With the First Drop of Rain | Aslaz

Origami

Rain was pouring from the sky as if tomorrow had been erased. In the market square, villagers darted frantically, seeking refuge and shielding their wares from the relentless icy deluge. Amidst the chaos, a lone girl with curly hair and thin, soaked garments was rushing towards the open field. She did not glance back, her eyes were fixed on the distant palace, her thoughts consumed by the precious silk clutched tightly in her hands. To onlookers, it seemed like her very existence depended on that fragile bundle.

Her wet, raven-black curls clung to her face, her nose pinkened from the cold. Yet, the thought of shielding herself from the rain never crossed her mind. Nothing would happen to her as long as the silk remained unspoiled.

Her madam awaited her arrival.

Her run was abruptly halted by the cursed mud, and the young girl, unable to steady herself, fell to her knees. Instead of inspecting her wounded hands, her first instinct was to check the bundle. However, her attention was diverted by a hand extended toward her.

***

The next morning, Asi woke up feeling refreshed despite the strange dreams and waking multiple times to check if she was still in her house. She was full of determination and strength, a feeling she hadn't experienced in years. Maybe even longer.

Whenever she thought back to her childhood, she remembered being a calm, silent child. She wanted to be like other kids—bright, unafraid, and confident. She always watched children playing but never dared to join them. Why was she so stiff?

Painful memories resurfaced. She didn't have a mother. When a child doesn't have a mother, it always looks strange. She looked somehow different and not quite right in the eyes of others. Once, a kid in her kindergarten asked why her mom didn't come to pick her up. When Asi told him that she didn't have a mother, the kid laughed and didn't believe her, insisting that everyone had a mother. And that four-year-old kid was right. Everyone in her kindergarten and then everyone in her class had mothers except Asi.

So if everyone had a mother, then why didn't she? The mind of small Asi began to search for answers within herself.

"Maybe I was an ugly baby? Maybe I was not a good child? Maybe I asked to play too often?"

School didn't help things either because children at school age were more cruel than the ones in kindergarten. In kindergarten, children said things unintentionally, but at school, they did everything with full understanding. They hurt others to look cool. As Asi grew older, the people around her became more and more cruel.

She had no friends except for one—Sude—whose appearance she considered the luckiest moment of her life. Little did she know...

But now, Asi knows she was indeed lucky. She had a father who loved her very much and did everything for her. When her father was alive, he always tried to make Asi happy.

Once, Asi fell and hurt her knee at home. When she was crying, holding her injured knee, her father lifted her and set her on his knee. The pain was strong, and Asi was still crying loudly. Her father took a piece of paper from the table and started folding it. Asi, noticing her father doing something with the paper instead of asking her not to cry, stopped crying and looked at him, confused, while rubbing her eyes with her small hands.

Her father, seeing her confused but curious eyes, started to talk. "Origami helps people get rid of their pain. Look, your knee hurts, but you know what we can do?"

Asi nodded while continuing to look at him with her big, tear-reddened eyes. "Now we will put your pain into this paper and fold it. And then once again."