Canada is a strange country. It's very cold during the winter and very
hot during the summer. Most Canadians preferred the summer but some,
like Mathew's adoptive son Kumajiro, preferred the winter.
It'd be more accurate to say that kid hated summer. The warm
temperatures would make him feel dizzy and light-headed. He would sweat
so much that his shinny white hair would be soaked by noon. He avoided
going outside as much as possible and would eat nothing but ice cream
and lemonade during the warm season.
At first Canada had thought his son was just being stubborn, but after
a while he began to worry about his health. Kumajiro was really
important to Canada, a country who was overshadowed by his Brother
America and ignored by the international community. Few countries
bothered to remember his name and in some cases his existence. Even
his dads, the United Kingdom and France, would forget about him!
Mathew became very lonely after a few centuries of this and decided to
adopt a child and create his own family. He wanted a son who would
love him, who would remember his name, who would play hockey with him
and who would always be there for him. Kumajiro wasn't perfect but he
depended on Mathew which is why he had to protect him no matter what.
He brought Kumajiro to the doctor's a few days before Canada day.
Kumajiro whined the whole car ride. The car's air conditioning was
broken. He passed out fifteen minutes into the trip. This only made
Mathew drive faster.
He carried his unconscious son into the emergency room. He waited
outside while the doctors examined Kumajiro. He sat down and rested
his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs. He was
exhausted and on the verge of tears. Whatever was wrong with his son
seemed to be getting worse by the hour. He knew he wouldn't be able to
handle losing the only family he had. He couldn't even go to his real
family for support. He'd never felt so alone and helpless.
The doctor came out to find a desperate looking father. This made what
he had to tell him even harder.
"How...How is he?" asked Matthew in shaky voice.
"He's not able to survive in this temperature. We used to have
medication for cases like this but they are useless now because of the
damn global warming"
Mathew nodded to show that he understood.
"Is he a nation like you?"
"I...I don't know." said Mathew who was trying not to cry, "He
doesn't... age like a normal kid."
The doctor sighed. The kid would have had more chances of survival if
he was a nation.
"I'm sorry. He's not going to make it through the summer."