Story 71
Knife
This is about my older brother.
My brother used to be full of energy, always talkative, and just generally a very lively person. He had a friendly personality, and even after graduating high school and getting a job at a factory, it was clear he was well-liked. His supervisors would treat him to things, give him hand-me-downs, and overall he seemed very popular at work.
However, after more than ten years of working at the factory, he gradually started to lose his mind.
He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a psychiatric clinic.
Both my brother and I started working right after high school, but since our jobs were close to home, we continued living with our parents.
And then, one day…
Without much thought, I went into the living room. Our house is a normal detached home, and the kitchen is connected to the living room.
My brother was in the kitchen, facing away from me, making instant coffee. While heating water in the T-fal kettle, he tilted a jar and poured the coffee powder into a mug.
“Ah, by the way…”
He spoke to me casually, like nothing was wrong.
When I turned to look at him, there was a fruit knife stuck in his forehead.
It looked as if the knife was growing out of his forehead.
Yet, my brother calmly continued talking to me…
“Could you return that manga you borrowed the other day? I want to read it too.”
Doesn’t it hurt?
And more importantly, why on earth did he stick a fruit knife in his forehead?
There is nothing more terrifying than losing your mind.
