The
Last Paper Crane
By: Neo-Queen
Serenity
E-mail:
serenausako@hotmail.com
Webpage:
http://www.oocities.org/Tokyo/Shrine/6436
Hello to all of
you who are now reading this story, it’s basically my own story. Oops, did I forgot to introduce
myself? Sorry, my name is Serena
Kinery, a plain normal 19 year old who studied at Harvard University in the
United States. If you ever happened
to see a blonde, 5 feet 6, two meat balls on top of her head, and blue eyes at
Harvard, that would most likely to be me, Serena. I had a lot of friends there, I love
them a great deal, and they offered me the same deep friendship which I still
treasure today. Yet deep in my
memory, I still own a story of myself which I locked away, now I wish to share
it with all of you, this tale of undying love...
The last half of
my first university year at Harvard was boring, very boring indeed. All the girls my age at Harvard
dormitory had a boyfriend, except me of course. Because of that, our little clustered
room was often full of discussion around this common topic. I could often hear
my friends go on and on babbling about their own romantic encounter every single
day. Actually, during the six
months of my university life, I had many admirers, yet I never found that kind
of feeling, the feeling ofwhich you can completely trust a person and rely on
him for everything, that's probably the love my friends were talking about. I didn’t know what kind of man would
suit me nor did I find any feeling towards any of them.
One day evening
after dinner, I was walking in the school yard with a group of friends,
laughing. It was a beautiful and
sunny summer's day, everything was covered in green and reflected in gold with
the setting sun. Blue sky, fluffy,
snow-white clouds gave me a feeling of excitement and cheerfulness. Out of
normal chating, someone asked me why is that I don’t have my special one, I
smiled at her curious face while inhaling the scent of May.
Half serious and
half joking, I told her: "I don’t really know, actually my requirement is very
simple. If there is a man who could
make me a thousand paper cranes in three days, I would marry him the moment I
received the thousandth one."
My friends didn’t
believe a single bit of what I said.
"Are you sure Serena? You were just kidding right? Even though I know
you'rea helpless romantic, I truly
don’t believe you could rely your future and happiness on a thousand cranes made
of paper" Surely, they made a joke on this issue which I considered
serious.
I quickly snapped without a second
thought, "Of course I do, I shall keep my promise as long as the moon
shines."
All of girls
present burst out laughing, humoured by my childish promise and immature
dream. Afterwards I started to
regret what I had said, they were right, I shouldn’t make a joke of my own
happiness.
Life was as plain
and boring as a glass of clear water, no color, no taste, nor any laughter. One day, when I returned to my room
exhausted after a late afternoon class, all the girls turned to me the moment I
stepped through the door. They
smiled mischivously and pointed to a wrapped box that was resting on my
desk.
"Some boy sent
this about an hour ago, he said this is for you, Serena. We told him that you went to your
afternoon class, so he left the box there.
Are you going to open it now?"
All the girls
looked at me with great curiosity and hurried me to open the wrapped
package. Amongst their arguments
and curious upturned faces, I quickly tore away the pink wrapping paper and
lifted the lid. The room was
suddenly quiet, very quiet.
Everyone was astonished, hundreds of colored paper cranes filled the box,
yellow, blue, red, green, pink, and purple. A thousand of them I bet. My heart started to beat fast, too fast
at a rate that I could no longer control.
My whole body started to burn from head to toe, an unnamed feeling
engulfed my heart, that must have been the most embarrassing moment in my
life.
I looked into the
box and found a beautifully written note hidden amongst the colored paper
cranes:
To
Serena Kinery:
I apologize that
I heard about your "joke" the other day, so I made these paper cranes as a gift
for you. I hope you will like
it. Saturday 6:30 I will wait for
you under your building.
A boy who loves and admires you
The note had not
signature on it, but the words were simple and beautifully written. Yet each word seem to grin evilly at me,
insult and shame flashed across my already beguiled face.
"Utterly
detestable!" I cramped the letter into a little ball and threw it in the garbage
box.
My friends now
surrounded me and started to comfort me, explaining that they did not tell
anyone about my joke the other day.
I smiled weakly
at them, "It’s not your fault. May
be this time...my joke went over board..." No one said anything
afterwards.
I was so stressed
and uncomfortable the following days, lessons didn’t go into my ears at all, I
did not know what to do. The once
cheerful and joking me was there no more.
