ALSS 119

Story 119

On the Tatami Mats

When Dad disappeared, I asked Mom,

“Where did Dad go?”

At that time, Mom hugged me tightly and gently answered near my ear.

“Well, you see… your dad went to a very, very faraway place.”
“Will he come back someday?”
“Yes… maybe…”

When Mom didn’t answer right away, I asked something I’d heard somewhere before.

“Did Dad die…?”
“Yes… your dad was in an accident…”
“What does it mean to die?”

Mom stayed silent for a long time. Then, after a while, she said this.

“Look over there.”
“Oh, a butterfly!”
“You see, when people die, they become butterflies.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They turn into butterflies and fly up to heaven in the sky. But the sky is very far away, right? That’s why it takes a long time before they can come back.”
“How long!? How long until he comes back!?”
“Well… maybe one year. Maybe ten years. But you know, even if he does come back, you won’t know which butterfly is your dad. Butterflies all look alike, don’t they?”
“I see… but I’m glad Dad got to become a butterfly. I like butterflies—they’re pretty! Hey, Mom, will you become a butterfly too?”
“Someday. In the end, everyone becomes a beautiful butterfly.”

I believed that.

But that was a lie.

What Mom became wasn’t a butterfly—

it was a fly.