"For the longest time, I thought about him every day. Yet, gradually
this turned into every other day, then every five days. I thought about him
every week. And then every month. This gradually became once a year. And
then it happened. Finally, I forgot all together. That was, at least before
I found the photograph. The photograph which brought it all trickling back
into my mind in a sudden forest brook. That was the day my life took a
strange twist for the second time."
"Yuki! Aya!"
The two kids ran down the stairs. Aya, the older, was about five years old, and Yuki was only three. They both stood in front of her.
"Ready, Mom!" said Yuki.
Kagome smiled down at her young boy. "Come on, then. Off to the doctors."
It was six-thirty in the morning and Kagome wanted to get her kids in and out of the doctor's office as fast as possible, so she wouldn't have to be too late for work. She held each of their hands and walked towards the car. Her husband, Hojo, swept down the stairs with a smile. He grabbed his briefcase off the kitchen table, and then swooped by Kagome to give her a kiss. Finally, he dashed out the door, running to his car, a piece of toast in mouth.
Kagome gazed lovingly back at him, and then pulled the children with her to her own car. She was feeling a bit tired, but otherwise well. At the age of twenty-five, she had two healthy children. She buckled the two of them safely in the back seat of the car and drove off toward the doctor's. The two bickered a bit on the way over, but no real arguments ensued.
She finally pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office, and then brought her kids with her inside the building. She walked to the front counter and signed her name, and then she sat herself in the waiting room, and shooed her kids toward the toys. She picked up a parenting magazine and began reading.
"Higurashi. Aya? Yuki?" said a woman who walked out from the examining rooms. Kagome stood, placing the magazine on the table, glad to put it down, and walked to her children. She held their hands and brought them into the office, sitting one on a stool, and another on the bed. She herself sat down on a chair.
"Mama, are we gonna get any shots?" asked Yuki, looking a bit afraid.
"Yeah! The biggest ones they've got!" said Aya with a smirk. "You'd better be careful! If you squirm, they could miss, and hit something important!"
"Aya!" Kagome exclaimed, causing the girl to close her mouth, and look away, ashamed. Kagome shook her head with a little smile.
The rest of the doctor appointment went rather well, and she led her children back to the car. She then drove Aya to her kindergarten and Yuki to his preschool. She finally arrived home, ready to grab her own items and get out of there. She decided that, since she was there, she might as well brush her hair again, knowing it probably didn't look very neat. She, she went to her room and began brushing her hair at the dresser. Her cat then hopped onto the dresser.
The cat knocked over her lotion bottle, and sent a necklace behind the dresser. She swore, knowing she was going to wear that necklace today. She shooed away the cat, then pulled the dresser a ways forward. She looked behind it, and saw the necklace. She reached for it, and pulled, but it got stuck on a screw. Annoyed, she kneeled over and pulled the necklace from the screw, only to notice the loose floorboard. She hadn't noticed it before.
She reached for the board, and pried it up with her hand. Under the floorboard rested an old picture frame. She pulled it out and placed it on the dresser, then pushed the dresser back, all before she had a good look at it. Then, she picked it up. She looked at the photograph inside.
It was an interesting photograph. There she was, in her old sailor fuku. She looked around sixteen in the picture. She didn't remember much of that year, because, she assumed, she had several illnesses, and it made her memory hazy. There she was, smiling. And all the way on the right was a woman of around twenty with long black hair. The woman dressed in an old fashioned kimono, and she had a giant boomerang saddled across her back. She looked at the camera startled. Then, between her and the woman, a bit closer to the camera than the woman, was an interesting man. He had fiery amber colored eyes, and long, messy, white hair. He brandished a giant glowing sword, and he looked either startled, or rather disturbed by the camera. Upon his head sat a pair of white, dog ears. He wore a red kimono with pants, and no shoes. On his head was a small child, a toddler, with a fox tail. On the side of the camera was a single blob of flesh color, which she presumed was the finger of whoever took the picture.
Suddenly, the frame fell from her hands, crashing to the ground, as her cat collided with her feet. She knelt down to collect the shards of glass. She was picking them up, when she noticed that there was one shard which almost seemed to glow. It had a pink hue to it, and it was about the size of half of a large marble. She picked it up, admiring it. What was it?
Slowly, almost instinctively, she stood and walked outside, to the back, where the shrine was. She walked over to the old well. She didn't even remember it was there, sometimes. She had never been in the building. She opened the door and walked inside. The room was a bit cramped, and musty. She walked over to the well, and looked down into it. She turned around, looking toward the doorway.
"This is crazy," she suddenly said aloud. "Why do I have this excessive urge to jump into the old well?"
She turned around, looking down into it again, and then finally decided to follow her urges, for lack of the ability to resist the subconscious messages. She turned around and climbed down the ladder, the pink gem in hand.
She fell upon the bottom. She was so sure she would hit solid ground that she was startled to feel herself suspended in the air. She looked about her, meeting a series of swirling celestial beings, a massive vacuum. Her stomach churned from the swirling feeling of it. Finally, she felt herself hit solid ground.
She looked around, seeing she was in the well, then looked up to see the sky. That wasn't right, though, because the well was indoors. She slowly climbed out of the well, noticing the ladder was missing. She finally reached the top and looked around her. All around her was a forest. Her eyes opened wide.
