Grave Of The Fireflies

By Sara Maria Bastine

Tell me mother, what day is it?

I looked around, it was awfully dark. I tried to stay upright but my body refused to move. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw the vague setting of Ikuno. That’s right I was at the train station. I sighed when I recalled that it was war.

I began to envision my beloved home. My mother’s gentle fingers running through my curly hair as I lay on her lap, my baby sister's wet kisses when I agreed to play with her, my dog’s gleeful yelp every time I paced towards him. Why did this beautiful picture ever have to end?

I shrieked when I heard the siren, the dreadful simultaneous sirens. They always send a shiver down my spine. Just then I saw a flicker of light. It was moving, coming towards me. Fireflies? No. I finally saw that it was a lantern, held in the arms of a young man. He was wearing a uniform, an official!

I tried to call out to him but I couldn’t hear my own voice. I thrashed my arms towards him as my mark of help, but he looked at me with disgust. ‘Another one!’, he exclaimed. My eyes quickly caught his bota bag. With the last ounce of my strength I grabbed it, hoping to gift myself with a drop. But he shoved me and clouted my head. I felt the cold trickle of blood run down my neck. With a final blow, he left me and I no longer saw the light.

It started to get warm now. I did not feel the sharp ring of pain anymore. I looked up and couldn’t believe what I saw. I blinked profusely to assure that I wasn’t dreaming. There she was, my mother! She held out her hand and I grabbed it with all my might. I trotted behind her, I didn’t let go of her hand. I spun around and I let out a soft gaso as I saw my crippled body lying on the platform. My mother gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

Tell me mother, what day is it? But she just smiled ahead.

By Sara Maria Bastine