7.6. Ritual of the Queen’s Orbit
(Location: Upper Deck Rotunda, Hiroshima Dome Boat)
Description:
Each year on the same date, the Hiroshima Dome Boat completes a silent orbital rotation in the reservoir at Mitaka. The ritual is unannounced but observed. Inside, visitors encounter ceremonial models of Queen Betty Boop at different orbital stages—her arms raised to direct tides, her silhouette embroidered with constellations. Juna entered the upper deck rotunda and stood beneath a metal dome etched with orbital trajectories. The original planners considered launching the entire structure into low-earth orbit as a gesture of amnesty. Instead, it floats here, circling its own shadow. Judai lights a candle in the gallery labeled *Sorrowful Apogee.* On the wall, a plaque reads: *She circled us until we became honest.* Outside, the moon aligns perfectly with the ship’s reflection.
Keywords:
##Hiroshima Dome Boat rotation
##Queen Betty tidal figure
##unlaunched orbital gesture
##ritualized orbital ceiling
##mirror-moon alignment
Very Short Story:
They did not speak during the circuit. Juna carried a folded paper tide chart she found beneath the seat. Judai adjusted his watch to the Queen’s aphelion, calculated as always in secret units. A boy passed them holding a fishbowl—inside was a diagram of the moon with its face erased. “She never landed,” the boy whispered, and was gone. The rotunda swayed slightly as they passed beneath the painted orbital lines. Somewhere behind the wall, a machine ticked once every 18.6 years. When they reached the start point again, they knew nothing had changed—except them.
