The carefree young lady noticed the large wooden wall clock with a vintage colored bell on top of it. Her once sparkling eyes turned dull as if she saw a ghost.
“Oh no! It’s already past nine...” she tearfully said.
Yumeko peeked from the window and saw that classes were already commencing. She was very nervous for she did not have any idea of what would happen from there on. She was already physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted before she even kicked off her day. Then she thought of a very bright idea.
“Okay, I’ve decided,” she said while knocking her right fist on her left palm. “With the freedom given to me, today Yumeko is skipping classes for a valid reason,” she confidently said, letting herself believe she was right.
“We go to school five days a week; we miss to see the most beautiful sunshine, breathe the purest air, and enjoy being alive not enclosed in a four cornered room,” she whispered and finally convinced herself.
She quickly hopped on her bike and left.
For the time being, a girl with a curly blonde hair and prickly eyes saw her from the window leaving. It was her classmate and was disdainfully looking at her.
The young heart enjoyed her voyage in her village. She was becoming acquainted with everything around it. She looked for a place to rest and found a jewel-blue stream. It was a river along the village—their source of life. She gently sat on a swaying green bent grass as it followed the waves of the crystalline water. Yumeko dipped her palm, scooped some water, and drank it for she was thirsty from biking. She then lied down to regain all the energy she had lost.
“I am taking a nap with the nature,” she said while her head rested on both her hands. She felt so much relaxed.
She took a nap and just woke up to eat the bento Koharu prepared for her then took a nap again. A cat came and slept beside her, comfortably. She felt a gentle scratch on her face; it was the white stray cat she saw this morning. She was suddenly awakened realizing it was already sunset. She hurriedly rode on her bike, happy and refreshed. For all that happened today, Yumeko somehow decided to just go along the waves of her life—without her memories.
Yumeko went home safely. Koharu was waiting at their entrance worriedly.
“My lady, why are you late? Luckily, Master isn’t home yet. I have prepared your dinner already. Please have a short rest and eat.”
“I studied the map of our village today. I didn’t know it was so difficult. My teacher is like a monster with a fur.” She made up a lame excuse about getting lost today, then added the fur of the stray cat.
“But My lady, you don’t study the village map in that school, and your teacher doesn’t have a fu—”
“Shhh!” hushed Yumeko putting her index finger in between her lips. She then walked inside her room. Koharu followed her behind.
“My lady, I think I know what you did today. You didn’t attend your classes, did you?” the maid asked out of concern.
“…”
The maid’s eyes widened as she did not receive a response from her lady.
“I was right!” She did not know what to do anymore. Her lady had been so weird today. “What just happened to you, my lady? This morning you overslept, you forgot the pin your mother gave you, and you even skipped classes! No matter how the other kids at school dislike you, please don’t skip classes. If master finds out, you will be punished, my lady.”
The kids at school dislike me?
Yumeko wanted to know but she did not want Koharu’s suspicions rise even further. If Yumeko would tell Koharu that she lost her memories, she was not sure if she would believe her. Having not remember anything, she was not sure if Koharu was really her ally. Also, just like the waves in that river, she decided to just go with the waves of her life—let the forgotten be forgotten, not even bother.
She did not want to hear any of these nags anymore. She was scolded before leaving this morning and got scolded again when she arrived.
“Alright, I got it. Just don’t tell father. I don’t want him to get angry,” she just surrendered because she wanted to rest.
Koharu covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief.
“As I thought, my lady is really strange today! Normally if I tell you things, you would always have something to rebut! But just now…my lady!” the concerned maid cried.
Eh? That’s how I was? I must have enjoyed her badgers. “I’m tired today so I’m not doing it…?” She rolled on her bed.
“My lady, please change first! Ah! And eat your dinner!”
She had dinner first and changed her clothes. After a long disagreement with Koharu, Yumeko found out that she was an old lady in a body of a young girl. She was very matured and she knew Yumeko so well.
Before Yumeko went to bed, she saw the zinnia hairpin on her vanity table and out of curiosity, she thought about studying flowers. She strode to her study room that was located at the same floor where her bed room was.
As she slid the door to the study, a sweet, musky smell of books enveloped her. The place was surrounded with shelves filled with books in it. In the middle of it was a wide table with a chair. On the ceiling was a wooden chandelier. It showed that this room was managed well. It was clean and very tidy.
As she searched through, she found a few books about flowers. She must have liked nature. She reached for a book that was on a shelf on her eye level with the title, “The Meaning of Flowers.” She took it out from the shelf and began to examine the cover first.
She carefully scanned the pages as she read through the information. Then she stopped when she saw a sketch of a flower that looked like “her favorite hair pin”, as Koharu said, with a description below it:
“Zinnia” symbolizes lasting love, goodness, and faithfulness.
She realized this was an indirect message relayed to her by her late mother.
She was happy after learning what her mother wanted to say. She was amazed on how flowers could express messages, too. Then she became more interested in other flowers and their symbolisms. Pile of books now were found on the table.
After a long time spending in the study, sleepiness had visited the young heart. She then closed the book and decided to read again some other time.
To be continued.
End Notes
Bento - Japanese style packed lunch
Tuberculosis - during Taisho, there was still no cure for tuberculosis.
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