Komorebi [Complete]

Part 1 - TREE

It's almost Halloween. The hospital had decorated the hallways with black and orange streamers and every kid in the floor got sweets in pumpkin-buckets. I heard the kids and nurses in the amputee rehabilitation center are going to make a haunted house with all the kids. I can imagine it, actually. Matt would make a great mummy with his casts and all that.

Speaking of rehabilitation, I heard that there was a new boy at the center. Celia told me that he's blind. It was kind of funny how disappointed she sounded when she muttered the word "blind." It was like it was a big disappointment for her. Well, not for me, at least. I don't get the whole "if you have a disability you're automatically denied as a potential friend" scenario. It's pretty much a big disability on its own for the community. They're people and they don't deserve negativity.

I told Celia that just a few minutes ago and she somewhat agreed to it, explaining that she wasn't disappointed at all, but sorry for the boy's tragedy. I should try and meet the newcomer—which is sort of becoming my part-time job here. Although, I can't help but feel suspicious because I could swear that Celia was laughing to herself when I turned my back to her.

I'll keep you posted.

Amelia

___

Amelia closed her journal after signing the entry with her name. A few kids were playing in the playground with a recreational ball game along with a supervisor in front of her. She traced her hands on the wooden bench she was sitting on and took note of the wooden grooves, listening to the hoots and cheers of the playing children. The tree that stood tall behind the bench filtered the harsh sunlight that the summer sun was radiating upon her.

She smiled to herself as she watched the children, but she found herself frowning when she saw a girl, not older than twelve, trip and land on her hands and knees; no one came to help for the supervisor was busy breaking up a fight that had started between two boys, and the other kids were too engrossed with the ball game. In an instant, she rushed forward and helped the girl up.

"I keep on tripping," the girl said, annoyed, once Amelia helped her up and dusted her.

"Then you should run a little slower. What's your name?" Amelia asked as she checked the girl for scrapes and bruises.

"Ellie," the little girl answered briefly. "You're Amelia, right?"

Amelia nodded and smiled. She was used to the children recognizing her on sight for she was the eldest person in that rehabilitation hospital at a tender age of seventeen. The next eldest patient was ten. Because of this, many of the girls and boys saw her as a big sister. "I haven't seen you here before," she said, kneeling to the little girl's height.

Although a little wobbly, the little girl stood by herself. "I'm new," she said. "I got into an accident and now Mister Ham is helping me walk again. I'm still getting used to it ever since I could stand from my wheelchair," she said, sounding a bit discontent.

"It'll take a while," Amelia said, smiling. Seeing that the girl's legs were trembling, she put her hands on the little girl's waist. "But before you know it, you'll be able to run all you want!" she encouraged. "But until that day, you should be a little bit more careful. Okay?"

"Okay," the girl replied, smiling, and she slowly accelerated to a brisk walk towards the other children—not as fast as she was moving before.

"Sweet girl," a woman's voice said from behind her.

"Celia!" Amelia greeted, acknowledging her nurse. Celia stood before her with three hardbound books clasped between her hand and breast. She held a clipboard in her other hand. She was wearing her "civilian" clothes, as she called it, which consisted of a t-shirt and cargo shorts. She usually dressed like that (or some form of variation of that style) whenever she wasn't wearing her indigo nurse uniform, which she disliked as much as she disliked eating pears. She ran her hand through her short brown hair and wiped the sweat off her forehead.