"Reunion. Nobuko Looking For Grandma" (The Next is the Last Story of Nobuko ) Dr.Soko Day26/50

"Grandma! Grandma!"

On the morning of August 9, Nobuko began to walk toward Hiroshima's grandma's house again. 

On the way back yesterday, the man's body could no longer be seen anywhere. He passed away in front of Nobuko. On the street there were people pushing a cart to clean up bodies and burn the corpses. 

Nobuko strangely felt nothing when she saw many corpses. She was just thinking of going straight to the house in Dohashi. Even though her sight was put on  the burnt body rolling on the street, she jumped over it and just moved forward.

She jumped over countless pieces of glass and rubble, so she did not forget to sometimes look at her soles to see if the shoes were broken. 

Some of the people who passed by were those who were looking for their family, those who tidy up the bodies, and those work in the first-aid stations. Since there were people who took pictures sometimes, Nobuko thought they were a newspaper reporter. 

Black smoke was rising everywhere.

It was around noon, maybe.
From a distance, Nobuko could see an area of around the house in Tsuchihashi. 

She saw somebody moving around there. 

Nobuko started to run, and yelled out. 

"Grandma! Grandma!"

Nobuko's voice didn't seem to reach her near the house.
Nobuko continued to run, dragging one aching foot. She stepped on broken glass, charcoal, and rubble, but ran without looking back.

"Grandma! Grand-ma!"

Reunion

The figure turned around.
"Oh, Nobuko! Nobuko! Are you okay?"

It was Dad who shouted back. Dad was waving his hand towards Nobuko. There was Toshiko, Nobuko's big sister, too. She run to the place they are.

Grandma was not there.

"Dad! Toshiko! So glad to see you!"
She was running with squeezing all her energy. She jumped into her father's chest. 

Nobuko was relieved to see their faces from the bottom of her heart. 
"Oh, Nobuko. We were worried of you so much.  What have you been up to in the last few days? "
Dad patted Nobuko's head.

Nobuko said,

"I couldn't find her, Grandma.."

Dad stroked her head.

"I know, I know. You did very well. It's okay."

"We came here last night. You should know your mom was so worried about you. Anyway, glad you are safe."

"Dad, I searched for Grandma here the day before yesterday, but I couldn't find her."

To hear Nobuko said so,  Toshiko shook her head.
"Did you find her?"
Nobuko looked into her father's face

"Ah, right now. Maybe, Grandma seems to be there."
When Toshiko picked up several roof tiles, a shape like a leg was seen.

My Grandma, Her Body

Nobuko opened her eyes wide and looked firmly at the place.

 The legs were black, not due to dirt of the soil, but because they were burnt like charcoal. Nobuko dug up the soil and tried to get out the whole body. However, she could not pull out the body.

Dad, Toshiko, and Nobuko struggled with both hands to remove the dirt and debris on the body.
Gradually, the body could be seen more. The back of the body were black and cracked, and between cracked black skin, the flesh was seen. 

 It was strange but only the waist was not burned. There was a small piece of a cotton trousers' cloth left over on the waist. Looking closely at the pattern of the fabric, there were dark blue and a red hazy pattern seen. That was definitely Grandmother's one.

Nobuko's eyes were already red due to dirt and dust.
Her face was muddy and dusty, and sweat was dripping from her chin.
Tears made a number of streaks on her dirty face.
Her mouth was distorted with sorrow.
Even if she wiped the overflowing tears, it won't stop. She stopped to care about it.
"Let's pull it out together at the same time."

”Okay？1, 2, 3, go!"

The grandma's body was pulled out from the dirt and rubble. At that moment, three of them stopped breathing.

No one could say anything to see the tragic appearance. Grandma's body did not have the head. They tried hard to search for her head, but could not find it.
They have no idea what happened to Grandma's head. 

Nobuko's father said,

"Maybe it might had been burned and crushed by the debris of house. I do not know though, I think we did all what we could do.  Grandma now must be pleased that she has been found by both of you."

They continued to look for Grandma's head for more while. 

Then, a man in a national cloth approached to them, pulling a cart.
　
”I am going to burn corpses beside the river. If you like, please put it on the luggage carrier."
There were other bodies on the cart.
"Thank you very much. That's so helpful."
Dad removed his hat and thanked him.
"Nobuko. Let's finish searching, okay?"

Nobuko stopped moving her hands.
She sat down and put her hands together in front of Grandma's body.
The three of them put Granma's body on the cart.
Nobuko touched the unburned grandmother's waist.
"This is the last time for grandma."
She was stroking Grandma's bent waist. She couldn't see well in tears. 

”Please bring firewood or something burnable."
As told by the man, they collected firewood for cremating the grandmother's body.
Then they turned their backs to the river and sat side by side, and waited for Grandma's body to be cremated. 

It sometimes rained. They needed to find firewood materials at times. 
"I think it's about time."
Nobuko's father bowed the man. 
Nobuko picked up bones of her grandmother with sticks. There were still big bones remained. So Nobuko's father had to crushed the bones with a roof tile into small pieces, to put them in a can.

Nobuko, Toshiko and dad stood up and made a pray for Grandma.
Dad put the can in his bag, and said,

"Let's go home."

Go Back Home to Kure

There was still a long way to reach the train station of Kaitaichi.
From time to time Nobuko thrust her head into the water from the broken pipe, and drank water.
While being hit by the black rain, they cooled the heat and continued to walk through the burned town.
They jumped over the corpses, rubble, and glass. After walking around without a break, they came to the area that there were some unbroken houses.
They finally arrived at Kaitashi Station.

They waited for a train for Kure at our platform for a while.
From a distance, they saw a small train coming to Kaitashi station.
Everyone on the platform were watching the train arrived at the station. When the passengers on the train were dropped off and the train's forehead was displayed as Kure,  Nobuko jumped on the train.

The three of them were so exhausted. Their eyelids came down soon.

However, Nobuko opened her eyes. As if Nobuko's eyelid has become a screen, she saw the scene in Hiroshima. She saw people walking in Hiroshima with an awful burn wound in dreaming.
Neither dad nor Toshiko sister speak a word.
With her eyes open, Nobuko was staring out the window at the thin red sky behind the sunset.

At this time, she has not known that something would get wrong with her body.