[Short Story] Grandma When I Arrived in Heaven

"When do you plan on getting married?"
"Isn't there anyone good for you?"
I, who had been alienated by my daughter for asking such things constantly,
tried to avoid saying anything
about marriage to her after that.

Once I stopped saying anything,
my daughter suddenly got married.
Should I call it a whirlwind marriage?
Even though there had been no talk of anyone she was seeing until then,
she suddenly brought a man home
and said, "I'm going to marry this person."
Well, he was a nice young man, so
I didn't complain.

So, my daughter got married suddenly three years ago, but
now she wouldn't have any children.
"Dear, do you think Chihiro
doesn't intend to have children?"
Even when I asked my husband,
he only said, "Well, shouldn't we leave it to them?
Are you going to persistently ask if they aren't having kids?
Chihiro will just get annoyed with you again."
It was true that I had been annoying when she got married
and made her feel bad, so
this time I would say nothing and leave it to my daughter.
If I said nothing, just like when she got married,
she might suddenly be blessed with a child.

…Or so I thought, but
I suddenly arrived in heaven.
I had been in an accident.
I wanted to hold my grandchild while I was still alive…
Thinking that, I left my body
and ascended to heaven.

Then, the one who welcomed me at the entrance was a little angel.
…No, it was a girl about two years old.
"Grandma!"
She said that and reached out both hands to me.
Oh, my, how awful,
do I already look like a grandma to her…?
I was only 52, and I still felt a bit young.
While feeling a little shocked,
I couldn't refuse
the cute girl reaching out her hands.
I picked the girl up with a beaming smile.

"Well, aren't you cute."
She was truly a cute child, but somehow,
I felt a familiarity beyond that.
"Grandma! We finally met."
The child said that while clinging to me.
"We finally… met, didn't we."
I didn't quite understand what she meant,
but since it was a small child speaking, I just went along with it.
Then the girl began to speak fluently.
"Inside Mommy's tummy,
I'm sorry I died.
Mommy was crying.
I wanted to meet Grandma, too."
What…? Is this child Chihiro's child?
Did Chihiro have a miscarriage?

I pulled the girl away from my chest and looked closely at her face.
She looked somewhat like Chihiro.
"You are my grandchild, aren't you?"
I asked the girl.
"That's why I've been calling you Grandma
this whole time."
The girl laughed and clung to me again.

Ah, I finally became a grandma.
To think that my dream would come true when I arrived in heaven.
Chihiro, if you had a miscarriage,
you should have told me…
It must have been painful.
And yet, even if I didn't say it out loud,
my thoughts of "Aren't you having kids yet?"
must have surely been conveyed to you.
I'm sorry.

While apologizing to my daughter,
I hugged my grandchild with all my might.
"Grandma, it hurts."
My grandchild let out a sound like a scream.
Tears streamed from my eyes.

©2023 alice hanasaki

Click here for the short story magazine ↑

Thank you for reading until the end!
I would be even more delighted
if you read my other short stories.