Favorite Meal [short story]

Shun Saitō

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09/17/09

My name is Katsu, short for Atsushi. I've always thought it's quite weird to have a Japanese name even though I'm an American civilian. I've lived for almost 2 decades. And what I'm about to tell you is a story about a child named Shun, an ill boy who still finds way how to smile. But for some reason, I hated how he would always smile even in the most inconvenient times.

Eleven years ago, on a bright sunny day, giggles surrounded the cheerful, lively household.

A young boy roams around outside their house, he was finding for her little sister. This young boy is named Shun. I suppose if I were to describe him, I'd say he is a strange child who had peculiar interest of digging the ground. Shun loves to collect rocks from their backyard and displays it afterwards in his room.

He was playing hide and seek with her little sister in the bright daylight, as always. His little sister's name is Rumi. She enjoys playing with her older brother and likes hiding as it was her only specialty. The little girl loves Shun so much that she was always besides her older brother.

The sibling enjoys themselves to play this game as it excites both of them. However, Shun always loses to his little sister. Her little sister is always the one who found him and it always surprises him. The sibling continued to live on a carefree surroundings, while smiles are plastered onto their faces.

"Mother, have you seen her?" the little boy asked her mother.

"That's not allowed, my boy" she chuckled to her son who attempted to cheat. The little boy pouted in return, leaving his mother amused at his mannerisms.

One day, his little sister yelled in excitement as his older brother finally found her. "You found me!" but it only caused her older brother to scream out of rage. He was stunned at first but later on, he realized what he was holding. Only to cause him to suffer in pain and agony afterwards.

Few moments earlier, He found a small bottle containing a crimson red fluid from the ground. For some reason, Shun always find himself digging the ground for the past few years. Multiple of holes are made because of his peculiar habit, he felt like he needed to find something that's why he never stopped, but one day he found something underneath the small tree.

Shun was not playing at the moment so he had a large amount of time to observe at what he had found. He was thrilled to find something else other than rocks. So because of that he had a large smile on his face.

A wooden box containing a small glass bottle. It took him time to clean the bottle as it has bits of molds. There was a piece of paper attached to the bottle. It says "Rumi Saitō". He was quite confused for a moment as it says his little sister's name. Due to his advanced knowledge he gained more intelligence, Shun later on realizes it was his little sister's undeveloped fetus inside the glass bottle. He later then realized that the box he dug up was a small coffin.

"What?" was all he can say over and over again. Shun was absentminded for a moment, he smiled. The downfall of Shun Saitō began.

He looked for her mother but his mother did nothing but console her poor little boy. "Our minds are quite strange don't you think, Shun" his mother calmly said. "Rest assured, I am always here," were the last words he heard coming from her loving mother before he drifted to sleep. His mother noticed that a grin was plastered onto her son's face. Shun's mother thought of cooking his son's favorite meal, a Japanese dish.

One day, Shun was being scolded by her mother.

"Now, now you are being a naughty boy, Shun. You should always take your medications. It is unhealthy to suddenly stop taking it." His mom told him.

There was no reply that came from her son, and Shun never followed his mom's advice. "This is the only way," he uttered under his breath. And there was a hidden smile coming from his lips.

He later then found out the truth from a letter his mother left. He is schizophrenic. He knew was ill but that still shocked him. His mother hid the fact that he wasn't normal and tried to make him happy at all cost.

At the end of the letter it says, "I am sorry, Shun. I love you." As he read that line a smile was plastered onto his face.

His mother died out of an unknown illness, a few weeks ago, due to her low outcome from her job she didn't seek any medications to aid herself but prioritized her son. She loved her son so much that she devoted herself to make sure her son lives a normal, happy life. But that wasn't possible to avoid it with such illness. Her last words were "I love you two".

Years passed as he stayed at the hospital. He was trying to act normal like the others and still smiled.

"What am I even here for." was all what he could say to himself.

At the end of the day, all his hallucinations were to keep himself smiling. Shun is now a teenage boy trying to live his life, trying to smile as usual. And that is the end of the story of young Shun Saitō.

I'd like to introduce myself again. My name is Atsushi but I call myself Katsu, my mother nicknamed me it. I know for a fact it means cutlet and it's the only thing that gave me comfort, chicken katsu. And I am now ready to see my sister and m-

Atsushi stopped typing and sighed. "Is it too dramatic?" he thought to himself. The letter he prepared for nobody was still not finished, he spent hours on typing it. He wasn't good at storytelling nor writing a story but he still attempted to. Atsushi rested for a while, he ate chicken katsu.  "Who am I even writing this for?" he said to himself.

He later then heard voices coming from the rooftop, he left his unfinished computerized letter. He heard his name spoken over and over again. It never stopped until he arrived at the rooftop, there stood his mother.

A conversation was made between the boy and his mother.

"Are you skipping out your medications again, shounen?" she spoke a bit of Japanese, meaning "boy or juvenile".

"But it's the only way I can keep you around, mother" he replied in a serious matter.

The mother smiles, "What a troublesome boy, come here, Shun" She offered a hug. He started to walk towards to his loving mother.

Before he knew it, it was his last moments. He was falling, tears running down his face. However, there was a grin hidden in his lips. The conversation he had was similar.

"I could finally be with you, mother and also with you my dear little sister" he thought to himself.

"My name is Atsushi Shun Saitō!" he yelled out of rage.

"Mother, I'm coming" he softly said.

For the first time in years, he finally felt relieved in such moment. He smiled right before he could hit the ground. It wasn't the usual smile he wore. It was the real smile of his. He remembered the last meal he ate, Chicken Katsu.

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