Umbra

       The concussive wave lifts the ground as the underlying soils fry and the precious water contained therein boils away. The structures are no more and the city of souls evaporates in an instant, in the blink of an eye: in a speck of time that evolved from eons of change, the earth changes again. The minute crystals of quartz in the sands and soils melt and reform as glass. The iridescent colors and patterns of the surface plane are created as the earth itself memorializes the moment. Simultaneously hallowed and obscene, words offered to grasp with the mind the tumult of the braziered landscape.

       Saturo, the painter, is here early to try to get a start on his duties before the office workers arrive. His young family remains at home snuggling in their bedclothes after seeing Satoru off to work. The morning holds the promise of a golden August summer day. The roses are in bloom around the building where he is to work this morning and the waft of the delicate scent delights the young man. Thoughts of his wife surround him as the roses immerse him, a beguiling perfume that his woman wears only for him and this always makes him feel honored. This morning Satoru wanted to take his family to see his father on the farm to the north of the city. The gardenias are in bloom but the maintenance duties cannot be excused and Satoru unloads his paintbrushes, ladder and paint and tries to decide where to begin his task that will be finished by the end of his shift.

        Haruto, the bookbinder, misses his wife of sixty-three years. Her health is not good and the couple agrees she is to spend time enjoying the pristine air and waters of Nara, a mountain retreat that at one time was the capital of Japan. Haruto works as a bookbinder, a time-honored profession that he now teaches to the young who aspire to a humble yet noble craft. Haruto can bind hand lettered manuscripts entirely without the aid of modern machinery. These are his favorite texts to work with and display as the quality of his work is superior and Haruto has wide reknown for his craftsmanship and is widely sought out even though he is over eighty-one years old.

        Asuga wants to practice jump rope this morning. She awakened early and prepared a breakfast of fruit and tea for herself. The apricots are sweet and juicy and the syrup runs down her chin onto her blue smock. She finishes her meal and sees the sunlight shining through the rice paper shade in the window. She waves to her cat who is languidly enjoying the morning as well, his tail flicking back and forth lazily. Asuga does not want to be teased by her friends Chiyo and Emiko who laughed at her when she tripped over the rope the last time they played together.

       The wind is docile this morning with a few leaves gracefully shimmering in the light. The scent of pine is pervasive as the trees flourish in the city gardens and private courtyards. The chattering echoes of several sparrows and thrushes can be heard innocuously in the background. The street vendors are about and proceed to shout their offerings and the market prices of the day. Asuga sings to herself a rhyme she has created to skip rope with while the drone of an aircraft can be softly heard overhead.

Works Cited

1. History Daily. “The Shadows of Hiroshima”. 09 June 2017.

 https://historydaily.org/the-shadows-of-hiroshima/ 

https://d14e8oeg5e788p.cloudfront.net/content/52459/b7ece048f32b0992c709784fa5cb62df.jpg/  

Accessed 31 March 2020.

 

2. History Daily. “The Shadows of Hiroshima”. 09 June 2017.

https://historydaily.org/the-shadows-of-hiroshima

https://d14e8oeg5e788p.cloudfront.net/content/52459/a750419dc4e5cc75a875dda6ddfd259.jpg.               

Accessed 01 April 2020.

 

3. The Different Group. “Shadows of Hiroshima”. 22 Aug. 2016.

https://www.thedifferentgroup.com/2016/08/22/ombre-di-hiroshima-nuclear/

Accessed 02 April 2020.