2.Child entrusted with the future～未来を託された子ども～
One day, a Japanese baby was born to a couple. The baby’s parents named him ‘Shinki’.
His mother: “I want Shinki to change this world. I’m believing in him.”
His father: “Me, too. I think he will become a leader of this country. And he will be a great man.”
His parents were talking. Shinki was sleeping.
―Time passed, and Shinki became 11 years old. He was kind to everyone and liked to help people in need. He also loved his parents. One day, he talked to his parents.
Shinki: “We’re together forever, right?”
His mother: “Yes. I will never separate from you.”
His father: “Me, too. We’re always together. It’s ordinary.”
Shinki: “Yes! Ha-ha-ha!!”
Shinki and his parents were laughing. Shinki was happy. He was thinking such a life would continue forever. Until that day….
One day, Shinki went to the park near his house. He went there with his parents. They were playing. But then some horrible men came there and started to use guns. They were laughing. Some of them came to Shinki. They tried to shoot him. Some bullets flew at him. But his parents stood in front of him.
Shinki: “!!”
Bullets hit his parents. They fell on the ground. Shinki cried.
Shinki: “Don’t die! We’re not alone, right!? We promised, didn’t we!?”
His mother: “All right…. We will never go away from you.”
His father: “That’s right.”
And his father said again.
His father: “I… want to tell you… this. Change this world.”
Shinki: “OK! So, don’t die!!”
His father: “All right. We’re always with you.”
His mother: “I’m believing in you.”
His father: “Be a man who is strong, and kind to everyone. And be a leader. And…. Change the world. With your friends, Shinki.”
Shinki was crying so he couldn’t listen to them.
Shinki: “Don’t die! Don’t go away! Don’t make me alone! Bwaah―!!”
His father: “I said we’re forever with you, right?”
Shinki was still crying.
The mother: “We’ll be in your mind from now on. So, you’re not alone.”
The father: “Don’t cry. Let’s smile at the end!”
The mother: “Yes!”
Shinki couldn’t smile. Then, his father told Shinki to take his smartphone out of his pocket.
The father: “Let’s smile!”
Shinki took a picture of his family with his father’s smartphone. Shinki saw the picture of his family. His parents were smiling. A few minutes later, his parents died. Shinki looked around him. A lot of bombs started falling on the town. Shinki ran to his house. But holes had been made in the roof by the bombs. He lost his parents, and also the photo albums of his family. He cried a lot all day. He was crying the next day, too. It started raining. It rained heavily. The fires in town disappeared….
A few days later, it was sunny. Shinki went to the park. He was walking around the park. And he came to the place where he played with his parents. When he got there, two voices sounded.
Shinki: “!!”
They were his mother’s and father’s voices. Shinki looked around him, but they weren’t there. The voices sounded from the sky.
His mother: “You’re all right. We’re always with you.”
His father: “That’s right. We’ll never make you alone.”
Shinki was surprised.
Shinki: “Come here!”
His mother: “Sorry. We can’t go to you. But we can watch over you.”
His father: “We can never appear in front of you. So, we want to send you this.”
Then, a picture fell on the ground from the sky. Shinki saw it. Shinki started crying. It was the picture of his family taken by father’s smartphone.
His father: “If you are sad, look at the picture. You are not alone….”
His parents’ voices became smaller and smaller. And their voices disappeared. Shinki was crying for a long time. But he stopped crying.
Shinki: “I must survive. I’m not alone. I must do something to change this world. …Watch me. Always root for me.”
Shinki was talking to the picture his parents gave him. His parents were smiling in the picture. Shinki put it in his pocket. He stood up and went on foot. Then, he found a boy playing with a toy. But the boy didn’t look happy.
Shinki: “What’s up? You look sad.”
Shinki talked to the boy. The boy looked at Shinki. They started talking.
Shinki: “Oh, you lost your family.”
The boy: “Yes….”
The boy’s name was Suntom.
Suntom: “I like making things.”
Shinki: “You’re playing with a toy. Did you make it?”
Suntom showed him the toy. It was a small plane.
Suntom: “No. my father gave me this. He was scary. And he often became angry. I didn’t like him. But he took me to a shop that sold a lot of toys once. He was kind to me only then. And he bought it and said to me, ‘Fly to the sky with this plane. This is small, but if you believe, you can fly. Believing is important.’.”
He smiled at me. I was happy.
Shinki: “….”
Suntom: “I’m sad now. How about your parents?”
Shinki: “They were kind to me.”
He showed his family picture to Suntom. Suntom and Shinki were talking and laughing. Suntom was teaching Shinki how to make things. They were playing for a long time.
