That Dreary Day
It was a warm Summer morning in Hiroshima, Japan. The Miyazaki family, like the rest of Japan, was going on with their everyday lives. However, they did not know the horror that would soon come on this particular day. Yoko, along with her family were gathered around the table, enjoying their breakfast.
“Yoko, can you please pass the rice?”
“Here you go,” She replied and passed him a bowl.
Her father smiled gratefully and they continued their meal in peace except for the times when her father brought up stuff about the war. Japan was allied German and the Nazis but they had a feeling they would lose soon. They were part of the Axis powers and were against the Allies. Once they were finished, Mother went to clean the table up and Yoko, along with her brother Akito, began getting dressed for school. On their way out of the house Yoko noticed a plane in the sky.
“Look! Onee-chan, it’s a plane,” her brother stated the obvious, cocking his head to the sky.
“Kids, I think you should come back into the house.” Their mother ordered.
Like obedient children, they obeyed their mother and went back inside the house. Akito, being the curious kid he was, couldn’t help but bombard his mother with questions.
“What’s the plane doing there?”
“Are we going to be attacked?”
Their mom tried to stay calm. There were many questions running through her head at that moment as well, but she never thought that the plane would do that much harm. Just then, there was a blinding flash of light. Everything felt so surreal, but what came next shocked everybody. They heard a huge crash, deafening screams that pierced their ears. Their house began shaking and the roof began falling apart. Their father had already left for work so it was only the three of them left inside.
“Come here!” Mother held both of their hands and dragged them away when part of their home toppled over, almost crushing them. After a couple of seconds that seemed like an eternity, the sound of the explosion died out although the cries for help of many people didn’t. At first they were all stuck in a daze, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Minutes ticked by and finally, the ruckus seemed to stop. They were barricaded by the debris and were barely able to move.
Akito began crying. All they could see was destruction. The once sturdy houses were now all nothing but rubble. There were people lying on the ground, some moaning for help and some dead. Mrs. Miyazaki tried covering them from seeing the gruesome sight.
“Okaa-san, I’m scared!”
Yoko may have been young as well, but she was more mature. She didn’t cry even though she was just as scared.
“Everything’s going to be alright,” she tried comforting him.
Those words were lies.
Mrs. Miyazaki tried pushing away a piece of wood that was toppled over them. It was heavy and her strength wasn’t enough to get it out of the way. It budged a little. They were trapped. That’s when the fear grew. Who knew how long they would be stuck there until someone helped them up? They could starve to death and nobody would know. Along with her children, they spent hours trying to clear out the way. Finally, they managed to push the wood out of the way. As they stood up, the smell of human flesh lingered in the air. It was disgusting. It began raining. Black rain. The heat became unbearable and they wondered if they would ever make it out of this mess alive.
“Why is the rain black?” Akito sniffed. His eyes were red from crying.
Nobody knew the answer to that question. They were running now, trying to get to the river. Everything was on fire. Everywhere they looked, they saw dead bodies. It was horror. They headed toward the river near the park; there were a man loading people in the boat.
“Hey, would you like to get on the boat?” asked the man.
The fire was spreading fast and it was getting closer and closer. So they boarded the boat. The boat was quite small and there were many people on there. Yoko saw the black burns on the people’s skins and noticed that some people were practically bald. She was terrified of everything she saw, it felt like a nightmare.
There were dead bodies floating in the river. Yoko wanted to throw up. She saw many people run over to the river just so they could get a drink of water.
“Don’t drink that!” The man on the boat tried warning them, but it was too late. They coughed up a yellow substance and died soon. The man shook his head solemnly and looked away. But while some died instantly after consuming the water, some were still alive and lingering. The people on the boat did not know why but they weren’t going to take any chances. Yoko’s mother also tried covering her eyes to prevent the youngster to see any more.
Weeks had passed by since that day– the day the atom bomb was dropped. Things had gotten a bit better and they were grateful to be survivors. There were rescue crews sent to their house and a few days ago, they received horrible news. Father perished. He was out in the open when the bomb was dropped, making it almost impossible for him not to die. They were sad of course, but they tried their best to make it through each day. There is nothing the U.S. could do that would compensate for this horrible act. They still had hope that things would get better, even if things seemed like they wouldn’t.
