Seconds Before…

The sun at first had risen very brightly at daybreak, but soon, it disappeared behind a thin veil of clouds. 

Yima Chan had arrived at the school thirty minutes earlier – at 7.55 – before the reporting time of the children. There was going to be a radio programme where some students from various schools around Japan would come and show off their talents. Her son, Sunichi was also going to be live in a moment – in the talent of ‘singing’. She saw some of her colleagues had come already, but a fine pall of gloom was there on their face – after all, to think about the present condition they were facing, this was okay. Though it was 6th August, 1945, still there was no sign of the World War ending. Japan was under immense threat from the Americans to end the War, but their Emperor wouldn’t just listen to it. There had been many warnings about it – one time, she remembered – there were pamphlets distributed, but in vain. 

Keeping this tense situation in mind, our story continues…

She turned up the radio. After switching on, she rotated the needle a little bit over here and there. She precisely didn’t know what the frequency was…

‘It’s 96.9, Ma’am. Mind if I sit beside you? My daughter is also there, and will play the guzheng.’ A voice behind Yima called out. She saw that it was the Vice-Principal, Mr. Tanamoto.

‘Sure.’ Replied Yima, and slid right to make some space for him to sit.

The programme had just started, with the daily news chiming in:

‘We have been getting news of some American airplanes flying over Japan since yesterday. In the Axis, only Japan remains. The USA has already given a stiff ultimatum to the Emperor to end this war. We are now waiting with crossed fingers. We don’t know what will happen today. Anyway, we will now begin in two minutes our ‘Talent Show’….’

At 8.05, the program started. It began with Mr.Tanamoto’s daughter, Aki, playing a beautiful folk melody from ‘Yugi Bushi’ on the guzheng. That lasted for five minutes. ‘Wow, Aki plays really well. Who taught her? Her mother?’

‘She died two years ago. She was so devastated to know that her family had been killed in Nanking, back in 1938, she committed….’ Tanamoto’s voice broke off..

A plane had been flying around in the sky continuously for some time. However, that didn’t matter to the people – who went about bustling in their own daily activities. 

If they only knew that these were the last seconds of their life.

At 8.10, Sunichi came live. He sang the popular Japanese folk song ‘Sakura’. How sweet and tender the voice seemed to be! Yima and Tanamoto sat there, listening to it, not knowing…

Suddenly, Yima felt that something was falling from the sky. She went towards the window, and saw a black dot falling from the sky. The middle-school chemistry teacher thought that it was only a parachute. But as she looked closer, she saw that it didn’t seem to be a parachute, else why would that rotate like a crow’s feather. Then, she saw that a plane was flying by – just a little higher than the thing. 

She gasped with horror. It was a…

She rushed towards Tanamoto. Her son’s song was still going on. ‘Sir, we have to get out!’

‘Why what happened?’

‘There will be..’

Hardly had she completed her sentence, when suddenly both of them heard a loud explosion, followed by a tower of blinding white light! The two of them crashed down, both of them covering their eyes. The buildings crumbled down all around them. She felt the walls falling down on them…all the bricks, cement….she can’t breathe…

After what it seemed like an hour, Yima opened her eyes. Tanamoto had fainted when he landed down on the floor – better to say, ground. Yima saw a terrifying sight: The street shops were all broken and crushed. The trees had been ravaged away. Hundreds of people were crying out for help, and others were shouting and running like mad.

‘Mama! Mama! I’m here! Help!’ the cry of a child floated out.

Yima turned, and saw Sunichi, standing there in rags – the blue shirt had been tattered to pieces. 

‘Oh dear God!’

Yima ran towards him and grabbed him up. Tears were flooding from her eyes. ‘Oh thank goodness! You are…you are…’

‘No! No God! Oh why...Oh why…’

A shriek made her turn back yet again. The shriek had come from Tanamoto, who was lying down on the ground, crying.

A man was standing next to him. He was having some difficulty in walking. He then went to Yima. ‘Thank God your son is safe. My name is Sachi. I was the one who presented today's show. Who knew..’

‘Excuse me, but what happened to…’

Sachi looked up. His eyes were watery.

‘Aki got crushed so badly by the crumbling buildings that…I’m sorry, but she could not be saved…’

Yima went slowly and sat beside Tanamoto. In spite of this sudden grieving news, there was a slight smile.

‘Ha!’ he suddenly sighed. ‘My wife has gone – due to the word ‘war’. My daughter has also gone, due to the same word – ‘war’. People say ‘war’ is done to achieve something glorious. Is this glorious? Is parting people away glorious? Destroying people is glorious? IS WAR TRULY GLORIOUS IN NATURE FOR MANKIND?’

Yima couldn’t find words…she just sat there. Darkness was gathering, along with the screams of the people…

***

30 years later….

While returning to New York, Peter was constantly being haunted by the questions he heard back in Japan, where he was covering the story of the 1945 Hiroshima Bombings, as its 30th anniversary drew near. However, what he had heard from the fifty-five year old woman – Yima Chan – he seriously doubted about the fact what his…

What his grandfather had done that day – the 6th of August, 1945.

Returning home and freshening himself up, he went straight to his grandfather’s room. He was sitting over there, rocking in his chair, watching the raindrops falling on the windowsill. He was there, on one of the six planes carrying out the devastating event. He was delighted to have his grandson back, but what he asked, shook him a little, and he hung down his head, having no answer, for the question was:

‘Grandpa, why did you drop the bomb?’

M.Macabre

06.08.2020