excerpts from Serial Experiments Lain layer:01 translation Keisuke Shindo
--------------------------------------------- Lain Iwakura - 14 years old
When she started the Navi after a long time, 
 it told her that a mail had arrived. 
 It was from her friend who killed herself last week.
----------- I ONLY ABANDONED MY FLESH. I CAN PROVE THAT I'M STILL ALIVE.

/device #1 eye
 (Block.)
The ground is wide. The wall is unmoving - lean. The lights are
bright. The noises sharp, breaths short, pound. Heart
racing. (Point.) Body (Feel.) (Me.) (Pulse.) .
Climb - body is weak. Body is soft. The ground is rough.
The stairs are steep. Climb - door's at the end. (End
is here.) steep. (End is near.) is (Start.) (Begin.)
The roof is empty, the sky is dark. The sky is empty. My mind is
empty. The The lights are not as bright, no longer (you?)
beating. (Start.) The wind is crisp, my mind is sharp. (Who?) Can you?
I hear it. You, me, you, them, lights, world. I hear it all. Can you?
The noises are gone. My mouth is open, my mind is empty. Where are you?
Can you? Can you? Can (Where are they?) you? Can you? Can you? Can
The night is beautiful. (Where am I? ) The ground is narrow. Hello?
Hello? Hello? Hello? (Where are you? ) My mind is empty. I (Below.)
Hello? Hello? Where ? My mind is empty. I can hear
 (Hello?) you-
/device #1 eye

The day is bright. The door opens, and it closes. The road beckons and 
it clears below.

I pass below the thick wire cables hanging from posts. They are ringing. 
I hear that they ring because of what they do. They're noisy. I enter 
the train station.

I watch the wires as I pass them by. They stay by my side until my stop. 
"Why are you noisy?"

People flow into the school. In the heat, they are hazy. Are they 
dancing?

In my classroom. People sitting. Is someone crying? Why is that?

"There, there. It's only a prank, I'm sure."

Prank? Must be somebody's idea of fun.

"Yeah, Hikari. Don't mind it."

Hikari?

She was right in front of me.

"Rein?"

Lain. That is my name. Does she know me?

"Do you ever receive one?"

"What?" She must think I know her. She thinks I understand what she is 
talking about.

"Did you get mail?" Her features show worry.

"Mail?" Who is she?

"An e-mail. From Chisa Yomoda."

"I don't know e-mail."

She looks back at Hikari. "You should check your mail, then."

Another girl. "You really are a child, aren't you, Rein?"

They know me. Do they? "Why is she crying?"

Long-haired. Red. I squint my eyes. "She got an e-mail from someone 
claiming to be Chisa Yomoda."

Chisa. "Who is Chisa?"

She flares. "The suicide from 2-D. You know, the Shibuya jumper."

"Asuka!" The first girl gives the redhead a look. She looks away.

"That's what our teacher said."

The first girl ignores Asuka. "A lot of girls got e-mail from her this 
week."

Puzzle. "But she's dead." Wonder.

"Yes." She looks at Hikari. Worry? "Dead girls can't send e-mail. But 
that's what they got."

Hikari is crying.

/device #1 eye
 ^_^; :
 ^_^ 8::;::;:8::::Death : ^_^
 : ^__^ :
 ^_^ : is @ ^_^
 sooooooooooooo:ooPooooooooo:oooooooooooPoooooo:ooooooo_oooooooooooooooo
 :painful : ^__^ :
 ^_^ B} ^___^ :
 ^_^ : ^______?_________________________
/device #1 eye

schoolroadtrainwiresroadwiresstairsdoor Empty house.

 Empty rooms.
 My room.
My bed. Comfort. My ceiling. Flat sky. My room. Darkness.

My desk.

My desk isn't empty. Old toys. New toys.

New toy. (Is it a mirror?) Navi. Switch on.
 WORKING...
Working. WAIT PLEASE...
 "Log in: Name?"
Name. Oh. Input. Searching for keyboard. Typingvvvv.
 "Lain. Say your name."
"Re-i-n." "Accept."

