• Chapter One - A Forest of Sorrow

    A forest can be bright, energetic, and full of life, while they can also be dark, deceiving, and empty. Such depressing thoughts form within its depths. In this tale, a certain young girl calls forth such thoughts. Those thoughts are, “What am I doing here? I feel as if... I do not belong... All my life, I have felt as though I do not belong... What is my purpose? Where do I belong in this world?” Only time can answer those questions, my dear girl…

    On a gray, foggy morning, three people were walking through this forest and the empty field from which they collected wheat to make bread. They were headed toward the other side of the field to a graveyard that had but one gravestone. The person in front, a rather somber young woman (Brown hair, blue eyes) of about 16 years, who was wearing a white Sunday dress, was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers that the three of them had picked that morning. A young man (white hair, blue eyes) also of about 16 years, wearing a dark, navy blue suit and matching shoes, walked behind her while holding the hand of a 12-year-old girl (Blonde hair, green eyes). The little girl, who was adorned in a blue and white party dress, pink bows, and brown shoes, looked around, seemingly interested in her surroundings. However, in her mind, thoughts raged of something else.

    “Why am I here? I do not belong...”

    The sun was hidden behind the fog and many clouds, but specks of light shone through onto the field, making it look as though the sky was opening up to swallow them. The young folk continued to look ahead, focused on where they were going. As they approached their destination, their footsteps became quieter and their attitudes became more sullen. They finally stopped in front of the gravestone, a grey granite slab that had been chiseled into the shape of a warrior. The gravestone heading read, “Here lays Corashina Shiraiwa; loving mother, wonderful wife, and great warrior.” The young woman sighed heavily with grief and wiped a few tears from her sore eyes. The young man let go of the little girl’s hand and put his own on the young woman’s shoulder to show her comfort. She turned to him, smiled slightly, and turned back to the gravestone. The little girl walked in between the two and looked at the gravestone of their mother solemnly.

    “Is this the place?” she asked sadly, as she turned to them. The two turned their attention back to her.

    “Yes, it is, sister,” the lass replied, nodding. The child turned back to the grave and stared at it blankly for a bit longer, replaying in her head the last word her sister had said. It was then that the boy knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.

    “It’s alright, you know,” he said, trying to reassure her, thinking she was sad about their mother’s death, “She’s gone to a better place now.” The young woman smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

    “That’s right,” she said softly. The youngest turned to them both.

    “Yes, I know,” she answered, nodding and holding back tears. She started to think more carefully about the person in the grave before her, like who she really had been. The young man then stood up and faced his two sisters.

    “We need to do what we came to do and go home,” he stated, “Father is waiting for us.” As he finished, he turned, kneeled in front of the grave, and began to pray. The little girl nodded and did the same thing. The young woman looked at the two of them, sighed, put the flowers on the grave, and prayed. When they were finished praying, they all stood up together and walked away from the grave.

    Farther away, a stay-at-home father paced on the yellow and green colored tiles as he worried when his children would get home.

    “Where are they? It doesn’t take that long to find a graveyard,” he thought to himself as he paced back and forth. He glanced back into a room that was dark as if making sure that something was ready for him when the time came. “Only one thing left,” he stated as he glanced out the old window. While doing so, he spotted three figures making their way toward the house. The father smiled and walked out to the porch to greet them.

    There was much tension in the air as the three children walked to the house. Finally, after a few minutes, the youngest of the three broke the silence and turned around to face her siblings.

    “Hey!” she said with a smile, “Want to play a game?” The other two looked at each other and shrugged.

    “Sure,” the brother said, “What game should we play?” The little girl smiled broader.

    “Let’s play tag!” she answered as she reached out and touched the older sister on the arm. She giggled and said, “You’re it!” and then ran off. The older sister was taken by surprise, but smiled and ran after her younger sister. The brother followed along and tried to catch up with his sisters. After realizing that she could not keep up with the younger sister, the older sister turned quickly and tagged the brother.

    “You get her,” she said while panting heavily, “I’m tired of running.” The brother smiled and ran after the little girl. The brother was faster than the older sister was, so he caught up to the younger sister quickly. The youngest turned, saw him coming, and tried to run faster. The older brother ran after her and, as he was losing his breath, sprinted up to her and grabbed her around the shoulders. The little girl giggled in delight as the older brother spun her around three times, and then fell backward onto the grass with her in his arms. The two laughed and smiled.

    “Looks like I won again, sis,” he said. The little girl just giggled and grinned at him.

    “Yup, looks like it,” she answered. The older sister walked up to them, smiling. All of a sudden, they heard a loud whistle from the direction of the house. They all looked up and saw their father standing on the front porch, beckoning them inside. They all stood up and walked to the house.

    The excited father waved to his children as they started back. The youngest grinned broadly and ran to him. As soon as she reached the porch, the little girl hugged her father. He picked her up and spun her around as the brother had done, and then set her back down.

    “Hey! How’s my little girl today?” he asked with a smile. The little girl smiled back.

    “I’m fantastic! Though I lost to Yuki again...” The older brother smiled sheepishly and scratched his head, chuckling nervously.

    “What can I say? I’m good at tag,” he replied apologetically. The father chuckled and smiled at the three.

    “Well, who’s hungry?” All three children approved loudly. They ran inside and cleaned up, ready for lunch.

    That night, the little girl slept restlessly. Finally, not taking any more of the tossing and turning, she awoke and sat up in her bed. She glanced out the window slightly and saw a speck of light shining brightly. She wondered if it was her shining star, so she knelt before it and began to pray.

    “Oh, Shining Star, watch me as I sleep. Keep me safe from the doubts in my head and tell me what I need to know. Do I have a purpose among these kind people? Are they my real family? I must know. God, if you can hear me, please answer my questions. I need to know...” As she finished, she could feel herself becoming sleepy. She shut the window and lay back down. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.