For lack of anything better to say, she whispered beneath her breath, "Todo, I don't thin we're in Kansas anymore."
"Yuki! Aya!"
The two kids ran down the stairs. Aya, the older, was about five years old, and Yuki was only three. They both stood in front of her.
"Ready, Mom!" said Yuki.
Kagome smiled down at her young boy. "Come on, then. Off to the doctors."
It was six-thirty in the morning and Kagome wanted to get her kids in and out of the doctor's office as fast as possible, so she wouldn't have to be too late for work. She held each of their hands and walked towards the car. Her husband, Hojo, swept down the stairs with a smile. He grabbed his briefcase off the kitchen table, and then swooped by Kagome to give her a kiss. Finally, he dashed out the door, running to his car, a piece of toast in mouth.
Kagome gazed lovingly back at him, and then pulled the children with her to her own car. She was feeling a bit tired, but otherwise well. At the age of twenty-five, she had two healthy children. She buckled the two of them safely in the back seat of the car and drove off toward the doctor's. The two bickered a bit on the way over, but no real arguments ensued.
She finally pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office, and then brought her kids with her inside the building. She walked to the front counter and signed her name, and then she sat herself in the waiting room, and shooed her kids toward the toys. She picked up a parenting magazine and began reading.
"Higurashi. Aya? Yuki?" said a woman who walked out from the examining rooms. Kagome stood, placing the magazine on the table, glad to put it down, and walked to her children. She held their hands and brought them into the office, sitting one on a stool, and another on the bed. She herself sat down on a chair.
"Mama, are we gonna get any shots?" asked Yuki, looking a bit afraid.
"Yeah! The biggest ones they've got!" said Aya with a smirk. "You'd better be careful! If you squirm, they could miss, and hit something important!"
"Aya!" Kagome exclaimed, causing the girl to close her mouth, and look away, ashamed. Kagome shook her head with a little smile.
The rest of the doctor appointment went rather well, and she led her children back to the car. She then drove Aya to her kindergarten and Yuki to his preschool. She finally arrived home, ready to grab her own items and get out of there. She decided that, since she was there, she might as well brush her hair again, knowing it probably didn't look very neat. She, she went to her room and began brushing her hair at the dresser. Her cat then hopped onto the dresser.
The cat knocked over her lotion bottle, and sent a necklace behind the dresser. She swore, knowing she was going to wear that necklace today. She shooed away the cat, then pulled the dresser a ways forward. She looked behind it, and saw the necklace. She reached for it, and pulled, but it got stuck on a screw. Annoyed, she kneeled over and pulled the necklace from the screw, only to notice the loose floorboard. She hadn't noticed it before.
She reached for the board, and pried it up with her hand. Under the floorboard rested an old picture frame. She pulled it out and placed it on the dresser, then pushed the dresser back, all before she had a good look at it. Then, she picked it up. She looked at the photograph inside.
It was an interesting photograph. There she was, in her old sailor fuku. She looked around sixteen in the picture. She didn't remember much of that year, because, she assumed, she had several illnesses, and it made her memory hazy. There she was, smiling. And all the way on the right was a woman of around twenty with long black hair. The woman dressed in an old fashioned kimono, and she had a giant boomerang saddled across her back. She looked at the camera startled. Then, between her and the woman, a bit closer to the camera than the woman, was an interesting man. He had fiery amber colored eyes, and long, messy, white hair. He brandished a giant glowing sword, and he looked either startled, or rather disturbed by the camera. Upon his head sat a pair of white, dog ears. He wore a red kimono with pants, and no shoes. On his head was a small child, a toddler, with a fox tail. On the side of the camera was a single blob of flesh color, which she presumed was the finger of whoever took the picture.
Suddenly, the frame fell from her hands, crashing to the ground, as her cat collided with her feet. She knelt down to collect the shards of glass. She was picking them up, when she noticed that there was one shard which almost seemed to glow. It had a pink hue to it, and it was about the size of half of a large marble. She picked it up, admiring it. What was it?
Slowly, almost instinctively, she stood and walked outside, to the back, where the shrine was. She walked over to the old well. She didn't even remember it was there, sometimes. She had never been in the building. She opened the door and walked inside. The room was a bit cramped, and musty. She walked over to the well, and looked down into it. She turned around, looking toward the doorway.
"This is crazy," she suddenly said aloud. "Why do I have this excessive urge to jump into the old well?"
She turned around, looking down into it again, and then finally decided to follow her urges, for lack of the ability to resist the subconscious messages. She turned around and climbed down the ladder, the pink gem in hand.
She fell upon the bottom. She was so sure she would hit solid ground that she was startled to feel herself suspended in the air. She looked about her, meeting a series of swirling celestial beings, a massive vacuum. Her stomach churned from the swirling feeling of it. Finally, she felt herself hit solid ground.
She looked around, seeing she was in the well, then looked up to see the sky. That wasn't right, though, because the well was indoors. She slowly climbed out of the well, noticing the ladder was missing. She finally reached the top and looked around her. All around her was a forest. Her eyes opened wide.
For lack of anything better to say, she whispered beneath her breath, "Todo, I don't thin we're in Kansas anymore."