Story of Strawberries: Bedtime
Story for My Sister
Emu Izaki
You know, there used to be a large rice field in front of our house
when I was little. It was a really big one. We lived within view
of this field. Seasons changed the colour of the field. I still
dream about the green soft carpet of rice with the sound of frogs in the
summer, and the brown rice heads swaying in the breezes in the autumn.
When winter came around, the field was covered with snow and then it turned
into our snow-fighting ground. Of course, the field was so lovely
in spring with purple lotuses and yellow dandelions. That was the
season I loved best. I’m going to tell you a little story about strawberries.
It’s a story that I am reminded of every spring .
I think I was around six or seven years of age. It was a lovely
fine day at the beginning of April. The sun was warm and tender,
and the purple lotus flowers in the rice field were so vivid that it seemed
they could colour the air purple. I was overjoyed by this sight.
I was walking on a ridge in the rice field with my dog. Have I told
you about Mame (which means ‘bean’)? She was so happy as well.
She jumped around and ran really fast to show off. So, I let Mame
go and started making a flower crown with lotuses. I was so engrossed
with it that I forgot all about my little dog.
After a while, I realized she had gone somewhere out of my sight.
I became really worried. I’ve told you that she was a little wee
thing, haven’t I? Long spring grasses could hide her easily.
The rice field was quiet and the breezes were sweet, but all of a sudden,
I panicked. And I couldn’t stand those peaceful things that didn’t
have a care at all for my trouble.
I walked around to look for Mame. I felt lonely and frustrated.
I called her name loudly and clapped my hands. Then I saw her brown
curly tail far far away in the field. She was in the place where
my mum always told me to ‘stay away’ from. But it was an emergency!
I quickly crossed a wooden bridge over a little stream and ran. Mame
noticed me and rushed towards me for some affection. ‘Stupid dog’
I thought out of worry as I picked her up with ease. Then I looked
around the area with curiosity. It was a little field of vegetables
and there were a couple of vinyl houses standing in a line.
I couldn’t help seeing what was in those vinyl houses. The vinyl
walls were foggy and you could see red and green colours through them.
Fortunately, there was a little hole that I could look through. Wow!
There, so many big, juicy and shiny strawberries just ready for me to pick.
And I was lucky enough to find another little hole to get in. I was
a skinny little girl, so any hole a little bigger than your head would
do. I tied Mame to a tree and crawled through the hole. Inside
the vinyl house was full of humid air and a mixed smell of strawberries
and vinyl. Yes, of course, I ate so many of those strawberries.
As many as I could fit in my stomach. It was just great. I
loved secrets in those days, and this place became my greatest secret.
After I had eaten heaps of strawberries, I thought that I should share
those never-ending strawberries with someone. I went back to my house
with Mame and came back alone with my bicycle helmet. I picked only
the biggest and most impressive strawberries and carefully put them one
by one into my helmet. When I had filled it up, a wonderful idea
occurred to me. I put a bright yellow dandelion on those strawberries.
Here I was with a special present for my mum. I was smiling with
confidence that I could make her day.
I ran back to my house with it and proudly gave it to mum waiting for
her words of ‘Thank you, love’ with her supreme smile. But instead,
as soon as she saw my present she looked confused and even slightly angry.
So, I had to explain everything to her. My secret had disappeared.
I couldn’t believe it! I only wanted to please her, that was all.
I didn’t really understand why she could became so unhappy with my present
even though she told me it wasn’t right to take someone’s strawberries
without asking. But I found them in a vinyl house! However,
I just said ‘Okay mum’ to calm her down.
About a year later, I heard from mum that our stubborn grandpa went
to say sorry to Mr Kobayashi about the strawberries. You know, Mr
Kobayashi? He was our neighbour and he owned the vinyl house.
Anyway, I didn’t know at the time that grandpa went to his house because
no one told me. Now I have to tell you that he was the greatest man
I had ever known at that point, even scary sometimes even though he is
much softer now. I felt ashamed of myself for being the one that
caused grandpa to have to apologise. And by then, I finally understood
that those strawberries were Mr Kobayashi’s strawberries because he had
done the hard work to grow them.
After I went back to my room, I started knitting a muffler to give grandpa
on Respect for the Aged Day to secretly say both ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’.
I told you that I loved secrets.
That’s the end of my story today.
Time to sleep now.
Good night, Mai, my little sister.