A Sad Beautiful Song
2nd of the Summer, 6th full Solar Day, 50th year of Homura

Dear Diary,

I got sick a couple days ago, fever perhaps.

I was sweating buckets, and then everything went blurry and I fell down.

Kind grandmother, she tucked me in and put a damp cloth on me, I was so dizzy that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. She spoonfed me some hot broth to ease some food into my painful stomach.

Then, she sang to me the song mother used to sing.

It was the sad, beautiful one about the glowing fireflies in the field.

And without knowing why, even if I was sickly and my ears could barely make out her voice, her melody cut so deep inside of me…

I began to cry.

I was not even sure why I was crying.

Later, I became well again, and had to catch up when I went to train again with the others, because of the days I had spent getting well.

I lagged even further behind.

Master Zaimi looked disapprovingly upon me when she had seen how little progress I had been making and gave me a harsh lecture in front of our entire group.

I was red with embarrassment and bowed my head low for her, but she didn’t know I was closing my eyes.

I tried not to let everyone’s glaring stares and my master’s hard words cut into me, so instead I tried to think of the grandmother’s gentle song.


-Rei