子は約束を果しに毎夜窓辺にやってくる。僕を窓から連れ出し、僕がパジャマな事も足にしがみついている事もお構い無しに彼女は笑うのだ。
「今夜はあの雲の向こうまで連れてってあげる！」

Every year, when winter turns into spring, the group of flying fish dragon tamers come. In the town they sell spices brought from faraway countries, they let their dragons swim in the lake, and then, after a short stay, they leave for yet another place.
Last year when they came, one of the group, an old man riding a particularly big flying fish dragon, promised me "Next time we come to this town, I'll give you a ride on him."
But this year when they came, the rider of the dragon wasn't the old man, it had changed to a girl about the same age as me.
The girl faithfully kept the old man's promise, and came to my window every night. I climbed out of the window. She didn't seem to care about the fact that I was in my pajamas, or the fact that I was clinging to her legs.
She laughed and said "Tonight I'll take you to the other side of that cloud!"