This piece is a little different in that inspiration for it came in two parts. Firstly, there was the urge to draw the picture, which I followed, not really knowing where it was headed. Then, having completed the image, it was some five days before the words for it came through. Sometimes, that's just the way it happens.
It was four days since the sun had begun to die. Four days since a piece of it had fallen from the sky.The soldiers denied that the sun was dying, of course. They said that it was the Gaijin; that they had a new weapon. A bomb. Hisao wasn't really surprised that the soldiers reacted this way. It was in the nature of their job to think such things.
Besides, they hadn't been here when it happened. Not like Hisao. They hadn't seen the birds fall flaming to the ground. They hadn't seen the brilliant flash that had seared his pupils, and which he could still see every time he closed his eyes. A flash so intense it burned his shadow onto the wall he had been standing next to. They hadn't heard the wind screaming in exhultation as it rushed past, fuelling the firestorm that engulfed the centre of the city. And, two days later, hadn't the sky wept black tears at the death? No. Despite what the soldiers said, and no matter how devilish and cunning they were, Hisao didn't believe the Gaijin responsible. He knew the sun was dying.
Now, each day, it rose and sank in a pool of blood, dark and clotted.
As the sun sank below the horizon, Hisao sat on the hillside, looking down at his home. The city where he had been born, which had nurtured him for all his fourteen years. The city which had died along with his parents and his two brothers. His beloved Hiroshima.
A coughing fit siezed him. He lay on the ground, writhing until it passed. He sat up, gulping for air, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He stared at the blood there. It was the same colour as the sky.
Image"Sun Lies Bleeding" © Writing The Image/Peter Stone 2007
"As The Sun Fell" © Writing The Image/Peter Stone 2007
3 comments:
Pete, I'm a tad confused. Did you write this, or is it a piece from a book that you particularly liked? I'm thinking it is your work, but just wanted to be sure before I posted an inappropriate comment (ie complimenting you on something you DIDN'T write!). I'll go ahead anyway. Is this part of a longer story? I'd like to read it all, if that's the case. I have a 90 year old Japanese friend who lived through Hiroshima. She said she'll never forget the flash, and your post made me think of her.
All writing on this blog is my own, as acknowledged by the copyright at the bottom of each piece. Copyright of the images is also acknowledged.
This piece isn't part of any larger body of work; it's what came to me after drawing the image.
My apologies, Peter - but you always knew I was dumb, didn't you!
Very thought-provoking writing with your usual flair.
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