I saw the atomic bomb explode.It happened when I was only four years old.Nothing dreadful has happend to me since then.But Ihave never been happy,because Mommy was killed in the explosion. I remember those terrible days.We lived in Urakami in Nagasaki and air raids every day.When the sirens began to blow,Mommy helped me put on my air-raid cap.She put a knapsack on my back and me to the air-raid shelter. The shelter,which Ialways found dark and damp,wasvery small and full of mosquitoes.I could not play house there.But I was happy because Mommy held me tight during the terrible times.At other times,she was too busy. Lots of bombs fell near our house,so Daddy nad Mommy decided to send Mkoto,my berother,and me to Koba.My grandma lived there.Her house was on a hill.On august 5,Mommy took us there and left us with my grandma.
On august 8,Mommy came to see us.That was the last time we saw her.She brought me th mompe she had just made for me.All of a sudden,we heard the air-raid sirens.Mommy hurried back to Urakami to see if everything was all right.
Before she ran down the hill,sh patted me on the head.and promised,"Next time I'll bring tempura and manju," The next morning Imissed Mommy,and so did Makoto.We decided to go to Urakami. All of a sudden,there was a great big flash.It was like lightning.I was very surprised.I didn't know what it was.There was a big noise,then came a strong wind,which almost blew me over.I lay down on my face and stayed there with my hands over may ears. After awhile, Itook my hands away from my ears.I couldn't hear the cicadas.They weren't singin any more.I opened my eyes and got up.Oh,my!What a terrible sight!
We were just going out.Then the air-raid sirens started again.Soon we heard the sound of a plane.We were very disappointed because we had to give up going to Urakami.Istarted to play house on the engawa.Cicadas were making alot of noise.
From the other side of the big green mountain,a great red pillar was sticking up into the sky.It was a big,big pillar of fire.The top of it was like amorning glory.
Swelling and swelling,it went up and up,higher and higher,like smoke from a chimmney,all the way up to the sky.First it was all red.Then ti began to change into different clors. After a while,the colors weren't bright any more. The whole thing turned gray and spread all over the sky.The sun,which Ilooked up at through the cloud, was the color of something dead. It got dark almost as dark as night and cold,too.Pieces ofburnt paper kept falling down out of the sky.I saw lots of black smoke coming from the other side of the mountain.My brother smoke.After a little while, the cicadas began to sing again. Then it began to rain.The raindrops were big and greasy.They made dark spots on my dress.Since we were afraid of such a funny kind of rain,we went into the house.
Fujie and Sadako came along in the evening.Sadako was carrying Ritsuko on her back. I asked,"Where is Mommy? Is she coming later?"Fujie didn't answer but just took me in her arms and cried and cried. Ritsuko was laid down on the tatami.She couldn't get up and play with me.She just lay there. Sadako put her arms around Ritsuko,but Ritsuko kept crying,"Oh,my back hurts! Mommy!It hurts!"But nobody knew where her mother was.
Ritsuko had purplish marks all over her.Sadako said apile of dirt had fallen on Ritsuko in the air-raid shelter.Poor Ritsuko!She couldn't undertstand why she didn'tcome with the tempura and the maju.
But the tempura and the maju were not what Ireally cared about.Ijust wanted to be with Mommy again. Fujie showed up.She said,"poor little Kayano,"and she began to cry.I couldn't understand why Mommy wasn't with her.Isaid,"where is Mommy?Couldn't you find her?" "Everybody's dead,everybody,"Fujie said.
Two days later,Daddy came along at last.What a sight he was!His head was all wrapped in bandages,which were stiff from dried blood.His clothes were also stiff from dried blood.
His face was pale,and his eyes were glaring!My brother and Iwere afraid togo near him.My brother was so shocked that he let go of the cicada that he was holding. Lots of doctors and nurses were with Daddy,who was a doctor,too.The house was filled with the smell of medicine.After they took a short rest,they all went out.Some of them could hardly walk and were leaning on sticks.
Later that year,there was a big funeral service for the people who had died.It was hel on the relatives of the dead held white crosses,8,600 in all.I held a cross with my mother's name on it.
Thenumber of white crosses was lrger than the number of people present at the service,which made everybody cry. After the service we visitied Mommy's grave.On the grave there was a little stone which Daddy had put there. We setup the white cross Ihad carried at the funeral service. That happened four years ago.Daddy has been sick in bed ever since.Hehas lost a lot of weight. He is so thin now,but I am getting very big and tall. My mother's grave doesn't get any bigger or any smaller.Whenever I visit her,the stone and the cross just stand there.Now I can read what Daddy wrote onthe cross four years ago. Marina Nagai Midori. Died August 9th,1945.