~Sequel to Sunset girl~
SUNSHINE GIRL
I am Atsuko, currently is 20 years old. I am blind since the accident in kindergarten days. I was an ordinary child who attaches to beautiful things. Since that accident, there’re many things I’m not able to see… the only things I like is the feeling bathing under the sunset. I go to the riverside everyday to feel the sunset, hoping someday I’ll see it through my eyes.
KRIIINGGG KRIIINNGG (Bicycle’s bell)
“Acchan~~” Minami is calling me.
There she is the bicycling girl I adore. Why am I calling her bicycling girl?
Chuckle… well, because she always riding a bicycle. Simple answer, right? But, rather than calling her bicycling girl, I prefer her to be my sunshine… the sun who guides me, giving me a new way to live, shining around me… my sunshine girl.
Actually I aware her, I know that she always stops on the road and watching me… I can feel it. You can call this a sixth sense of a blind. I know she was always there behind me, I want to approach her, I want to talk with her, but I’m afraid she’ll probably neglecting me because I am blind. Then someday a handkerchief drop on my face and it was hers. I found out that she is a funny person… warm, kind and caring… then we started being friends.
Since our meeting at the riverside, she always comes here to pick me and watches the sunset together everyday. Just like the sun, she guides me to everywhere, exploring this town. Before I met her, the most favorite thing to me is to feel the sunset… to feel the sunset. But now, she is the only one I want to see. I like the feeling when she is beside me. Once I regain my sight, I want her to be the first person I saw. I want to say that I like her the most… more than the sunset… more than everything around me…
“Coco… Coco, where are you?” I’m calling my doggy to lead me downstairs but he seems not around. I just have to walk by myself then… slowly and slowly, step by step I walk to the door.
“Acchan, I’m coming in” I heard Minami’s voice just next to the door.
“Wait–”
BAAMMM“…………….” The door hit my face.
“Acchan? Why are you sleeping on the floor? That’s not good for your health” she reached and pulled me up.
“I am not!! I was about to open the door then you barged in” I pouted and pointed the red mark on my forehead, “Look! This is your fault”
“Ah… sorry” I feel her face closer to me. She put her hands on my shoulder and leaned in, placing a peck on my forehead. I can feel my face become hot and my body become tense. My heart is beating nonstop and a little bit hard to breath. Why am I feeling this toward her?
“My father told me, a kiss will reduce the pain. Is it still hurt?” she asked concernedly.
I just stood there, shaking my head. Is she playing innocent or what? Without warning, she holds my hand and guides me downstairs. Her hand feels so warm and I like it.
“Minami-chan, where are you taking Atsuko again?” my mother asked.
“Okasan~ (mother) don’t worry, I will return her before the moon rise” she said as she opened the door.
She took me to where her bicycle is and I like getting a ride with her, on her precious bicycle. As usual, we are wandering around the town to feel the wind breezing. She always tells me stories everyday, telling me what happened this morning, what happen to her lunch being snatches by cat, falling down from the chair when sleeping in the class. After wandering around for a while, we go to the riverside and wait for the sunset.
“Did you know? Today’s sunset will be really really beautiful!” she said excitedly.
“Isn’t all the sunset the same?”
“Today will be special~ a rainbow will appear within the sunset and it’s really beautiful!!!”
I was excited to hear that but it feels sad too because I can’t see it.
CLICK (camera’s shutter sound)
“What is that sound?”
She holds my hands and put something on it, “This is camera, uses for capturing beautiful moments and every single things in this world. I captured this moment for you so that you can see it when your eyes recover. You are having eyes operations tomorrow, right? It will be a success and I believe you’ll like photographing after you recover~”
She moved to my behind and placed her hands around me, raising both my hands, guiding my fingers through this thing called – camera. “There are many buttons on it, there is menu, option, and the very top on right side is shutter button. You have to press it when you want to capture any pictures”
“Minami…” she is too close to me, I can feel her breath next to my ear. My heart is beating fast again. “Minami, you are too close”
“Hmm? What?”
I guess she didn’t hear me because she is busy explaining how to operate this camera. Suddenly she wrapped her left arm around my neck, pulling me closer to her and attached her cheek on mine.
“Smile Acchan, smile~ Lets take a picture together~”
CLICK“Perfect!! You always beautiful whatever you act” as usual, she used to give me a compliment after doing something she told me.
CLICK
CLICK
CLICK…………
“What are you doing?” I am confused by the shutter’s sound repeating again and again.
“Capturing you~ your photos will definitely sale with good prices~” she said as she keep pressing the button.
“You jerk!”
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Maeda House“Okaasan~ I bring Atsuko home safely~” she said as we arrives in front of my house. She helps me get down from her bicycle carefully, “Acchan, there’s something I wanna tell you”
“What’s with that serious voice?” I pinched her nose.
“I’m leaving…” she paused for a while, “I’m leaving this town tomorrow morning”
I was like having a short heart attack to hear that. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Couldn’t you wait until my operations completed?”
“I’m afraid I can’t…”
We stayed silence for a while, then she placed my hands on her bicycle, “Could you do me a favor? Will you help me take care of my precious bicycle? I ride it since primary school, it accompanies me through many places. But now, I’m going to a place where I can’t ride it. Will you take care of it?”
