ᵈᵃʳᵏ ᵗʰᵉᵐᵉ:
It was winter, when snow covered everything you could see and it was freezing cold. It was just another normal day. My father was making his pieces in the backyard while my sister and mother were making dinner.
Dad was a carpenter. He made wooden pieces of various shapes. Once, he gave me a wooden horse for my birthday. I remember playing with it a lot, and today it's in my closet, gathering dust. I wanted to seem less like a child and stop playing with it. My mother even said that I was already becoming a young lady. My sister always laughed at me when I said that I was a big girl and that I didn't play with dolls anymore, but I ignored her, and I still ignore her.
Seriously, I'm seven years old, I'm not a 4 or 5 year old baby anymore. I have to behave properly.
- Dad, do you think I'll be able to marry a handsome man? - I asked. My voice had a serious tone, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. -
- God forbid, Harumi! - He was shocked, dropping his tools. - You shouldn't be thinking about that kind of thing now, daughter... -
- Why not? In a few years I'll have to get married. -
- Oh my God... - My father sighed. - You're too young to think about marriage. At your age I was eating dirt.
- It's your problem! I'm already quite big, okay? - I put my hands on my hips.
- Big girl, huh? Big people don't need candles in their room at night when they go to sleep... -
- But that's... - I thought of something to say, but nothing came to mind.
I always asked my father or mother to put a candle in my room, since I was afraid of the dark.
- Harumi! Atsushi! Come eat! - I heard mom shout from inside the house.
- We're going, dear! - My father answered her. Getting up from the floor, he turned to me. - Shall we have lunch, Haru?
I nodded, smiling from ear to ear. Food was one of the things that excited me the most, even more so if it was a piping hot ramen prepared by my mother.
- Oh, that was delicious! - I said, as I threw myself on my soft futon. -
- Of course it was delicious, I was the one who made it. - Izumi smiled smugly, sitting on the futon next to me. -
- Urgh... I take it back. - I rolled my eyes at my sister's comment. - It tasted worse than horse shit.
- Horse shit? You mean you've tried it? - She asked, ironically.
- I've never tried it. But I bet it smells the same as your mouth in the morning.
- Are you saying I have bad breath!?
- Yes, why? Am I lying?
- Harumi...-
But then, we are interrupted from our civilized and calm conversation because of my mother.
- Children, stop fighting! Go to sleep soon because tomorrow you will help your father.
- Again?- Izumi asked. Yesterday she had helped dad carry the wood that the lumberjack left to the house. It took about an hour to go there and back. It was very tiring, but thank goodness I'm young and I don't need to help with that.
- Yes, again. - She came to me and kissed me on the forehead, and then another kiss on Izumi's forehead.- Good night, daughters.
She murmured, and then stood up. Walking towards the door, she stopped and turned around.- Sleep well, and don't forget to thank-
