Fireflies by Ben Byrne Read Free Book Online Page A

a tattered magazine.
    â€œI’ve found something,” she said in a faint voice.
    She was holding a torn copy of Women’s Club, a magazine that my mother used to read. I wrinkled up my nose, but she opened it anyway to show us an article. I squinted at the title: “Let’s Eat Grasshoppers!” it said.
    â€œWell. Let’s hear it then,” I said, nodding in encouragement.
    Tomoko blew her hair out of her eyes. Shyly, she began to read.
    â€œNot only is the countryside full of grasshoppers, but despite what some might think, they are in fact quite delicious to eat and are very nutritious, being packed full of vitamins.”
    Koji made a sour face and Shin, not to be outdone, retched loudly.
    But the idea didn’t seem like such a bad one to me. We were all just skin and bones, after all. Even if we didn’t eat the grasshoppers ourselves, we could always try selling them back here at the market. I’d seen people selling buckets of frogs before; some even sold snakes.
    â€œWell. Maybe we’ll go on a grasshopper hunt tomorrow then,” I said. “First thing.”
    The other children started to make excited noises, but I quickly dashed their hopes.
    â€œJust us older ones, of course. Me — and Tomoko. Shin, you can stay here and look after the little ones. You’re in charge.”
    My heart was in my mouth as the children grumbled away. I snatched a glance up at Tomoko. Her cheeks were glowing. She was smiling at me.
    ~ ~ ~
    It was a cold morning, beautifully clear and bright, as we jumped down from the Tobu Main Line train, just past Shiraoka up in Saitama prefecture. The fields were all crunchy with frost and mottled leaves were floating down from the trees, slowly, as if they couldn’t bear to land. We’d borrowed some little bamboo cages from an old man at the market to make homes for our grasshoppers, but though we hunted about in the fields for hours on end, as the magazine suggested, it finally became clear that we wouldn’t be needing them. There were no grasshoppers to be found.
    â€œI wonder where they all could have gone,” Tomoko sniffed.
    â€œPerhaps it’s because it’s autumn now,” I said. “Or perhaps other people have already taken them.”
    We wandered along a winding path that led through the fields, as the dew melted and a warbler called out from the trees. It must have its nest nearby, I thought, and I wondered if I should try to search for its eggs. I looked up. Tomoko was standing by a little shrine set with offerings just off the path, her eyes closed as if she were saying a prayer.
    The stories I’d heard about her city swirled through my head. As we carried on walking, I finally plucked up the courage to ask her the question that had been puzzling me.
    â€œTomoko,” I said. “I was wondering. Why was it that your mother sent you to Tokyo in the first place? Do you really have relatives here?”
    She stopped suddenly, and gave me a strange look.
    â€œShe was sick,” she murmured.
    â€œSick?”
    She nodded. A wrinkle appeared on her forehead. “Not straight away,” she said. “After.”
    I frowned. “What do you mean?” I asked. “What was wrong with her?”
    She opened her mouth as if to speak, then shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “Something to do with her blood.”
    â€œCouldn’t your father help?” I asked. “What did he do?”
    â€œHe was a doctor,” she said. “At the naval hospital.”
    â€œSo why couldn’t he help, then?”
    She stared blankly at the ground.
    â€œWhat was it like?” I blurted. “Is it true what they say? That it all went up with just one blast?”
    Tomoko held her hands tightly against her sides. She suddenly looked as if she was about to cry. Idiot! I thought, cursing myself. This kind of talk was against the rules.
    I strode on down the