Ten Drabbles in the Life of Akira Satou
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:03 am
A drabble is a story in one hundred words.
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Akira is seven years old when her parents tell her that her little sister is blind. The first thing she does is go to the library and pick up as many books as possible. She sits next to Lilly’s cradle and she reads books about foxes and wizards and fairy godmothers to her all afternoon.
People ask her why. “Because I’m the older sister,” she says. “It’s my job to take care of Lilly. If she can’t see, I’m going to have to be the one who reads for her. It’s my job to protect her, and I always will.”
-----
Lilly is eight years old when Akira comes to get her from school one afternoon. She is sitting on a bench, and she’s staring sightlessly down at the ground. There are three little boys standing around in front of her. One of them is making an ugly face at her. “What kind of face am I making, blind girl? How many fingers am I holding up?”
Akira ends up grabbing the brat by the ear and holding him there until he apologizes to Lilly.
Later, her mother gives her a stern lecture about not bullying little kids. Akira doesn’t complain.
-----
Akira is nineteen years old when her parents say that they are moving to Scotland. “What about Lilly?” she asks.
“Lilly will stay here,” they say. “She’ll stay at grandmother and grandfather’s place.”
It’s all so fucking simple. Stick all the cripples, the feebs, and the old geezers together. Put them away where they won’t interfere with all us young and healthy folk.
In her mind, Akira sees Lilly sitting on a park bench alone, being mocked by bullies. But this time, the bullies have the faces of her mother and father.
Akira is the older sister. She’ll protect Lilly.
-----
Akira is tired.
Between her work as a legal assistant and her classes at law school, she doesn’t have much time to rest. On top of that, there is Lilly. Akira doesn’t want to hate her sister, but it’s hard, when it’s been a long day at work and all she wants to do is drink a beer and go to sleep. But there is Lilly, and she needs help with her homework. There is Lilly, and she needs help shopping for clothes. Lilly, Lilly Lilly. Every hour. Every day. Every year.
Then, one day, Lilly’s taking care of Akira.
-----
Akira is twenty-one when Lilly tells her that she’s applied to Yamaku.
“You don’t need to do that,” Akira insists. “I’ll take care of you. You don’t need to go to some stupid high school for cripples. You can be with your friends at a normal high school.”
“You’ll take care of me?” Lilly says, patiently. “What if you get hurt, or sick? Who will take care of me then?”
Akira has no answer.
“I need to learn to take care of myself, Akira. Yamaku can teach me to do that.”
Akira is the older sister. She lets Lilly go.
-----
Akira is twenty-four, and Lilly is crying. Lilly is crying because she got into a fight with Shizune.
It hurts Akira to see Lilly like this. It hurts even worse because it’s Shizune. Lilly had been delighted to find out that Shizune was going to Yamaku as well. She’d been so excited to join the Student Council, to make the school a better place at Shizune’s side.
What happened? How did they fall apart?
Akira curses her uncle Jigoro for being who he is. She curses him for turning Shizune into the person she’s become. She hates seeing Lilly cry.
-----
Akira is in love, and Lilly knows this. So Lilly offers to move to the dorms at Yamaku.
“You don’t need to do that,” Akira says. “You can stay with me at home.”
“I don’t want to come between you and your boyfriend,” Lilly insists. “You deserve to be happy.”
“I’m happiest when you’re happy,” Akira insists.
“I can be just as happy in the dorm rooms at Yamaku. It will be good practice for when I finally have to live alone. Besides,” she says, “you can’t protect me forever.”
“I know,” Akira says. “But sometimes, I wish I could.”
-----
Lilly has made a friend. Her name is Hanako.
“She’s the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet,” Lilly says. “You should come by for one of our tea parties.”
Akira does one day, unannounced. She blanches when she sees the girl with the scarred face sitting across from her blind sister. Images of boys dancing around her sister on the park bench flash before her.
Then she really looks at Hanako’s face, and she realizes this girl is just like her Lilly. But unlike Lilly, Hanako never had an Akira to protect her.
Akira’s an older sister. She’ll protect Hanako too.
-----
Lilly has met a boy.
“His name is Hisao,” she says, “and he’s handsome and kind. He’s friends with Hanako too: we shopped for her birthday together. I think I kind of like him.”
Akira fiddles with the letter from their parents as Lilly continues talking excitedly. This isn’t going to last, she knows. Lilly doesn’t know yet what her parents plan for them. This boy isn’t going to be with Lilly for much longer.
She should say something, but Akira doesn’t mention it yet. There will be time for that later. For now, Akira lets Lilly enjoy her dreams.
-----
Lilly is in the hospital. Hisao has woken up.
Akira sees them in the hospital room together, and Lilly is crying. Hisao is holding her tightly, and he will never let her go.
It hurts to see her little sister in the arms of this young man. Not so long ago, it was Akira who would be the one holding and comforting Lilly.
Akira is twenty-five years old when she calls her parents and tells them Lilly isn’t coming to Inverness. They are angry. She doesn’t care. She’s the older sister. She's taken care of Lilly.
And she always will.
