From that day on, Keiko began living together with her five characters—Storyteller, Glutton, Mage, Hurryup, and Bossman. From the moment they met, it felt like they were already close friends.
I do know them better than anyone else, after all. They came from my imagination, so in a way, they’re a part of me. It’s no wonder we get along so well!
She stopped going to the Transcription Parlor and began spending all her spare time with these new friends instead. Having them around was even more fun than she’d expected. Then one day, a thought occurred to her.
Isn’t there anything I can do to pay them back?
Getting to spend this time with them had been the greatest gift Keiko could have asked for, and it was only going to get better. Wouldn’t it be nice if she could give them something, too, to thank them for everything?
What should I get them? What would those five like best…?
It wasn’t hard to find an answer to that question. Keiko was the creator of the world these characters came from. She knew more about them than anyone else, including their hopes and dreams.
That’s it! I’ll get them a lovely airplane they can all ride in together!
Once the idea came to her, she knew she couldn’t possibly go with anything else.
In Keiko’s story, the five main characters dreamed of flying in an airplane someday. Planes didn’t exist in their world. The sky was ruled by a race of people with wings, and everyone else was strictly forbidden from flying. There may have been airplanes and blimps and hot-air balloons around once, but they were all gone now, and the art of making them had been lost. The heroes believed there could still be some airplane blueprints out there somewhere and traveled across the land in search of them.
That was the general concept anyway. She hadn’t found a way to actually wrap up the story. The five wanderers still hadn’t gotten to fly yet. But that was part of why this was such a perfect idea.
I’ve been writing that story for three years without coming up with a real ending… I may not be much of an author, but I can make my characters’ dream come true in this world. With the Transcription Marker on my side, it’ll be easy!
Of course, getting a real airplane would be entirely beyond Keiko’s means. But these five people were made of writing. It seemed only fitting that her present to them should be the same.
She grabbed her notebook and wrote down the words lovely five-seater airplane. Then she drew a line through them, the marker making a high-pitched squeak like it always did. However…
“Huh…? It’s not working. The words aren’t coming off the page.”
It was the same notebook her characters had come from and the same marker she’d used to make them real. It must have needed something more to work its magic.
“…Maybe the words need to be part of a story for the marker to bring them to life. The world of a story, the power of imagination, and the Transcription Marker… I bet those elements all have to work together to make things or people real.”
Now that she’d figured that out, Keiko went back to her notebook and started to write. But there was a problem. The story she wanted to tell was too long and too large-scale for her current writing skills. She had no idea what stage of their journey her characters would be at when they finally got to take their maiden flight.
“Hmm… I’ll just skip over some of the stuff in the middle and write that part now. I can always go back and fill in the blanks later, after I’ve used the marker.”
Keiko took up her pen and wrote a fairly simple sentence: After that, a lot happened, and the five companions acquired a lovely five-seater airplane of their very own.
Then she switched to the Transcription Marker and drew a line through the lovely five-seater airplane part.
Squeeeak…
This time, the marker took effect like it always had done.
“I guess it really does need a story for it to work. Uh… What exactly is this, though?”
She looked in confusion at the airplane that had just come off the page. It had a hazy texture, like the whole thing was covered in mist. If you squinted hard from the right angle, you could see that it was an airplane and that it was big enough for the five miniature adventurers to fit inside. Keiko figured that was because she’d thrown this airplane into her story without taking the time to properly flesh it out. That lack of definition must have carried over when the Transcription Marker brought it into reality.
“Well, this will have to do for now. It’s not much, but it’s the best they’re going to get.”
Someday, she told herself, she’d finish her story and write a real airplane for them. She’d do research so she understood how airplanes worked, how they fit together, and get a nice, clear image in her mind. The “lovely airplane” she’d write then would be a lot more believable.
Feeling a little nervous, Keiko presented her friends with the airplane and waited for their reactions.
“Wow… So this is what a real airplane looks like.”
“We can use this to fly in the sky? Flying without wings… It’s like magic!”
“C’mon, let’s give it a try! It’ll get dark if we don’t hurry!”
“It was hard to describe the aircraft now standing in front of us, but it was undoubtedly lovely.”
“Why don’t we make some bento boxes first? Imagine getting to eat and fly at the same time!”
Much to her surprise, they all seemed thrilled with the airplane, slapdash as it was. But then again, none of these characters had any idea what an airplane should look like. Such things didn’t exist in their world, and neither did any pictures or photos of them.
Keiko felt relieved, but also a little guilty. She decided to keep those feelings to herself and put on a happy face.
“All right, let’s pack some food and get you guys in the air!”