atamincarl
On that day, the town where I lived was completely wiped off the map by the earthquake and tsunami.
The houses, the roads, and the smell that permeated the town were all sucked into the sea.
I hadn't even started elementary school yet, but that scene still washes over the shore of my memory like a wave. Silently, quietly, sometimes strongly.
After the earthquake, I couldn't speak. I had a voice, but it wasn't connecting to anything.
After losing our home, our family moved to Atami, my father's hometown.
I think Dad probably wanted to reset everything and choose a new beginning. My brother and I quietly accepted this. Mom and my sister, who was in her womb, had stopped protecting me during the earthquake. So maybe that was the only thing they could do.
Around that time, my father began to get involved in a new religion.