Gone up a mountain

An absent friend, Peregrine…

William: He’d been talking about buying a bag for his bicycle for a few days. Seems he was off on a train and cycle journey.

Wayne: Where did he go?

From a T-shirt

William: He just vanished. A text from him on Friday: “I tried to buy a ticket online to Suwa. I thought ordering it online a QR code would be sent to my phone. Nope, had to pick up the ticket from the station. So much for the speed of booking travel by train online.”

Wayne: And nothing since?

William: I sent a bunch of cartoons like “Never underestimate an old man with a mountain bike.” He hasn’t even checked his messages.

Wayne: Must be enjoying being out of Tokyo.

William: Or fallen off.

___________

Voice-over

Being an inveterate traveller and stranded for 16 months must be hard. Where Peregrine pre-pandemic would be on a flight every two weeks his recent wanderings have been no more than 30 kilometers by bicycle. But even Tokyo’s bike trails have palled evidently, the mountains call. Bit like the grand old duke of York, marching up and then marching down, with a train speeding the intrepid to the site, bike bagged.