“Yoko, can you please pass the rice?”
“Here you go,” She replied and passed him a bowl.
Her father smiled gratefully and they continued their meal in peace except for the times when her father brought up stuff about the war. Japan was allied German and the Nazis but they had a feeling they would lose soon. They were part of the Axis powers and were against the Allies. Once they were finished, Mother went to clean the table up and Yoko, along with her brother Akito, began getting dressed for school. On their way out of the house Yoko noticed a plane in the sky.
“Look! Onee-chan, it’s a plane,” her brother stated the obvious, cocking his head to the sky.
“Kids, I think you should come back into the house.” Their mother ordered.
Like obedient children, they obeyed their mother and went back inside the house. Akito, being the curious kid he was, couldn’t help but bombard his mother with questions.
“What’s the plane doing there?”
“Are we going to be attacked?”
Their mom tried to stay calm. There were many questions running through her head at that moment as well, but she never thought that the plane would do that much harm. Just then, there was a blinding flash of light. Everything felt so surreal, but what came next shocked everybody. They heard a huge crash, deafening screams that pierced their ears. Their house began shaking and the roof began falling apart. Their father had already left for work so it was only the three of them left inside.
“Come here!” Mother held both of their hands and dragged them away when part of their home toppled over, almost crushing them. After a couple of seconds that seemed like an eternity, the sound of the explosion died out although the cries for help of many people didn’t. At first they were all stuck in a daze, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Minutes ticked by and finally, the ruckus seemed to stop. They were barricaded by the debris and were barely able to move.
Akito began crying. All they could see was destruction. The once sturdy houses were now all nothing but rubble. There were people lying on the ground, some moaning for help and some dead. Mrs. Miyazaki tried covering them from seeing the gruesome sight.
“Okaa-san, I’m scared!”
Yoko may have been young as well, but she was more mature. She didn’t cry even though she was just as scared.
“Everything’s going to be alright,” she tried comforting him.
Those words were lies.
Mrs. Miyazaki tried pushing away a piece of wood that was toppled over them. It was heavy and her strength wasn’t enough to get it out of the way. It budged a little. They were trapped. That’s when the fear grew. Who knew how long they would be stuck there until someone helped them up? They could starve to death and nobody would know. Along with her children, they spent hours trying to clear out the way. Finally, they managed to push the wood out of the way. As they stood up, the smell of human flesh lingered in the air. It was disgusting. It began raining. Black rain. The heat became unbearable and they wondered if they would ever make it out of this mess alive.
“Why is the rain black?” Akito sniffed. His eyes were red from crying.
Nobody knew the answer to that question. They were running now, trying to get to the river. Everything was on fire. Everywhere they looked, they saw dead bodies. It was horror. They headed toward the river near the park; there were a man loading people in the boat.
“Hey, would you like to get on the boat?” asked the man.
The fire was spreading fast and it was getting closer and closer. So they boarded the boat. The boat was quite small and there were many people on there. Yoko saw the black burns on the people’s skins and noticed that some people were practically bald. She was terrified of everything she saw, it felt like a nightmare.
There were dead bodies floating in the river. Yoko wanted to throw up. She saw many people run over to the river just so they could get a drink of water.
“Don’t drink that!” The man on the boat tried warning them, but it was too late. They coughed up a yellow substance and died soon. The man shook his head solemnly and looked away. But while some died instantly after consuming the water, some were still alive and lingering. The people on the boat did not know why but they weren’t going to take any chances. Yoko’s mother also tried covering her eyes to prevent the youngster to see any more.
Weeks had passed by since that day– the day the atom bomb was dropped. Things had gotten a bit better and they were grateful to be survivors. There were rescue crews sent to their house and a few days ago, they received horrible news. Father perished. He was out in the open when the bomb was dropped, making it almost impossible for him not to die. They were sad of course, but they tried their best to make it through each day. There is nothing the U.S. could do that would compensate for this horrible act. They still had hope that things would get better, even if things seemed like they wouldn’t.