Short Short: [Quietly at the End] #LiteraryAwardFromAPhoto

Phew, finally I can relax.

Satoko sat in a chair by the window. She hadn't found any food, but she had managed to get her hands on some homemade fruit wine.
It was a great harvest. I wanted some alcohol, after all.
Satoko stroked the bottle of fruit wine gently, looking satisfied. A beautiful purple. A paler color than wine.
She had found the fruit wine in the under-floor storage of a certain house. Next to the fruit wine, there had been some nukazuke (pickled vegetables), but it had grown moldy.
Looking at the ransacked kitchen made her feel very sad. It felt as though the lives of the people who lived here had been destroyed.
The cupboards and refrigerator were left wide open, and nothing remained. It was also terrifying to see that the knife storage under the sink was empty. Surely they would be used in ways they weren't intended for. Just imagining it gave her the chills.
Satoko stood up a chair that had been knocked over and sat down. A four-person dining table. In the dish cupboard, various dishes like rice bowls and soup bowls were neatly stored in sets of four. I wonder if it was a family of four.
She tried to imagine the happy life of a family of four. Warm meals, cheerful conversation, and perhaps that nukazuke from earlier would have added color to their meals. I wish I could have tried the nukazuke.
Curious, Satoko closed the open cupboard doors, and then closed the refrigerator door. That was when she noticed a memo note stuck to the refrigerator door.

The Watanabe family is evacuating.
We are leaving a little food and drink behind.
We have hidden all dangerous items.
Please try not to make too much of a mess of the house.

It was written in very beautiful handwriting.
Satoko bowed her head toward the memo note.
I will take the fruit wine. Please stay safe.
Satoko tidied up the house a little before going outside.
Just in case they come back, so that it might be even a little bit pleasant for them.

About a month ago, the world was suddenly engulfed in chaos.
That was because a certain news program broadcast that a giant meteorite would collide with Earth in the near future.
At first, the people watching the program thought it was a bad joke, but when a suspiciously glowing star became visible in the sky, the world descended into chaos.
People sought places to escape, even though they knew it was futile, and from there, they began to hurt and steal from one another. Infrastructure stopped immediately, and no information or anything else could get through.
Rumors flew about how world leaders had known about this giant meteorite for years and possessed underground shelters where only they could be saved. But there was no longer any way to know for sure.

And so, humanity transitioned into a state of quietly awaiting its end.

The sun will set soon.
There is only one box of candles left. They are candles for offerings, but there is no one left to notice or care about that anymore.
Satoko stuck a candle into a candlestick and lit it.
A faint light illuminated the room.
She took a sip of the fruit wine in the glass. It was sweet and delicious. I wonder if the person who made it liked sweet alcohol.
She didn't feel much fear, but she hoped that when the moment of death came, it wouldn't be painful or hot.

Satoko was waiting for her final moment.
The star of death visible in the sky twinkled brightly.
A sound like the roaring of the sea could be heard from afar.

(End)