The Day Your Own Universe Was Born

Hey! I saw it!

My eldest son (8) shouted at a volume far exceeding the acceptable decibel level for an apartment the moment he got home from school.

His cheeks were brightly flushed and he was panting, as if he had run all the way home.

He is usually the type of boy who skips saying "I'm home" and just coolly mutters "...sup." This was no ordinary event.

What's wrong?

I instinctively stopped cooking dinner, and he began to speak all at once, his eyes sparkling.

So, first, I need to check something: do airplanes ever go above the clouds? Do they fly next to the moon? They don't, right?!

Are there airplanes that have lights that flash and move both above and below them? There aren't, right?!

Aha, so what he saw was that...

My son.
There is no doubt that infinite dreams and possibilities spread out across the universe.

But that is, well, probably not it. Unfortunately, airplanes do fly above the clouds, and airplanes aren't the only things with strong lights that illuminate the night sky.

I almost accidentally denied it, but I swallowed my words. This is an 8-year-old who is usually so cool and cynical that he says things like, "I'm not getting married, it costs too much money," and he was looking at me with such pure, sparkling eyes. I really didn't have the heart to debunk him.

Oh? A glowing thing? Were there a lot of them flying?

The ultimate parenting technique to show you're listening without denying or confirming: parroting back.

Yeah! I'm sure that was a UFO!!

His excitement didn't fade, and the dinner table was filled with talk of UFOs.

My second son (5) had his eyes shining at his brother's story, while the youngest (2), unable to keep up with the conversation, just shouted loudly to try and get everyone's attention.

After listening to my eldest son for a while, my husband slowly took out his phone. When he showed him past UFO sightings and the characteristics of flying objects that might glow, my son considered my husband an ally and was thrilled, saying, 'Maybe that's what I saw too!' I was jealous. I should have aimed for that position.

Even after dinner, my eldest son's enthusiasm only grew.
Usually, he would be reading 'Kaiketsu Zorori' in the living room, fighting with his brother over whether to play Precure, or starting an indoor game of dodgeball that would make me lose my temper, but that day was different.

'I need to know more about the universe...!'


Hey now, the universe is vast and complex. Before jumping into such a big theme, please take a small step and do your homework for today first.

I turned around to say that, but I gasped.

My eldest son's eyes were serious.
I realized.I must not stop him now, I thought.

I was also curious about what he was trying to learn about the universe and how.
It can't be helped; for today, I'll turn a blind eye to his homework.

'...Okay. Go for it with all your might.'

When I gently pushed his back, my eldest son nodded vigorously and set off on a journey to his own little universe—his bedroom.

After a while, I heard a voice from behind the door saying,'I did it!', and my eldest son burst out. In his hand, he held a drawing of colorful planets surrounding the Earth.

The method he chose to grasp the universe and etch it into his memory was drawing.

He must have realized after he started that he didn't have enough paper for the scale, so he used cellophane tape to attach more, and the universe spread onto another sheet. It was truly his own universe.

It was probably nothing more than a drawing imitating an illustration that came up when he searched for 'universe' on a website. Even so, my heart was trembling. His love and passion for the universe had now taken a visible form.

I think the starting point of love is interest.
Tonight, a new love was born within him. A longing for an unknown world and the impulse for 'his own universe.' I am watching the moment his world expands right before my eyes.

Dazzling. Beautiful. Precious—

So many feelings are exploding. Perhaps the beginning of the universe was just as vivid.

===

A few days after the UFO sighting, my eldest son has been coming home a little later than usual.
He says he formed an investigation team with the friends who saw that light, and they check the night sky every day before heading home. Unfortunately, it seems they haven't encountered the mysterious light since that day.

It's not often that life changes because of a momentary heartbeat. By the time the universe he drew with colored pencils fades, he will likely be obsessed with something completely different. Even so, the heartbeat my son felt through the UFO has definitely shaken his life.

A light that will likely shine on him much longer and brighter than the fleeting light that appeared in the night sky. I find his life, which is spreading out in such vivid colors, so dear.

"Do you know the orbital period of Mars? I do! You see—"
"Wait, let me guess. But before that, how about your homework?"
"Geez, I was just about to do it."

Since then, my eldest son has become completely hooked on space, devouring books and presenting the knowledge he's acquired as quizzes one after another. He still tends to slack off on his "small steps toward the universe," but it seems he intends to tidy up today.

I stood up after watching his back as he muttered to himself and headed back to his room.

Once he finishes his homework, I'll give it to him. The space encyclopedia for my eldest son, which arrived at the house the day before yesterday and is still wrapped in its paper.
Will he be happy? Beyond the orbital period of Mars, there are still as many mysteries waiting for him as there are stars in the sky.

Keep chasing it, always.
At your own speed, toward your own light.

"Mom, can you check my answers?"

—Here it comes!

"I told you, when you want to ask for something, you should come to me yourself."

Even as I mutter, I can't help but grin. I slowly walk toward his little universe. Of course, in my arms, I'm carrying his new companion, still wrapped in its paper.

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