Where Did You Come From | Not Alone 4 | Shirokuma Literature Club
I was walking along the beach, holding my son's small hand. Behind us were two sets of footprints.
Summer is almost over. The sea breeze feels pleasant.
Suddenly, my son crouched down.
Wondering what was wrong, I saw him scooping up sand with both hands.
"Mom, where did this sand come from?"
I knelt down beside him and scooped up some sand with one hand.
"I wonder where?"
The answer to a six-year-old's simple question began to spill out from my hand little by little.
"It must have come from far away. Rocks on the mountains were worn down by rain and wind, flowed down rivers, and traveled a very, very long journey to get here."
"How long is that?"
"Well... it might have taken thousands of years to reach this place."
As I said that, I kept just a pinch of the sand I had scooped up and spread it out on my palm to show him.
My son stared at the grains of sand with a look of surprise.
"That's amazing. They've been traveling for much, much longer than us."
His words made my chest tighten. We are also in the middle of a journey. The new life that began after my divorce has only just started.
"Did these grains of sand travel all alone, scattered apart?"
I looked out over the beach. Countless grains of sand were being washed by the waves, sparkling and shining.
"No, they were with many companions. They have been traveling together the whole time, in the rivers and in the sea."
When he heard that, my son smiled brightly and gently tossed the sand from his palm into the air. As it scattered in the wind, illuminated by the setting sun, it looked like tiny stars.
"We'll always be together too, Mom."
As if to overlap with my son's voice, the sound of the waves echoed gently, quietly enveloping our footprints.
(Just like the grains of sand, we are also walking a long journey. And, we are certainly not alone.)
I am participating in Kosuke Komaki's Shirokuma Literature Club.
I would be encouraged if you could leave a like, follow, or comment.
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