-----
Akira is seven years old when her parents tell her that her little sister is blind. The first thing she does is go to the library and pick up as many books as possible. She sits next to Lilly’s cradle and she reads books about foxes and wizards and fairy godmothers to her all afternoon.
People ask her why. “Because I’m the older sister,” she says. “It’s my job to take care of Lilly. If she can’t see, I’m going to have to be the one who reads for her. It’s my job to protect her, and I always will.”
-----
Lilly is eight years old when Akira comes to get her from school one afternoon. She is sitting on a bench, and she’s staring sightlessly down at the ground. There are three little boys standing around in front of her. One of them is making an ugly face at her. “What kind of face am I making, blind girl? How many fingers am I holding up?”
Akira ends up grabbing the brat by the ear and holding him there until he apologizes to Lilly.
Later, her mother gives her a stern lecture about not bullying little kids. Akira doesn’t complain.
-----
Akira is nineteen years old when her parents say that they are moving to Scotland. “What about Lilly?” she asks.
“Lilly will stay here,” they say. “She’ll stay at grandmother and grandfather’s place.”
It’s all so fucking simple. Stick all the cripples, the feebs, and the old geezers together. Put them away where they won’t interfere with all us young and healthy folk.
In her mind, Akira sees Lilly sitting on a park bench alone, being mocked by bullies. But this time, the bullies have the faces of her mother and father.
Akira is the older sister. She’ll protect Lilly.
-----
Akira is tired.
Between her work as a legal assistant and her classes at law school, she doesn’t have much time to rest. On top of that, there is Lilly. Akira doesn’t want to hate her sister, but it’s hard, when it’s been a long day at work and all she wants to do is drink a beer and go to sleep. But there is Lilly, and she needs help with her homework. There is Lilly, and she needs help shopping for clothes. Lilly, Lilly Lilly. Every hour. Every day. Every year.
Then, one day, Lilly’s taking care of Akira.
-----
Akira is twenty-one when Lilly tells her that she’s applied to Yamaku.
“You don’t need to do that,” Akira insists. “I’ll take care of you. You don’t need to go to some stupid high school for cripples. You can be with your friends at a normal high school.”
“You’ll take care of me?” Lilly says, patiently. “What if you get hurt, or sick? Who will take care of me then?”
Akira has no answer.
“I need to learn to take care of myself, Akira. Yamaku can teach me to do that.”
Akira is the older sister. She lets Lilly go.
-----
Akira is twenty-four, and Lilly is crying. Lilly is crying because she got into a fight with Shizune.
It hurts Akira to see Lilly like this. It hurts even worse because it’s Shizune. Lilly had been delighted to find out that Shizune was going to Yamaku as well. She’d been so excited to join the Student Council, to make the school a better place at Shizune’s side.
What happened? How did they fall apart?
Akira curses her uncle Jigoro for being who he is. She curses him for turning Shizune into the person she’s become. She hates seeing Lilly cry.
-----
Akira is in love, and Lilly knows this. So Lilly offers to move to the dorms at Yamaku.
“You don’t need to do that,” Akira says. “You can stay with me at home.”
“I don’t want to come between you and your boyfriend,” Lilly insists. “You deserve to be happy.”
“I’m happiest when you’re happy,” Akira insists.
“I can be just as happy in the dorm rooms at Yamaku. It will be good practice for when I finally have to live alone. Besides,” she says, “you can’t protect me forever.”
“I know,” Akira says. “But sometimes, I wish I could.”
-----
Lilly has made a friend. Her name is Hanako.
“She’s the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet,” Lilly says. “You should come by for one of our tea parties.”
Akira does one day, unannounced. She blanches when she sees the girl with the scarred face sitting across from her blind sister. Images of boys dancing around her sister on the park bench flash before her.
Then she really looks at Hanako’s face, and she realizes this girl is just like her Lilly. But unlike Lilly, Hanako never had an Akira to protect her.
Akira’s an older sister. She’ll protect Hanako too.
-----
Lilly has met a boy.
“His name is Hisao,” she says, “and he’s handsome and kind. He’s friends with Hanako too: we shopped for her birthday together. I think I kind of like him.”
Akira fiddles with the letter from their parents as Lilly continues talking excitedly. This isn’t going to last, she knows. Lilly doesn’t know yet what her parents plan for them. This boy isn’t going to be with Lilly for much longer.
She should say something, but Akira doesn’t mention it yet. There will be time for that later. For now, Akira lets Lilly enjoy her dreams.
-----
Lilly is in the hospital. Hisao has woken up.
Akira sees them in the hospital room together, and Lilly is crying. Hisao is holding her tightly, and he will never let her go.
It hurts to see her little sister in the arms of this young man. Not so long ago, it was Akira who would be the one holding and comforting Lilly.
Akira is twenty-five years old when she calls her parents and tells them Lilly isn’t coming to Inverness. They are angry. She doesn’t care. She’s the older sister. She's taken care of Lilly.
And she always will.
And made me hate Jigoro even more. But at least, by the end of Lilly's route we know she and Shizune may have entered a path of reconciliation.