Mikey could remember the time when he could hear the pleasant voice of his mother, before he was dropped off at the orphanage with three boys that he considered as his brothers. That pleasant Japanese voice still rung in his ears, soothing him whenever he feels pain and whenever he would feel sleepy. Sure, he doesn't remember much about his past but that voice always brought a smile to his face. He could remember how Mrs. O'Neil described her: "She was beautiful,"she spoke as if she was enjoying the calm waves. "you got her eyes."
Sure, he knows his mother but ever since he learned about fathers, he questioned Mrs. O'Neil if he had one. But the woman just shook her head and tries to change the topic. But when he opened the package from Japan, little did he know that it would soon become his Pandora's box...
LULLABIES OF THE PAST
Prologue A
Sleep, sleep peacefully my child
It was a beautiful morning right in Manhattan, New York. The happy-go-lucky people strolled down on the sidewalks, enjoying the birds chirping. The busy vehicles strolled down the streets, going from one point to another. It was such a beautiful morning right around the corners of New York...
...and so was Room 928 of Brickely's Apartment.
Smiling, the woman made his way to kiss her baby's forehead. "Good morning, my son."She whispered. Her long hair was what the child wake up. The boy almost chewed on his mother's hair. But the woman giggled. While removing the hair from her son's face, she thought, What a very unique child I have.
She could gently hear his stomach rumbling. Soon, the woman chuckled. "Are you hungry?"
The baby rubbed his stomach as a way of saying that he's hungry.
"Okay, my little goofball. I know there's some porridge left."
Carefully, she gently lifted his son and carried him to the dining room.
"You must be very hungry, child."She lifted the spoon filled with porridge. "Open up."
The boy laughed, opening his mouth for the choo-choo train. The woman gingerly fed him with great care and wiped his mouth. In return, the baby giggled and laughed. The woman chucked. Such a unique baby she has!
And yes, he could remember. This was one of the best moments of his life.
In the afternoon, the woman decided to go out on a stroll with the baby to the Central Park. Even at such an early age, the baby should at least visit a zoo.
The woman sighed. Three months. Three months until I can go back to Japan. Sadly...
"Mamma?"The baby spoke.
This made the woman snap out of trance. Quickly, she looked at her baby upon saying the first word.
"D-Did you just say your first word?"She asked, shocked.
"Mamma!"The baby giggled. Happily, she hugged him. "My son, I'm so proud of you! You said your first word."
And after the trip to the zoo, they went home, while the baby kept repeating the word "Mamma"
Every time she would look at the night, it would remind her back when she used to live with her grandmother. The moon was a pleasant sight for her and the lake would be calm like the wind. It was not like the city now.
After dressing up in her nightgown, she could hear the yawn of her son. She smiled and gently picked him up from his playpen. "My little one is getting sleepy, aren't you?"She cooed. The baby laughed but yawned in the middle of it. The woman gently set him on her bed. And once again, she gently sang that lullaby in front of him.
Nennen korori yo, Okorori yo.
Bōya wa yoi ko da, Nenne shina~
The baby wanted to stay up all night but his mind told him that it's time to sleep. He fought that instinct but it won. So, he let out a loud yawn, his eyelids soon shutting bit by bit.
Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta?
Ano yama koete, Sato e itta.
"Come on, son. Close those eyelids."She whispered. As she cradled her son gently, he let out another yawn. She murmured "Mamma" while closing his eyelids.
Sato no miyage ni, Nani morotta?
Denden taiko ni, Shō no fue.
After that last word, the baby finally slept peacefully.
While setting her baby down, she lay down, hugging the baby close to her heart. As she covered them with a blanket, she thought,
Sweet dreams, Mikeranjero.
"But what I didn't know was...the fun times were soon over..."
Note:
Mikeranjero is the Japanese version of the name of Michelangelo.
The inspiration got into me when I was watching Higurashi Kira Episode 4. As curious as I've been, I've typed the first two lines of the lyrics I deciphered. Learning that it was from a Japanese lullaby, I googled it. As a result, that sweet lullaby got stuck in my head (After listening to the cover of Hanyuu's lullaby) and so did the plot bunny.
And if anyone wants to know the lullaby, it's Edo no Komori Uta or Edo Lullaby. It originally emerged in a place during the Edo period (now, that land is called Tokyo).
So I know it's short and all but in the middle of the prologue, I felt a little sleepy after the lullaby playedfor the tenth time. When I typed out the part where the lullaby was, I almost fell asleep. That's why it was short. So that why I've preferred to split this prologue into two: A and B.
Oh no, I'm sleepy. I'll try to type up the next part once I've finally got my sleep.
mittercups16 (Ysa)
