Instructions: Read the story and start writing a story, describing where, with whom and how you will spend your ideal 48 hours. The Big Win You are lying in your bed. It is not comfortable. It feels hard and lumpy. You cannot sleep. You are too cold. Throw off the blankets. No, pull them back up. You hear the noise of the traffic outside your window. You turn over again and again. The room is very dark. You wish you had someone to talk to. You have a hundred problems running through your head. Suddenly in the middle of this terrible night, the telephone rings. You reach out in the darkness tying to find the telephone. Ooops! You dropped it on the floor. Where is it? Oh, here it is. "Hello?" A man's voice says, "Congratulations!! This is the Big Win Show on T.V. You have just won all-expenses paid holiday anywhere in the world! Starting tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning you will be with any person you choose in any country or city you choose. You can stay for two days and do anything you like!" The Wonderful Night A.M. Doshisha International Jr/Sr High School, Kyoto, Japan

I thought for a very long time...a very long time, and suddenly the idea came to me. I want to spend two days with "Koshi Inaba", the vocal of the famous rock band called "B'z" !! He has a perfect figure; he has a wonderful voice, he is clever, and wild. Anyway, he is perfect, and he is my ideal! "Ugh...excuse me, miss...we don't have much time left. Did you decide who you want to be with?" I came to myself, and pushed the receiver to my ears. "I'm sorry. Is it okay to choose a person who is very famous, and very busy?" "Yes, of course you can! We will make arrangements so you don't need to worry about that." The man over the telephone said. I couldn't realize what the man was talking about yet, but anyway I said "Thank you. Then I would like to be with Koshi Inaba. I'll be waiting for tomorrow. Good night." After I hung up the phone, I checked the calendar to make sure that the next day was not the April fool's day. I came back to the bed, and wondered where I wanted to go with Koshi. It is nice to go on a trip to Hawaii, and I also want to go shopping in America, but also I want to go to England and meet my friends, too. After all, I decided to travel in Japan. I love B'z, but I have never been to his live concert. I want to hear Koshi singing, not by a CD or a television. Their live tour of B'z starts on the stroke of tomorrow! I decided to follow Koshi during the live tour, and enjoy the live from the VIP seat. Yes! That's a very nice idea! I thought. Then I fell asleep, deeply. The next morning, I woke up and snatched the alarm clock. It was already 7:30!! "Oh my god!" I jumped out of the bed, changed my clothes, ran to the sink, and brushed my hair. However, I thought if the happening last night was a dream, I was just a fool. I was half believing, but half not. I forgot to pack my stuff for the trip, so I threw in all the clothes around me. Suddenly, the bell rang. I checked the time, and ran to the door. It was 8 o'clock!! My heart was pouncing so loudly, I opened the door slowly. "Good morning. It's a mail for you." I looked at the man standing at the door. It was not him, it was... just a mailman. I froze at the door for a while, and I got disappointed. "It was a dream, yeah...it was a dream! The fool was me! Ha-Ha-Ha!!" I thought. "Excuse me, is your name Akiko Murai?" I looked up slowly. There was another person standing next to the mailman, out of breathing. "..................Koshi.......!!??" I couldn't believe it!! It was him, Koshi Inaba!! "I'm sorry to be late. Let's go! We can't be late for the plane!" "Oh, wait! I have to bring my bags..." "Don't worry about that. I'll buy anything you want." He pulled my arms, and we ran to the airport. "Ugh.....letter..." The mailman was standing before Koshi arrived, but I forgot to get the mail from him. In the plane, my head was whirling. I turned my head left. Koshi is surely sitting at my next seat, and putting the baggage up. I wanted to ask him many questions, but those questions did not come up to my mind when it came to the point. However, I thought I had to speak something...I had to think about subjects or questions to speak to him. Hmm...Oh, how about this question, "Are you real?" ...No! That's a disrespected question... Then how about this one, "Do you like young girls like me?" No, no...That's not good! Ugh, what shall I ask!? I don't know! Oh... I mumbled away to myself. "Ha-ha-ha, you're a funny girl! Why are you mumbling?" I came to myself, and saw him sitting next to me, and smiling to see me changing my expression. My face got blushed. "Oh, I'm... I'm sorry it's just I was thinking,... and I'm sorry to call you in the busy time" "You don't need to apologize. Was it two days? Then we can only postpone the live tour, so maybe it's O.K. Where do you want to go? For the moment, this plane is landing to Tokyo, but the staff of the Big Win Show said that the time to move is not included." "I thought about that last night, and I decided to follow you at the live tour as the time is allowed.....does it make a nuisance to you?" Koshi looked a little surprised, and he smiled very happily. "Is that all? Oh, thanks! In all honesty, I was a little troubled, because I thought I had to postpone the live tour. Thank you very much, Akiko. I'll prepare the best seat at the live for you!" I almost cried for happiness. He bought me very nice clothes at a big department store at Tokyo. After we had lunch at a beautiful Chinese restaurant, we headed to the live gym. At the staff room of the live gym, Koshi called a staff, and talked for a while. After few minutes, he came back with a VIP member's card. "There's a number here, so you can sit on this place. There's a little time before the live starts, so... would you like to wait in my dressing room?" "Really? Thank you! ... That's only in the dreams!!" I jumped with happiness. Koshi laughed, and took me to the dressing room. Takahiro Matsumoto, the guitarist of B'z was already in the room. "Nice to meet you, Akiko! I've heard about you from Koshi." I shook my hands with him. The staff said to Koshi, "Please change your clothes quickly, and I can do some make up!" "Oh, sorry. Akiko, you can sit on that chair. A staff will provide some snacks and drinks for you." I sat and had a drink. Koshi changed his clothes, and he was talking to the hair designer and make up artist. "I want to go with this beards on!" Said Koshi, but the make up artists gave a cold look to him. "Why? Isn't it good? Hey, don't look at me like that! Isn't there somebody who takes sides with me? Akiko, don't you think it's nice for me to go with beards on?" "..............I don't think so." I said. Everybody guffawed, except Koshi. "Oh my god! I feel myself very alone!" Everybody laughed again. The live started. My seat was the best place to see the vocal, and near to the stage. Koshi came out, and everybody screamed. Everybody's feeling over the live ran high. Between the live, he had a drink, and threw the paper cup to the auditorium. It dropped to my front, and I got it. There was a message on the back of the cup. "Come to the dress room after the live. Let's have a party!" I looked at him on the stage, and he smiled at me. I felt very happy, and I screamed as I can with the other people. After the live, I ran to the dress room. The staff was waiting for me at the door. "Welcome to the party. Come in!" Koshi and the other member were there. "The live was great! I got very impressed. I'll never forget about this wonderful day!!" I said. "Thank you. Anyway, let's make a hullabaloo tonight!" "Cheers!!" The party started. I talked to many people, and laughed a lot. "I want to sing something! Let's sing! Akiko, what do you want to sing?" I almost fell flat. I sung my favorite songs, "love me, I love you" "wonderful opportunity" with him, and other members. It was the happiest day in my life. The next day had no live, so he took me to his house, and showed me his dog. His wife baked a cake for me, so I ate it. She was a very beautiful and kind lady. I had a nice time there. However, the time had come. "Thank you very much, I had a very nice time." "Wait, I have a present for you." Koshi gave me a box. I opened it, and saw a cute alarm clock with his sign on. "Oh, thank you very much! This is my best treasure!!" I came back to my home, and used the alarm clock he gave me. From that day, I never had a bad dream! Child Research Net would like to thank the Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School and Akiko Murai, student and author, for permitting reproduction of this article on the CRN web site.