[About the product] Beyond the tracks, at the end of a fleeting journey, and past the land of blessed waters-what do they see, and what do we feel? A multitude of overlapping worlds, each existing with and alongside people, weave together over time. In these depths, a current flows, sometimes stirring the silt from the bottom. This collection presents seven paired stories that delve into such intertwined lives. [Contents] (1) THE BOY AND THE RAILROAD TRACKS (2) MAGIC DAY (3) THE BOYS AND THE MONKEYS (4) MY FRIEND, THALES (5) THE OLD MAN WHO IS AFRAID OF CHILDREN (6) A MONK’S WISH (7) THOSE WHO OPEN UP THE WASTELAND COMMENTARY [AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION] [Comments from the Editor] Even if we liken life to a single road, that road may be chaotic, like a bustling boulevard of an ancient capital, filled with cars and people, with clouds of dust rising into the air. Along this path, we get lost, turn back, and repeat the same actions among the crowds-just as we do today. And perhaps in the future, we will continue to do the same. When you find yourself caught in such thoughts, take a moment to focus on the deep, flowing current that lies beneath the surface of this book. [Author's Introduction] Akitoshi Sone Born in Kobe in 1942. Representative of Thales, a general art studio. After working as a newspaper reporter, opened ""Ama deus"" in Motomachi, Kobe in 1987. In 1991, in the year of Mozart's death, he founded the ""Association for the Construction of a Mozart Statue in the 200th Anniversary of His Death."" On November 2, 1991, a Mozart statue 200 years after his death was erected in Kobe's Old Settlement Park, and the Austrian Ambassador to Japan was invited to the unveiling ceremony. In 2007, he has organized the Kobe Classical Music Festival, and in 2013 the Amadeus Minor Concerts. In 2011, he published a book titled ""Koyomi Sen-nen no Kodoku (Calendar Thousand Years of Solitude)"". Currently resides in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City.