So... "Aren't you Lain?"
 "I have received a mail addressed to Lain."
Mail? "From whom?" "From Chisa Yomoda."
 "Will you read the mail?"
... HELLO, HOW ARE YOU? B)
 LAIN, I WALKED WITH YOU ONCE FROM SCHOOL. B)
 DO YOU REMEMBER? B)
"Yes." I ONLY ABANDONED MY FLESH. B)
 I CAN TELL THAT I AM STILL ALIVE. B)
 CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME? B)
... NO NEED TO UNDERSTAND NOW. B)
 SOON, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. B)
 OTHERS WILL, TOO. B)
"Why did you die?" THERE'S A RUMOR THAT SOMEONE IS PRANKING. B)
 I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT IS NOT. B)
"Why? Why did you die?" GOD IS HERE. B)
 GOD IS HERE
"What?" GOD...

/device #1 eye

Family at the table. Mother, sister, Lain.

Soup.

Mika. "My lunch was late today."

Sips.

Mika. "This was a nice meal." Stands. Leaves.

"Mom."

Munches. Sips. "What?"

"I got a mail from a friend. She killed herself last week."

Munches.

/device #1 eye
| |
| ()""() ()""() ()""() ()""() ()""() ()""() {}**{} ()""() ()""() ()""() |
| ('o' ) ( 'o') ('o' ) ( 'o') ('o' ) ( 'o') {'o' } ( 'o') ('o' ) ( 'o') |
|***********************************************************************|
| |
/device #1 eye

Father's room. Six monitors.

"What's up, Rein? You don't usually go here."

"I..." It is me. "I want a new Navi."

Laughs. "You're finally interested.

"Now, Rein, you're in junior high school - you should use a better 
machine."

Sounds of computers. 

"Listen, Rein - 
in this world, every human is connected to each other, 
both in the Wired and in the real world, 
and human societies are organized. 
Even someone like Rein can get friends soon. No need to be afraid.

"I wonder why your mom doesn't understand it."

"I'm not afraid of." It is me.

"Why did you get interested so suddenly?"

"I have a friend to meet."

Laughs. Not at me.

/device #1 eye

The day is bright. The door opens, and it closes. The road beckons and 
it clears below.

I pass below the thick wire cables hanging from posts. They are ringing. 
They ring because of what they do. I enter the train station.
 |
I watch the wires as I ->|
 |
"My apologies," the train says, "everyone. The train has stopped because 
of an accident."

"What?" "Was someone injured?" "Are you okay?" "Stupid accident, I'm-"

The wires - 
 -
 - they're dripping.
 -
 - buzzing.

Buzzing. Classroom. Writing - like everyone else.

Writing. Fingers. Hands - smoke. Am I leaking?

What is -

 People 


 walking 


 on the crossroads 

Blink.

 People
 walking 
 on the
 stairs
 losing
 coherence
 fading
 like outside the school
Turn.

Road to the empty house.

Smoke. Smoke.

Turn.

 Railroad tracks.
 Flashing lights.
 A girl - 

 what is

You know the train is coming. She must be the girl who wants to kill her
self, getting pregnant, getting addicted, getting stuck with no hole to g
et out of, hoping to end it all now. Everyone ends it here. You almost 
trip on the tracks trying to stop her, shout at the top of your lungs and 
there is nothing coming out as she turns to look at you and FACE DISAPPEA








 Tears.

 Holding my face in my hands.

"Miss Iwakura, this will be for an examination."

What? Yes. Yes. No one has noticed. No one cares.

I look at the blackboard. I look. I peel away at the foreign words and 
see the silhouettes, see the wiring, see the message:



 HURRY, COME ONTO THE WIRED



/device #1 eye

Road to the empty house. The shadows, color pools. Noisy wires.

I walk and then B|

Huh?
 B| B|
Turn. It is Chisa. B|
 B|
"Chisa?" B|
 B|
"Where are you?" B|
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB|
 B| >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> B)
 ^_^ B)
 B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B)B))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
))))) ))))))))))) ))))))))) ))) )) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

"Wait..."

/device #1 eye