The Earthquake of Japan (short story)

Ryo pulled out the last weed from the farmland. It was midday, and he was done with farmwork. Now came everything else. Sweat drenched his worn out, muddy shirt which he used to dry the perspiration on his face. His face was grimy, and red from the intense heat that he had to face while doing farmwork.

He turned around and started walking back to his master’s house when he felt a great shaking. The ground started throbbing, and Ryo was catapulted to the ground. His hat flew several feet away from him as he fell. He dug his short fingernails into the soft dirt and was hidden behind the stalks of corn. For the next two minutes, he tried to stay on the ground and kept low for some reason. When the shaking had finally ended, he pulled himself up.

Ryo dusted the dirt off his clothes and turned around to see his farmhouse. It was completely destroyed. The roof had caved in, and torn apart the lower floors. Debris was scattered everywhere, and as he jogged closer, he could spot many of his and his master’s possessions under or next to the rubble. Then, he spotted his journal which he wrote in everyday. Quickly, he ran to it and saw that the cover page was completely ripped except for the top right corner. Many pages had been ripped out and dirt had covered it. Any other possessions he owned were not visible except for a few small items like a toy yo-yo he used to play with as a child.

Ryo was confused, saddened, and scared all at the same time. Master had gone out to buy groceries, and Ryo was all alone without any possessions, or even a phone. Some scary thoughts flashed in Ryo’s head, like if Master had passed, or was injured. Master was his guardian. He cared for Ryo, fed him, and bought him things. Without Master, he was dead.

For a few minutes, he scavenged the debris but everything was buried, or broken.

The nearest neighbor lived three miles away. Ryo knew he had to get there. But it would take a while; at least an hour or two. For ten minutes he sat on the ground thinking about a better solution. But, he couldn’t think of any better solution. That was his only one. After a while of thinking, he became drowsy and fell asleep.

He woke up when he saw a car driving up to his house (that was trashed). The car however wasn’t Master’s which dropped Ryo’s hopes. But there had to be someone in the car who could help him. It was a black van that drove right up to Ryo. On the side, he read the words: 緊急車両 (Emergency Vehicle).

Ryo felt a smile on his face. A kind looking man stepped out with mostly black clothes.

“私と一緒に来てください。これで安全です,” he said. (Come with me. You’re safe now.)

A tear dragged down Ryo’s face, and he entered the car which took him back to the city, which he knew he was safer than being alone.

The city looked worse than his farmhouse. Buildings had collapsed, and cars were flipped over. There was a traffic of cars that blocked the roads once they got to them. However, they were able to make it.

Ryo felt bad about those who didn’t make it alive. There had to be some who didn’t make it. He kept thinking of Master, however. The generous man who raised him to what he was today. Terrible thoughts went through his head, but he turned them off. Ryo was worried about Master, and also about the other people who were affected. But he tried to think happy thoughts. The man driving didn’t talk very much. The sun tapped into Ryo’s head and once again he fell asleep, as the van proceeded through the earthquake of Japan.