l o s t
He goes through the dictionary, hoping to find a name. He's been like that for three years now, ever since they sent him to us in hopes that there was something we could do to bring him back. Please, his mother -- his only relative had pleaded with us, please give me my son back.
It's been three years and Satoshi de Masara has not remembered the one name he has lost.
It was a freak accident that was not supposed to be happen; a secret, the Government had explained, covering it up, and what was only broadcasted through the media were but the few snatches of rumours that everyone had already heard of. Three dead, many injured, and amongst these numbers a young trainer with potential -- a young trainer who had now forgotten everything that once had been in his life.
He came to us the summer of three years ago, barely able to achieve anything on his own. I was brought back into the field by my dear friend Hanako, who told me she could only trust me with her son's welfare. Unable to refuse the woman who was once my classmate, I took care of him; I have been for three years now, re-teaching him the simple things of life. It's taken a while, but Satoshi is a quick learner, eager to please and...
It was five months into his retraining that I found him sitting by the lake, peering through a dictionary. Satoshi, I said, what are you looking for? He was flipping page after page vigorously, as if searching for something that eluded him.
A, he started, but did not speak until seconds later, name.
Whose? I asked quietly, taking a seat beside him.
And he looked up at me with those doe-like eyes of his, hurt in every hue I could see. Somebody, he whispered, hesitant, unsure of himself. Somebody I...
You'll find it, I assured him.
He'll find it. You see, I knew the old Satoshi de Masara, having been a frequent visitor to Hanako's house back when her husband had been... still around. It's a tragic thing, Hanako's family -- first her husband, and now, her son... They take after each other so much; their loyalty, their unwavering determination and faith. As a small child, Satoshi had been shy and playful, and it had been almost too painful to watch when he would just play with himself instead of going to join in the other games... But he never gave up, no matter what.
Even when the puzzle was three pieces short, he finished it, and though the corners were never found, the very same puzzle proudly hangs in the living room of his childhood home and --
He now places the dictionary aside, tired of today's futile search. But he'll try again tomorrow; of course, he will. He's Satoshi de Masara, after all. Don't you know -- the future Master?
to be continued.
Prompt: He goes through the dictionary, hoping to find a name.
