A Saudade -My bitter memories and regrets on childhood-

Part 1

I will return from my hometown tomorrow and I have spare some time today. Then I went to a disaster prevention exhibition at the Science Museum in a major regional city near my home town. It have actual materials such as cars, signboards, road signs, station name signs and fishing equipment, these are swept away and destroyed by the tsunami, collapsed block walls, videos and photographs taken at the time, and even newspaper extras.

I went to next exhibition room, I saw an acrylic case on a outer glass cases in front of me that laid a girl who looked as if merely sleeping, she would wake up at any moment if I asked her. She was wearing a school uniform.

"Hina-chan!"

I was so shocked and screamed. She was a my childhood friend. The sight of her brought back bitter memories of the great earthquake that once hit my hometown. My house was unaffected, but when I went to her house, the firefighters were engaged in a desperate rescue operation, and I have a vivid memory of that moment that I will never forgotten. It was frustrating that there was nothing I could do about it at the time. And I found a plate front of the glass case.

"My daughter Hinata was under the house with my husband Yuji during the XX earthquake in 20XX, and they are lost their temperature when they was rescued. She was only 14 years old.

After I buried him in a cemetery on the outskirts of the village with tears, I finally drive to major regional city where had temporary housing on bad roads with her for more spend time with her for a long time, and then we set up there and have been together for years. It is never came true that I imagined when she would have children and I will become a grandmother.

Please talk and give to her your precious memories. She can no longer step out of this glass case.

By her mother, Mayumi."

Yeah, of course I talk on next of a her ear for an hour or so about my days and the events around me. How I wished she would wake up even for a moment here. I will never know how she felt, about my talk, but it's all I can do now.

I can't imagine I wonder what her mother felt when she left there. And I left from her with painful reluctance.

I was still facing some bitter memories and regrets of that time in the bullet train to home. Once that was all over, I shed tears again, remembering the days of my childhood when I played with her.