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In the 5th episode of the second season of _7 Seeds_ , a reference to a short
story "A Slice of Bread" is made. This occurs within a flashback wherein Botan
Saotome receives information regarding her mission as a guide from her
superior, and after being told about the potentially decreasing toxicity of
the cyanide she possesses, she links this to the story "A Slice of Bread". In
both the dubbed and subbed versions, the phrasing "A Slice of Bread" is used.

Does this short story exist outside of the anime, and if so, is "A Slice of
Bread" a fitting translation of its title, and who authored the work?


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7-seeds
Does the "A Slice of Bread" short story from "7 Seeds" really exist?


**Yes, a short story titled _A Slice of Bread_ exists. It was written by a
Romanian author Francisc Munteanu.** The original title is _O bucată de
pâine_. In Japan, it is known as 一切れのパン ( _Hitokire no Pan_ ).

The story is about the escape of a Romanian who was captured by German troops
during World War 2. During the escape, he met a Jewish rabbi who gave
something wrapped in a handkerchief. The rabbi said that it contained a slice
of bread and only to open it if it is really needed. [...] ( _spoiler ahead
about the ending_ )

> After a long hardship and without opening the handkerchief, the escapee
> reached home. When his wife asked what the handkerchief was, he answered
> with "a slice of bread", but when he opened it, a piece of wood fell instead
> of a slice of bread.

For info in English, looks like the same short story was published in
[_Meanjin Quarterly_ , v.25, no.3, 1966,
p.297-305](https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/39409956), but apart from that, the
detail in English is lacking. Though, it is kind of popular in Japan due to it
being included in the Japanese (national) language textbook for middle-
schooler.

  * The full story in Japanese can be read in [this blog](https://ckphoto.exblog.jp/5965803/).
  * The abridged version in Japanese can be read in [this blog](https://ameblo.jp/cocoroki/entry-11191191462.html).
  * The English publication can be accessed/bought from [Informit](https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=573212762620161;res=IELIAC).

* * *


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