[15] 小瓶と大格闘（下） BATTLE AGAINST A BOTTLE (2)

南山中学校　3年　日英バイリンガル通信　NO. 15　October 11, 1989

小瓶と大格闘 (下)

　私はオレノマンＣの会社に手紙を出した。瓶と格闘したことを書き、終りにこう付け加えた。「ところで、以前のねじるふたの方が開けやすかったのですが、なぜ今のふたに変えたのでしょう。追伸、私は４６歳で、指は以上ありません」。例の傷だらけのふたとしわくちゃのラベルを同封した。
　１０日後、手紙とオレノマンＣ４本が送られてきた。「ふたを開けるのに大変苦労され、申しわけございません。ねじ式の方が、今のより開けやすいとのご指摘ですが、４年前、オレノマンＣを飲んで死亡すると言う事件がありました。誰かがふたをあけ、毒を入れ、ふたを元にもどしたようです。このため、新しいふたを考案しましたが、ご存知のように、今度のふたは一度開けると元にもどすことができません。今のふたができてからは、犠牲者は１人も出ていません。しかし、今のふたが開かなければ飲めませんので、今のものを改良するつもりでございます。今後ともどうぞご愛飲下さいますようにお願い致します」
　会社も瓶と格闘したのか、知らなかった。

BATTLE WITH A BOTTLE (2)

　　I wrote a letter to Orenoman C Drink Company. I told them about my battle against the bottle. Lastly, I added, “By the way, it was easier for me to open the old screw caps than the present ones. Why did you change the old caps? p.s. I am 46 years old. All my fingers are all right.” I put the broken cap and the wrinkled label in the envelope.
　　Ten days later, a letter and four bottles of Orenoman C Drink were sent to me. It said, “We are very sorry that you had a hard time opening our drink. You said that the screw caps were easier to open than the present caps. In fact, four years ago, a man died when he drank our Orenoman C Drink. Someone had opened the cap, put in some poison, and fixed the cap back on the bottle again. So we made a new cap. As you see, once the present cap is taken off, it can never be put back on the bottle again. Since the new cap was made, no one has died by drinking our drink. But if it does not open, it is useless. We will improve the present cap. We hope you will continue drinking our drinks.”
　　I did not know that they too had a battle with their bottle.