< Paws and Park > Staged Reading

"Do you remember the very first time you played with a toy as a child?"
"What did that feel like?"

In moments of frustration and despair, that shop door opens for you.
Light shines in, and the gloomy depths of your eyes catch a glimmer of brightness—

Hidden in an alley, the old claw machine arcade looks run-down, yet it feels like a wonderland.
A young woman is one of its regulars. Every time she steps inside, she arrives with disappointment but leaves with a smile—just like every other customer who walks through these doors.
They bring their heartbreaking stories. Under the warm glow of the lights and with the melodies of the claw machines, they keep trying to win the plushies they desire.
Insert a coin. Move. Grab. Drop.

The lights here illuminate the sorrows in people's eyes.
They leave their stories behind one by one. In the dead of night, within the shabby arcade, these stories echo with lively clamor.

Even Manager O's cat—it has a tale to tell—

Over the years, Manager O has heard many, many stories in this claw machine arcade.
The customers don't necessarily tell O on purpose, but through a phone call or an unconscious sigh, they inadvertently leave their stories behind in the shop.

"Why do you keep running this claw machine arcade?" a mysterious voice asks O.

"Why don't you ask the cat?"

"Meow."

"...Hey! Do I look like a pet psychic to you!?"

Occasionally, O also talks about his own story, those fragments of memory.
Most of the time, it's unintentional. Just like other customers, O accidentally blurts out his own story.
Manager O slips out scattered and blurry memories of what happened to him many years ago— and sometimes, the mysterious voice listens.

No one knows who is speaking to Manager O. It might be a ghost, a mysterious unknown force, or perhaps just Manager O's own memory. There are so many speculations.

Manager O doesn't mind. He keeps talking with the voice. After every customer leaves, they chat about whatever comes to mind—some stories about Manager O, about why he came here. And that ghost has a lot of opinions about O running this arcade.

"It's constantly losing money. When are you going to close this place down?" the mysterious voice asks.

"...I told you, ask the cat."

"Meow."

The mysterious voice: "Meow—"

"You got it?" O says cheerfully.
"...How is that possible!" The mysterious voice exclaims in disbelief.

When the shop door opens again,
the next customer arrives with a story of their own.
Countless stories continue to bustle within this wonderland—