The Village

The sun peaks through window of my room, warming my face and stirring me from sleep. I turn over and bury myself in the bedding. I hear my sister next to me yawn and get up.

"Come on Mizu, it's time to open the restaurant. Mom and dad will scold us if we aren't up in time for breakfast."

I groaned, but listened to my elder sister and got ready for the day. I washed my face and hands, then got dressed in a simple pale green kimono with yellow obi*. Once my hair and sleeves were tied back, I started to simmer the morning rice, while my sister swept the front and opened the door.

That's when my dad came in with his morning catch of fish and set about skinning and cutting them. He was clearly lost in thought about something. My sister was the mouthy one out of the two of us, so she spoke up first.

"So what has you in such a mood Papa? You got a good catch today, and the restaurant has been doing well lately with all the soldiers coming through on their way to Kyoto. Is Mama doing okay this morning, I'm surprised we haven't seen her yet."

Their father stiffened and stopped preparing the fish in front of him.

"Mizu, Sukura, I need to talk to you both. Your mom isn't feeling well today, so she is sleeping in, but this is morning when I went out for the fish, some of the other townsmen had found a group of soldiers bodies adrift in the river. We had to pull them out and take care of them. The war is getting to close to home lately, and your mother and I are getting worried. We have considered closing the restaurant and moving farther west."

I dropped my utensils and gasped. I knew the war effort was getting bad, but not like this, I looked at my sister, she was wide eyed and pale.

I suddenly remembered the other day when my sister confided in me about a man she had been seeing, I think his name was Yokama. He was one of the soldiers who frequently passed through here back and forth between Kyoto and his hometown. She told me she loved him and that he wanted to marry her. She was plenty old enough, eighteen is honestly the perfect time to get married, but with what my father is saying now I'm not sure what she will do.

"Sukura, what about-" but my question was cut short by screams coming from outside. My father didn't hesitate to run outside, and my mom came out from their room in her night clothes.

"Are you girls okay? Where's your father?" She seemed unreasonably tired, and her eyes were red like she had been crying.

My sister pointed to the door, and I just froze. My body was starting to shake with fear. That's when my mom grabbed my wrist and started to run for the door. She had my sister my the arm as well, but once the door was open and the scene outside was before us, we all froze in terror.