“Will you come back again?”
“I don’t know…” She hugs me tight and puts her head on my shoulder. We stayed like that for some minutes until I hear her sobbing.
“Minami, are you crying?” I patted her head gently.
“Good bye, Acchan…” Soon after I heard she said this farewell, I can feel a pair of soft lips on mine. Is she feels the same toward me? I want to tell her my feelings, how I feel towards her… my body won’t move,, by mouth won’t talk… without notice, she is gone… Minami is leaving…
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A Week later“Don’t be hurry, open you eyes slowly… very slowly” said the doctor.
I slowly opened my eyes… it’s hurt… the light is hurting my eyes, things before me is blurry. I’m opening it again and soon adapt with the light, things around me seems to be clearly to see. I saw a figure in white suit is looking me concernedly.
“Are you feeling well? Can you see me clearly?” asked the doctor.
“Yes. I can see you clearly” I said.
“Congratulation, this operation is a success” the doctor said to my parents who appear beside me. My father is shaking hands nonstop with the doctor while my mom sitting beside me, hugging me, congrats me.
“Atsuko, do you want to eat something or drink something?” asked my mother.
“Anything is okay” I replied.
“Okay then, let’s grab something for Atsuko, dear.” My father and my mother went out from the room. The doctor approaches me again and checks the condition of my eyes for final confirmation.
“Umm… doctor? May I know who donor the cornea to me? How can I contact the family? I want to say my thanks to them”
“Hold on” the doctor flips his document and said, “It was from a girl bout the same age like you. Her name is… Takahashi Minami…”
What?! I can’t hold my tears from hearing that. Takahashi Minami…? I can’t believe what I heard. This can’t be true… It can not be, maybe it’s just the person who share the same name with her. It must be like this… yes, it must be like this…The doctor continued, “She is a cheerful girl, it’s pity that she is suffering from leukemia disease. Even if her disease is getting worse day by day, she doesn’t look like one and often run out from the hospital every early evening. She died a day before your operation, saying that she want to donor her cornea for you.”
I’m leaving…
Goodbye, Atsuko…“I’m sorry doctor, could you please leave me alone for a while” the doctor nodded and went out.
I can feel my heart is broken… it hurts… so much… is this true, Minami? Why don’t you tell me about your disease? Why still you accompanying me everyday when your disease getting worse day by day? I hate you Minami! I hate you! Why are you making my heart hurts like this. I never feel hurt like this, I hate you for hiding this matter from me. But I …love you…I want to see you… Minami… I hide my face on the pillow and crying hard.
“Atsuko-chan?” a voice is calling my name. I recognize this voice… this voice belong to Minami’s father. He comes near me and wipe my tears away, “Don’t cry, I believe Minami doesn’t want to see you cry”
“Un…” I try my best to hold on my tears.
Uncle Takahashi placed a box with a ribbon on it to my hands, “That’s from Minami. She told me to hand you this” after giving me the box, uncle Takahashi went out from the room… I was alone again inside the room.
I opened the box and found envelopes inside with many colors. The very top is a white envelope with the word written,
“Read this first, Acchan!”(Note: words between line refer to Minami's letter)
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Congratulations!!! You regain your sight!!! ♥ ⊂(´∀｀*⊂
Are my cornea confortable?
Hmm… let me guess, you must be crying at this moment, don’t you?
Please don’t!!! Because you’ll only waste my cornea~ hahaha... just kid ヾ(´○｀ )
I’m sorry for not telling my disease to you because I just want to fill my last moment with all the happiness together.
I feel bad too, knowing that I will die soon and living with counting days is boring but not after meeting with you.
I feel like I’m alive around you. The moment I saw you, I was attracted by you… I can’t keep my eyes off you.
Days by days, a weird feeling grows up in my heart. Looks like I am trapped in your love territory… (〃'▽'〃)
Knowing my days won’t last long, I decide to give you my eyes. Please use it well, please see many beautiful things for me.
Since my eyes are with you, did it count for my promise? My promise to see the sunset together with you.
By the way, are you still want to know how I look? Please open the envelope with number 1 on it.
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I take the number 1 envelope and open it, inside it is a picture of Minami. I laughed at her pose then continue reading the letter.
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Am I still looks like a boy? If you think so, then take the number 2, I put some ribbons on my hair~
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The number 2 is showing her acting cute. I look into the box and there’s a number 3 envelope.
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The last one is the photo we take together in that day~ Lovely~ *:.。☆(´∀｀人)
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I am smiling again at the photo. There’s also camera and a photo album inside the box. That is the camera which Minami took our photos. I flip the photo albums and found many photos of mine. I wonder how she sneaks in my house and takes those photos. There’re also hers photos on it and the photos we took together. Without notice, I’m not longer crying anymore. Just like a rain washed out by the sun. My tears are washed by Minami.
Thank you Minami… thank you my sunshine girl… I will use these eyes to see beautiful scenes for you... I will use this camera to capture many beautiful things for you... and I will riding your bicycle travelling around beautiful places for you... anywhere the sun shines on...**********************************************************************
Sunshine Girl END
Topic: ✰Ichikawa の short stories✰ -- My First You (Read 61704 times)