From the top of the clouds fell the girl Akemi. Her eyes were large and swollen from lack of sleep, and the golden ring she was holding in her hand had disappeared. She said to the gray cloud, "I see threads and black spots."
The gray cloud replied, "You're still floating above me, and the red cloud is far from here."
Akemi's body had grown thin, her strength faded, and her eyes had sunken. She could no longer see her family, her sister Kasha, or even a picture of pilot Shino. When it grew dark, she did not sleep until morning.
Her eyebrows drooped, her lips trembled from the movement, and she felt as if she were asleep.
She sensed that the gray clouds were starting to dissipate, and the time to face the red cloud was approaching, while her soul still hovered in the clouds. She said, "I did not sleep on the ground, so I ran to the clouds to help me. I had a good time there, and in between, I saw the image of a horse. He runs from afar to reach the scattered white clouds. He stands among them as if waiting for the sun to rise."
"O gray cloud, am I running, or have I stopped? Cloud, why didn't the scattered white clouds visit me? O cloud, I have hidden all sounds, and I hear only the whistling of the wind. Cloud, I do not run, I do not stand—I rise and fall. I rise and fall in your world while my eyes live on the red planet. Cloud, tell me, are you the red cloud that controls the world? I have not slept on those clouds, nor on the ground. My voice does not reach anyone; their voices, calling for help, have disappeared."