In those days, my friends treated me with special care and sympathy, as
if I am a real bride who is going to walk down the aisle the next day. Saturday came quietly, and I didn’t feel
like eating dinner at all. My head
screamed to think clearly and my thoughts were tangled a mess.
I sat alone in
the room and quietly slipped into a white summer dress. Brushing my long blonde hair, I wanted
to just rush downstairs and chase away that mysterious boy. Even though I have a
thousand of complaints and reasons, I am a person who will keep my promise and
words. Reaching downstairs, I
examined around me. Across from the
staircase under a tree, a boy in a white shirt leaning against the tree grinned
at me evilly. I strode toward him,
lifting my eyes to his. He first
broke the silence.
"Serena
Kinery..."
"Can we have a
walk outside?" I cut him off
quickly, without giving him a chance to reply, I turned to walk outside
hastily.
He followed behind me in deep
silence. After a considerable long
time, he told me,
"My name is
Darien Landry, student of law department, a grade higher than you." I didn’t say anything but kept on
walking. We reached a little park
unconsciously, and he started again,
"Those paper
cranes took me 3 days in total, my hand is still burningnow."
"But you also got
what you wanted!" I retorted
without the slightest civility.
"What? I only wanted to be a friend with you,
Serena."
"Why not any other way but
this, why did you have to take
advantage of my joke, why did you listen to our chat the other day?? Do
you even know what is to be polite, what is civil?!" I was very emotional at the
moment, I wanted to pour out all the hate and anguish that piled up in me for
days.
"I am sorry, I won’t make you promise
anything."
That made me even
more mad, "You, what do you mean?!
Did you mean to trick me or insult me?" I turned and ran away from him, tears
threatened to fall.
"Serena! I am sorry, but believe me, I didn’t
mean anything, count your paper cranes please?" He shouted after me and his
voice echoed in my mind. I fastened
my pace and ran back toward my room.
Throwing the door
open, I flung myself on my little bed, grabbing the box through a blurry
vision, I started to count. A thousand of them, I did not know
why I counted them in the first place, nor did I know why I am doing such a meaningless task.
Nine hundred and
ninety-nine.
No way, I must
have made a mistake, I must have counted wrong. Again, again, nine hundred and
ninety-nine. Unbelieving, I counted
the third and fourth time, nine hundred and ninety-nine, same outcome. Yes, I must have took him wrong, I... an
unnamed feeling came up to me, understanding..
A Few days later,
I found Darien Landry,
"Sorry." I apologized in a whisper.
He smiled at my
lowered head, "I just happened to be there and caught your joke with your
friends. I only wanted to make a
joke out of it, but I didn’t know you would take it that seriously. The picture of your little angered face
is actually very adorable, like..like a little angry
bear..."
I could feel I am blushing, lowering my
head even more, "How-how is your hand?"
"They're quite
fine, thanks for your concern."
We looked up,
both smiling and looking into each other's eyes at the same time. Something glittered in between his deep
blue gaze, a glim of tenderness and admiration. It suddenly gave me a feeling of warmth
and tenderness. I suddenly realized
that Darien Landry was actually a very handsome young man, broad shoulders, tall
features, jet black hair, and mysterious deep blue eyes, especially that
stubbornness of his nature caused my heart to beat faster.
Very quickly, our
relationship developed further, we both fell in love quickly. Since then, everyday of my life
afterward was full of sweet sensation of being loved. The side walk by the school, the grass
soccer field, the shades under the tree, and in the shadows of school
buildings...We had so much to treasure.
Unnoticeably, I
don’t know from when, I even started for a uncommonlonging for the last paper
crane. During every special date, I
hoped that what Darien held in his hands were not beautiful roses but a crane; I
wished that from all gifts and letter he sent me contained a little paper
crane. The thousandth and last
crane...
Finally, I
received the last paper crane before my graduation of university. The time before, Darien could have the
power and ability to make that last crane. But he’s a cool, handsome, very
intelligent and special man, he took the advantage of the thousandth crane and
won my heart easily. Now I finally
received that last crane which came to me 4 years late, finishing my promise 4
years ago. Not long from now, I
will become his happy bride.
Enjoying everyday for a life timelong, in the presence of each other, we
would spend our entire life to guard and defend this promise of a thousand paper
crane...
The
END.
Neo-Queen Serenity's Crystal Tokyo was originally established on August 18th, 1998.
It is owned and operated by Neo-Queen Serenity
